I recently came across another of those simple-minded rightwing references to the outraged left offered as an epithet by those of limited cranial capacity. Ignored is the larger context, that we may actually have good reasons for being a wee bit peeved, that our anger may in fact not be irrational but rather completely and indisputably justified.
America may be waging war against “certain deranged souls in the Moslem world,” but the real enemy-lurking alarmingly within-is a Fifth Column of angry, “Anti-American” leftists fomented by Al Gore and John Kerry, contend conservative humorist Stein and journalist-cum-psychologist DeMuth (co-authors of Yes, You Can Time the Market). The authors maintain that these enraged liberals, whom they say characterize the Bush administration as imperialistic, overreaching and racist, have essentially joined Islamist fanatics’ assault on the United States. Worse, the authors argue, the Left’s relentless invective-during wartime, no less-threatens to drag the nation into its most divisive crisis since the Civil War (although they concede that this will not lead to an actual war).
~ from the Publisher’s Weekly editorial review of Ben Stein’s idiotic tome, Can America Survive? The Rage of the Left, the Truth, and What to Do About It
Yep. According to these geniuses (what’s a cum psychologist anyway), we’re the real enemy. Those radical Anti-American angry leftist fomenters Al Gore and John Kerry have whipped us into a frenzy of irrational rage. Why, we are so insanely furious that we have bewilderingly enough dared to “characterize the Bush administration as imperialistic, overreaching and racist.” Imagine that! They go so far as to accuse us of joining the “Islamist fanatics’ assault on the United States.” It is mind-boggling that literate human beings could come up with such shameless drivel!
Ben Stein, you’re a fool, and your cum psychologist must be as well. How can you bear the knowledge that history will record that you produced such an enormous piece of assholery?
I tell you that anybody who is not outraged at this juncture in American history should probably be jailed along with the criminals they aid and abet. These people, every last one of them, are a disgrace to our country. They are Americans in name only.
No true American would tolerate the infringement of our hard-won civil rights.
No true American believes that bombing an innocent country into the Stone Age is a good thing.
No true American believes it’s okay to steal from the poor to give to the rich.
No true American believes that it’s okay for the President and all of his cronies to lie to the American people.
No true American thinks it’s perfectly acceptable that 14% of our children live in poverty or that 15% of our citizens have no health insurance.
No true American is satisfied with how little has been done to increase our national security despite all the bluff, bluster and pure bullshit to the contrary.
No true American is content to see our service men and women dying needlessly for no noble purpose.
No true American thinks that war profiteering is acceptable.
No true American believes that we have the right to just take what we want from others by force of arms.
No true American believes it’s fair or acceptable for CEOs to be paid 431 to 518 times the average salary of workers. (depending on the industry – worst offenders? big oil and military contractors of course)
No true American believes it’s okay for lobbyists to write the legislation that regulates their industry.
No true American is satisfied with how little has been done to help the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.
No true American is fine with our continued shameful mistreatment of Native Americans and other minorities.
No true American accepts the nonsense that corporations are people.
No true American is satisfied to do nothing about global warming.
No true American likes having their vote rendered meaningless by election fraud.
No true American is content to see millions of jobs exported to third world nations.
No true American believes that greed is good and the common welfare be damned.
No true American believes it’s okay for the government to spy on American citizens without warrants.
No true American believes that any democratic government is justified in ignoring the manifest will of its people.
No true American believes they have the right to tell anyone else whom they can marry.
No true American believes it’s acceptable for corporations like Halliburton to sell out the country for profit and then scurry off to Dubai to avoid justice.
No true American is fine with violating the Geneva Conventions or the Nuremberg Accords.
No true American finds torture acceptable under any circumstances.
No true American is willing to excuse war crimes committed in their name.
So my message to the dimwitted right is that it’s not so much that we’re the outraged left, it’s that we are true Americans. So shape the fuck up or ship the fuck out. America – love it or leave it assholes! Maybe Halliburton has a place for you in Dubai.
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or forever hold your piece. 🙂
Anger is not only a justified response…it should be expected that people will be angry. Anger is a normal, healthy, sane response to such obscenities.
our treasuries and granaries are empty now as well. With all the wealth of our nation so quickly gone, I have to contend that we have been the target of a hostile take-over and that what we call our government is not what it was a few years ago, and certainly not what Jefferson, Washington, or even Lincoln envisioned. We are witnessing the birth of America 2.0. Kafka, Orwell and Philip K. Dick were right.
Note: there is no backwards compatibility of America 2.0 with any previous versions.
was the one who told Little Georgie to wear a codpiece.
Still the Decider, but now with 50% more spunk!!!
doesn’t viscerally know that Bush’s Iraq disaster is the biggest military fiasco in millenia and Shrub and Shooter are despicable traitors who belong in prison.
I started printing your images (with your permission of course) and posting them on the inside of my pantry closet, calling it my “closet of discontent.” It’s pretty full now.
Your work, as always is right on point and echos what I think everytime I hear a pundit or even a neighbor go on about the angry left being unAmerican, because I know in my heart of hearts, I am a true American! Thank you again OPOL!
your work here OPAL. Nice to know that your fire and truth and passion is part of this glorious site! Thanks as always, and I hope we manage to make your truths not so painful, but just as beautiful. I feel I’m in a dream I must be dreaming as this site is too good to be true!
Humorist? Since when is whining and droning humorous?
Every time I see those pictures from the “shock and awe” campaign, I get so freakin’ pissed. I remember the commentators wondering whether this spectacular display of explosions was true start of S-n-A? I would scream obscenities at the television about innocent people being killed in those attacks. And to think, at that point, we only suspected the WMD rationale was bullshit.
How approximately 70% of us are suddenly un-American as far as the avid right is concerned?
Your stuff always reminds me of the line from Truman:
“I don’t give them Hell. I just tell the truth about them and they think it’s Hell.”
Peace.
And ashamed for my country that I’m outraged.
see you soon, bro
to anyone. Sometimes it seems like it motivates people but generally it is only for a short time. The sort of sustained rage that would be required to get things done results in the authoritarian personality and leads leftists to become fascists as has happened many times. The best motivation comes from compassion for both victims and perpetrator at the same time understanding that the things people we disapprove of do are really not that far removed from what we are capable of doing if we had the requisite amount of negative emotion like anger and the opportunity. The right projects anger on the left because the people who are on the right (authoritarian types) are often full of rage–at least that has been what I’ve observed.
Stein’s book is at Amazon.com Sales Rank: #381,428 in Books
while Al Gore’s “The Assault on Reason” is ranked at #268.
I am ashamed that I haven’t figured out how to recreate a Tea Party for these fucks. Soon we won’t even be able to soil Halliburton’s home turf. What would Patrick Henry say and do?
BTW, I don’t think it’s all evil, all the time, with the Bushies. I think stupid incompetence plays a major role. Hillary isn’t my first choice, but I would love to see all of Bill’s appointments return for a year to right the ship of all the denuded agencies and departments. The problem with competence is it’s invisible–not appreciated enough at the time.
I wish I could join you, but maybe next time.
I have been pissed off since the 2000 election, and am even more so today.
I will fight to my last breath to
make this country better for my children.
They don’t deserve to inherit a money
pit.
you’re either not paying attention, or you have no conscience.
Wish I could make it to DC, to represent the Outer Empire. Giving a talk on Citizen action and climate change in a town 300 km north of here. I’ll be with you all in heart and spirit though and keeping you all in my prayers all week-end long.
is a Jizz Monkey…with hypnotics.
Take good care you guys. I’ll be watching. Shout hallooooo to the BBC crew.
what is a cum psychologist anyway
Having known quite a few psychologists, I can inform you that a cum psychologist is a psychologist who studies how people cum.
They spend a lot of time doing research in restroom stalls. They appear (often incognito) on the lists of madams. They hang around young boys in Congress. They may roam around barnyards.
It’s possible their dayjobs could be as journalists.
Playing in the background during Petraeus’ recitation to Congress. Outraged-oh yeah, and as you pointed out, OPOL–with good cause.
BTW, re Petraeus–another respected General, General Eisenhower, warned the country of the dangers of the Military-Industrial complex. Seems that he knew what he was talking about.
I have always believed my anger comes from my compassion.
Ultimately these people will not stop doing what they are doing if you get angry or if you try to elect people you think might change things (they won’t because they will be made offers they cannot refuse). How are you going to stop them with anger? They’ll laugh at you. If you want to go down that route you have to back it up. It’s like on the street which most of you don’t know about it–if you get angry, back in the day at least, you had better be able to back it up with your fists and maybe a few friends.
My point is that angry is debilitating not empowering unless it is maintained and then it turns ugly. Try it and see. I have.
What works is being centered and being in control of your emotions. Dedicate yourself, train, be strong, build community and be willing to risk everything–if you get pissed occasionally ok get mad and move on. I’ve been around furious people and have seen the results.
Iraq proved how despicable, mendacious, criminal and incompetent this misAdministration is. What happened in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast showed how full of hatred and contempt they are towards their own country and its citizens.
Be safe and sound, OPOL, Kestrel, everyone who is going to D.C. You will be speaking for so many of us.
graphic with the 2004 election before. Wow.
Thanks, OPOL!
yes, we have more than enough reasons to be damned angry…a righteous rant against the outrageous is good for the soul. Thanks, OPOL
The Left is being defined by the Right, the Left has been cowed into submission and co-opted by K Street and the Military Industrial Complex (MIC). Hillary is trying to shame the Left into having to vote for her since the Right would be by definition worse than she would be…except I do not read the same dictionary anymore and bad = bad, Left = Right, and if you ask me, a good portion of what was the Left, the Center, and the Sensible Right is redefining itself as Progressive.
But hey, last thing I want to do is attract Hillary flamers over here from DKos. And when they are going to have an election that is not fixed, somebody let me know.
Until then, I’m refocusing on local, close to home, communitarian stuff…most I’ll do is stand by the road with an “Impeach” sign, but I’m not stupid enough to think that is going to change anything. Its fun, and bugs the police.
Be well, be safe, be in peace.
I really appreciate all of this – especially today. Perhaps others of you are like me in feeling like I have moments when the anger just feels overwhelming. I’ve been feeling like that the last coupla days – maybe because the Petraeus stuff has just brought it all out into the spotlight again so clearly.
Sometimes I think we should pay more attention to the long-term effects of carrying this anger around for such a sustained period of time. Every now and then I get a bit of a picture of the toll it takes.
… see that kind of anger in this essay?
Maybe it’s because I’ve read many of OPOL’s essays before — haven’t always agreed with some of the assertions he’s made, but the anger I see in him has never been hate-filled or destructive, imo.
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I just spent six years in prison. Don’t talk shit to me dude.
To everything there is a “ying” and a “yang”. Not something to be ashamed of IMHO, who cares if “they laugh at you?” Let them effin’ laugh, they are childish and irresponsible. I believe most of the people on this blog have very strong convictions and belittling their/our/my anger is quite a big no-no!
In an effort to control emotions you suddenly find that you actually control your humanity instead. Passion, character, conviction, anger, happiness-these things shouldn’t be too controlled, they should be nurtured and worn on your sleeve with pride. It’s what makes you human.
I’m angry that global warming is progressing and nothing is being down about it except wasting trillions of dollars trying to obtain the VERY ingredient that creates global warming in the first place.
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but I think we have to keep our righteous anger boiling. We’ll need it at some point…like this Saturday for me. I’m going to raise some holy hell with the gummint!
about to watch the Fuckhead-in-chief’s regurgitation on MSNBC. At least you guys Have The Power (wish more Americans were willing to use it, but hopefully after DC many more will). The rest of us in the Outer Empire can only watch powerlessly and send our prayers and wishes and hopes your way. ((((((((((THE OUTRAGED LEFT))))))))))))))
Gore and Kerry are leftists? In what universe?
Start acting like you live in a democracy. –Noam Chomsky
fancy seeing you here. Be safe this weekend, and take pictures.