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“A liberal,”
Robert Frost said, “is a man too broadminded to take his own side in a
quarrel.” I’ve debated many liberals who clearly took sides…in favor of
any antagonist the US might oppose. Ronald Reagan’s ambassador to the
UN, Jeane Kirkpatrick, described this as the worldview of the “blame
America first” crowd. The reflex is often acquired young.
Why did those kids think their land was a nasty and oppressive place,
like an Olbermannian “Worst Nation in the World!”? Frequent answers
include school, where students seem to absorb the lesson that American
culture hates women, minorities, poor people, and rain forests; and the
media, including news, but especially TV or movies, where cheats and
murderers often are businessmen trying to snuff competitors and
increase profits, rather than the motley and wretched cases that
overwhelmingly fill real crime reports.
I encountered it vividly some years
back helping judge a school civics competition as a Colorado lawmaker.
For part of their project, students from an affluent Denver suburb
shared an “updated” Pledge of Allegiance:
"I pledge
allegiance to the flag—because the Supreme Court doesn’t enforce the
First Amendment—of the United States of America, and to the Republic
for which it stands—an imperial power that swept the native inhabitants
off their land—one nation under God—because the Supreme Court still
doesn’t enforce the First Amendment, indivisible, with liberty and
justice for all white, male, heterosexual, upper middleclass property
owners.” [Comtinued]
There's
a lesson here. That lesson is they could care less what we think,
or
that we're on to them. Lest you think I'm being defeatist—no.
Things
will ultimately sort themselves out, but it will not be pleasant.
I'll
be in heaven and really won't care, what with my single perpetual
virgin, endless pizza and bottomless can of beer.
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Since
nobody could cite any applicable law or statute, this is an area that
needs to be addressed before chaos ensues—when it does happen.
Now I
have another question. Again, this is merely an academic 
