Many blogs have linked to this manifesto signed by Rushdie and Manji and Hirsi and others. (More here and here and here and here.)
It's swell that these famous Left-leaning intellectuals have taken a universalist/non-relativist stand on human rights, but the REAL issue is: What are they willing to do about it?!
Are they willing to support a proactive, bold, aggressive counter-attack - including sanctions, blockades and even preemptive military strikes?
Will they urge their own nations to do more to help the USA and the UK and the other coalition members assist the emerging Iraqi democracy?
Will they support an end to immigration without assimiliation? Will they support the deportation of radical Muslims who incite violence? Will they demand that nations which don't allow its citizens the universal human rights outlined in the UN Declaration be demoted to "observer status" at the UN?
Will they at least criticize their comrades on the Left who - at best - have been skeptical of Bush, and at worst accused him of being a lying, torturing war criminal who went to war for oil/Halliburton/family revenge?
Or do they just want to sign petitions and send strongly worded, high-minded letters?
I suspect it's the latter, and we don't need them for that - we already got Blix and Baradei and Kofi for that!
I pray they prove me wrong, and that this represents the beginning of a more unified West. If that's the case, we will be more likely to have the resolve necessary to defeat the enemy in this - THE LONG WAR.
It's swell that these famous Left-leaning intellectuals have taken a universalist/non-relativist stand on human rights, but the REAL issue is: What are they willing to do about it?!
Are they willing to support a proactive, bold, aggressive counter-attack - including sanctions, blockades and even preemptive military strikes?
Will they urge their own nations to do more to help the USA and the UK and the other coalition members assist the emerging Iraqi democracy?
Will they support an end to immigration without assimiliation? Will they support the deportation of radical Muslims who incite violence? Will they demand that nations which don't allow its citizens the universal human rights outlined in the UN Declaration be demoted to "observer status" at the UN?
Will they at least criticize their comrades on the Left who - at best - have been skeptical of Bush, and at worst accused him of being a lying, torturing war criminal who went to war for oil/Halliburton/family revenge?
Or do they just want to sign petitions and send strongly worded, high-minded letters?
I suspect it's the latter, and we don't need them for that - we already got Blix and Baradei and Kofi for that!
I pray they prove me wrong, and that this represents the beginning of a more unified West. If that's the case, we will be more likely to have the resolve necessary to defeat the enemy in this - THE LONG WAR.
It doesn't matter what they do ... if we support the premise of the manifesto, what matters is what you do, or I do, or what anyone who signs onto it does.
ReplyDeleteLook at it this way ... (a) there are those responsible for writing the mission statement, (b)there are those responsible for implementing it, and there are those responsible for protecting (a) and (b) plus all the rest who only stand on the sidelines and whine.
I could care less what the motives are of the writers of the manifesto nor do I care if they ever lift another finger. I happen to agree that there are universal (I called them inalienable rights on my posting) rights and that allowing respect for man made culture to trump these rights denies the right to both freedom and equality. I can only do what I can do ... publishing the Manifesto and helping it reach a broader audience, one blog at a time, or one reader at a time, is something. I can continue to advocate for that right of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I can keep myself educated and help pass that information on to others. There are others who may join the police force, or the military and take a more active role. Others who can have bigger effect through their positions in government or with a positon with a worldwide voice can do their thing.
All Things Beautiful TrackBack The Manifesto Against The New Islamic Totalitarianism:
ReplyDelete"Freedom of expression is our western heritage and we must defend it or it will die from totalitarian attacks....The manifesto below will be published in the French weekly Charlie Hebdo today. Philippe Val @ Charlie Hebdo has urged other papers to print it, as a show of solidarity. And that guys includes all of us bloggers."
Squiggles: my point is that they m,ust also ADVOCATE and SUPPORT the tough-nosed and seeming (these days) "ill-liberal" policies I listed for it to make ANY difference.
ReplyDeleteThese are the folks who (along with their buddies/chronies) make up the prestigious core of the left-wing glitterati, and it will opnly make a difference if they start telling their budddies at oparties that the ACLU is BAD, and that Bush is not so bad, and that the NSA intercept program is good, and that we shouldn;t be so critical/defeatist about Iraq etc.
Otherwise this manifesto is all BS. As far as THEY are concerned.
LOOKIT: this websitre has said what that manifesto has said for more than a year. the gist of their manifesto is OLD HAT for us "Bushies" - Bush hm,self has given speeches on this, and incluided the sentiments in many MANY speeches.
So it is NOT as if it's a new message.
What is new is that these Leftie intellecutals are saying it out loud.
COOL.
Now... they must advocate the polices to implement these sentiments. Like LIBERATING Iraqis, Syrians, IRANIANS, north Koreasn etc.
Rick Moran at RWNEWS has said similar stuff. At PORTEIN WISDOM commments thread.
ALL THE BEST!
And ALEXANDRA: solidaiory with this staement/manifesto ???? THEY ARE F-I-N-A-L-L-Y EXPRESSING SOLIDATY WITH BUSH AND US! But that is not enouhg, now they must express soldairty with the War i iraq and a get tougher policy against Assad and Ahmadinejad AND HAMAS!
If they do that then I'll be impressed. Not before.
Now all I can say is : ABOUT FRIGGING TIME! (Cause lookit, we're already MORE THAN 4 years into theis war!)
well its better than chumpski!
ReplyDeleteReliapundit - I certainly understand and agree with your frustrations. These frustrations got me into blogging in the first place. But, I say again ... I can only do what I am capable of doing at this time in my life. My earliest memories of hearing "complaints" about the fallacies of the leftist positions go all the way back to my childhood when my Grandparents and parents used to refer to Roosevelt as "that man in the White House" said with disdain. And Roosevelt was already dead. What my Grandfather warned me about as a teenager was being the generation that would have to "deal" with the results of the Roosevelt "socialism" that was sure to come. He died in 1965 and didn't see his predictions come to full fruition, but there is no doubt he was right.
ReplyDeleteAs a charter baby boomer, I've seen it all and for awhile I even bought into some (the early feminist movement) but as a military wife, my family and I were also the "victims" of many. Frustration, anger, annoyance, even fear, all motivate me to be whatever voice I can muster. Mostly that means blogging and/or commenting today, but in the past it meant taking a more activist role. The most important thing I can do is continue to tell the truth, encourage everyone I come in contact with to be involved, at least to the extent of being an informed voter, and support those who have a much broader voice on the national and world stage than I can ever hope to have. And most important, to have my own core values well defined.
I find your blog to be well worth my time to read and therefore you have an influence, at least with this audience of one. I often link back to something you've written and that expands your influence as well as extending my own small voice. And the chain goes on. That it seems sometimes that the message isn't getting through is more a reflection of the big media than the messenger or message. But, that is changing now too.