Author: Thomas Lee Abshier
By: Thomas Lee Abshier, ND
4/29/2011
Dear Lenny, embedded within your essay is my commentary, on a small part of the concepts that you introduced. I mean no offense on a personal level, but I do mean to destroy the validity of the ideas you speak. I enjoy strong debate and separate friendship from ideology. Thanks for sharing with me.
Sincerely yours,
Thomas
—–Original Message—–
From: Lenny
Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2011 10:30 AM
To: ‘Thomas Lee Abshier, ND’
Subject: Conservatives
Dear Thomas
Racism has become a socio-economic topic because Birthers have made it an issue to de-legitimize the president of the US, and that has the socio-economic implications that he is not fit or legal enough to make decisions about the economy. They are not arguing policy. They are flat out saying that there is a black man in the oval office and that they don’t believe he is an American.
Lenny
Lenny, In short, I completely disagree with your assessment of the Right/Conservatives/Tea Party on the issue of racism. Charging a man with racism has become the ultimate epithet in this country. It is the only sure way of diminishing another man’s character. I know that you believe there are racists in some part of the country, but not in the more civilized big cities. You believe that racism is a pervasive force/spirit that truly does control the national conservative discourse and is the motive force behind those who vociferously and passionately oppose Obama’s agenda, question his Christianity, question his eligibility to occupy the office based on Constitutional requirements, doubt his allegiance to this country’s founding principles, believe he is an enemy to our way of life, sovereignty, and our survival as a capitalistic republic, and question the wisdom and motive of his economic policy. There are other arguments far more compelling than his race that vivify the passionate opposition to this man’s rule of our country. If racism were the fundamental force behind the broad objection to Obama’s agenda/regime, then the issue of racism would be far more widely visible inside the conservative movement – in particular in the words of its leaders and spokesmen. From my perspective, this accusation is false and insincere on the part of those originating this assessment. The national discussion and political action are not being run by the retrograde philosophies and prejudices of some nameless uncivilized region of the country. That group, if they even exist in large numbers in 2011, would be, and is, totally marginalized by both the Left and the Right, and they do not have the national microphone. If they did, they would be very visible and identifiable. If they were seen and heard, they would be vigorously and unequivocally shouted down by the media and political leadership of the Conservative movement. Instead, we hear from the Obama machine (Dems, Media, bureaucracy) the drumbeat of accusation of racism. When you refer to the de-legitimization of Obama by those who oppose his policies, religion, citizenship as being based on some racism-blinded passion, you are necessarily referring to the media presence and the conservative/tea party elite, who are the voice of the party. The 19th century, backwoods country racist has no strong political voice in this day. There are no racist Tea Party Congressman and Senators (if there is one, please give me a name). These purported racists would be the arm of force controlling and directing opposition to Obama and his agenda. But, no such coalition exists. It is a fantasy, a fabrication of the Left’s smear machine. They are repetitions of the media/Left’s talking points. I am very in tune with the conservative media/blogosphere, and I have literally heard zero chatter about Obama’s race, other than being appalled at the narrative of the Left. (Note: I do not deny that there may be some people who declare themselves to be Conservative and who make racist remarks. But, I don’t believe that such people represent the mainstream of Conservative ideology, nor do I feel their effect elevates the issues to the point of a headline, nor do I believe they represent the spirit of Conservative ideology.)
On the other hand, I have heard loud, vociferous, over the top accusations by the Left about the racism of the Right/Conservatives/Tea Party. The disparity is so great between the reality “on the ground, in the media, and in the spirit” of the conservative movement, and the accusations of the Left, that I can only assume that it is a talking point, a smear campaign, a denigration, a depreciation of an entire people, not based on truth/fact, but instead is a tactic to achieve a political goal.
(The charge of “closet racism” is another tactic to prevent confrontation and embed the charge even deeper. How is it that the Left would know so much more intimately the mind/heart/spirit of the Right than they themselves? Is it projection? Who are they to say what is really in the hearts of the Conservatives? Are they psychic? Do they have a deeper and more intuitive insight into the psychology of an entire people than those who are within it? What is the actual evidence that it is true? Do they have Godlike vision enabling them to read the hearts of men without error or bias? Do they have vast polling data that is unbiased and absolutely accurately represents the statistics of the populace that hold emotional/judgmental positions? Do they even have quotes from the leadership or media to justify these claims of a vast racist undercurrent controlling the minds and hearts of the Conservative opposition to Obama and his Socialist agenda?
No, we have true Conservative politicians speaking exactly what they mean. They are opposed to Obama’s Socialist/Statist/Welfare/Dependency-Nanny/Crony Capitalist State. Those who think that his Statist ideas are a good idea should defend those ideas on their merit in the media, rather than using such simplistic-propagandistic tactics as the ad hominem slander of “racist” against those who defend Limited Government, Government within the limits of Constitutional Original Intent, and our Christian Heritage. Those who stand against Obama do so because they believe their accusations are true. And no, I do not think I am so blind nor insulated from the spirit of the country as to be unaware of a force this large animating the entire conservative movement and its motives.)
Given the ambiguous reference to a “they” who are racists, such accusations are slanderous, libelous, and character-of-the-movement assassinations. And, to the undereducated, sheep-masses, these accusations are swallowed uncritically. Slander works like magic, causing reflexive repulsion against any association with the ideas or people of Conservative persuasion. Our nation has become a balkanized people, separated by diametrically opposed ideals. The hispandering RINOs and Dems have turned a blind eye to the illegal alien invasion, and given it the new-speak title of “immigration”. Obama stated a day ago, “We are all alike, whether we came through Ellis Island, on a slave ship, or across the Rio Grande.” Such a statement can only be categorized as a damned lie. This is the equivalent to him speaking to a club of millionaires, and saying, “It doesn’t matter how we got our wealth, whether we worked for it, inherited it, or stole it.” Here is a man who is advocating lawlessness, invasion of the country, and giving it the moral equivalence of lawful entry.
I give this only as the most recent example of the abominable policies that Conservatives deplore in the strongest of terms. To minimize a righteous stand for lawfulness, and condemn it as based in racism is either naïve, morally blind, or purposefully deceptive. The illegal alien issue is only the tip of the iceberg of the entire issue of the culture of dependency that is being nourished by policy and capitalized upon by the circumstances of the economy. The issue is one of purposefully creating a limited government versus legislating us piece by piece into a nation of supervised dependents who are controlled and legislated in every facet of life. Does such governmental regulation add to the quality of life? Does it make us more prosperous and productive? Does it make people want to invent, produce, and risk? No, but such legislation and people made malleable by the education by State propaganda, does give the tools and structure to men who believe they know best how to run the world.
Accusations of racism work to split the nation; causing men to separate from each other, reflexively recoiling from the concepts of opposing ideology without critical thinking or deep consideration of validity. People who generalize and call nameless crowds racists truly are engaging in the hate speech they so decry. The poison spread by these accusations goes deep, and I believe the slander is purposeful. It is meant to enroll the Independents and maintain the allegiance of the useful idiots that populate the vast Left-wing electorate. Those who are bombarded with the constant barrage of Right-wing slander have no intimate knowledge of the spirit of their opponents. Thus, they will continue to believe the drumbeat of the State-Controlled Media and its star, silver-tongued, golden-throated, political spokesman.
The tools and methods of the Media/Ruling class propaganda machine are visible each day for those with eyes to see. The real prize is the Independents since they are the only voting block that matter in an election. I believe this slanderous talk of racism is meant to sway the Independents, and to give the Left reason to “hate” the Right for their absolutely intolerable intolerance. To buttress my theory of this being a strategy of the Left, rather than simply a mistake or a generalization based on the few or margins, I have seen quotes (which will go unreferenced and can only stand as hearsay) by those who are in positions of power and strategy who have admitted that this is, in fact, their tactic, to call any opposition to the proposals, policies, actions, of Obama as objections based on racism.
Rush has discussed this topic extensively on his show. (I know mentioning his name is a distraction since there is such polarization against him by the Left. Having said that, I know it would be almost futile for a Left person to get any value out of his analysis because there is already a Media/Left Wing narrative that contradicts everything he says. It requires an almost complete rewiring of the assumptions, data, and perspective of history and morality to listen to Rush/Beck/Savage. The pain and repulsion felt by exposure to these ideas are so great that there is little chance that they will be adopted by the Left. I know of no quick way to come to the Light side of the Force. I know that it took a miracle for me since I once fully embraced the Democratic narrative as a youth/UCLA student/young adult. I had an encounter with Christ, the Holy Spirit, that changed me on all levels. I came to an understanding of the place Jesus/The Son/The Word/Yeshua played in the creation. And yes, I am convinced that it is the Way. I had been raised as a sincere Christian, but it took a miraculous encounter to give me a faith that is alive, and I suspect that it would take the same for anyone else. The story of my faith and its justification are at www.theoryofabsolutes.com.)
Regarding the charge of racism, I will not accept that I am simply blind to the spirit of racism that deeply possesses, and truly is the spirit of the Conservative movement. Such a spirit would be visible to people sensitive to Spirit. It would be evidenced in the media, politicians, literature, and verbiage of the Right. It would show up as a consistent theme internal to the movement, rather than just as an accusation from outside the movement. It would show up in the spirit of the policies and philosophy of the Tea Party/Conservatives/Right. (Note – I have no respect nor affinity for the mainstream Republican Party. They have little principle or spirit. If you wish to condemn them for their principle-less pandering to power so they can stay in the game, my vote and voice are with you.) You can read my philosophy of government at www.drsenator.com.
T.
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