Thursday, November 22, 2007

Blogging Tories - What Is Their Major Malfunction?

Anyone who runs a blog from the Liberal (moderate) side has to expect to be routinely attacked by seemingly fanatical right wingers. Their comments are notable for being full of sexual and scatological references. They tend to be jingoistic, unflatteringly aggressive and hostile, ill-considered and, ultimately, sophomoric, juvenile even.

I'm old enough to remember a time when Liberals and Conservatives could hold a civil dialogue without either side abusing the other or having to sacrifice its values and beliefs. We agreed to differ and we still respected each other.

Those, of course, were the days of Progressive Conservatism. Liberal or NDP or Progressive Conservative, there was always a common denominator of Canadian values that allowed us to make progress together.

Back when I was a member of the working press in Ottawa, I sometimes ran into political extremism. In those days that tended to come from the far left, the radical left. These types would rant and rave and spit fury without end, castigating anyone whose beliefs did not comport with their own.

Today, that very sort of conduct comes from Conservative supporters. The party, following Dick Cheney's roadmap, has shifted to the right, to the far right. In the process it has energized the radical right who, true to course, resemble in their carrying on nothing so much as the radical left of the 60's.

The voice that comes from these people is the voice of extremism, the strident screed, the impulse to try to heap ridicule and abuse on anyone who lies beyond their narrow, angry vision.

Now I know there are many intelligent, informed and thoughtful Conservatives out there and we should be glad to have them. Unfortunately they have not held their own, their part of the centre, but have surrendered their voice to the Cheneys and the Harpers and their followers, the far right.

It won't last, if only for the simple reason that the uber-right is at odds with core Canadian values. Study upon study shows that. Reality, however, is of no moment to these types. Long denied the limelight by sensible conservatives, the ultra-right nutjobs are now released onto their rampage and intent on making sure all of us know it.

Relax, they'll be gone soon enough.

7 comments:

  1. Lets see here.

    Conservative values are,

    1. Family values,no gay marriage.

    2. Tough on crime.

    3. Low taxes.

    4. No killing of unborn children at 7 months or 1 month.

    5. Strong military.

    6. Private health care that saves lives.(after all what was that Canadian doing at the USA border when he should have been able to use Canadian health care).

    7. Supporting Israel against terrorists.

    8. Suuport the death penalty for the worst of society.

    Now lets look at liberal values.

    1.Support gay marriage, even though Chretien was against it in 1999, its all of a sudden a human right in 2004 for votes.

    2.Soft on crime. ( drunk drivers killing people get house arrest and rapists who rape 4 year old girls get 6 years).

    3.High taxes, including raising the GST which means less money for the people who work.

    4. Liberals support partial birth abortion where 7 month old unborn babies have their brains sucked out.

    5. Liberals gutted the miltiary and sent the troops to Afghanistan with old, rusty euipment. We also shouldn't forget about the troops boots melting in the hot Afghan sun.

    6. Socialist health care which leaves Canadians having to go to the USA for emergency care.

    7. Liberals support Hamas and Hizbolloh

    8. Liberals believe in allowing multiple murderers to get parole after only 25 years.

    So as we can see here, Liberal values are not something to be very proud of.

    As a matter of fact, I woulod be very embarrassed to have those values.

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  2. Well Jonathon, I have some real disagreements with your points, both Liberal and Conservative, but it is refreshing to get civil comments from your side.

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  3. Actually, Jonathon, I don't think you speak for the Conservatives at all well. Anti-gay, anti-abortion, pro-death penalty? If those are mainstream Conservative values, why does Harper go to such lengths to pretend they're not? I guess that would be because they're not the values of mainstream Canadians and Harper's support would plummet to somewhere around the low to mid-teens if Canadians thought he was as extreme as you suggest.

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  4. Harper doesn't have a majority.

    Thats why he is holding out until he gets one.

    1.Harper is against gay marriage, he is not anti-gay. Jean Chretien was also against gay marriage, so you must believe he is anti-gay as well.

    2. Of course Harper is against abortion. Abortion is an immoral act. Killing a fetus to satisfy your liberal views is disgusting. If Harper wins a majority he should change the law so that you can't have an abortion after the first trimester. The partial birth abortion of 5-9 month old fetuses is barbaric and has to be stopped.

    3. Harper is for the death penalty. As we see with the killer in Montana, Harper wants him to be killed. Harper, when he gets a majority should bring back the death penalty. Or at least life in prison without parole.

    So there you have it .

    Harper is against homosexual marriage, against abortion, and for the death penalty.

    That is wonderful.

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  5. Harper doesn't have a majority.

    Thats why he is holding out until he gets one.


    Ah, so it is confirmed. Harper does, in fact, have a scary hidden agenda.

    TMOS, go have look at Jonathon's bigotry over at Red Tory's place. He argued that the pay cut for soldier's had to happen because the Liberals brought in too make non-white people. Or some other such nonsense.

    So much for thoughtful commentary.

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  6. Okay, thanks Ed. It was getting pretty apparent that Jonathon is one of the social-conservative extremist crowd. At least he wasn't insulting.

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  7. And you're right, Ed, J. certainly gives some credence to the "secret agenda" thing. Fool the public, get a majority and then play dictator until you have to call an election.

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