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October 14, 2004
Communication BreakdownThe trouble with liberals is an overfondness of explaining every division that splits our nation or our world in terms of "miscommunication." The theory is that if we all just communicated a little better, all of the disagreements that separate us would simply sublimate into the ether and leave us all united together in one big hugging and snuggling peace-orgy. The theory is simply jackass. What separates us is chiefly real differences and disagreements, not "misperceptions" or "misunderstandings." There is no amount of additional "outreach" and "exchange of viewpoints" that will erase the fundamental difference between a pro-choice voter and a pro-life voter. Actually, in fact, it is not clear communication which helps bridge such differences, but artfully (i.e., dishonestly) unclear communication. Bill Clinton's "safe, legal, and rare" forumulation helped unite passionately-pro-abortion-rights liberals and more skeptical can't-there-be-some-restrictions? moderates, but the union was at its heart dishonest. They were politically united, but ideologically still opposed. And there was, in fact, an actual winner (abortion-rights absolutists) and an actual loser (moderates favoring some, but not absolute, abortion-rights). Had Bill Clinton endeavored to more clearly "communicate" his actual position, he would have divided the nation more than his artful dodging did. John Kerry similarly seems to think that the differences between the US and the Islamist murderers can be papered over with townhall-meetings and "outreach:" ''I think we can do a better job,'' Kerry said, ''of cutting off financing, of exposing groups, of working cooperatively across the globe, of improving our intelligence capabilities nationally and internationally, of training our military and deploying them differently, of specializing in special forces and special ops, of working with allies, and most importantly -- and I mean most importantly -- of restoring America's reputation as a country that listens, is sensitive, brings people to our side, is the seeker of peace, not war, and that uses our high moral ground and high-level values to augment us in the war on terror, not to diminish us.'' Most importantly, Senator? I'd've put that quite a bit down further on the to-do list myself. What separates America from the Islamist killers and their supporters (both active and soft) is not the famous Cool Hand Luke "failure to communicate." Indeed, the communication is fairly clear: * Islamists want to destroy Israel, and possibly kill every Jew living there, if it can be accomplished. * Islamists want to repeal the Enlightenment, and they want to use mega-terrorism to limit the American projection of Enlightenment values until it can be repealed. * Islamists support using terrorist violence against civilians whenever they believe, usually insanely, that they have a grievance with the west (or other Muslims, or Hindus, etc.). These are not differences born of some "miscommunication" or lack of outreach or understanding. We understand each other all too well. Or, rather, the Islamists understand that we are a subhuman enemy which God Himself has decreed must be eradicated from the face of the earth, and Americans, with the exception of John Kerry and the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, understand that we must fight against them in order to convince them their demonic agenda will not be permitted to succeed. Our "differences" with the Islamists are neither nuanced nor trumped up. They want to kill us, and we don't want to die. That's simply not the sort of "gap in understanding" that can bridged with happy-talk and summits, Senator. posted by Ace at 12:13 PM
CommentsAce-- Carried to its extreme, this "communication" philosophy extends to much of the liberal foreign policy of the past fifty years. If only we had a hotline, we'd understand the Russians better, and know that they love their children too. If only we had a summit, and a nice nuclear freeze to back it up, we'd be able to agree to eliminate nuclear weapons. If only Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin got together to chat, we'd have peace in the Middle East. If only John Kerry went to Paris to talk to the North Vietnamese, we'd have had peace in Vietnam. Oh, wait-- he did that. Scratch that. Sometimes it's best to communicate down the barrel of a gun. Harsh truth, but it's a harsh world. Cheers, Posted by: Dave at IGarfield Ridge on October 14, 2004 01:02 PM
Good column ACE. Ever consider my suggestion to put this or one of your similar thoughtful observations up for publication in realclearpolitics.com or NRO? You describe a classic liberal democratic tactic - the world is all mostly good, problems here or abroad are mostly due to conservative's failure to communicate. It ranks right up there with the "Victimhood" tactic. Anything that doesn't go a DEmocrat constituent groups way thus "victimizes them" and the next step is to go on the usual whining rant of how "outraged, outraged and shocked, just shocked at such conservative meaness and insensitivity if not outright racism, sexism, homopohobic-ism, ageism, etc....and then demand, just demand an apology!!" Posted by: Cedarford on October 14, 2004 02:38 PM
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David Strom connects the Fiercely Heterosexual Cory Booker (TM) and his Theater Kid Energy to the Democrats' belief that they're all superstars who glow in the spotlight
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Forgotten 80s Mystery Click:
I Can't Believe It's Not Bryan Adams Edition Well I saw you on the avenue And as usual you're with someone new I guess there's nothing left for me to do but turn away I'm growing tired of all your alibis There ain't one you can justify I ain't gonna take it anymore and I'll tell you why You know, I wrote "I Can't Believe It's Not Bryan Adams" and then realized, "Wait, this is so blatantly a Bryan Adams-style song this might actually be a genuine Bryan Adams song, let me look this up." In fact, yes, it's co-written by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance. And I guess I would have realized that if I just watched the video, in which Bryan Adams plays guitar and contributes backing vocals.
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Forgotten 80s Mystery Click
I see the problem start I watch the tension grow I see you keeping it to yourself And then instead of reaching conclusions I see you reaching for something else
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Masih Alinejad "Where are @AOC, @IlhanMN, the left-wing activists who called me an Islamophobe, and the campus protesters chanting "I am Hamas"? The killers sent by the Islamic Republic to assassinate a woman on US soil were convicted in federal court, You're silent. Why?" [CBD]
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