Hi Arlo, To pay too much attention to this election cycle, is to induce vomiting.
Marsha At 12:39 AM 12/7/2007, you wrote: >[Marsha to Ham] It rather amuses me that when >you get into a corner, you drag out the word >nihilism. Can you not deal with the concept >'unknown'? [Arlo] Mitt Romney: "Freedom requires >religion". It's the biggest myth of the day. And >one prime on the neocon agenda. You ask why Ham >resorts to the tired "nihilism"-bugaboo, and I >recall these words from "The Power of >Nightmare". "[Strauss believed] Western >liberalism led to nihilism, and had undergone a >development at the end of which it could no >longer define itself or defend itself. A >development which took everything praiseworthy >and admirable out of human beings, and made us >into dwarf animals. Made us into herd >animalsâsick little dwarves, satisfied with a >dangerous life in which nothing is true and >everything is permitted. Strauss believed that >the liberal idea of individual freedom led >people to question everythingall values, all >moral truths. Instead, people were led by their >own selfish desires. And this threatened to tear >apart the shared values which held society >together. But there was a way to stop this, >Strauss believed. It was for politicians to >assert powerful and inspiring myths that >everyone could believe in. They might not be >true, but they were necessary illusions. One of >these was religion; the other was the myth of >the nation." And whether you hear this echoed in >the pandering-but-moronic statements of a >presidential candidate, or in the "barbarians at >the gate" rhetoric of those who feel man needs >some "intelligent designer" lest he be amoral >and beastly, its the same core principle. It has >its foundations in the "guilty at birth" >rhetoric of the "Judeo-Christian" code, that has >us all born evil and sinful, and in need of the >power of some outside agent to cleanse us and >make us Good. And in the sophmoric "analysis" of >Bill O'Reily whose "culture war" consists of >noble and good "religious traditionalists" >battling immoral and evil "secular >progressives", the same sad rhetoric is doled >out for hours a day. The only "culture" brought >historically by "religious traditionalists" is >the oppressive and enslaving bounds of >theocracy. Want to know what life under >"religious traditionalist" rule would be like, >witness our own European history prior to the >Enlightenment. Sadly, were there more "secular >progressives" in the middle eastern nations >perhaps they impetus towards democracy would be >greater. But telling people they are evil beasts >who need to be saved by The Creator in order to >be moral and righteous serves the power desires >of our modern day leaders, and it (as Strauss >saw) gives people the go-ahead to feel smug and >superior while they behave like sheep. The >irony, of course, is that O'Reily's "culture >war" is the terra firma of the justification >among "Islamofascists" to denounce Western life. >Honestly, if you had to pick a side in the >"culture war" that the "Islamofascists" would >back, do you think it would be the "secular >progressives"? Hell no. Here is another snippet >from the Power of Nightmare. "But Qutb saw >something else: the dancers in front of him were >tragic lost souls. They believed that they were >free. But in reality, they were trapped by their >own selfish and greedy desires. American society >was not going forwards; it was taking people >backwards. They were becoming isolated beings, >driven by primitive animal forces. Such >creatures, Qutb believed, could corrode the very >bonds that held society together. And he became >determined that night to prevent this culture of >selfish individualism taking over his own >country." Ask youself, who does that sound like? >Who among us decries a culture pushing us to be >"primitive animals"? And who offers the solution >of providing a "religious traditionalist" >government/culture that "would provide a moral >framework that would stop peopleâs selfish >desires from overwhelming them."? (The quote, >btw, is how Qutb described the Islamic-led >government). "People need 'powerful myths', >primarily 'god' and 'the nation'". Seems Sayyed >Qutb would be very happy to hear someone in the >"secularly degenerate" West say "freedom >requires religion", and join forces in the >"culture war" that pits the vile, corrupt >"nihilists" against the Ardent Light of the >Religious Traditionalist. ============= As a >postscript here, I find it funny that we >suddenly have a flock of candidates (both sides) >who are tripping over themselves arguing about >who is the biggest Christian. Reminds me of the >Four Yorkshiremen skit of Monty Python (with >apologies)... "Why I remember all the days I >worshipped God in our church." "Church? Why we >used to worship God in our living room, and >serve him tea and crumpets!" "Crumpets?! Why God >used to come over to our house, sit down, put >his feet by the fire, and we'd serve him the >finest meals while we ate cardboard." "Feed him? >Why I remember fondly the nights God would come >over and sleep in our beds." "Sleep? We used to >let God have his way with us." "Oh sure, that's >great if you think passive worship is best. We, >on the other hand, would service god rather than >be serviced, if you catch my drift." "Once a >night?" "Aye." "Ha! We used to service God three >times a day and then beat ourselves with hair >whips to pass the hours until we could service >him again." "Just three? Five times a day we'd >whack off the almighty, while a flock of demons >shredded our backs with sandpaper. Afterwards >he'd kill us, just for fun, and the resurrect us >in time to service him again." "I would have >loved to have just been killed in between. Six >times a day we'd give the almighty a hot oil >rubdown, with release, and in between he'd toss >our souls into a pool of molten lead and laugh >as we melted into the fire." "Right. After >performing oral sex on the lord, every hour on >the hour, I'd praise his divine being while he >tossed my sinful soul into a pit filled with >fire and starving rats. Then, he'd resurrect me >as various farm animals and it would start all >over." "Ah, but we love the lord." "Try telling >that to nihilists today... they won't believe >you!" "They won't!" 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