"When the axe came into the woods, many of the trees said, "At least, the handle is one of us"
- Turkish proverb
I am a refugee from the loony Left. (yes, Virginia, Communists do exist.) I make no apologies, nor regrets. In all my dupe-ness, I marched shoulder to shoulder with millions of others against the Iraqi war. I'm sure I would do it again, I believe for more thoughtful reasons. I was reminded when the CP gave the marching orders to the fellow traveler minions at the 2000 Durban, SA conference that they were abandoning the class war to fight on the fronts of genitalia and skin color. Before I could take that in, I was swept up in the anti-war groups for many years. I learned there that the first casualty in war (and anti-war) is Truth. I learned of intellectual dishonesty practiced on the Left, people whom I worked closely.
Mr. Horowitz does a fine job dismantling the Left. I do get a sense of glee as he takes me back and I recognize the major players, some I have met and interviewed personally in my video reporting days. Mis-leaders are everywhere but the extreme Leftists has that particular job description in spades.
This book was published in 2004. It doesn't read as if it was rushed to print, but there is a disingenuous writing of the historical record. I can vouch personally for a lot of the truth in this tract. The main point is of the merging of the political left and the Islamic front in America as an antiwar movement. I marched in plenty pro-Palestine/anti-Israel demonstrations, something I now see as going along with the narrative. In recent months my thinking has changed to such a degree, I ask "What has a Palestinian done for you lately?" I should have asked myself that in 2003.
To go forward and buy into Mr.H's complete package, one has to believe 19 hijackers took over 4 commercial airliners… you know the rest. I never bought that BS. Invading Iraq and occupying Iraq was quite a distraction from the supposed hijackers, most if not all Saudi, so they say. Oil, natural resources, geo-political strategy and the defense of Israel is still the reason. Still looking for those pesky WMD's. Selling and buying the War on Terror line is only a front. It did bring out into the open the role of Islamic jihad and that seems to be a real threat, as I do more thoughtful research on the subject.
Another frequent lie being repeated was the "riot" in Seattle for the WTO conference. I was there running the streets. I came upon the breaking of the Starbucks window and looting for the benefit of FOX new cameras not too soon after the start. I found the intersection surrounded by a ring a police, and black masked full grown men in army boots doing the vandalism. I have on my video camera protesters telling the cops to arrest these goons and a noncommittal shrug in return. This scene planted the seed that so much of popular culture is scripted. Alex Jones produced a video not soon after WTO and I agreed with its entirety. Because Mr. Jones is a media operative spinning the direction of the story, it has been black-washed, meaning untrue because he said it. Haven't agreed with much of his verbosity since, but he was right on that one. I was there. It was a very peaceful demonstration, agitated by chemical warfare from the police side of the line.
Manichaeism is a philosophy of the primeval existence of the battle of good and evil. I believe ignoring certain history or outright writing false history for your bias or belief, or defending war, is the greater evil. This tract is a classic example of 70/30 propaganda. In this case, the 70% is true, chronicling the events of the upcoming 2003 Iraq War, all verifiable. His analysis of the anti-war participants as self-loathing is the greater good.
I visited a yoga studio for many years and no matter who led the class it was slipped into the monologue "You are alright". They never gave you approval to be rotten, mean, dishonest or anything else. They validated your existence in all its faults, shortcomings and mistakes, and created a culture of love. Very Mr. Rogers-esque, sure. I couldn't get enough of it. I used to think Americans were narcissistic, now I know for sure it's self-loathing that makes so many disagreeable. I look back on my time in the anti-war movement and am amazed how the hatred swirled around me daily.
The Lefty view is the inverse. Everyday is Opposite Day with these people. When they speak of "Peace", they mean when all our enemies are dead. "Equality" means you can all be equally poor. "Progressivism" means attaching to a 7th century barbaric desert cult. The Muslim goose-steps along with these ideas.
America abolished slavery. It has laws on the books against discrimination for color of skin, religious reasons, sexual orientation, etc. It has opportunity galore. Yet, it has been guilt tripped by manipulators. You are not going to get what you have here, especially women, in any Islamic country. Slavery was legal in Morocco until 1986, and still is practiced widely thought the Muslim world. These people are not your friends, nor will ever be your friends. It's strange and exotic, doesn't make it better. It's time for America to practice a little self-love and recognize, "America, you ARE alright."
