Why is it that being a moderate in this country has become a radical position? People who know me or read this site will also know that my views about government tend to be anti-establishment, anti-bullshit, and anti-war. Is that really so out there?
While my personal feelings tend toward the anarcho-capitalist/libertarian end of the spectrum, I am the first to admit that if the U.S. Government put up a “Sorry We’re Closed” sign tomorrow morning there would be blood in the streets. As much as I think the occasional revolution might be good for keeping the politicos in line, chaos and widespread violence are not among my political goals.
I do not think that massive dislocations, the destruction of old modes of life and production, or the extermination of whole classes of people are necessary or desirable.
I do not favor a sudden inversion of the social hierarchy, merely its evolution toward a more just one.
I oppose the exercise of coercive power over innocent individuals, whatever its source. I respect the freedom of my fellow men to live whatever lifestyle they choose. I refuse to be brainwashed by politicians, academic institutions and the media when they try to spread hate and fear.
Are these radical ideas? Respect for human rights, a suspicion of authority, and desire to exercise control over my own life?
The parties that have shared power for the last century are the true radicals, committed to violent expansionism outside the country and state control of everything within. They are the ones with grandiose plans and visions for reforming humankind in the image of gods or “good citizens.” They are the big government “progressives,” the big business shills, the secret inheritors of Marx and Trotsky and Machiavelli and Rousseau.
Find me a true liberal in today’s government, a person of moderation, learning, and reason, a person dedicated to public service above his own career. They have been driven out by the hyenas.
The American center has been hung out to dry for too long. The 12% at either political extreme is the most important base for each party, but the vast majority of us are neither socialists nor oligarchs. We are interested in a government that is responsive and responsible, that respects us enough to ignore our most ill-conceived demands, that acts with deliberation and caution in times of peace, power and persistence when attacked.
We demand good government, reasoned reform, safe streets, and the opportunity to make a living. These are the demands of the silent majority across the globe, but the radicals are louder, angrier, and sharper in their rhetoric. How long will we let them dominate the debate before we reclaim the radical centrism of our fathers?
