The Morning Rant: Minimalist Edition

Commentary Magazine was one of the conservative bulwarks against creeping communism, and was a steadfast opponent of the Soviet Union. It also published excellent non-political articles and the occasional short fiction piece (almost always worth a read). It was my first exposure to the intellectual underpinnings of anti-communism, and helped to form my political philosophy. But it also was unapologetically hawkish, and was a bastion of neo-consevatism. [Full disclosure: I too was hawkish, in part because of the magazine's influence.]

And then it lost its way when the Soviet Union fell. Without a philosophical enemy, they floundered until Donald Trump came along with his unabashed love of America, his deep suspicion of foreign intervention (the military kind), and his frank and open appeal to yucky ideas like American Exceptionalism and the supremacy of the American people in all political calculations. FINALLY! An opponent they could sink their teeth into!

But distilled to its basic idea, that opponent is America. Here we have a perfect example of their tortured philosophy...a leftist company tosses some cops out of one of its stores because they are politically distasteful. Conservatives react harshly (entirely appropriately!), and both sides are wrong!

One Man's Scandal: The scandal precedes the outrage.

The cycle is a familiar one by now. The incident exploded among the people who spenr their Fourth of July perusing the Internet for outrages. Tempe’s police union complained about the officers’ treatment. Twitter erupted in indignation, both in support of and against the coffee shop, and the story migrated up the chain from social media and onto cable news. It surely won’t be long before America’s political class is compelled to have an opinion on the matter. The question is: Why?

It is easily stipulated that it was unreasonable for one oversensitive Starbucks customer to be offended by the presence of peace officers, as it was for the accommodating barista to dismiss them from the premises. But who is to say what fate would have held in store if the hapless employee of a notoriously socially progressive brand had not erred on the side of controversy? This incident was a product of a political environment that encourages oversensitivity.

The reaction to a ridiculous violation of basic good behavior and the ideals of the American people (rule of law, fairness, politeness, acceptance) is not the same thing as the original violation, and anyone who didn't grow up on the Upper West Side, suckling at the breast of socialism and distrust of most Americans should be able to see that without expending much intellectual energy.

Or the short answer: Hey Commentary! Lol...GF.

&topic=world_news"> posted by CBD at 11:00 AM

| Access Comments