All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
Someone who does not know the difference between good and evil is worth nothing.
Miecyslaw Kasprzyk, Polish rescuer of Jews during the Holocaust
An article about an up state New York school assignment requiring students to depict Jews as evil provoked an interesting response, a response that solidified my thinking on a matter that has been, of late, on my mind. I wrote, in part:
“One might argue the teacher was trying to show, by means of this assignment, how foolish the very idea was, but who, apart from lunatic Leftists and Islamist maniacs, needs any intellectual practice to know the very idea is demented and could not possibly be anything but incredibly offensive to decent people?”
Reader R.W. Blakeslee wrote in response:
‘Lunatic Leftists and Islamist maniacs,’? The author has taken his hate speech lessons well and to heart. He is good at name calling.
I take pains to avoid just that–name calling, preferring instead to allow the words and actions of others to define them. But this time, I did engage, not in defamation of character, but in definition of character.
It is for this reason I’ve included the quotation from Edmund Burke. For years now, since before 9-11, I’ve watched evil at work in the world, on the small scale of Leftists who not only sympathize with the enemies of the United States and of civilization, but who praise, even assist them. And I’ve watched on a much larger scale Islamist murderers who cut off the heads of innocents, and who strive to obtain larger and more deadly weapons to accomplish what Hitler was unable to finish. I need not give specific examples of the evil of leftists and Islamists; they are legion. They that deny such depraved acts–and the very existence of evil–used to present something of a moral dilemma for me. Perhaps they are salvageable? I no longer worry about that.
I’ve been watching since the 1960s. On every question of good and evil, the Left has expressed neutrality or actually supported, even directly helped evil. They praised and propped up communism, even as it killed hundreds of millions and continues to torture and murder even today. They praised and supported Muslim terrorists, including the Palestinians, despite the fact that they are anti-democratic and embrace terrorism and murder, worshiping it as a political tactic and enshrining it as their highest cultural value. They attacked their own president and nation in favor of Saddam Hussein, one of the most brutal and genocidal dictators the world has seen. And they absolutely oppose Israel’s defense of her people, even in the face of credible genocidal threats from Iran.
I’ve often wondered at those that embrace the Islamists that would, if they had their way, not only oppose everything Leftists claim to value, but would gleefully slaughter anyone opposing them and anyone whose values and practices did not conform to their vision of Sharia. Homosexuality, feminism, “diversity,” any and every cause for which Leftists lobby, all would be swept away if Islamists were ever able to impose Sharia. “How,” I’ve wondered, “could leftists fail to understand this? How could they fail to understand that the very people they support with their words and fortunes would be delighted to kill them and their families as brutally, painfully and bloodily as possible?
Ultimately, I’ve come to understand, or at least understand well enough to know what to do. Such people hate their own countrymen, the values and culture of their nation so much they naturally align themselves with those who share their hatred. However, they are so arrogant, so assured of their own intellectual and moral superiority and righteousness, they can conceive of no issues, no powers greater than themselves. Their leftist ideology makes them invincible–or so they believe.
Some, to be sure, are plainly stupid. They have no idea what they don’t know, and are too arrogant to admit they don’t know everything. Their intellects make them smarter than the God and gun clingers of flyover country, so there is nothing to recognize, nothing to learn. Their lives are devoted to forcing those inferior to themselves to think and live properly, as only their betters can understand they must live. Communists and Islamists are only too happy to accept their help and their money, and privately delight in their foolishness. They call such Americans “useful idiots,” and they are right. To the good and civilized, such people are worth nothing.
People that act this way, that embrace killers that would slaughter them the moment their usefulness came to an end, that would, through their idiocy cause the deaths of countless others, are more than mere dupes. For such people–the overwhelming majority of whom are leftists of one stripe or another–“lunatic” is a mild epithet. Perhaps many of them are merely deluded, and perhaps they will, one day, learn before it is too late, but they are moral agents making a choice. They, having at their fingertips all of the information in the world about history, culture, politics and more, choose evil, evil currently personified by Islamists. For them, “maniac,” is virtually a compliment.
I cannot, in military terms, join the battle against evil. I am now too old, but I’ve actively fought it much of my life, and I stand ready to do what I can, where and when I can, to combat it. One way I can do that is to honor the words of a man who knows of what he speaks: Miecyslaw Kasprzyk. Like him, I know what evil is, and unlike some, I choose good; I choose to fight evil in every way open to me.
One way is by calling it by its name. President Obama and his sycophants may choose to call the murders at Ft. Hood “workplace violence,” and deny those soldiers the decorations due them for their wounds suffered in combat during wartime. I choose to call the self-described Islamist killer just that. I blame him and his murderous, anti-civilization culture, and call his murders acts of war. If he and what he did are not evil, what is?
Evil too was the murderer of Sandy Hook Elementary School. And I will not abide enablers—like Mr. Obama–who insinuate that those who support the Constitution and oppose unconstitutional laws that will do nothing to prevent violence want to see children killed. I choose to oppose them and their attempts to destroy freedom, and I will call them the fools, lunatics, demagogues and enemies of freedom, democracy and America they are.
By saying nothing in the face of lies and slander, by failing to call those who oppose America, God, and democracy what they are, we–all of us–allow the triumph of evil. We allow these people, merely deluded or irredeemably evil, to support and enable evil. We allow them to seize the public podium and trick the good into believing opposing them is futile, even hopeless. It is not. By speaking up, by calling out their acts and omissions, by naming their ideologies and by calling them what they are, we help to drive them back under the rocks from under which they have crawled. They deserve to be social pariahs, unwelcome anywhere in the company of good and decent men and women.
As for Israel, the Jews are God’s chosen people. I’ve done my share of foolish things, but I’ll not make the mistake of standing against God or in any way helping those evil enough to try to destroy His chosen.
So I appreciate R.W. Blakeslee and thank them for taking the time to read and comment. But I’ll continue to identify evil and call it by name. This is not a lack of diversity or a lack of appreciation for equality. It is moral clarity, and a clear-eyed recognition not only that evil exists, but what it is and does.
I’ve made a choice and there is no going back. I would hope that R.W. Blakeslee and all Americans would make the same choice. If not, evil may yet triumph, for evil laughs at those who deny its existence and who will not call it by its many names.
Mike, this brought tears to my eyes. I strongly support Rabbi Eckstein and the ICCJ. I too believe in the existence of evil and pray that I will be ever watchfull of it in my little world.
I’ve been waiting for something like this to appear on this website. beautifully written , gutsy and true. there are matters in life on which you cannot equivocate. there are no shades of grey. This is one of them. this gives me a lifted spirit.
Good, decent, courageous Americans are also legion. Any one of them, myself included, would have stood at Sandy Hook in defense of those innocents and given their lives to protect them. I sincerely hope those parents know that and truly understand what that means. Only in America, where the people have a right to keep and bear arms, is it possible for citizens to actively defend themselves and others. We have permitted evil in our midst and they will certainly triumph if good men and women do nothing. It will be the fault of lunatic leftists when we experience an American Beslan.
Mike,
Political correctness and the avoidance of accurate “labels” on people and actions is a form of evil thought and deed that goes beyond the pale. Usually it is used for protecting a person’s feelings such as vertically challenged when talking about a dwarf. Used as such, it is mostly harmless even funny. However, it is now used to cover up and hide horrific deeds.
Growing up, I learned about the Holocaust and all its ramifications. It is disheartening to learn that it is alive and well in New York. It is something I never expected to see again. People of good conscience must always be ready to battle this evil.
I hope your post gets wide dissemination through the internet. Another way of putting it, I hope it goes viral. To any who are fortunate to read this, please pass it along. This must be opposed.
Only leftists use words like “hate speech”. We are America; it is free speech. Although, speech control could be achieved with universal background checks, registration and mandated speech licenses as well as limiting speech capacity to “x” number of words per…and prohibiting leftists from speaking, kinda like they do with felons…and guns. Just an idea.
Hate speech is a form of propoganda. Why would a “rightist” advocate for the regular use of prop-…oh, wait, never mind.
(reply to Floridianne, some where the streams got crossed. x.x. )
“Those who are uncomfortable accepting the truth should reevaluate their assumptions” — does that mean a screw driver in absence of victim or crime is a “burglary tool”? Your version of truth is rather malleable.
Dear RuleofOrder:
Now, now. You know we discussed this matter regarding Trayvon Martin. Whether a common screwdriver or other common hand tool is considered a “burglary tool” under the law depends upon the situation. Martin using a screwdriver to repair a door hinge is not holding a burglary tool. Martin, in possession of a screwdriver at the same time as a bag of women’s jewelry that is likely stolen, and for which he has no explanation, is in possession of a burglary tool under Florida law and the law of most other states.
As I also pointed out, it is not at all unusual for the police to be unable to immediately link such contraband to a specific crime and many victims of theft and burglary don’t immediately realize they’ve been hit, and many don’t bother to report such crimes, not unreasonably thinking the police don’t solve most of them and often don’t bother to try.
Now you know the truth of this matter–for the second time.
Yes, Mike, I recall our conversations in which you have adequately painted Martin as a theif with no victim or witness, and can even rationalize that based on the fact that indeed, no one has come forward to report their goods stolen since that is too much of a hassle. Not to say the circumstances aren’t dubious, of course, but literally its Trayvon’s word against NO ONES. I am pretty sure under Florida Law, and many other states, that a victim or witness is also a key component in identifying a crime. If you would like to continue to engage in the letter of the law, then please, tell me what the verdict was for the trial regarding this stolen gear. A LOT of the conversations that I have around this site want to ignore the common vernacular of something and hide in legal definitions. Its like a virual “lawyering up”, and the “but thats not illegal!” rebuttal gets use VERY frequently as an easy out. Well, the same circumstances I am trying to conduct with Trayvon and this mysterious back of gear.
Observe: Its a bad circumstance to be in, dubious conduct before and after questioning, and the key witness to the situation has motive to lie. Now, was I refering to Martin and the jewelry or Zimmerman? The same thing that gets Zimmerman off his trial is the same logic that should apply to Martin and the mysterious bag, yet… it isn’t.
Dear Rule of Order:
Propaganda, by definition, is false and designed to manipulate and deceive. I advocate telling the truth, for exposing that which is harmful, that which destroys the soul and body. Those who are uncomfortable accepting the truth should reevaluate their assumptions.
Again, more stream crossing. I am thinking I should be using something other than Firefox for nesting?
Well-said, Mike.
I would add: it is fascinating that those on the left who admonish a conservative for using mild-yet-accurate terms to describe progressives and Islamists have absolutely nothing to say in response to the vitriolic terms by which many of their peers refer to conservatives.
It is only conservatives who must be held to a standard of civil discourse – just as it is only Christians who must be held to a standard of tolerance.
These are, of course, tactics straight out of Alinsky’s playbook.
… both sides of the political spectrum engage in hissy fits to equal degrees, Chip. Both sides sling mud, both sides play to the base ends of their support group. Its not specifically on the left.
“These are, of course, tactics straight out of Alinsky’s playbook.” — I especially like this line. Like these sort of ‘tactics’ didn’t exist before some one codified them. Rules of Power, Art of War… some one wrote down what “works”. Sorry if it wasn’t one of your particular heroes that penned it.
That is strange. The Right doesn’t have an author who dedicates his book to Lucifer and has one of it’s more prominent politician have as a senior thesis on Saul Alinsky. Kinda makes a person go hmmmm.
Maybe the Right should jot down some common sense notes and dedicate it to a muse of choice, then. What inspired A Modest Proposal?
People like you.
Joel, thank you for eloquently demonstrating propaganda in action.
Burns, doesn’t it?
Not when one considers the source.
Ruleoforder- And while you denigrate, you use the very Alinsky tactics that were described. You people just can’t help yourself can you. If you didn’t have denigration of those you disagree with, what would you have? Nothing, nada, zilch. Talking about propaganda in action, you have displayed that since you have been posting on this site. You are a useful sort thought, you do personify the liberal/progressive mindset with an extradinary (sp) zeal. Thank you for letting us all know where you guys stand. Logic has never been a strong suit with the “progressives.”
MinPin, I am thinking you are reading about every other post then. I started off in this thread mentioning how both sides sling mud, and commented regarding common sense rules of an engagement is not a “left” or “right” tactic. You use what works.
Joel decided to throw out some anecdotal evidence to denigrate the authors, and presumably those whom use their tactics (no matter how effective).
Joel decided to make use of the propoganda tool of creating a subset, and I thanked him for the example. It demonstrates my original point, left vs right vs what “works”.
Now, you decided to inject yourself, continuing with Joel’s demonstration. Apparently his propoganda works. Exceslior to you, Joel. So, on the topic of Denigration, and where it started (for this thread), please, find it, and if feeling ambitions, expand your search to other threads, with appropriate context. Happy hunting.
Watching you prove a “liberal progressive” mind set from what I have posted here should be most entertaining to watch. In this thread, I have counted “you people”, or some variant at least four times, which I would be willing to wager is perhaps four more times I have used it in that context in my duration posting here.
Anecdotal? Saul Alinsky dedicated his book (Rules for Radicals) to Lucifer. Mrs Hillary Clinton (wife of ex-President Clinton, former Senator from New York, former Secretary of State) at Wellesley College wrote her seniors honors thesis on Saul Alinsky. This is NOT anecdotal. These are basic facts.
A Modest Proposal by Jonathon Swift was a satire designed to embarrass the English Aristocracy about the poverty of Ireland. The aristocracy that OWNED all the land in Ireland. Their ownership and policies led to Ireland being dirt poor. That ownership and those policies led to several famines. Substitute statist for aristocracy and that is where you come in to the picture. Get it?
Anecdotal evidence is still evidence. I am not stating your words are incorrect or untrue, only that the examples you chose demonstrate a rarity.
Yes, Joel. I got it. What you are laying down is not that difficult to pick up. Again, the insight that a lot of you have regarding what few posts I have made around here is nearly supernatural. Have you considered writing fortune cookies? Perhaps dabbling in horoscopes?
“a lot” was strong. I should say “a lot” of those that reply to me.
Mike, you don’t understand; in order to accept that there is true evil in the world, you have to accept that there is true Godly goodness. The left denounces God, and worships only the here and now.
But in order to understand why the left would support those policies that will eventually turn on them (the alligator eventually eats them, as well) you have to understand that their indoctrination has been complete. And why.
I suggest your readers research the Frankfort Marxists. Most were self-loathing Jews who migrated to the U.S. when Hitler decided he didn’t like their brand of Socialism (Hitler had his own brand, as did Stalin). The Frankfort bunch migrated to our tony universities, UCLA, COLUMBIA, to name just two, and there they taught the William Ayers of the nation, who now go on to teach our young university students. Robert Jensen, of UT, is a prime example. The Frankfort bunch gave us Cultural Marxism, currently known as “political correctness.” I also suggest the study of the writings of Antonio Gramsci, and challenge your readers to tell me what is left to make our nation into Gramsci’s ideal utopia.
You see, you and I understand that no form of Socialism has ever worked and it is truely evil in the number of lives it cost. On the other hand, those like Blakeslee believe that the only reason that Socialism has never worked is because the right people were not in charge of it. How dare you call the Fort Hood shooter what he is; truely evil, a jihadist who supports a religion based on death of those who did not accept the teachings of a pedophile war lord who advanced his “religion” by force and the use of the sword. But like the true indoctrinated tool he/she is, they shout “hate speech” as a politically correct tool to shut down any speech that disagrees with their political philosophy, i.e. the Frankfort Marxists.
Evil exists. It is real. It was real that day at Fort Hood and it was real at Sandy Hook. Now we are being told that the Aurora shooter has converted to Islam. Is anyone really surprised? Our prisons are producing more Islamists that Mohammed could have ever hoped for.
So my answer to Blakeslee is not that speech is “hate”, it is that speech, in this nation, is free and part of that freedom is to call evil for what it is.
With respect retire, you are speaking so far above the American intelligence, you wouldn’t attract the first detractor to your argument. We are living in a “bumper sticker society” whether we like it or not.
Mike’s article, IMO, is easy to read, easy to digest, and easy to understand. You can’t hit the detractors with to many syllables. You understand the problem but, since about the 1960’s, your language doesn’t meet the standard of American Idol, or Dancing with the Stars, Something more like “Islamists will cut your head off” or “Communists will take your big gulps away” is so much more appropriate to the times in which we unfortunately live doesn’t penetrate the first brain cell.
Are you positive that you would like to link your axis of good and evil to a political left/right scale? By its very nature, political labels change, especially what is left and right of center. Ascribing good and evil to how conservative or liberal some one may be seems awfully short sighted.
Check this goverment website out, and make a note of it’s motto:
http://nsa.gov1.info/index.html
Note at the bottom of that website.:
This is a PARODY of the National Security Agency. This website has not been approved, endorsed, or authorized by the NSA or by any US Government agency.
And how far off the mark is that parody website, considering that the IRS now says it has a right to read your emails without a search warrant?
Oh, I am sorry, I thought you were calling it an official government website.
As to being close to the mark, yep.
Lately anything that parodies the government today may tomorrow be an accurate assessment.
I agree with everything you wrote. Bill Ayers, Obama’s friend, told an FBI undercover agent that he thought once he took over America he estimated he may not be able to re-educate 25 million Americans and would have to eliminate them.
I guess the Left does not appreciate history, even recent history as in Iran. There the Left supported the revolution against the Shah, but when the Islamists didn’t form a free county, they protested; they were then imprisoned or eliminated. Useful idiots, as Lenin would have labeled them.
I have given up discussing issues with progressives. No matter what your evidence, they reject it for their talking points.
Like you, at 68, I have limits. But Chef Kessler is forming the Constitutional Security Force, now in 35 states to be organized under sheriffs and police chiefs to oppose confiscation of firearms by government. Just as we had the Committees of Correspondence, the Sons of Liberty and the Minutemen to oppose the Crown’s trampling of economic freedoms and colonists rights, similar organizations are being formed to oppose modern government’s intrusion into our lives and attacks on our constitutional rights.
Unless government backs down, which I do not see, this will not end well. The useful idiots don’t remember or were not taught what happened to some of the Loyalists in America after the Revolution. What happened may not have been fair, but I fear that what happen during the Revolutionary War and after would be mild compared to what would happen today.
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