By Victor Volsky
THEY MEAN WELL. REALLY?
For the life of me I can’t figure
out why conservative pundits, even such stalwarts as Rush Limbaugh, when
discussing the virtually inexhaustible supply of liberal follies and
blunders hasten to express their confidence that the perpetrators are
“well-intentioned.” Why do conservatives hew mindlessly to the
conventional line that far-left radicals are necessarily high-minded and
motivated by the best of intentions? Why aren’t liberals challenged when
they generously absolve themselves of any wrong-doing on the grounds of
their good intentions? And what do you know – it appears that conservatives tacitly acquiesce in their opponents’ lofty view of themselves. For some strange reason, conservative pundits and politicians seem to agree that whatever the left does, no matter how obnoxious or destructive, it’s okay because its intentions are so virtuous. Liberals are far less liberal in their attitudes. It is only toward themselves that they are endlessly forgiving. They judge their opponents by an entirely different set of rules: in their view, conservatives are ignorant knuckle-draggers, vicious troglodytes, evil schemers, salivating at the prospect of throwing grandpa out of the house into the cold, forcing grandma to eat dog food, and gleefully watching black children starve and die in the streets. Good intentions are the trump card of the left, the one-size-fits-all excuse for all its setbacks. The spectacular failures of communism around the globe never bother them: after all, one cannot really expect those barbarous Russians (or Chinese or Vietnamese or Cubans or…you name it) to succeed, now can one? In our case, insists the home-grown breed of progressives, everything will be different. All we need is a chance: as smart, educated, and erudite as we are, it will be a cinch we’ll build paradise on earth in no time flat. They stridently proclaim their love for America. But the country they purport to cherish only exists in their imagination. It is an America they promise to build after they seize power and blow up the evil capitalist system; a country where everybody will be equal - except for themselves, of course, because, after all, somebody has to lead the dumb masses.… But as for the real America of today, they see it as the epitome of evil, the greatest imperialist and militarist oppressor in history, the bane of the minorities and the Third World. They hate it with abandon and dream feverishly of destroying it. Does any court accept good intentions as extenuating, much less exculpatory, circumstances? Would any of the liberals who took a bath with Bernie Madoff be mollified if the crook assures them that he meant well? No, they are hopping mad - because Madoff has lost their own money. Had these same liberals sunk billions of taxpayers’ money into Madoff’s rat hole, they would no doubt view the debacle with perfect equanimity, pleading good intentions in their defense. It is not difficult to understand why liberals are two-faced hypocrites on the issue. But why do conservative swallow the bait? Because it is the Zeitgeist? But is it a sufficient justification? Truth is independent of vogue. Did Copernicus consent to shelve his heliocentricity theory just because the Zeitgeist of his era maintained that the sun revolved around the earth? The CIA-driven Zeitgeist of the early 1980s was that the Soviet Union was indestructible and “here to stay”. But Ronald Reagan refused to bow to the Zeitgeist and boldly proclaimed his conviction that the communist system was a colossus on clay feet destined to land on the ash-heap of history. And a few years later, while the liberals were still chuckling at the stupidity of that “amiable dunce,” Reagan, the USSR was no more. The progressive cause has all the trappings of a quasi-religion, and its adherents are every bit as fervent in their beliefs, every bit as intolerant and hate-filled, as any religious fanatic. Seeing themselves as the holy warriors of progress, they are absolutely single-minded and ruthless. Conservatives view them as “our friends across the aisle,” as honest, well-meaning opponents. But liberals don’t reciprocate. For them, conservatives are enemies devoid of humanity and deserving only of pitiless destruction. Does anyone doubt the sincerity of Democrats when they castigate their Republican opponents as Nazis? The Koranic principle of taqiyya allows the faithful to dissimulate in their dealings with the infidel. By the same token, liberals never feel bound by any moral constraints dealing with conservatives. In any war, the enemy must be dehumanized so as to stiffen the warriors’ resolve and inure them to the bloody task at hand. So liberals feel no compunction lying and cheating to bring down the conservative enemy - after all, the holy cause justifies any means however reprehensible they may be otherwise. Until conservatives understand the ruthless mindset of their “friends across the aisle,” they will continue to operate at a huge disadvantage in the political arena. As President Obama said, “If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun.” Good intentions? Good Grief! Handy
paving material for hell on earth! |