40 Years of Disastrous Political “WIN by ANY Means"
(EUGENE, Ore.) - Driven by their inscrutable and immovable reliance on what they conceive as “the direct Word of God”, the nation’s “neo-conservative” remnant has amassed the world’s worst record of UN-realistic action on massive problems caused by those very policies.
Far Right-inclined religious partisans, “captured” in recent years, have only added their misplaced influence to that already-determined immutable characteristic for this hard-scrabble radical remnant.
This bedraggled sorry remnant is now identified by continuing faith in force-applied anywhere in the world, for any purpose, in pursuit of their proven-perverted perception of honest and open U.S. “strategic interests.”
Never has that been better displayed, demonstrated and non-”openly discussed” than in the nationally televised “candidate conversations”, purporting to “reveal” both Presidential candidates --so carefully arranged AND ecclesiastic-”supervised”.
What it really reveals is precisely how public information responsibilities at the networks are now “serviced” these days.
You will understand that term easily if you suffered through this perverted offering.
That non-working “Code of silence” that non-surrounded Sen. McCain just prior to the “blessed encounter” sharply reminds one of the Reagan-staff steal of Jimmy Carter’s debate-briefing book.
National perceptions --thus purposely-shaped and intentionally distorted--only add to the continuing and growing confusion of many citizens.
Millions are being misinformed --thus misled-- on the most crucial decisions they must make in this truly crucial/turning-point election.
“WIN by ANY means!” long ago became both the beginning and the end to each and every one of the very large opportunities long offered the then-”conservatively honest” Republican Party.
Until the neo-con takeover, the Grand Old Party had a record for strong dialog and action rationally-compromised via democratic process, for reasonable reliance on “the conversations of democracy.”
But the sorry record-since has written much more malign conviction, intent for action, and overwhelmingly distressing consequences on our historical record.
That has occurred ever since the GOP was first seduced, then sabotaged; to be left writhing in this neo-con/remnant record of economic, social and cultural failures and disasters.
The devastating losses of freedoms in this nation, ever since and still-continuing (Remember FISA!) are the most obvious consequences of actions taken.
They were seen as inevitable to make sure of the impacts demanded from many neo-con distortions, perversions and suppressions now so widely evident.
It was in the radical realities of the ‘60s/70s counter culture that some few “left”-liberals began that insidious slip-to-the-Right that became the neo-consequential “heavy damage to democracy” we are now encountering.
Famously, E.J. Dionne has described that descent as “the notion that liberalism” had failed and “no longer knew what it was talking about.” (See R/N citation.)
Today we must point out that “the most dangerous and damaging neo-con partisans” simply “do not know WHO they WERE, where they came FROM, or WHY they are headed as they have been.”
That relates to millions who, thus really UNknowing, and often against their own evident self-interests, still support this radical remnant revealed for what they truly have been, for the past three or four decades.
That portends even more confusion, given the public record of the past forty-or-so years!
Unless we AGAIN capture the wit, wisdom and will of the informed American public, “made restless and more aware by what they FEEL happening to ‘the American Dream.’”
It also should sound alarms for any of us when now referred, by Internet convenience, to neo-con/remnant sources --as if for reliable, factual information, true and trustworthy for citizen guidance.
The leading once-conservative publications and journals --”now become ‘neo-con’ simply to survive”-- have become less-than-reliable sources for any citizen looking for straight, factual, honest, open and “discussable” information.
What one gets these days --from a sample set just visited “to see with own eyes” -- is a wildly exaggerated balderdash of faith-based declaration and deeply-distorted statement of myth and fancy.
Substituted for checkable fact, these myths and fancies are then laid on so thickly that intent is obvious and demonstrated clearly:
To distort, deceive, defy and defeat any other point of view --AT ANY COST in reasonable dialog --or inevitable consequences to the commonweal.
Publications from their “think-tanks”, often then repeated in their standard publications, now also neo-con/distorted, tend to present highly questionable “scholarship” with confirming reference to academic degree-and-specialty.
Conspicuously missing is the usual societal test of appearance in number and repeated depth in nationally recognized general-interest magazines; OR special-interest and association publications demonstrating real professional credibilities.
Any hint whatsoever of the more-normal peer-review process we’ve come to expect from “the real thing”, not only in the sciences but also in the humanities, is always also completely missing.
Readers will recall our recent publication of a scathing statement from OCPP’s nationally-recognized leader Charles Sheketoff, revealing distortion and then publication of perverted results, from one such source.
Others at national and state level are readily available via the Internet, per sample-cited earlier.
But that’s certainly no surprise --even Far Right billionaires “demand useful ‘product’ for what they continue to pay”, to such eager providers!!
No rational, reasonable person will challenge the right of any individual to choose-to-believe, and in all good faith (no pun !) be guided in political application by ANY religiously-shaped set of values.
That’s encouraged by our fundamental separation of church and-state, as one foundation of our First Amendment --surely still the “root concept” of our Constitution.
But the danger here is unavoidable when sensible human rights choices are diverted, distorted, finally perverted --thus most thoroughly manipulated-- by those who perpetrate-where-possible --but always deny it was done.
They have achieved dismaying, damaging consequence in depth, ever since the early Reagan years --justifying “ANY WIN, ANY WAY!” under any religious color they can manipulate.
Even more highly mischievous tactics and techniques have become political brand-names --as in the Nixon “Southern strategy” --with its coded-language slyly appealing to racism and its economic fears.
Those distorted/perverted values are then put into broad and very damaging “public opinion” use by neo-cons whose intent is not to worship, learn, grow and live the life shaped by those beliefs, but to “WIN by ANY means!”.
Properly-dedicated followers for those values then become nothing more than seduced, manipulated peons, held in mental captivity by the very values worshipped.
That manipulative relationship has been publicly-declared neo-con policy and practice for decades, enunciated by leaders and followed -- so slavishly it is impossible to miss --in political maneuvers at every level, state to national AND Congressional.
That’s the realistic WHY of constant repetition and complete dedication to “jamming the threads” on some open channels now under increasingly serious neo-con attack --with Far Right billionaire-supported “think-tank” funding, some strongly contend.
OR could it possibly be further manipulation of taxpayer dollars?
A part of what’s already been discovered and nailed-down via similar Pentagon disclosures recently?
IF General Officers will so stoop to deliberate distortion and disruption, why not expect that easy Internet attack-technique from others also-paid?
Knowing this background --and remembering the deliberate lies that took us, deceived and manipulated, into Iraq --why ever again trust either any neo-con OR their references to “supporting documentation”?
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Reader’s Notes:
Neo-conservative impacts on politics and public policies has been a longtime interest, with extensive files starting in the late ‘70s. For this Op Ed, other reliable references included:
1. E.J. Dionne; Why Americans Hate Politics; p.61; ISBN 0-671-77877-3. Chapter 6 summarizes neo-conservative history and early major influences.
2. Wikipedia re “Conservatives”; “Neo-Conservatives; easily available, comprehensive, reliable.
3. “How Anti-Intellectualism Is Destroying America”; T. McNally; www.alternet.org.story/95109
4. “Politics of stupidity makes headway”; Paul Krugman; NY Times; R-G/Eugene/8/11.
5. “Put some trust in campaign”; David Broder;WPost; R-G/Eugene/8/11.
6. “Medicare: Poison Pill”; James Ridgway; Mother Jones, Sept./Oct. ’08; Exit Strategy Report, pp. 38/87.
(4,5 so-cited to show national publication of same concepts via two respected columnists simultaneously. Mother Jones Report includes NINE articles, each dealing with failed neo-con/managed major policies.)
Quotes are from complete verbatim record available with ID to Editor; shortened, excerpted, or summarized for space requirements.
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Henry Clay Ruark is the one of, if not the most experienced, working reporter in the state of Oregon, and possibly the entire Northwest. Hank has been at it since the 1930's, working as a newspaper staff writer, reporter and photographer for organizations on the east coast like the Bangor Maine Daily News.Today he writes Op-Ed's for Salem-News.com with words that deliver his message with much consideration for the youngest, underprivileged and otherwise unrepresented people.
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