Rove's Characterization of Liberals
Letters to the Editor
June 25, 2005
When the current administration took office in early 2001 they brought their own baggage and in-bred attitudes with them. The Karl Rove crew appeals to the Christian right, but their response to the 9/11 atrocity has been a perversion of Christ's teachings. Ignoring the root causes that feed our enemy's fanaticism in strongholds of Muslim conservatism, we have become an aggressor nation, duping American patriots to attack Iraq!
I understand his demagoguery and intent to discredit the opposition by changing the emotional content of descriptive words, the sneering contempt for "liberals." But paraphrasing and imagining the intent of an opposing point of view is not intellectual discourse, just more invective. This shouting down from the pulpits of power is destructive to the spirit of democracy, an insidious betrayal of our founding principles.
As a liberal, addressing Mr. Rove's actual words, I would indeed have prepared indictments against Osama Bin Laden and his supporters. We were attacked by a criminal gang, not a warring nation. But I would offer incarceration (after trial and conviction) not therapy to these heinous criminals. And we must as a nation come to understand what drives people to bring such grievous harm to innocent citizens.
I fear that the ascendancy of the "charismatic conservatives" has launched a long-term war, a war being cast as a Muslim-Christian conflict. And given the history of our planet, it may continue for generations. I shudder to think of the consequences. All because of shallow, reflexive thinking of the "varmint hunter" mentality. We had an opportunity to become a truly great nation, to examine our own souls as well as those of the enemy, to heal differences and eradicate evil. Instead we chose to fight barbarism with escalating barbarism, a truly poor response that exacerbates rather than diminishes our problem with fundamentalist thinking.
An apology would be welcome, but it won't be forthcoming. As long as the Rove/Bush posse stays on the attack, they won't have to defend their actions. They don't even need to think, just push forward on their arrogant, myopic journey to a self-made Armageddon.
Don Baraka, Menlo Park, CA
I understand his demagoguery and intent to discredit the opposition by changing the emotional content of descriptive words, the sneering contempt for "liberals." But paraphrasing and imagining the intent of an opposing point of view is not intellectual discourse, just more invective. This shouting down from the pulpits of power is destructive to the spirit of democracy, an insidious betrayal of our founding principles.
As a liberal, addressing Mr. Rove's actual words, I would indeed have prepared indictments against Osama Bin Laden and his supporters. We were attacked by a criminal gang, not a warring nation. But I would offer incarceration (after trial and conviction) not therapy to these heinous criminals. And we must as a nation come to understand what drives people to bring such grievous harm to innocent citizens.
I fear that the ascendancy of the "charismatic conservatives" has launched a long-term war, a war being cast as a Muslim-Christian conflict. And given the history of our planet, it may continue for generations. I shudder to think of the consequences. All because of shallow, reflexive thinking of the "varmint hunter" mentality. We had an opportunity to become a truly great nation, to examine our own souls as well as those of the enemy, to heal differences and eradicate evil. Instead we chose to fight barbarism with escalating barbarism, a truly poor response that exacerbates rather than diminishes our problem with fundamentalist thinking.
An apology would be welcome, but it won't be forthcoming. As long as the Rove/Bush posse stays on the attack, they won't have to defend their actions. They don't even need to think, just push forward on their arrogant, myopic journey to a self-made Armageddon.
Don Baraka, Menlo Park, CA
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