Anyone who believes in Americanism, or at the very least the rule of law, has to be wondering exactly how our country got to be in the horrific shape it is in today.
Several weeks ago, I was listening to the Michael Savage Show. One does not need to agree with all of his opinions to value his deep insight and commentary on the issues of the day. He explains his views in a clear, concise manner and welcomes others to debate him — so long as they have the facts to support their respective arguments.
When the topic of illegal immigration was discussed, a lady named Jo from Boca Raton called in and declared Arizona's new law, which combats undocumented aliens, to be "absolutely racist" and said that the people whom the law targets can "do what they want to." This insanity was followed by a prolonged rant in which Jo advocated eliminating America's borders, limiting personal income, and she proudly stated that she was unemployed and making her living off — you guessed it — welfare checks.
The most fascinating aspect of Jo's call came, though, when Savage asked her if she thought that it was fair that people who work for a living be obligated to support her financially. Her response was astounding in its ignorance. It was, "Obama pays my welfare check....(He gets the money from) his stash....Illegal aliens..work for a living and then they pass their money to the government." After she had finished, Savage summed up her call perfectly by saying, "A man once defined hell as a place where there is no reason. And you just dragged me into hell, Jo."
It is Jo and her fellow travelers' mindset that is the reason for the fast slide down the tubes that America is experiencing today. The belief that one is entitled to another's property is the quintessence of evil and a favorite of the left wing. Combating this school of thought is extremely difficult, as those who adhere to it either see nothing wrong with the way they think or could care less. Judging from my experiences with career second handers, I can say with certainty that logic and reason do not apply to them.
So what does?
I honestly have no idea. Hopefully, in time, an answer will be found. For all of our sakes, that time had better come soon.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Jordan Richardson
What is "Americanism?"
Judging from your writer's profile, Mr. Cotto, an "Americanist" is someone whose views on fiscal, security and "cultural" (?) matters are "conservative." Is this really accurate in the sense of what the word is defined as generally ("a custom, linguistic usage, or other feature peculiar to or characteristic of the United States, its people, or their culture") or are you misappropriating it to mean that to be truly "American" you must be fiscally and "culturally" conservative?
2 - Glenn Contrarian
Mr. Cotto -
"I am determined to stop those who want to spread extremism, hatred, and violent messages in our communities from coming to our country."
Sounds like something a good politician would say, right? Actually, that was British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith talking about America...and extremists like Michael Savage.
Why? He supports biological warfare: "Smallpox in a blanket, which the U.S. Army gave to the Cherokee Indians on their long march to the West, was nothing compared to what I'd like to see done to [the Arabs],"
He thinks that we never hear about crimes by minorities: "It's very much like the American minorities here in this country. You can never hear about the bad things they do."
He thinks the "largest percentage" of Americans want to launch a nuclear strike against the Arabs: "The most -- I tell you right now -- the largest percentage of Americans would like to see a nuclear weapon dropped on a major Arab capital. They don't even care which one."
He thinks that autism isn't real: " On autism: "A fraud, a racket. ... I'll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out. That's what autism is. What do you mean they scream and they're silent? They don't have a father around to tell them, 'Don't act like a moron. You'll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don't sit there crying and screaming, idiot.' "
I should mention that I have an autistic Foster child - at 17, he has the mental maturity of about a 1 year-old child. I wish Mr. Savage would spend a day with Sammy.
He has some serious misunderstandings about Islam: "“Don’t give me this crap that they’re doing it out of a sacred ritual or rite. It’s not required by the Quran that a woman walk around in a seventh-century drape. She’s doing it to spit in your face. She’s saying, ‘You White moron, you, I’m going to kill you if I can.’ That’s how I see it! What do you want me to do, mince words with you?”"
He said of the Abu Ghraib prisoners: “And I think there should be no mercy shown to these sub-humans. I believe that a thousand of them should be killed tomorrow. I think a thousand of them held in the Iraqi prison should be given 24 hour - a trial and executed.”
Never mind that George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Winston Churchill - and the U.S. Army's WWII interrogators en masse - ALL eschewed torture and inhuman treatment of enemies. I guess your guy Michael Savage knows better than any of them
He said that female students who come from a Marin County private school to feed and provide services to the homeless “can go in and get raped by them because they seem to like the excitement of it…”‘
Of Elizabeth Smart, he said: "She’s saying we killed tens of thousands of innocent people? Is that what’s she’s saying? What does this idiot know? Everyone knows she’s a communist. She’s a prostitute - she should be raped.”
He thinks that racism doesn't exist anymore in America: "[W]hat, racism still exists? Well okay, where does it still exist? Can you tell me of some minority here who can't get ahead in this country if he's smart, or she's smart, and she pushes, as much as a white person? ... In fact they're given priority treatment everywhere, you know that."
BUT THERE'S SOMEBODY WHO REALLY, REALLY THINKS THAT MICHAEL SAVAGE IS A STRAIGHT SHOOTER!
It's your friendly neighborhood racists and neo-nazis over on stormfront.org. (despite the fact that they think he's a Jew (which he may or may not be - I personally don't know and don't care))
Mr. Cotto, by your quote above: "He explains his views in a clear, concise manner and welcomes others to debate him - so long as they have the facts to support their respective arguments," it's obvious that you take his argument seriously.
I think I can safely say that most of us will not take you seriously as a result.
3 - Dan(Miller)
Glen, re comment #2 -- completely off thread but your mention of autism makes me comment.
Temple Grandin, who has high-functioning autism, earned her Ph.D. degree in animal science at the University of Illinois. She is now a professor of animal science at Colorado State University. One of her books, Animals in Transition, relates her experiences as an autistic person to her experiences with animals. Her thesis, and it seems to be viable, is that cows, dogs, horses and most all non-human animals are autistic in that they perceive things in hyper-detail rather than with a broad brush as most of us do. In 2004, she won PETA's "Proggy" award, in the "visionary" category. Her improvements to animal-handling systems found in slaughterhouses have decreased the amount of fear and pain that animals experience in their final hours, and she is widely considered the world's leading expert on the welfare of cattle and pigs. She was able to do this because of her autistic ability to see the sorts of detail which cattle find terrifying and, most importantly, to figure out how to minimize the impact.
Well worth reading, even if one doesn't much care for animals. It provides fascinating insights into her youth and the ways in which she was very different from "normal" kids.
Dan(Miller)
4 - Baritone
Upon reading Mr. Cotto's article, I wanted to jump into the computer screen and strangle somebody. To cite Savage as a reasoned source for opinions is ludicrous in the extreme.
Both Jordan and Glenn pretty much nailed my feelings. If the woman caller is accurately depicted, it is apparent that she is a nut job. It is not even remotely fair to extrapolate that she is representative of the left.
On the other hand, the right has any # of nut jobs in Congress, in governor's mansions and/or are currently or have been candidates for national and state public offices: Rand Paul, Orly Tate, Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann, Sue Lowden... The list goes on and on.
So, who is it that has been most responsible for making this country "Hell on earth?"
B
5 - roger nowosielski
Cotto's clever work of disguise consists of positing the anonymous caller, Jo - surely a caricature, because in the author's mind she represents the majority of misguided Americans - in order to establish the infinite wisdom of Michael Savage.
How clever!
6 - roger nowosielski
You beat me to the punch, Baritone. We are on the same wavelength here.
7 - roger nowosielski
Indeed, the author of this article is somewhat of a nut job for thinking we're going to fall for this ploy.
8 - Dr Dreadful
I suspect that callers to most political talk shows are thoroughly screened and that only those who agree with the host or who can easily be taken apart by him/her actually get on the air.
This lady was either one of the latter, or a stooge.
9 - Dan(Miller)
I had never heard of Michael Savage, but here is a link to the radio call in from "Jo."
It's only June, but with all the fruitcakes around it's beginning to seem a lot like Christmas. And I don't refer only to Mr. Savage.
Dan(Miller)
10 - roger nowosielski
#8 - or a plant, hardly an impossible proposition since the object is entertainment.
11 - Baronius
You guys haven't listened to much talk radio, apparently. You come to expect comments just as stupid as those of both the caller and the host.
12 - roger nowosielski
I've had my fill of 'em, Baritone. SF's KSFO prides itself on being a bastion of conservatism in the sea of liberal filth.
13 - roger nowosielski
Sorry, Baronius. I thought it was Baritone who posted that comment. Surprisingly, though, the criticism had come from you.
14 - Bill B
I could have very easily stopped after the first couple of sentences when the author attempted to laud the rule of law while simultaneously speaking from a conservative perspective. Evidently Rip Van Cotto slept through the Shrub years.
But the debate, no matter how suspect the example, is one worth having. Surely no one but the most pure(ly insane) Libertarian wouldn't acknowledge that there is a need for government, to collect taxes and direct to areas that serve the public good. The issue is where is the line?
As I see it giving back for the good of all is a small price for the privilege of living and thriving in a country that provides the opportunity for such success.
Conservatives have never done the empathy thing well - not very good at seeing things from perspectives foreign to their experience.
There's a saying that liberals are conservatives that haven't been mugged yet.
I think conservatives are liberals who haven't gone to bed jobless and hungry.
15 - Baronius
"Surprisingly", Roger? There's a whole interesting world going on outside your preconceptions.
16 - zingzing
aww, baronius. take the damn compliment. or figure out that that's what he was trying to say. sheeeesh.
17 - roger nowosielski
Baronius - I haven't lost any sleep yet trying to figure you out.
18 - Baronius
Roger, I wish I could believe that. But to hear you go on and on about me, I'm left believing that you do lose sleep thinking about me. And considering you've described my thinking as "alien", "demonic", and "incomprehensible", I don't have a lot of confidence that you've figured me out.
On a related note, Bill makes a fairly common accusation, that conservatives lack empathy. I think that's pretty funny. He describes us as insane and not worth listening to, as if to write us off. Where's the empathy? It's all stereotypes. Yet, apparently, he assumes that we're the ones who can't understand other people.
19 - roger nowosielski
Don't flatter yourself, Baronius. I only respond to what I consider oddities on your part - to a text rather than the person.
And I don't understand why you're bringing Bill whatever into the picture? I haven't read his comment, nor does he have anything to do with me.
20 - Bill B
The lack of empathy perception is primarily anecdotal - and is kinder than the the other alternative - heartless.
The insane reference was reserved for the extreme libertarians that don't believe in government at all. I thought I was pretty clear - apparently not. If you're in this camp then I guess I am talking to you.
If 'not worth listening to' is a reference to my first point - guilty as charged. Tho I did address the larger point and acknowledged it as worthy.
Can't or won't - take your pick.
21 - roger nowosielski
And now that I've read both of Bill's comments, Baronius, I don't see where's the insult. It's a pretty fair description as far as I can tell, and not offensive in the least. Of course, since I'm not a conservative I'm probably missing something.
22 - Baritone
Libertarianism is just one step away from anarchy. If libertarians had their way, NO ONE would be running the asylum.
B
23 - Ruvy
Nobody is, Baritone.
24 - Jordan Richardson
Multi-national corporate interests and the military state are running things as always, with the same old farts filling the same old chairs in the White House.
25 - zingzing
ruvy: "Nobody is, Baritone."
that you, ruvy? runs kinda contrary to your "fascist america" ideas.
roger and baronius, you two make me like the idea of porn that much more. it would be something to see the two of you really going at it. biting and scratching and howling kinda porn. like cats. not that i'm advocating cat porn or anything. i like cats. they're so awesome.