dagblog - Comments for "Terrorism, Elections, and Keeping Faith with America"

The Kool-Aid references has

moat — Tue, 22 Dec 2015 00:38:43 +0000

In reply to Terrorism, Elections, and Keeping Faith with America

The Kool-Aid references has me thinking about death pacts; the kind of thing Jim Jones arranged. There seems to be more of a psychological similarity to participants who carry out mass murder/suicide than any shared ideological basis that supplied a back story for the killing itself. They are people who have more in common with each other than any group they imagine they represent.
The willingness to give their own lives up is neither an act of courage nor cowardice based upon the evidence of their stated objectives. It has more to do with being completely absorbed in a narrative.
What happened in San Bernardino has more to do with Sandy Hook than wars underway around the state formerly known as Syria.

You don't haveta convince me

Michael Maiello — Mon, 21 Dec 2015 21:12:02 +0000

In reply to Well, that's a traditional

You don't haveta convince me twice, Doc.

Well, the only principle

Doctor Cleveland — Mon, 21 Dec 2015 20:56:09 +0000

In reply to Well said, Doc. It will be

Well, the only principle involved is the Leader Principle: whatever the Leader says at the moment is the truth.

And a bunch of right-wingers are already Putin fans, because they worship what they believe is his strength.

Well, that's a traditional

Doctor Cleveland — Mon, 21 Dec 2015 20:54:54 +0000

In reply to The Republican pitch is that

Well, that's a traditional fascist pitch: the old regime is corrupt and needs to be reborn through the ascent of The Leader.

The truth is, it's the fascists, or fascist-wannabes, who are the symbol of corruption and decadence.

Appealing to fear instead of courage and cowardice instead of fortitude does not put us back on the right path. The Founders were obsessed with overcoming the lower passions through self-discipline.

Well said, Doc. It will be

Oxy Mora — Mon, 21 Dec 2015 17:09:36 +0000

In reply to Terrorism, Elections, and Keeping Faith with America

Well said, Doc. It will be interesting to see if the Trumpettes go along with the latest distortion of reality---that Putin is a nice guy.

The Republican pitch is that

Michael Maiello — Mon, 21 Dec 2015 13:21:39 +0000

In reply to Terrorism, Elections, and Keeping Faith with America

The Republican pitch is that American democracy is a shell of its former self, so the scoreboard doesn't matter. Somehow, they've managed to redirect anxiety about what's actually wrong -- stagnant wages, job insecurity, economic immobility, towards Islamic terrorism and since these Daesh people are good at propaganda, it's effective on some people.