A Very Nice Comment

The commenter Populist (I hope that doesn't come across as being too impersonal, to call him "commenter") has left a very nice comment to my entry "On the assimilability factor," which I thought deserved a post to itself...

Populist writes:

In response to my own comment, about labels and humanity, I would like to attempt to be a little more specific as to what I meant. For the record, I have no problem calling a spade a spade and I have no trouble whatsoever espousing the truth. However, I do believe that we have to be careful as to our use and frequency of labeling individuals. To be sure, being a Christian or liberal etc... is part and parcel of what/who you are. However, it is but one part (in my opinion) of that equation. My political or religious beliefs do not say everything about who I am. In as much, I do not want to be referred to by someone as the "liberal" or "Christian" etc.. I say that, not because I am ashamed of my beliefs, but because I am a father, a son, a brother, a man and a Longhorn fan and I want all of my parts to be seen (I do not consider myself a liberal by the way.. that is only an example). Labels are really what you make of them, however, all too often it seems that they are used as a means of degrading someone.

Enough about my hang-up with labels already!

Thank you, for taking the time to bring this wealth of information to one location. I for one, am to lazy to seek out all that can be found on Webster's. Anyone can throw down a few comments, but the articles that you provide, as well as your own observations, really require one to think before responding and that is a good thing.

TM replies:

First, I want to thank Populist for his recognition of the work we've done here at Webster's. A great deal of effort has indeed gone into gathering this information to this location. Of sifting through it, and of organizing it, and so on and so forth. One always appreciates that kind of recognition because stuff like that generally goes relatively unnoticed. And by the way, I doubt you're too lazy. I would venture a guess that it's more like a combination of factors such as, you didn't know where to look, and a lack of that oh-so-precious commodity, time.

Second, where Populist says that the articles I provide and my own observations require one to think before responding, I can only say that I certainly hope that is the case more often than not. This is most certainly what I'm striving to achieve here. Populist is indeed on the mark where he asserts that when one is required to think before responding, this is a good thing. And it goes both ways.

Third, I've written many times that "Worldview is everything," and I'm certainly no less convinced of that now than I ever was. Populist points out that a person's liberalism or conservatism, as it may be, is only a part of who he is. While I don't necessarily disagree with this, I will say that one's ideological underpinnings, that which defines his liberalism/conservatism, governs virtually everything he/she does in whatever capacity he finds himself; the way he approaches every part of his being, whether it be his marriage, his duties as a father, his civic duties, his job ... everything.

I myself am somewhat hesitant to attach the "liberal" label to people because it has come to have such negative connotations. Extreme liberalism (leftism) is synonymous with the term unAmericanism, in my view. The problem with liberalism, as I think Auster has pointed out, is that as with the religion of Mohammed where there is no "moderate" Islam, so there is no "moderate" liberalism. And this is what we have to come to realize about the danger inherent to allowing liberalism to continue to dominate American politics.

My fellow AFBers and I have discussed the ways in which to isolate liberalism, and to relegate it to small spheres of operation wherein it can be exposed for what it is and does, and where the proper kinds and levels of corrective actions can be effectually taken against its influence. We call this, "Balanced Government."

But I want to point out to Populist that liberalism is such a dominating force in America at this time in history that none of us, including myself, my fellow AFBers, not even Auster himself have managed to completely escape its clutches. In other words, we all have liberal tendencies which were already developed before we came along, and passed down to us when we made our entry into this world. But a few thinkers such as Mr. Auster have come to realize this about themselves, and are attempting to take the proper corrective steps to ridding themselves/ourselves of the disease.

If liberalism is such a destructive ideology as those of us in the Traditionalist Conservative camp claim it to be, then we have no choice but to expose it. And since liberlism is nothing without human beings to carry its destructiveness into effect, then we have to expose it in individuals, particularly extreme manifestations thereof.

Sorry that your Longhorns lost ... not! ;)