Political Pornography

In our nation, where everything to the right of extreme is labeled ‘extreme’, everything I have written on these pages is considered ‘extreme’. Simply stating a point of fact – that we are going broke – is now ‘extreme’. Stating that we are now providing air cover for AQ in Libya is ‘extreme’ as is criticizing our active support of terrorist Palestinian groups.

As such, any middle ground with regard to any issue has effectively given way. ‘It’s my way or the highway’ appears to be the rallying cry of the hard Left. They will not be satisfied until every one of their demands has been met. No wonder that they have found allies among Islamists whose uncompromising methods closely mirror their own.

I have tried to go beyond surface talking points which, taken individually, are often misleading. I have tried to project the extreme positions which we are asked to accept into what is likely to come after. Not many yet realize fully what a wholesale shift in values would actually entail; how it would affect the lives of individuals; that a fundamental emphasis away from honest work to protection would degrade our nation to the lowest common denominator.

A coalition of (albeit fickle) malcontents seems to have assumed a majority. Whether the numbers are real or not, the perception of this phantom majority nevertheless holds sway as exhibited by our leadership which appears not inclined to change course. If, as polls now indicate, a true majority has indeed had a belly full and changed its positions, it has had no impact on governance in general. The present administration has displayed no willingness to address a growing chorus of concerns. To some, this has brought the Obama administration to the brink of (il)legitimacy.

Yet, there appears to be no one to turn to. We see ourselves as locked into four-year cycles. With the flagrant politicization of virtually every official and non-official institution - primarily media and justice - our hands are tied.

I note that inside virtually every publicly accessible establishment in our New York Metropolitan area that boasts of having TV screens – hospitals, airports, bars, restaurants and the like – these are invariably tuned to CNN or MSNBC. I have yet to see one of these tuned to the FOX channel. There seems to be a common understanding that FOX is somehow biased and ‘extreme’ – even dirty or uncivilized – and offensive to the public at large, almost like pornography. Michael Savage’s intro to his radio program contains the phrase ‘psychological nudity’. He’s doing it tongue-in-cheek, no doubt. But the libs use it as a springboard.

Also of note is that station breaks for what is commonly referred to as right-wing radio are richly peppered with sex-aid advertising. (Such ads, by the way, are inserted by the networks and not by the host of these programs.) It all works to create the overall impression that right-wing talk is not exactly wholesome.

While the ratings would suggest overwhelming interest, if not outright support for politically conservative programming, the stigma attached is clearly working to delegitimize its impact.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/