by va
This is something very special
from "The American Thinker," which has been on a quite a tear of late. The Problem, as editor J.R. Dunn spells it out, is that the
left just loves terrorism, and terrorists, and thinks that MASS DEATH
is just, meh, another one of those things that happens. "This is a
historically unique situation," he says, completely different from all
those other historical situations in which the left could "never be
truly patriotic in the real sense," you know, in the sense of getting
yourself up in a star-spangled wetsuit and whacking it to some picture of a demure Betsy Ross in three-quarters profile til you're red, and then blue, and then white in the face. (Auto-patriotic asphyxiation?) Or whatever it is J.R. Dunn does to express his love of country.
Ahem. Dunn (no relation to Anita, we presume) goes on: "Never before would effective treason by a
large minority have been tolerated, particularly involving such crucial
sectors as media, academia, and education."
So please, oh please, tell us about what our forefathers would have done
to solve this problem of people who love terror, we're all thinking,
Americanly.
So how do we respond? We'll pause here to allow the loud cry of "Hang ‘em all!" to roll over us and commend everyone involved for their enthusiasm, if not their prescription. But what we need, though perhaps not as final, is something effective and workable within with contemporary social norms.
Yes, contemporary social norms you say, this is a good strategy, even if it's a not-quite-final solution. Usually wingnuts are content to stand athwart 1863 yelling stop! but every now and again they venture into contemporary methods of elimination, which is how they stay relevant. To wit: "We yank drunk drivers out of cars; we must also yank leftists out of the public sphere." And then: "The second step is to identify them. Call them out by name, relentlessly and repeatedly." If you're Michelle Malkin, call them out by name, address, place of employment, place of elementary-schooling, whatever. And then "don't bring a knife to a gun fight." This would be sound advice if Dunn or his audience knew what a gun fight looked like. But finally, there's the third step which is to "target them, isolate them and render them harmless." Ohmigod, let us all be very afraid of the little American Thinkers threatening to terrorize the nation at some point, when they get around to it, to save it from terrorists. Methinks J.R. Dunn has consumed too much tea at those parties.


Erm...
Wolverines?
Posted by: Evan | November 09, 2009 at 03:34 AM
Dunn (no relation to Anita, we presume) goes on: "Never before would effective treason by a large minority have been tolerated, particularly involving such crucial sectors as media, academia, and education."
He left out the Federal Government, law enforcement, and sane people.
~
Posted by: ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© | November 09, 2009 at 07:31 AM
Not to mention that our country was founded on a progressive platform.
Back in the day, you know, conservatives during the Revolution were known as Loyalists & were kicked out of the (nascent) country or summarily dealt with otherwise.
If I say "good times" is that eliminationist rhetoric?
Posted by: zhak | November 09, 2009 at 08:42 AM
It's too bad that "fascist" has been rendered just another word for "nyah nyah nyah I called you a bad name" because fascism is real and alive and flourishing on the American right.
Posted by: Gummo | November 09, 2009 at 09:12 AM
Never before would effective treason by a large minority have been tolerated
He is absolutely correct and I look forward to the day when the FBI comes knocking on his door and those of Beck, Limbaugh, the Teabaggers, and the rest of their treasonous brood. Advocated armed overthrow of the government is sedition, asshats.
Posted by: DrDick | November 09, 2009 at 10:12 AM
Well it's not like the magazine is called Rational American Thinker
Posted by: Rip | November 09, 2009 at 11:03 AM
the left just loves terrorism, and terrorists, and thinks that MASS DEATH is just, meh, another one of those things that happens.
Like, say, unilaterally declaring a war of aggression on a country who's people never did us no harm?
Posted by: actor212 | November 09, 2009 at 11:04 AM
va,
Truly, we can call him Juan Ann Dunn...
Posted by: actor212 | November 09, 2009 at 11:06 AM
His definition of minority is not quite the same as mine.
Posted by: fish | November 09, 2009 at 11:46 AM
The second step is to identify them. Call them out by name, relentlessly and repeatedly. Note how scarcely a day goes by without some (often dozens) of disparaging references to Gov. Palin. The left knows how this is done, how to assure that the public overlooks nothing and forgets nothing.
Perhaps I am simply a tedious person, but I thought Sarah Palin was still a reliable punchline because she's a dummy and therefore funny.
Posted by: Substance McGravitas | November 09, 2009 at 12:49 PM
They really do sound like a bunch of kids in a treehouse.
Posted by: Davis | November 09, 2009 at 01:54 PM
I think money's tight and hard to get, and his horse is also ran...
Posted by: charles pierce | November 09, 2009 at 03:19 PM
You might (not) want to peruse the comments over there. Talk about American Thinkers ...
Posted by: Cruel Jest | November 09, 2009 at 06:15 PM
Their symbol is a guy on the can after all.
Posted by: Another Kiwi | November 09, 2009 at 08:10 PM