Bats in the Belfry?

“One aspect of vigilante movements like the Minutemen that is both a problem and an advantage is that they attract antisocial characters with paranoid and violent tendencies. This is an advantage because their personality traits lend to highly unstable organizations and a lack of general organization; the problems, on the other hand, are obvious in that they enable, encourage, and empower individuals who act out in ways that are highly destructive for the rest of us.” Posted by Dave at http://dneiwert.blogspot.com.

One wonders what would have been Dave’s take on the original Minutemen of the Revolution. Would he have been critical of Paul Revere or Patrick Henry in the manner he is critical of the citizens who do what the government will not? I believe that he probably would. Let’s edit his post and see how that would have worked.

Edited version and NOT the original words of Dave:

“One aspect of vigilante movements like the American Revolution is both a problem and an advantage is that they attract antisocial characters with paranoid and violent tendencies. This is an advantage because their personality traits lend to highly unstable organizations and a lack of general organization; the problems, on the other hand, are obvious in that they enable, encourage, and empower individuals who act out in ways that are highly destructive for the rest of us.”

Well, only had to change two words. Yet the marvelous sting of the post remains. That is the true gift of liberalism, versatile vitriol and venom. Hell, why do you think that the NOW gals use the same tired old slogans for every Supreme Court nominee that happens to have been appointed by the right? Ditto the anti-war crowd: Two, four, six, eight, blah, blah, and blah, something that rhymes with eight. They have been spouting this muck ever since the sixties. While you would think that somebody would get tired of this nearly 50 year old drivel, the shine of these chants never seems to wear off for them.

So while Dave drones on about the evils of the right, he and his cohorts are apparently ignorant of the actions of the left. Hubris? Nancy Pelosi. Liar? Bill Clinton. Faulty memory? Hillary Clinton. Corrupt politicians? John Conyers, Harry Reid, John Murtha and let us not forget the king himself, Dan Rostenkowski. Racism? Robert Byrd, a U.S. Senator that still uses the term “nigger” despite his reformation and Jim Webb who thought that it would be a good idea when he was a teen to point guns at black people just to scare them. Misogyny? Well, what do you know! Jim Webb again! Hanging your people out to dry? Jim Webb! Wow, that Webb guy sure does get around.

So Dave, if you want to clean my house then fine. I just ask that you clean your own first and by the looks of things I think you have your work cut out for you.

Hubris

When Lewis “Scooter” Libby was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice there was a great hue and cry across the conservative spectrum. What is interesting to note is that it was remarkably similar to the hue and cry that went up as the Republicans attempted to remove President Clinton. Only that time they also were ridiculing the Democrats for their defense of the man.

While I admit that I was one of those people, I also thought that Scooter Libby got exactly what he deserved. Was he a nice, likable guy? Yes. Does he routinely violate the law? I don’t think so. Is he the most evil man on the face of the world today? Not Hardly. Yet irrespective of these things he did commit perjury and obstruction of justice. I don’t particularly care that he was trying to protect the administration. Unless you are protecting a legitimate national secret, there is no justification for what he did. Adding insult to injury, he was a competent attorney and knew the likely consequences of his actions.

I will even go one step further and say that while the investigation was ongoing, I didn’t care who got indicted as long as those responsible for the violations of law were removed from Washington and that includes Dick Cheney, Carl Rove, and yes, even the President. This is because integrity matters. That was the battle cry when the Republicans were working to bring President Clinton to trail for his lies and obstruction of justice. We as a people must defend the rule of law or we do not have a civilization. While we may have watched with glee as Bill Clinton ran afoul of the law, we should have remained true to our principals and gritted our teeth as one of our own faced justice. This is because no one is above the law, even amiable political attorneys.

I will admit that Scooter Libby’s life is in a shambles and the Administration has a major black eye, but it is unfortunately deserved. In fact, it does not matter how sleazy Joe Wilson is or even that he is a pathological liar and a media whore. None of Wilson’s faults detract from Libby’s crimes. He is guilty and must face the consequences for his actions. As conservatives, personal responsibility is the centerpiece of conservative ideology and that is why I am astounded by the conservative pundits and their take on this.

They act as if Libby has done nothing wrong and is being persecuted unfairly. I’m sorry, but that dog just will not hunt. Either you stand for the rule of law or you don’t. It may not be pleasant and it may test your ideological resolve, but if we fail to adhere to our own standards because one of our own has fallen, then conservatism is dead and it only lacks a funeral. That is the cost of principals, you either live by them or you are like the “sliding scale values” liberals you rail against and only live by your beliefs when they are convenient.