Amurricanism, And A Challenge to Buckethead From A Reader
I see in our comments that Ross Judson has levelled a challenge to Buckethead, pursuant to our discussion last week on whether the Left hates America:
Hate America, Hate American. If you get to pick the set of concepts that define America, you can manufacture a hater out of anyone! Why not do a little subdivision...just so we can be clear on exactly what kind of America you think is most American.
How about it, Buckethead? It's an incredibly interesting question, on several levels.
What is "American," and what is "un-American?" Just how big is this tent? It's obviously a complicated question. Just this weekend came the news that Eric Rudolph was found hiding out in the very woods he grew up in. From his point of view, Rudolph has been arrested for fighting the good fight against encroaching un-Americanism, and some members of the community have acted in his defense. (Although, many may have helped him hide out because of family or community ties, while still thinking he was a nut). But was Eric Rudolph actually acting in an "American" fashion? I'd say absolutely not, yet many other people see him as a patriot and defender of true Americanism, holding the line against moral decline and globalism. (After all, he did bomb abortion clinics, gay bars, and the Olympics, which makes his agenda pretty darn clear.) Who is right, and is there room for both camps under the rubric of Americanism?
[moreover] Answer: Terrorism is terrorism. The American Revolution was settled in 1865. Or 1876, either way, it's done. Period.
on
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To borrow from John (Cougar)
To borrow from John (Cougar) Mellencamp, "Ain't that America!"
There is an article in the current Vanity Fair about antisemitism in France. I have lots of complaints about the article, all of which I plan to take up at my blog in a few days. What struck me is the claim that the government refuses to acknowledge these incidents beyond normal crime. My gripe: isn''t that how things work in the good ole US? How many people believe that hate crimes exist? That there should be hate crimes legislation?
Posted By: I must not think bad thoughts 6/2/2003 2:12:48 PM
Hate crime legislation: bad
Hate crime legislation: bad idea. Murder is already murder, and should be prosecuted as such.
Posted By: Johnny Two-cents 6/2/2003 2:16:11 PM
Is are premeditated murders
Is are premeditated murders the equivalent to crimes of passion? How about those that are coupled with sexual violation? Different understandings of murder already exist. They usually depend on the motivation and execution of the crime.
Hate murders are different from others in several ways. First, they are designed to increase the suffering and humilation of the victim. Two, they emerge from the desire to protect the community against strangers. Three, they are more regularly ritualized than other sorts of murders. Four, they aim at punishing a social or ethnic group, not just the individual. (Could we call them terrorst acts?) Cases in point: James Byrd and Matthew Sheppard.
Point that I have made repeatedly: one overarching lesson from the Holocaust is that one cannot ignore race as a factor.
Posted By: I must not think bad thoughts 6/2/2003 2:36:32 PM
This is a little exercise I
This is a little exercise I like to call, "America from First Principles". In math, when you want to prove something, you start from the start. You start with your root concept or the simplest truth, and you work your way out from there.
Here, we choose to define something called America. We choose to include certain concepts in that definition. It is high instructive to trace the path from those concepts to, say, the Patriot Act II.
Can you build America from First Principles?
This is what the constitution is all about.
It''s something to think about. I''m going to take a shot at it in the next few days, on my blog.