Lessons for America From a Stifled War

Red_State_Blue

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Reflections on a House Divided

Lessons for America From a Stifled War

Part I

At the core, it is the heart and stomach that make the difference in political leadership during wartime (1). And, with rare exceptions (2), the current centre-left parties in America, Israel and Europe - i.e. Democrats,  Labour, Kadima,  Social Democrats, Socialists, etc - however they're called in different nations - simply don't have it (3).

Lessons for America From a Stifled War

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Comments

[mauve1]

You say: "Those traditions, reflexes and dispositions being: mental and physical toughness, aspirations towards excellence, love of ones family, people and nation (5), a sense of honour, loyalty and faith. A willingness to fight when necessary and the skills to do so. Discipline and self-control. These are - traditionally - what have been referred to as primarily masculine virtues, but their possession and display, are in practice, certainly not limited to one sex or another."

You're absolutely correct about that last clause, David.

But Republicans do not have the corner on those characteristics you enumerate.

"Mental and physical toughness": if you mean resilience, heavens above, it knows no political parameters. If you mean ruggedness, you'll find many others rockclimbing, or hiking the length of the Appalachian Trail. If you mean resoluteness, others of us have no less conviction or follow-through for what we believe is right and good.
Now if you mean pugnacity or aggressiveness, we're not immediately in your face, and we have no qualms about aggression when the cause is just and principled.

"Aspirations towards excellence": You are delusional if you think others do not share this with Conservatives/ Republicans. Think we're all out here, just sitting around, basking in mediocrity and devising strategies to
erode the potential for good work? Think again.

"Love of ones family": C'mon now, they mean every last little bit as much to us as they do to you.

"Love of people and nation": Oops, delusions creeping in again. Loving your nation passionately happens
when you can can expect truth and accountability, and action in the whole nation's best interests. That's a prime generator of allegiance.

"A sense of honour, loyalty and faith": Look! Your criteria match ours! How could that be?!

"A willingness to fight when necessary and the skills to do so": Yes, and the insight to pick the right battle and articulate to the rest of the world its importance beyond our own self- interests. Convincingly.

"Discipline and self-control": Strongly advocated by most. Practiced by many.

"These are - traditionally - what have been referred to as primarily masculine virtues": but the error of that narrow thinking has been unmasked.

Your perspectives expressed with conviction and clarity, as always.
Look forward to more.

You say, Whether done for the purpose of increasing "self-esteem," promoting "inclusiveness," increasing equality, "diversity," or suppressing "cultures of violence (4)," and regardless of the names given: feminism, post-modernism, multiculturalism, etc, the results have been the same."

From this, it appears you presume that
the concepts and "isms" you've noted are monolithic, that individiduals ascribe to them in toto, as if they carry a cue card with them to make sure they're towing the ism line. There are, in fact, multitudes of rational individuals of honesty and integrity in this country who know that truths seldom are represented in the diatribes of extremists of any stripe, convinced as all zealots are that the thoughts and behaviors of so many others are dead wrong. Everyone and everything is a caricature, steeped in exaggerated polemics. The only thing to be heard is the excruciating muddle of voices shouting.

America now is so politicized that no one hears anyone else as a person with nuanced responses to the complexities of the day. Dogma reigns, someone always is holier than thou, and will beat you until you believe it.