ROOTS OF THIS INTELLECTUAL POLARITY reach back into Medieval scholasticism amid heated, often deadly conflict when involving papal positions. In different forms and varied contexts, versions of this argument extended farther back into disputes between the Greek philosophers and sophis or rhetors, as Romans called them.
Addressing the history, condition and prospects of the Republican Party, John Gavin, one of The Benicia Herald’s local contributing writers, described them succinctly, correctly and comprehensively in a recent piece (“Is W. to blame for the shutdown?” Oct. 6). That party is shattered and drawn as under magnetic force by a fraction of loudly wrongheaded people who have confirmed each other in delusions that they are conservative and not radical rebels against national “reality.” For them, that means too much national debt and federal spending, cured by harsh, immediate cuts to all they hate including many things vital to others. They detest gradualism.
It seems a shame that our laws define no crime of treason against the nation by groups of Congress members. Were it codified, administrative authority could arrest the lot of them for trial and punishment. We have laws covering almost any infraction or tort in quintuplicate, yet we are defenseless against insane notions and their formal acts in Congress. Insanity is alluded carefully, here, as better described by Alfred Korzybski’s famous neologism, “unsanity.” These House members and their sympathetic senators are not “clinically” insane but certifiably out of touch with valid comprehension of this world — lost, through tilted notions, in a long-evolved Cloud Cuckoo Land, an unreal realm in which they are national saviors battling the forces, as they view them, of deep, social and economic evil. Evil indicates the religiosity by which they are manipulated.
What underlies the seemingly magnetic force that deforms the orientation of their “iron” particularities? Much has been written from the psychiatric standpoint. Some analysts suggest that the paranoia of inflated egotism and a generation of bad rearing, both at home and in networks of obfuscated communication, has so altered their perception that they no longer dwell in our general culture but are “in fugue” from it, walled off into a destructive subculture. The madness has a still deeper source in our cultural past. For Medieval scholastics, it was called “Voluntarism,” which viewed willpower as the godlike creator of factual truth, rather than truth being obtained inductively from observed facts of nature.
For circumspect treatment of this past and its issues, see chapter five, “The Double Truth,” in Jeremy Campbell’s stellar work on dishonesty, “The Liar’s Tale” (2001). There was an old conundrum, whether God’s omniscient all-goodness precluded an equal all-badness. If God’s power exceeded truthfulness, He was free to deceive our senses and unfound objective science, casting man upon revealed truth (or representations) by default. Faith wins, science loses. Yet God and religion lose also in human perspective, opening the door to loss of faith or divergence from doctrines into schism and conflict.
If under “double truth” assumptions a thing can be religiously true while scientifically false, the faithful are set at odds with objective fact and verifiable observation. Here we find the plight of all fundamentalists, Christian or whatever — people who, by whatever experience or train of persuasive thought they come to it, both entertain and are trapped in a double truth. Religion demands they surrender reason and science to all sorts of nonsense, like climate-denial, subjugation of women and minorities, conflict with unbelievers and other religions, and a need to close ranks defensively against the outer world toward which the fundamentalists now take the posture of victims and feel threat from many directions against all they mistakenly value. This attitude of religious fundamentalism invades political life and galvanizes zealousness to heights of raw fanaticism not seen since the days of Girolamo Savaronola, who was finally executed in Florence, Italy, after many outrages against the populace due to his extreme intolerance.
It is terribly sad that the tea party people have been aided in going crazy by deliberate instigation and agitation by members of the ultra-rich set, who hired TV mouthpieces and operatives to mislead little folks by means of their biases and unconsciously held ideas. Unscrupulously manipulated, they rage against taxation and governance as if they belong to some other country or never took a class in civics or American government, and had no inkling of the destructive effects of social injustice in Greek, Roman or European history.
It would seem that the South, long after losing our Civil War, carried damaged self-love (added to imagined victimization) and, migrating out to all parts of the nation, spread the ghost of Confederate disaffection everywhere, to fester and rise again like dormant cells of alien terrorists. Alas, tea partiers are not real Christians but Paulists, followers of the chiliastic, otherworldly religion he invented in contrast to the Jesuarian mindset of those Jews who had actually known and followed The Teacher himself. These dupes are nothing like the Essenes of the Qumran community from whose outlook Jesus’ views developed and prospered until overtaken by Paul’s psychologically grounded, blind version of vision that largely incorporated and mimicked older gentile traditions. (More insight can be drawn from Karen Armstrong’s deeply informed “A History of God,” 1993.)
In the matter of free will, once split away from moral reasoning, and with “double-truth doubt” of unitary reality and mental integrity, many fundamentalists seem to have begun supposing their wishes ruled the facts. This was displayed in the Bush regime’s notion that the governing intent could make all the facts it needed, and questions of objective truth were disloyal carping from Democrats seeking to weaken the will toward GOP freedom and world dominance, history and nature be damned.
Our nation will be at risk until these wild-eyed radicals are brought back to sensibility. In special point here are figures like Ted Cruz, Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann and more than a hundred others in Congress, finance and media. These are people of fragmented character and superficial personality who accept as genuine whatever they can make their public imagine and feed back to them. They interact with the world pathologically in “devilish” ways. “Devils” seem like ordinary citizens, but need to invite attention to themselves by spectacular talk and deeds designed to start things troublesome to society, but ill-designed for solving society’s troubles or actually finishing their projects. In short, devils know how to start stuff but not how to finish their work and go home to Hell! Like our recent Bush-Cheney administration, they can make a costly mess that has to be left for generations, worldwide, to straighten out and hopefully heal.
Robert Shelby was poet laureate of Benicia from 2008-10.
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As far as the religiosity of the right, it comes down to them not letting their morals tell them what to do, but rather being told what their morals should be. Free thinkers need not apply.
Historically speaking, a conservative was someone who defended the ideals of the monarchy, rallied for the privileges of the nobility, and welcomed the meddling of a clergy in politics. But here in this wonderful country those things would be tossed out by the founding fathers who led the war for independence and then wrote the Constitution. Our Constitution prohibited the granting of titles of nobility. We separated church and state. One nation, with liberty and justice for all.
Why does the first word read “Eoots” instead of Roots?
Bob, because when I put opeds online I type the first few words myself in all caps, and in this case mistyped. Print version won’t have the mistake in the morning. Ed.
Mil gracias, Marc.
A very long article for Shelby just to tell the readers he is anti Republicans, Conservatives and Tea Party folks. The big problem with what your saying Robert is that it is your opinion and your opinion only.. All the Tea Party Senators and most of the 47 Tea Party House members will be re-elected. Remember Robert these elected officials are bringing the word of those that elected them to the halls of Congress. One sentence would have been more than enough to describe your opinion on the Republicans, Conservatives and Tea Party folks. Sorry Robert you are way off base on this as usual.
Is it so terrible and as you say “wild-eyed radical” to want less government, less taxation, less entitlements, secured borders, less oppressive regulation and policies that stifle economic growth? That is what conservatives stand for. Why are those things so radical? We can’t continue to spend out of control and well beyond the incoming revenue. That is just plain crazy. We can’t just continue to print un collateralized money with no end in sight. We have seen what those actions have done to other countries. Is that what you want for America? Is it so terrible that I want to run my own life sans government. I know better for me than they do. But the government continues to undermine my freedom and liberties in this once great country. If wanting those things for me, my family, my friends and my fellow citizens and if wanting government officials that want those things too (representative government) makes me radical, then so be it. We shall continue to fight. The people will win, make no mistake.
JLB, you seem genuinely conservative, which is no bad thing. IMHO, you fail to sense the matter of degree or intensity. Intensity is a radical quality. Real conservatives evaluate things as dispassionately as possible. They want thinking to produce valid results, not rhetorical paste-overs. They want to persuade opponents by means of facts logically argued, not by emotional blackmail or fraud. This tea party faction is wrongly manipulated to intensify its beliefs, fears and wants to the point of radical extremity. Careful gradualism is what we need from governance, not hammer-&-tongs dentistry with carpenters’ tools in one afternoon. All the radicals do is, dig themselves deeper into the hole and put the country at risk of falling in there with them. But, it’s dark and dirty down there.
Were the founding fathers radicals? Hell yes they were! Sometimes that is what it takes, when we let what you describe as gradualism, gradually remove us from our rights, liberties and freedom in our supposed free country and allow the build up of a tyrannical government. It is supposed to be a representative government. None of them (save a few) represent me, my values or my beliefs. The ones that do are the ones you call radical.
We want less taxation. I don’t like working for half the year before I get to keep a dime of my own hard earned money while millions live on government assistance funded out of my pocket. And then to have the president tell me I need to pay more, cause it is only fair for me to pay my fair share. How fair is it that I pay half when 47% of wage earners in America pay ZERO? I call B.S.
I don’t like our open borders policy and the executive orders the president is signing and blocking ICE from deporting illegals.
I don’t like government oppression of business through excessive taxation and over regulation. Businesses are leaving California at an alarming rate and migrating to more business friendly states. It just makes sense. It is a toxic environment for private industry.
I could go on and on but I am sure you get the idea. At what point to we stop and say enough is enough. We have to hold our politicians accountable to budgets, the constitution and to what they promise. Obama has broken just about every promise he has made other than the fact that he will usher in government health care. He fullfilled that promise but even that action is filled with countless broken promises. It’s time for the radicals to take a stand and I am with them!
Again, JLB, with all due respect, I too, hopefully trust “the people” will prevail, at the same time hoping my hope is not mere wishfulness. The real question seems to be, Who are the people, really? Tea party folks have an inflated notion that they participate in and represent the real “majority” of the U. S. populace. This is plain false. Thirty percent or less represents a distinct “minority,” and it is shrinking.
At issue, really, are some things you mention. Firstly, I suggest again that it is less about What one thinks than about how intensely and inconsiderately one pushes for it. The issues:
“… less government, less taxation, less entitlements, secured borders, less oppressive regulation and policies that stifle economic growth?” There seems to be mystery on the right about how taxes figure into so-called “entitlements” and which ones are actually “mandatories.” (a) Socially Security was designed to be self-sustaining, not supported by repeated allocation. It’s reputed to be solvent out into the 2030s without tinkering with benefits or age thresholds. (The GOP is much given to “tinkering.”) (b) Border security? We currently suffer from a national near-craziness about “security” in general, without good analysis about how we get it without “hammer & tongs” approaches that go wry or too far. Hateful distrust of Mexicans and Central Americans drives foolishly hyper-defensive, non-solutions, because the few real terrorists who can threaten us can come into the country variously, evading walls and Border Patrol! (c) Growth has become an inflated value. It always seems valuable in the short-term view, but long-term is more and more seen as unsustainable. Yes, we’d like more jobs, but the GOP talking-points are wrong. Trickle-up doesn’t make jobs, it makes rich plutocrats. (d) Taxes must cover our needs. (We argue over needs versus wants.) We should put the well-being of our whole society above old prejudices about low-class & minority “laziness” or how grandly productive is our high-finance crowd. Regulations usually need some flexibility and adjustment, later. Often, the trouble is not law but stodgy bureaucracy. (e) Personal liberty and small government? Freedoms are at risk now from the security craziness. But, government size and complexity must suffice to do its job. The job is massively bigger than in 1850. The People have needed and wanted it that way.
Our problem is, some people want less government than some other people NEED. Screw the needy? Re-educate them to know your version of who they should be, because you’re so “right”?
Shelby you are out of touch. In the last five years 800 bil spent on NASA, Education and tranportation; 3.7 tril spent on welfare. Now Robert did the needy really get screwed? I think not. Its all in your mixed up mind of yours. Get down to what really is happening.
RMS Stated: Real conservatives … want to persuade opponents by means of facts logically argued, not by emotional blackmail or fraud.
Robert, as much as you would like conservatives to maintain a polite strategy, one based on convincing others with logic, experience and sound principles, you must be smart enough to realize that the continued use of a failed strategy serves no purpose. You delight in bringing up historical references, consider this:
George Armstrong Custer had developed a successful strategy in his fights against Native Americans, in several future states. His well-armed troops allowed them to overpower their opponents even when significantly outnumbered. When faced with superior weapons, the NA’s, tolerated few losses and were quick to retreat.
The NA’s reconsidered their strategy, recognizing the strength of numbers, as well as that a common enemy needed to be defeated. To do so they needed to adapt.
That adaption revealed itself at Little Big Horn. Custer’s defeat was not as much a result of his tremendous ego, but his inability to recognize a changed strategy of his opponents.
What today’s political left fails to acknowledge is that the Tea Party, has decided to fight back by using the same tactics, well-honed by the political left. Local people, finding strength in numbers have organized to stand up to a few basic principles.
Many Tea Party people also are those who once aligned themselves with the political left. But they recognized futility, understood human behavior and had learned that the policies of the left are gradually taking us down an inevitable path of economic destruction.
The reason that you and others on the Left hate and condemn the Tea Party in such vile terms is you are smart enough to see that their stolen strategy may be successful, even if in small ways.
Often times, those who have the most animus towards each other are those who are more alike, then they are different.
Yes, the response is predictable: The Koch Brothers! Racism! Lack of intellect! Predictable and all total BS.
Sorry Robert, but your over blown eloquence falls short of the simple fact that the real problem is not the rights refusal to capitulate, but the lefts refusal listen to any opposition, as well as recognizing their own shortcomings.
Here is a fine collection of Photo-Shopped images. This is obviously a vain attempt to portray something that really does not exist in this country:
http://americanpoverty.org/photoessay/
I had an awakening experience several years ago when I sat on a jury for three days in Vallejo. That is another painful story but I digress. When we were done deliberating and the case was done, we were let out the side door of the court house which happened to be right next to the office where the handed out the welfare checks. As my luck would have it, it was the day that checks were being handed out and there was a line at this door. I asked someone what they were all waiting for and that is how I found out. The line was populated almost 100% with very large fat ladies with beehive hairdos, long painted fingernails, smoking cigarettes and talking on cell phone. I couldn’t help but lament the fact that this is what my hard work was paying for. Clearly they were not malnutritioned, clearly, they had money for fancy hair, fancy nails, smokes and cell phones. I work and they benefit from my hard work and sit around and smoke eat and drink. How is that fair? They were clearly not the needy. Hell YES I think I am taxed too much and a big chunk of America does too. Sure if you run surveys in big cities, SF, LA, NY, Philly, Boston, people are much more reliant upon government services. As soon as you get out of the big city, people are much happier to be left alone to take care of themselves, and those folks in population represent the majority of America, despite whether or not you refuse to believe it.