War and Kulturkampf

IN THE NEWS
Perhaps it's finally dawning on more people that, for a faction of the Republican Party, the goal of US foreign policy after 9/11 isn't simply the defeat of Al Qaeda. Instead, for this radical right coalition, the 9/11 attacks merely energized them for a broader "clash of civilizations," which has both domestic and international dimensions.

Otherwise, how can you explain their willingness to bar women from combat duty, at a time when the military needs everyone it can get? Or, earlier, why was there a decision to dismiss several Arabic translators because they were gay, when turning a blind eye (in other words, actually following the "don't ask, don't tell" policy) seemed necessary for the war in Iraq?

There is a group dedicated to a broad Kulturkampf, both at home and abroad. The dogged campaign to eliminate evolution from Kansas' K-12 curriculum is connected to the effort to send evangelical missionaries (and even Christian rock music) to Muslim countries. Their war is different from the one normally depicted as official US foreign policy. It's also the unofficial campaign of many people in the executive and legislative branches of the US government. It's time for people to stop acting surprised by news items like the ones cited above and recognize this movement for what it is.

Comments

[praktike]

ok, but how to stop it? it seems impervious to reason.

[Jim G]

I have been deeply worried about the end of the fillibuster. It seems to me that if the fillibuster is gone, then true 1 party rule emerges that spans the legislative, the executive and (soon) the judicial. Within that new framework, the "living document" of the Constitution can simply be interpreted to mean whatever the party says it means. I almost can't bring myself to wonder if we are in the end game of the experiment that the founding fathers began. But it does feel like the NeoTheocrats are closing in for the kill.

I agree with praktike. HOW to stop it? You have made the point before, Kingdaddy, that our Constitution and our form of Government have weathered many a storm. But how? Are there any historical episodes that have resembled the one we find ourselves in now and if so, how did they resolve?

I fear that THE PEOPLE will not grasp what is happening soon enough, especially with the Democrats increasingly on the fringes of power and the media in sleepwalking mode.

[Kingdaddy]

It feels like the end of the Roman Empire. Not the usual way of dating it, when Alaric sacked the Eternal City. I'm thinking of the destruction of as many signs of classical civilization as possible. Marcus Aurelius' equestrian statue survived only because people thought it was Constantine.

I think praktike is right, it's impervious to reason...To a point. Here's what I think needs to be done:

The main target isn't the Falwells of the world. It's the people on the sidelines.

Therefore, a national discussion about science, the Constitution, you name it, needs to start, with the aim of reminding the bystanders about the true history of this country.

Blogging and other impersonal forms of political discussion are fine, but there needs to be more face-to-face discourse. We're now a nation of Balkanized discussions. Mass communications has created as much isolation and segmentation as mass distribution of messages.

Tell the Democratic Party, the Green Party, or whoever calls you for money, that you won't contribute until they have a plan for direct political action (i.e., face-to-face discussion). People need to be involved in something exciting, not just sending money for God knows what the Democrats are doing.

Seize the initiative. Stop playing defense.

Force the other side to state its measurable standards of failure, then hold them accountable for the results.

Find middle ground. Even if the most zealous "Christists" refuse to go there, the bystanders might.

Argue the Bible right back at them. We live in an age of amazing Biblical archaeology and scholarship, much of it available in the mass market. Books like Rabbi Jesus, Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography, The History of God, and Stealing Jesus should be on everyone's must-read pile.

I could think of other ways to start, but that's quite a handful already.

[guile]

faction.. i love that word..