THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA

An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume V, Issue # 66, March 17, 2003
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
Home Page   Main Menu   Recent Articles   Site Map   Website Index   Issues & Controversies
  Cyberland University   Political Science, Philosophy, & History: Lectures   U.S. Constitution
  American Constitutional Law   American Constitutional System   American Political System
  Conservatism, Liberalism, & Radicalism   How America Goes to War
  World War IV: Islamist Terror War Against the U.S.A. & the West

EXTREME RIGHTWING ISOLATIONISTS & THE LEFTWING ANTIWAR, HATE-AMERICA CROWD: OPPOSITES WHICH ATTRACT EACH OTHER
By Paul Walfield

We all have seen and heard the antiwar crowd marching and chanting that "War is evil, Inspections work," "Saddam's no threat, Bush is."

Most everyone, whether in the media or folks just watching the world go by, assume the protesters are Lefties, or Commies, and/or members of the hate-America crowd.  After all, America is at war, and is threatened by a madman with weapons of mass destruction.

How could anyone who loves his country, give the benefit of the doubt to a tyrant, while at the same time deem America's President and his administration as liars?  Additionally, the protesters have to discount the weapons inspectors' reports that clearly say, for all who care to see, that Iraq is not cooperating and is therefore in material breach of UN Resolution 1441.

Obviously, when it comes to the security of the United States of America and the safety of its citizens, clear thinking Americans would naturally prefer being safe to being sorry.  On the other hand, if you do not want your country to remain intact, or simply don't care one way or the other, or if you prefer the safety and security of Iraqi citizens to your own, you express that sentiment obviously or cryptically, depending on your agenda.

It's easy to dismiss the Far Left and Communists as hate-America advocates.  What is not so easy dismissing are some who profess to be on the political Right, but who also advocate America remaining out of any military adventure or intervention in Iraq.  Yet, the Far-Right and Far-Left opponents of the coming war with Iraq have too much in common to view them simply as coming from opposite ends of the political spectrum and therefore being adherents of diametrically opposing political philosophies.

Those who claim they are "Conservative," "Republican," or "Rightist," and who, at the same time, advocate the notion that we must wait for a nuclear bomb to go off in Wash- ington, D.C., before we can legitimately go to war, are using the same arguments and logic as those on the political Left.  These socalled "Rightists" also give the benefit of the doubt to Saddam Hussein; ignoring the reality and spirit behind UN Resolution 1441, which calls for complete and full cooperation by Iraq in its own disarmament or faces military action.  These self-styled "Rightists," like the Leftwing antiwar protesters, judge the Republican leadership and administration, including President Bush, as lying about the danger Iraq poses to the United States of America and its people.

If they, the socalled Rightists who oppose war with Iraq and slander the Bush adminis- tration, said they were on the Left, the Right would pin them as just part of the hate- America crowd and thought of as ingrates who should be living in some other country.

Then why aren't people who profess the same sentiments as the Leftwing antiwar dem- onstrators designated with the same loathing and contempt?  Apparently it's because they say they are not the same as the Left, rather they are "isolationists," or "America First" people.  Therefore, true Conservatives see them differently, but are they?

No, they are not. These isolationists, or "America Firsters," call themselves "Conserva- tives" and "Rightists," many of them referring to themselves as Far-Right Republi- cans.  But, in fact, they are about as close to being the loyal and reasonable American citizens they claim to be as Janeane Garofalo is to being taken seriously.

While there are many definitions of Conservative or Right of Center or even Republi- can, the one thing they all have in common is American nationalism, or national patriot- ism--loyalty to America and all that entails.  In time of war, all differences, all petty dis- agreements, go out the window.  This cannot be said about the Leftists, including highly partisan and ideological Liberals.  They have a different view of the world, especially about nationalism.

America finds itself in a very dangerous time and place in the 21st. century.  Despots and tyrants from countries that, up to now, a Boy Scout troop could have kept in line, now have biological and chemical weapons and may or will have nuclear weapons, which could and would wreak havoc and devastation upon our land.

Even after the horrors of 9-11, the extreme Rightwing isolationists still want America to stand down and wait for a hit.  In other words, they need America to be weakened and possibly suffer a blow from which we will not be able to recover, before they say they will believe America has justification for defending herself.  That is not only foolish thinking, it is totally unpatriotic.  It is not the mindset of an American Conservative or Republi- can.  It is not the thinking of an American adhering to a rational Right-of-Center political philosophy.  It may very well be that, as many political observers and analysts have argued, such unpatriotic thinking is characteristic of extremists who are so far to the Right, at the very edge of the Right end of the political spectrum, that the two ends of the spectrum, extreme Right and extreme Left, join together to form a circle, with the extremists on both ends having far more in common with each other than they have with less extreme positions at the Right and Left of the political Center.

It is obvious what the advantages are to someone who claims to be on your side when, in fact, he or she is trying to undermine your position.  What is not obvious is how people who are so blatant about their clear divergence with anything remotely aligned to Ameri- ca's best interest are given a free pass.

America is well past the point of debate or discussion when it comes to war against Iraq and terrorism.  U.S. soldiers, sailors, and marines are deployed in the Middle East and are just awaiting the order to move forward.  It is about time that the phony "Conserva- tives" and phony "patriots" whose calls, if followed, will lead to disaster for America be given a place, the same place that is reserved for the Communists and other Leftists who hate America, but at least do it openly and honestly.

The people who want to be seen as "Republican" or "Conservative," but who are con- versely persuaded, have an agenda that, when push comes to shove, shows its ugly face in spite of their meager declarations of solidarity with Republican and/or Conservative ideals.

It is just as important, if not more important, to marginalize these people and expose them for what they really are, as they can be far more detrimental to American security and American values than the openly hostile Lefties.


LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
The Middle East & the Problem of Iraq
   Page Two    Page One

The Problem of Rogue States:
Iraq as a Case History

The Middle East & the Arabs

Islamism & Jihadism -- The Threat of Radical Islam
Page Three    Page Two    Page One

War & Peace in the Real World
   Page Two    Page One

Islamist Terrorist Attacks on the U.S.A.

Osama bin Laden & the Islamist Declaration of War
Against the U.S.A. & Western Civilization

Islamist International Terrorism &
U.S. Intelligence Agencies

U.S. National Security Strategy



Paul Walfield is a freelance writer and member of the State Bar of California, with an undergraduate degree in Psychology and post-graduate study in behavioral and analyt- ical psychology. He resided for a number of years in the small town of Houlton, Maine, and is now a California attorney. His articles appear in numerous periodicals and on numerous websites.  CONTACT INFORMATION:  Email:   paul.walfield@cox.net




Return to Top of Page

Return to Beginning of
THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE,
Public Issues & Political Controversies


Return to Beginning of
THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE,
Volume V, 2003


Return to Beginning of
THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE,
Subject Matter Highlights


Return to POLITICAL EDUCATION Homepage




LINKS TO PARTICULAR ISSUES & SUBJECT MATTER CATEGORIES
TREATED IN THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, U.S.A.:

Africa: Black Africa * Africa: North Africa * American Government 1
American Government 2 * American Government 3 * American Government 4
American Government 5 * American Politics * Anglosphere * Arabs
Arms Control & WMD * Aztlan Separatists * Big Government
Black Africa * Bureaucracy * Canada * China * Civil Liberties * Communism
Congress, U.S. * Conservative Groups * Conservative vs. Liberal
Constitutional Law * Counterterrorism * Criminal Justice * Disloyalty * Economy
Education * Elections, U.S. * Eminent Domain * Energy & Environment
English-Speaking World * Ethnicity & Race * Europe * Europe: Jews
Family Values * Far East * Fiscal Policy, U.S. * Foreign Aid, U.S. * Foreign Policy, U.S.
France * Hispanic Separatism * Hispanic Treason * Human Health * Immigration
Infrastructure, U.S. * Intelligence, U.S. * Iran * Iraq * Islamic North Africa
Islamic Threat * Islamism * Israeli vs. Arabs * Jews & Anti-Semitism
Jihad & Jihadism * Jihad Manifesto I * Jihad Manifesto II * Judges, U.S. Federal
Judicial Appointments * Judiciary, American * Latin America * Latino Separatism
Latino Treason * Lebanon * Leftists/Liberals * Legal Issues
Local Government, U.S. * Marriage & Family * Media Political Bias
Middle East: Arabs * Middle East: Iran * Middle East: Iraq * Middle East: Israel
Middle East: Lebanon * Middle East: Syria * Middle East: Tunisia
Middle East: Turkey * Militant Islam * Military Defense * Military Justice
Military Weaponry * Modern Welfare State * Morality & Decency
National Identity * National Security * Natural Resources * News Media Bias
North Africa * Patriot Act, USA * Patriotism * Political Culture * Political Ideologies
Political Parties * Political Philosophy * Politics, American * Presidency, U.S.
Private Property * Property Rights * Public Assistance * Radical Islam
Religion & America * Rogue States & WMD * Russia * Science & Ethics
Sedition & Treason * Senate, U.S. * Social Welfare Policy * South Africa
State Government, U.S. * Subsaharan Africa * Subversion * Syria * Terrorism 1
Terrorism 2 * Treason & Sedition * Tunisia * Turkey * Ukraine
UnAmerican Activity * UN & Its Agencies * USA Patriot Act * U.S. Foreign Aid
U.S. Infrastructure * U.S. Intelligence * U.S. Senate * War & Peace
Welfare Policy * WMD & Arms Control


This is not a commercial website. The sole purpose of the website is to share with interested persons information regarding civics, civic and social education, political science, government, politics, law, constitutional law and history, public policy, and political philosophy and history, as well as current and recent political developments, public issues, and political controversies.



POLITICAL EDUCATION, CONSERVATIVE ANALYSIS

POLITICS, SOCIETY, & THE SOVEREIGN STATE

Website of Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr.

Government, Politics, Public Policy, Legal Issues, Constitutional Law, Government & the Economy, Cultural Values, Foreign Affairs, International Relations, Military Defense & National Security, Geopolitics, Terrorism & Homeland Security, American National Interests, Political Systems & Processes, Political Institutions, Political Ideologies, & Political Philosophy

INDEX FOR THE ENTIRE WEBSITE

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z




THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA

An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis

Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor

Conservative & Free-Market Analysis of Government, Politics & Public Policy, Covering Political, Legal, Constitutional, Economic, Cultural, Military, International, Strategic, & Geopolitical Issues


Conservative Government Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity