|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cassandra or Jeremiah? Sad thoughts on this piece.Reader comment on item: Recruiting Soldiers Against Radical Islam Submitted by mariana (United States), Apr 3, 2007 at 12:28 Daniel states that most of the Republican Presidential candidates seem to be affected by the threat of Radical Islam, but the Dems not at all. This has been the case, at least, since the end of WWII, when the USSR's aggressive and belligerent behaviour was denied, rationalized and explained away by America's hard core Left, and it has not changed. They've simply substituted one for the other, and the organized, well oiled agitation/propaganda machine never missed a beat. Many people explained these Dem warm feelings and the willingness to ignore and excuse away even the worst atrocities committed "behind the Iron Curtain," as the influence in the Democrat party "of Eastern European Orthodox Jews," who favored "communal" organization of communities. I'm not so sure, mostly, because there weren't that many of them. While many of the "red diaper babies" were descended from E. European immigrants, these "lefties" have had a particular, anti-American twist - always! One wonders why such individuals, many of whom have the means to live anywhere on earth they choose, insist upon remaining in such an awful place. The most serious problem we face is that the elites teaching in Universities and Colleges, along with the next echelon [or cause motivated] teaching K-12, have been totally infiltrated and controlled for 40-50 years, by hard core Lefties. Once they turned teachers into union members [as opposed to "professionals"], schools have degenerated geometrically. These people totally control the message, the means of its dispersal, and the standards by which the "message" [and the institutions selling the message] get evaluated. No matter how many individuals or organizations like Daniel's Campus Watch, the Young Americans for Freedom, College Republicans, and a David Horowitz we have, the hard truth is that parents have not a clue about the content of the curricula with which their kids are being indoctrinated, and it's been going on so long, that most of the "parents" received the same crap when they were in school. Many parents are still under the superstitious and utopian impression that "education is a good thing," and colleges are places where students get exposed to different cultures and ethnic groups, and where any and all topics can be presented, researched, discussed and examined. In short, they believe that their children will be better for the experience. They do not understand that colleges are less tolerant and more segregated now than they were in the 50's; that blacks segregate with blacks, latinos with latinos, and everyone's jealous of the Chinese & Vietnamese [who both work harder and, having been less affected by indoctrination, know more "useful stuff" and therefore score higher on SAT's], etc. Unfortunately, Higher Education has too often become an institution where any remnants of common sense, reason or thoughtfulness their children may have maintained throughout HS, is coercively and forcefully pounded out of them by means of ridicule, shunning, discrimination, name calling and certainly lower grades [while at the same time, actively separating the students from the parents and everything they built or believe]. A paper opposing the "Professor's" indoctrination, no matter how well reasoned, written and documented, will not receive an "A" while regurgitating the pap dictated by teacher, will always get an A [or B if it's a total basket case; it's the "thought" that counts]. A hapless student even raising an issue considered "un-pc" will bring down the wrath of the class as well as the instructor, who often will allow his "clack" to commit all sorts of abuse, even, in some cases, physical threats. Daniel, I fear, is far more optimistic than I. Having spent most of my adult life in Berkeley and Oakland, Ca connected with local colleges and universities, and having been on this "Crusade" since the late 60's, I see "parents" [in the generic] as less interested, less involved, and certainly less confrontational about the curriculum and credo of their children's schools [if they even glance at the books]. If they bothered to look at "history" or "social studies" books, they'd find very little history and a whole lot of politically correct, basically anti-American ideology and assertions - the kind of stuff which, during the 50's and early 60's, you'd have found in USSR's "history" books about "AmeriKa." "Back then" [@1950-66], the Herald Tribune and NY Times were serious newspapers on whose front page one could read serious, detailed, factually based stories. The NYT [even though it had Karl Marks as it's London correspondent at one point], was a newspaper where FACTS were actually presented, and even a conservative, reading the NYT could clearly understand context and what actually occurred, and could base a reasoned decision upon it. Today, the American tax structure has become so burdensome, that both parents have to work long hours to pay the "55% off the top" that their government requires [to support politician's reelections, illegals and those not interested in working as hard]. Especially young professionals, who might each graduate with $50K to $100K in "student loans" [I cannot even IMAGINE owing $50,000 that doesn't have a home attached to it]! Can you imagine a young married couple owing almost $200K, unable to even consider buying a condo or house, trying to raise a child - while each must work 55-80 hours a week [taking workj home weekends]? That's where many of our young people live these days, and the undereducated are in even worse straights. In either case, many of them have neither time nor inclination to go much beyond the evening news or their local paper [most of which is provided by NYT or LAT], and if one's not aware that there IS another side, it's kind of difficult to find it, when time's scarce; besides, "Everyone knows that..........." comes into play. In addition to the schools, important reasons Americans do not believe or understand that we are surely in a World War against Radical Islamo-Fascist nihilist terrorists, is that all of the media they readily access, the overwhelmingly Dem permanent government, and a majority of their elected officials are actively DENYING it, misstating facts and events and ridiculing anyone who tries to present troubling evidence. The Dem party, unlike any other time in memory, have undertaken deliberate lies, disinformation and slanders to bring down GWB and his Admin, and they've taken this "stuff" abroad as well. Restraint of "politics beyond water's edge" is a concept unknown to and rejected by contemporary Dems. Exacerbating the situation, are the Bush Administration's apparent disinclination and obvious failure to successfully put forth their side [which we know to be reality] in a repeated, rational and articulate manner, combined with the SUCCESS they've had keeping terrorism and catastrophe away from our shores since 9/11, reinforcing the Dem, Media and Elite driven "myth" that the War vs Islamo-Fascists is a figment of Bush's and right wing-nut imagination, and/or an issue he just whips out to "use politically." No. [I feel like Cassandra here], it is going to take a serious hit on this country. Even catastrophic turns in the Near or Middle East will not sufficiently jar Americans from the somnambulant state they've been enjoying; even if America is hit, the media and Dems will only get their agitprop machine in the schools and media chugged up to BLAME BUSH and the Republicans, and that will be that. Everyone will be happy, Iran will slap those Arabs around a bit, "reason" with the Sauds who'll bring the rest of the Sunna along, and continue their joint march to restore the Caliphate [with the implicit understanding that, as always, they'll fight out their differences at another time, after they've beaten the Great and Lesser Satans]. [No, I do not believe the Saudis are benignly making peace in the Near East]. Daniel says that all Islam is not the enemy. Radical Islam is but the SECOND order of enemy we face. Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments". << Previous Comment Next Comment >> Reader comments (283) on this item
|
Latest Articles |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All materials by Daniel Pipes on this site: © 1968-2024 Daniel Pipes. daniel.pipes@gmail.com and @DanielPipes Support Daniel Pipes' work with a tax-deductible donation to the Middle East Forum.Daniel J. Pipes (The MEF is a publicly supported, nonprofit organization under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law. Tax-ID 23-774-9796, approved Apr. 27, 1998. For more information, view our IRS letter of determination.) |