Forty-five years ago this November, political historian Richard Hofstadter published a provocative essay in Harper's Magazine entitled "The Paranoid Style in American Politics," in which he argued that our nation "has served again and again as an arena for uncommonly angry minds.
Hofstadter, a widely celebrated professor at Columbia University who had just won a Pulitzer Prize for his book "Anti-Intellectualism in American Life," was then confronting both the ghosts of McCarthyism and the more immediate significance of Barry Goldwater's candidacy for president of the United States. Hofstadter was particularly concerned about assessing "how much political leverage can be got out of the animosities and passions of a small minority.
In many ways, Hofstadter's prescient essay anticipated the entree of Sarah Palin into contemporary American politics, that last month marked the one-year anniversary of her failed candidacy as the Republican vice presidential nominee. During the past year, the former governor of Alaska has tapped into a narrow, albeit tenacious, strain in the national polity that stretches back to the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692.
Wonderful piece that helps to define how Palin, and others, have helped shrink the "big tent" of Reagan's Republican party into a small vicious group of angry bigots who do not want anybody to join them who does not look, and think, exactly like they do.
As always to read the entire article just click the headline.
OT but as promised - two highly recommended books:
ReplyDeleteRead first "Did God Have a Wife" by William G. Dever. Then read "The Bible Unearthed" by Israel Finkelstein and Neil Silberman. Their findings will lend credence to the first premise. If you still haven't had enough Watch "From Jesus to Christ". it was a Frontline production 5-6 years ago.
Well, Gryphen, I am one of those witches Palin wants to run off the land.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info about Mr. Dunn's article. I will go check it out.
I spent much of yesterday reviewing those 9/11 Blueprint for truth videos. Thermitic material (immediate 4500F) was discovered in the dust of four samples taken at the WTC towers and building seven. Thermite burns just as well under water and the fires at the WTC were burning three months after the collapse even with water sprayed on them. The videos show how the buildings were designed to withstand a Boeing 707 crashing into them. The towers were built like a structure within a structure. Building seven had an SEC office where the files regarding Enron and WorldCom were housed. That building had 23 core columns and 57 perimeter columns that all fell within 1/10th of a second of each other. Column numbered 79 was where the collapse initiated. I love forensic science! And they used physics regarding the speed, velocity, etc.
Another site:
www.WhatReallyHappened.com/
When I typed that in, it sent me to another site where "Really" was misspelled. It took another try to find the site. But it has an unbelievable amount of information with links.
Finding the truth, exposing the lies....
You said it in a nutshell Gryphen...
ReplyDelete"Wonderful piece that helps to define how Palin, and others, have helped shrink the "big tent" of Reagan's Republican party into a small vicious group of angry bigots who do not want anybody to join them who does not look, and think, exactly like they do."
I knew 911 was a lie one week later, when the huge glossy 90-page commemorative tribute volumes hit the supermarket checkout counters. Who, I wondered,had the resources to do such a thing in such short order ?
ReplyDeleteI looked all over the copies at the Fairbanks Fred Meyers (yes, Fairbanks was right in synch with the rest of the country), looking for publishing info. Nothing. None of the usual suspects whatsoever. Finally, in very tiny letters along a margin, were the words "a project of the Department of Homeland Security".
Ahh. . . of course ! Those with access to taxpayer dollars could afford to put the 911 commemoratives out that fast ! Then I started watching the videos and as an above poster noted, started going to the What Really Happened website. It's all detailed there and many other places.
WTF? What's with the OT 9/11 conspiracy crap? The problem with conspiracies like the one allege is that they would require the absolute silence and solidarity of tens if not hundreds of thousands of complicit felons. Felons are by nature not the most trustworthy lot and certainly one of them would get religion, or a conscience, or just get greedy and spill the beans. If they couldn't keep a podunk operation like Watergate secret, how in hell would they keep something this massive secret?
ReplyDeleteThis is pure bullshit and you are just making people angry by pedaling it OT here.
Gasman: May I add my support to every word you j ust stated.
ReplyDelete911 Conspiracy theories are just as full of crapp as the C4P idiots.
Got to rememer, SOME antiPalin people are also "not the sharpest crayons in the box."
The best (most idiotic) conspiracy theory I came across ( published online yet !) was that there were no aircraft involved in the World Trade Center fires, that it was ALL A HOLAGRAM !
Same site stated the Pentagon did not happen either and that the people on the plane were fakes i.e. they were all part of the plot and did not die in any crash. Supposedly the Pentagon was bombed. Another theory has a demolition crew setting demolition explosives in teh World Trade centers to account for the pancaking effect.
You are right. IT IS PURE BULLSHIT AND IT SHOULD NOT BE PEDALED HERE AS OT.
Hey folks lets keep the thread on the subject shall we? As for 9-11, a search of this site will provide my point of view on the topic. However that is not a subject to be broached at this time.
ReplyDeleteHi Gryphen, I know that you want to keep this on topic, but I have to say this. To Anon@2:18, the Dept of Homeland Security wasn't formed until much later--it didn't exist at one week after 9/11. Your post can't be true.
ReplyDeleteNow, on topic--I loved the line where Mr. Dunn connects Sarah Palin's politics to the Salem Witch Trials. I had not thought of that before and it certainly seems appropriate.
Great blog. I appreciate all of your hard work.