Calling All Liberals: It's Time to Fight (Priceless Giggles Alert)

The Nation ^ | 10/20/2011 | Benjamin R. Barber

[mojito]

Liberalism’s core values remain strong, persuasive and enduring. Their fighting vitality is apparent in the spreading youth-led protests on Wall Street and across the country. What we lack is a coherent progressive narrative explaining and justifying liberalism’s role in the radically changed circumstances of the twenty-first century—a liberal vision of the kind Thomas Jefferson and Sam Adams offered the founders or John Dewey gave the Progressive Era. Liberals need to stop denying who they are and, like the young protesters, start fighting for what they believe in. For though aggravated and anxious, liberals have never been less visible in the struggle for the hearts and minds of our fellow citizens.

With no coherent new liberal narrative to render our values timely, we too often cleave to the center and compromise to the right. We care about civility, but civility is looking a lot like surrender. We must not step away from our values before negotiation begins, allowing runaway financial markets, bloviating plutocrats and anti-government hubris to dominate, while poverty, social justice and climate change slip off the legislative agenda. And when we do take to the streets to voice our anger, we lack the clarity and focus that only a relevant narrative can offer.

The stakes have never been higher: nearly three years after the inauguration of a moderate African-American president, our nation confronts a rapacious plutocracy reminiscent of the Gilded Age and a noisome corporate media along with a noisy, supposedly anti-plutocratic populist Tea Party that is in fact funded by that very plutocracy. This weird coalition of the smug and the frightened cries, “We’re number one!” even as it dismantles the democratic institutions and programs that make America great and plays roulette with the debt ceiling and America’s global reputation.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

I’m glad that I didn’t eat my Stove Top Stuffing before reading this leftist wimp’s BS.

Come on Progressives. Let’s get this revolution on.

We’re loaded with guns and ammo. You’re loaded with marxist bullshit. Who do you think is going to win?

We’re the Libyan people. You’re Qaddafi, and you know how that worked out.

See you in the streets, progressives. I love a target rich environment.

[Twotone]

We better keep buying ammo & guns. I just received the following from a friend:

“For the last several years a company called The Freedom Group has been buying up gun and ammunition manufacturers.Some of the companies are Bushmaster,Marlin,Remington,DPMS, Dakota Arms and H&R.

“Some people worry that this Freedom Group is going to control most of the firearms companies in the United States. If you control the manufacturers you can decide to stop selling to civilians.What a perfect way to control guns.

“Now if you do some digging you will see that The Freedom Group is owned by a company called Cerberus Capital Management. Guess who controls Cerberus??? GEORGE SOROS !!!!!!!!! One of the most evil men on this planet who wants to restrict or ban all civilian guns.

“Please pass this on to all your freedom loving friends. This needs to come out.Why have we not heard about this in the “mainstream” media? I would think this would be BIG news.”

I did a search & found a WSJ article from 2009, so apparently it’s true:

http://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2009/10/19/a-dossier-on-cerberuss-freedom-group/

[nascarnation]

What’s the connection between Soros and Cerberus?

I know Dan Quayle is a major domo at Cerberus.

[Twotone]

I went looking & couldn’t find a specific link. I guess it’s just one of those internet rumors.

Pardon my post! :-)

[nascarnation]

No sweat.

Soros is an evil man but he’s not omnipotent.