Monday, October 25, 2010

"The Death of Liberalism" By Chris Hedges


The lunatic fringe of the Republican Party, which looks set to make sweeping gains in the midterm elections, is the direct result of a collapse of liberalism. It is the product of bankrupt liberal institutions, including the press, the church, universities, labor unions, the arts and the Democratic Party.

The legitimate rage being expressed by disenfranchised workers toward the college-educated liberal elite, who abetted or did nothing to halt the corporate assault on the poor and the working class of the last 30 years, is not misplaced. The liberal class is guilty.

The liberal class, which continues to speak in the prim and obsolete language of policies and issues, refused to act. It failed to defend traditional liberal values during the long night of corporate assault in exchange for its position of privilege and comfort in the corporate state.

The virulent right-wing backlash we now experience is an expression of the liberal class’ flagrant betrayal of the citizenry...

READ MORE, see announcement of Chris Hedges latest book and find original article at Truth Dig dot com here

(slight departure from Hedges in paragraphing above - for emphasis.)

Brief note by blogger, Connie: Let's trust that Hedges will have some solutions in his new book. Nevertheless, his courageous voice is certainly exclaiming realities so easily ignored in the smokescreens of party and creed rhetoric - to all our destruction - unless we pay heed and act accordingly.

The following URLS are really a REQUEST for dialogue - not definitive statements since who knows if any of these groups are not really so bad as indicated?

Yet this interesting theory may be one more link as to why just why the US is seeking to occupy in some sense Pakistan beyond some possible well-meant motives from the Empire way of thinking? Skim here and here See other items from Dr Stuart Jeanne Bramhall

I haven't had the time yet to do proper research. Surely some groups such as Nation magazine which sponsors Jonathan Schahill's work to expose Blackwater and some groups such as Ford sponsored - npr.org's Krista Tippet's Speaking of Faith now Being are healing and bridges to truth? Actually and surprisingly I tho't that a Soros-endowed organization recently was able to expose rampant ongoing abuse in Afghanistan detention centers run by US military? Why would they do that if they were being supported by an entirely CIA-monopolized group?

Nevertheless there may be a lot more damage control use of innocent groups to cover the massive long-term and currently accelerated destruction of everything good related to the standard/traditional/good corporation only/ democratic core/constitutionally-based ethics/groups/leadership...accerating out from the US of A today...

Which lead me to a final thought...let's not so easily push aside ALL CONVERSATION RELATED TO SPIRIT including interfaith dialogues, the best of the great literature and of artists, deep ethics, global village values the process dyanamics and ways of being love/charity/provision of opportunity in a devastated and degenerate society...there's so much that's key for recovery of our souls today which are too often missed and glossed over in both our mainstream and our alternative/independent daily or weekly media...

No, we simply can't just get bay with the same ol' same ol' catagories and quick divisions any more...no matter the recognizable categories such as socialism, liberalism, kinder capitalism, etc....

And as far as a living spirituality, this too has beauties we'd be so deprived to throw out...

the giants and "babies" of a wiser and/or more innocent society have had visions we so need today and have thrown out with the murky bath water....

Here's one little thought from a work in progress by a friend:

On Communism and Capitalism:

"Communism puts the seed of equality in the stomach rather than the heart, but unless equality is rooted in the heart it canot take roots in the body either. Capitalism doesn't have a heart in the first place." (I don't want to share the source for this one quite yet as this should be seen in context...yet the brief, recognizable lens of history and Hedges article fit this conversation so well, I tho't this bit quite appropriate.)

Photo above is from Texas Liberal here

8 comments:

CN said...

Be sure to see this recent talk about Hedges new book:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYCvSntOI5s

Hedges received in 2002 the Amnesty International Global Award for Human Rights Journalism. He was educated at Harvard Divinity school and has been a well-known journalist and book author for perhaps two decades.

He has taught at Columbia University, New York University and Princeton University.

CN said...

Interesting that Hedges father preached at five churches and often Hedges heard the same sermon three times and would grill his father about them....

CN said...

I don't remember the details but some of you may want to find out why Hedges left New York Times.


Dwight MacDonald is an author touted by Hedges...

I do love reading personal writing Hedges has done such as when he writes about camping trips with his son and what being in untainted nature does for him...

My first intro to Hedges was via my peace mentor, Dorothy Mock, a beautiful-hearted lady who used to stand alone in front of Robert MacNamara's office with her candle and peace signs during the Vietnam War. She first brought the film, "War is a force which gives us meaning" to our peace group...

CN said...

My next awareness of Hedges was seeing his cover article right after 911 (which had been written before 911): "A Gaza Diary", Harper's Magazine, October 2001

See several inclusions still using this reference:

http://sabbah.biz/mt/archives/2010/02/27/veritas-in-harvard-no-just-double-standards-injustice-and-fear/#bapyou

In his memoir 'West Bloc Dissident,' William Blum wrote that Bill Clinton, during Clinton's time as a Rhodes scholar in England in the late 1960s, passed information about war protestors to the CIA. Just one of several comments you get in response to Hedges provocative and timely topic on the death of liberalism...

CN said...

http://readersupportednews.org/off-site-opinion-section/72-72/3740-the-world-liberal-opportunists-made

Be sure to see the comments under above posting...

By the way Chris Hedges has written one of the best analysis yet on Dr Aafia Siddiqui

CN said...

Find more from Chris Hedges here:

Worse Than Apartheid By Chris Hedges Posted on Truth Dig December 18, 2006 ... By Chris Hedges Israel has spent the last five months unleashing missiles,

oneheartforpeace: Israel's Treatment of Palestinian Children
Oct 25, 2010 ... Chris Hedges, "A Gaza Diary", Harper's Magazine, October 2001 Today we're in NINTH Years after Hedges article

oneheartforpeace: Chris Hedges on the Unseen Siege: "Disturbing ...
Dec 17, 2008 ... Israel's 'Crime Against Humanity'

oneheartforpeace.blogspot.com/.../chris-hedges-on-unseen-siege-disturbing.html


oneheartforpeace: Emergency Anti-Escalation Rally December 12 11 Dec 6, 2009 ... Mike Gravel, Kathy Kelly, Chris Hedges, David Swanson, Phyllis Bennis, Rev. Graylan Hagler, Gael Murphy, Coy McKinney, Debra Sweet, ...
oneheartforpeace.blogspot.com/.../emergency-anti-escalation-rally.html

Aafia Siddiqui will Be Sentenced on Thursday | The Seminal
Sep 21, 2010 ... oneheartforpeace September 21st, 2010 at 4:16 pm .... post today…and revisting Chris Hedges “the torture industrial complex (easy to find http://www.seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/72615

Guantánamo: The Definitive Prisoner List | Andy Worthington
Mar 3, 2009 http://www.oneheartforpeace.blogspot.com Connie .... Whereas as Chris Hedges says, “War is what gives so many meaning”. ...
www.andyworthington.co.uk/.../guantanamo-the-definitive-prisoner-list/

Anonymous said...

I haven't read Chris Hedges latest book yet, but will do so shortly. He was on the CBC's George Strombolopolus show last night. I don't think liberalism can ever die. It can come under attack by close minded conservative people, but their assult is missguided. You can kill my body, but not my soul. Liberal souls abound...

Anonymous said...

I am reading death of liberalism . I have seen and experienced the death of Gandhism. in India. look at the cruelty inflictedon the least able blatently by the upper castes and classes. Powerful will always thwart justice . western societies are no different than Romans . Dont foget where your gene pool comes from