Good post Steven! :)


>>I've been pretty hardcore conservative for a long time, but right now I don't know what the answers are.
>
>Hey Kevin,
> You may remain true to your beliefs. Iraq, et al, is not about simple political philosophy, it's about ideology and in a most pathetic way. And the ideology at hand is not about being on this "side" or that "side." It's only about being "on top of" everyone else. Left vs. Right is a side-show distraction that seduces our attentions and allegiances while ideologues execute frat-boy aspirations. The neo-cons are not evil, just unaware of the inherent narcissism, and it's very real implications, of their self-serving "we are the center of the universe" world view. (See PNAC) And this is not merely a cultural thing, rather it is anthropologically rooted. This s*it worked when we were roving tribes and could just exterminate those who differed. News flash: that's over now! Time to change. It was once boilogically intelligent, now it's not even moral. We've seen "the enemy" and it's "us". There's no more "them". Ever read/watch "Lord of the Flies"? "Animal Farm?" That's
>where we all are, no joking.
>
> So, if you're 'hardcore conservative', good for you! Now fulfill it and think/act about what is *worth* conserving. Do we conserve humane behavior or do we delude ourselves with rationales that allow "us" to call ourselves the good guys when we are behaving the same as "them"? Do we conserve the rule of law or do we exempt ourselves and go on news talk-shows that look like the equivalent of championship wrestling and spew on about the ends justifying the means? Believe in "necessary evil"? Then you'll succumb to that evil. Real conservatism (not these neo-con fools) works well, and *only* works in tandem with liberalism. All that is worth conserving has been brought to bear by progressive thinking. And the liberation of peoples, ideas, laws, institution, civility, individuality, corporality (most are not even aware of what this is) and justice is just spilled on the sand without those that will contain and *conserve* it. There's your job. Choose well.
> In mythology, there's a metaphor called "the righthand path" (clockwise)and "the lefthand path" (counterclockwise.) The righthand path is taken by most. They form allegiances with institutions, talk about what they "believe in" and find authority in the adminstrators (priests, politicos). Cohesion is accomplished by conforming and not daring to change anything. The lefthand path is lonelier, authority is found in "rolling your own" and there is a relentless drive to molt out of the existing confines to experience more consciousness for later introduction into the righthand path. Granted, my description here is rather esoteric sounding but you can bet your very real dollars that this is what is going on this very minute, as it ever has, in all of our lives.
> In the 'gene pool' some are dominately on one path or the other, some alternate. Generally, North America's population distribution uncannily demonstrates this. California "whackos"? Sure are. Thank gawd! Generations ago, the more progressive children migrated from the East through the Cumberland Gap, next generations found St. Louis to be the 'new frontier'. But even those that remained in Boston were the children of those that chose to cross an ocean. There's your left-right, conservative-liberal layed out on a map. Neither are wrong. Our individual political inclinations are rooted in something nearly genetic. I don't argue with someone, telling them they have the wrong blood-type. That's narcissism. That's neo-con. If there was only conservatism, I'd be knapping flint right now rather than typing -- and banished if I knapped in a way differing from what I was taught. If there was only liberalism, there'd little accomplished either because of no sholders to stand on
>and a lost motivation to progress since it wouldn't be preserved anyway. We are not idealogies. We are mortals and must orchestrate real and humame results from the energy generated by liberal-conservative dynamism. Show me someone who thinks that one or the other is all right (i.e. correct) or all wrong, I'll show you a big baby-a$$ed narcissist.
> Whew! Better stop. I was gonna apologise and say "I could go on and on" but it appears I already have. :-) Ha!
>
>Steven-