09-20-2009
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Subject: My Response to Frank Rich's Article in the New York Times
On Saturday, September 19th, Frank Rich posted an opinion piece in
the New York Times entitled
Even Glen Beck Is Right Twice a Day. In this article he attempts
to slay many dragons including Joe Wilson, Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh,
Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Ayn Rand, and of course, Glen Beck. He
opens his discussion with the following:
"With all due respect to Jimmy Carter, the racist component of
Obama-hatred has been undeniable since the summer of 2008, when
Sarah Palin rallied all-white mobs to the defense of the 'real
America.' "
and a short time later he writes:
"The White House was right not to second Carter's motion and
cue another 'national conversation about race.' No matter how
many teachable moments we have, some people won't be taught."
So, according to Mr. Rich, my dislike for the impact that President
Obama's policies and philosophy is having on my life and my future,
is rooted in my "undeniable" racial bigotry. And furthermore, I'm
too stupid to be "taught" anything, so don't bother trying.
Here is my response
to Frank Rich, published in the online comments section.
It's obvious that those of us who disapprove of Barack Obama's
Marxist philosophy and altruistic morality of sacrifice are all
simply racist. Why? Well because Frank Rich says so, that's why!
That has to be the reason, because such an incredibly insulting
statement has no other supporting evidence. Frank, like Jimmy
Carter and others, has the god-like power to look into my soul
and know, with a certainty that allows him to proclaim it to the
world in the pages of the New York Times, that I am a low class
bigot. And because of that "fact", Frank is able to dismiss
anything that I might have to say as simply the loony rantings
of a moron.
Thanks Frank. I was really confused. I thought that there might
be some issues here concerning the abridgment of individual rights;
limiting the government's powers to what is enumerated in the
Constitution; the shift in our country from a philosophy of
individualism to socialism; the right to keep and dispose of my
property as I, not the government, see fit; the short and long
range trouble being created by an exploding national debt; the
inability of the CIA to function in the wake of retroactive
criminal investigations; the destruction of our financial
institutions as all innovation is crushed under threats of
'clawbacks' and legal prosecution if you take any risks; ... to
name just a few. But now I see that all of those "issues" are
really just rationalizations I use to cover up my intense hatred
of our President because his skin is a few shades darker than my
own. Thank you Frank for your moral enlightenment. Oops, just
kidding on that last comment!
The truth is that Frank Rich, Jimmy Carter, and many others operate
from an implicit position that those of us who disagree with their
outlook and philosophy ARE actually morons. Because anybody with
an IQ of 80 would obviously agree with them! The dissenting Glen
Beck is just another moron - a broken clock - that could only be
right occasionally by accident, but certainly not by dint of
intellectual rigor and a proper analysis of the facts. Actually,
this makes me start to wonder who the real bigots are?
Finally, I would like to comment on what a joke it is to refer to
Ayn Rand, and then link, as though it were relevant and insightful,
to an article by Jonathan Chait in The New Republic. Yes, it's a
feel-good piece for everyone who already thinks that Rand was also
just another moron. But this reference is not going to do anyone
any good if they want to actually discover what Rand, and her
philosophy of Objectivism have to say that is relevant to what is
happening in our country today. There are plenty of reference
sites on the internet that people can explore in order to get a
more balanced picture of Rand. What I would recommend is picking
up a copy of her book, Atlas Shrugged, and read it. You
might be surprised to discover an ominous set of parallels to
today's events being depicted, despite the book having been written
over 50 years ago. There is a fun game you can play while reading
it. See if you can find your favorite politicians and
commentators depicted, making statements and taking actions that
could come right off of the front page of today's papers. Why, if
you read closely enough, you might even find a bit of Frank Rich
in there!
Regards,
--
C. Jeffery Small
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