Thanks for sending this. My response is complex so please let me put it into context.
1) The Left-vs-Right political axis is a piece of arrant nonsense that I have inveighed against before. If nothing else can kill this undead piece of mind-limiting drivel, it should be the fact that the damn thing is French. Nobody can define it. Those who idintify themselves along that one-dimensional insipidity only advertise that they are idiots. 2) Having said that, I admit that these dopes have slotted themselves INTO the axis, so I will use it. 3) The left has many sins. At worst, they often call for abandonment of the "right hand" of human action, market forces, which have been responsible for well over half of all human wealth, productivity and creativity. 4) Moreover, the word liberal has been turned into a curse word NOT by liberal causes and programs (which polls show the public profoundly prefer over the right's agenda) but because of the insane practice of badmouthing fellow citizens as "suv-driving, racist, sexist so and sos" The one liberal who never did this was the one they never defeated. Bill Clinton. (For more on this see: http://www.davidbrin.com/progressparadoxarticle.html 5) Having said that, let me add that the right is even worse. They are so frantic to make excuses for a band of aristocratic thieves that they will contort into every pretzel shape imaginable. The Saudis are our trustworthy friends, it's okay to lie about WMD but not about getting a little nookie in a closet, It's okay to steal a trillion dollars for your 20,000 frat brothers, even when Alan Greenspan calls "trickle down" an insane theory.... ... and so on. The latest, attacking Kerrey's war record, shows just how biliously crazy these people are. 6) It is rooted, of course, in the us-vs-them attitude that is engendered in us all by tribal instincts 100,000 years old. SOmehow, the need to demonize those you disagree with is titanic within us. ABsolutely nuts. But titanic. Somehow it makes sense to attribute to your foes motives that obviously have nothing whatsoever to do with their real motives. There is only one reason to do this. (And the left does it too). It is to make yourself feel good. That's the only thing it accomplishes. It does not advance public policy./ It does not persuade the other side to compromise. It only persuades them that YOU are as horrible as THEY want to think you are. Hence the drivel below about the motives of environmentalists. Complete hokum. Nobody who says such drivel should have been allowed to pass 7th grade logic or composition class. But you see, the right has a severe problem. They MUST exaggerate. Because if the left has any reason at all, then they can claim the moral high ground. As-is, they were responsible for fighting segregation and discrimination, as well as taking on Hitler and Stalin and such. If they can ALSO be credited for saving the world from eco-destruction? The right does have areas where it is correct. MArkets create wealth, without which taxes and schools and such are impossible. The left is nuts to ignore this! But that side is DRY DRY DRY! If Jesus arrived today, he would not give a damn about markets, and they know it. He said give the shirt off your back to the poor RIGHT NOW! He did not teach a man to fish, he gave the man fish. Face it, if he arrived here today, he would not be a democrat, or even a Naderite. He'd be a flaming socialist. That hurts though! It's the whole reason the right has gone hog wild over abortion. They could not care less about poor kids who do get born, but they obsess on "saving babies" for one reason. To try and take away from the left the moral high ground. Jesus may be a pinko, but he'll vote Republican. For the babies. Ach! All of which is to say that we are due for an insane season of outright lies and incredible character assasination. These friends of ous (remember that!) on the right are ill, folks. So don't hold it against them that they MUST see all opposition as hateful, evil, filled with lust for utter destruction of every decent human value. (Like the way the GOP gathered 12 males in the House ALL of whom had had messy horrible divorces, and chanrged them with prosecuting a one-marriage president with moral turpitude.) They must do this in order to mask the facts that they cannot turn around to face, about their own kleptocratic leadership. Sigh, there is no fixing this. All you can do is hope the Kerry will appeal to the vast sea of moderates who are sick of left-right fetishism. Who want to go back to the AMerican tradition of pragmatism. Save the planet WHILE having our toys. Help the poor WHILE encouraging wealth. At least this year our other enemies, the insane lefties, should be more quiet. Chastened by the hell the wrought last time by supporting Nader. With cordial regards, David Brin www.davidbrin.com --- The Fool <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Dr. Brin, several right-wingers on the list have > been posting screeds > like this one against the environment and > environmentalism. I am curious > as to your thoughts on the matter, as I think this > particular article is > one of the most mendacious pieces of propaganda ever > written. > > > ---------- > > From: Kevin Tarr <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > On Earth Day Remember: If Environmentalism > Succeeds, It Will Make Human > > > Life Impossible > > > > By Michael S. Berliner > > > > Earth Day approaches, and with it a grave > danger faces > mankind. > > The danger is not from acid rain, global warming, > smog, or the logging > of > > > > rain forests, as environmentalists would have us > believe. The danger to > > > mankind is from environmentalism. > > The fundamental goal of environmentalism > is not clean air and > > clean water; rather, it is the demolition of> technological/industrial > > civilization. Environmentalism's goal is not the > advancement of human > > health, human happiness, and human life; rather,> it is a subhuman world ===== . . * Please note. My email address of many years is changing FROM [EMAIL PROTECTED] TO [EMAIL PROTECTED] ... (Or else use [EMAIL PROTECTED])
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