Scary pink tutuism / "political judo" bloggers dismiss AIP issue, hold Obama to a higher standard

[Leopolds Ghost]

http://letters.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/10/07/palins_unamerican/view/index2.html?show=all

There's A Big Difference

So Palin's husband was a member of a party founded by a nut. Freedom of speech applies to kooks, too. I don't see where Palin's husband actually acted on any of that nonsense the party spouted.

Many of us in college back in the sixties joined something radical (SDS, etc.), had demonstrations chanting about Ho Chi Minh, and talked big and imagined ourselves as real revolutionaries like Che Guevera. But eventually, most of us went on to pretty traditional careers and lives, and look back with mixed feelings about those times, and how wonderfully idealistic and terribly niave we were.

Ayers, however, didn't just talk. He bombed. And bombed. And that's different. There is no freedom of violence and murder for political purposes enshrined in our constitution. That's just terrorism. And while one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter, that's a real dangerous slippery slope to get on. It slides you right to Osama Bin Laden and his followers real quick.

From what I've seen, Ayers and his wife continue to believe their actions back then were totally justifiable and even commendable. Given what our generation has learned about the world since, that's frightening. Obama should disavow any connection to Ayers really quickly if these Republican attacks are to be deflected.

Note how this guy claims (quite credibly, given the ex-radicals I've met in my home town) to be a jaded ex-radical himself who presumably ran away from his old beliefs into the loving embrace of the center-right. He is not credible for the same reason Ayers is not credible -- he never had a credible progressive viewpoint from which to judge Ayers or AIP. He is yet another amoral follower who can be manipulated to do anything -- join the maoist faction of SDS, vote for Reagan, support Bush until the facts prove otherwise etc. It is always all or nothing with these upper-middle-class "reformed ex-hippie professional" assholes. That's why so many of them went from Maoists to neocons... all in an effort to get laid and subsequently get equity.