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Seeking Both the Defeat of the Bushites and the Reclamation of American Culture

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Back from a much-needed break, I now find myself thinking about the overall state of our culture.

Even while we are fighting this evil regime, I believe it is necessary for us to address the other aspects of the swamp-draining that will be required for our victory over the Bushites to lead to a genuine reclamation of American society both from the forces of evil and from the kindred forces of disorder.

Here are a few thoughts:

****************


It is important that we defeat not only the Bushites, but also the evils that the Bushites stand for.

For that reason, it is important that in our critiques/attacks on the Bushites, we stick with the truth, be responsible about what we know and what we don't know, be fair and reasonable in our assertions.

Americans have gone a very long way from having a healthy relationship with reality, with the idea of truthfulness, with sound epistemology, with proper proportion, with a sense of what's fair. (How else could a abomination like Ann Coulter achieve prominence as a social and political commentator and activist?)

The lesson deeply needs to be taught. We should be careful and honest about what we know and don't know. Our indictments of the regime should be founded on strong evidence; and where the evidence supports only a reasonable suspicion, it should be stated as such.

This-- less out of a concern for the Bushites themselves, whose overall guilt is now clear (I would judge) beyond any reasonable doubt, than in order to help rebuild the moral order in America.


*************


In something I came across, the fiction writer, Walter Kirn, says: "[T]hings like the memoir and nonfiction seem to be winning out in the publishing world."

I found that striking, the idea that the true story is displacing the made-up story in the publishing world. And this at the very time when the lie seems to be displacing the truth.

One thinks not only of the Bushites, with their continuous lying. Not only of the emergence into our culture at this moment of a serious academic philosopher writing a book called Bullshit, exploring the rise of the kind of speech that has no real relationship with truth, but is only intended for effect. But also of scandals involving "news" stories that turn out to be fiction, and "memoirs" that turn out to be made-up.

This leaves me wondering how to put together this apparent movement away from fiction, along with this apparent movement in the arenas that are supposed to be non-fiction into the lie and the contrivance.

************


SPOILED NATION

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Andy Schmookler, an award-winning author, political commentator, radio talk-show host, and teacher, was the Democratic nominee for Congress from Virginia's 6th District. His new book -- written to have an impact on the central political battle of our time -- is (more...)
 
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