Poison in the Blogosphere and an Ailing Canary in Rhode Island
Every couple of years, it seems, a student from Brown will contact me for comment in an article about blogging for the Brown Daily Herald. It’s traditionally been a unifying topic: although we’ve got different emphases, we Rhode Island bloggers will all agree about the value and opportunities that the medium offers, not the least because it sets the stage for open public discussion of important matters.
This time around, the reporter’s final question, yesterday, was whether I had any response to Pat Crowley’s assertion to her that we at Anchor Rising are fascists.
What a shame the Rhode Island Left has allowed that guy such a visible place in the local public discourse. More’s the shame that nobody on their side will denounce him. And the biggest shame of all is that he comes to us courtesy of our state’s teachers.
Fascist? That’s nothing. From personal experience on a blog I ran during the 2004 season, try calling Alex Rodriguez a punk. Yankee fans found it, and they called me things you’ve probably never had to delete.
If you feel you’re right, the Crowleys of the world are easy to shake off. Believe me.
And by demanding that other people denounce Crowley, you’re only making things worse. If you want to see him go away, you’ll only accomplish the opposite.
I don’t know about you, but I just flew in from our local neo-Nazi rally, and boy, are my arms tired…
I find it ironic that someone who has on more than one occasion defended the anti-democratic actions of “President” Hugo Chavez of Venezuela in the name of the people, to be labeling anyone as a “fascist.” Chavez is probably the most prominent practitioner of fascist philosophy alive today, even if he chooses to label it was something else.
Anyway, Pat has many attributes; credibility not being amongst them. That he can’t argue the merits of his points without resorting to childish name calling (and doesn’t even seem to know the actual definition of those names he uses), tells you all you need to know.
PS Justin, just keep doing what you and the rest of the AR folks do well, engaging in thoughtful and analytical public policy discussion, based in reality.
There is plenty of “name calling” at Anchor Rising
That’s not the point, Jeff; there’s plenty of non-Crowley name-calling at RIFuture, too, but that’s neither here nor there. The point is that, heretofore, we’ve been able to agree about the value of our shared medium, for the benefit of those who aren’t so familiar with it.
That’s not to say that blogging was previously pure in Rhode Island, but that we all thought it sufficiently important, of itself, to highlight the debate that it enabled without using that meta-discussion to bash one another.
How ironic.
Fascism, as defined by Mussolini, is the glorification of the state, and the use of the state as a corporate entity. In fascism, the individual is subordinate to the state. Fascism is closely tied with the both Nazism and the Progressive movement.
Alot of what the modern left is doing in Rhode Island today –establishing one party dominance, suppressing individuals by blocking voter initiative, supporting all powerful public sector unions, growing entitlements, growing welfare, growing government, advocating for government healthcare, etc.. –is TEXTBOOK fascism.
The dictionary and encyclopedia further describe fascism as “the opposite of economic liberalism.” Economic liberalism rewards the individual for his work and encourages self reliance and independence. Fascism requires dependence on the state.
Indeed, economic liberalism is dead in RI, and RI’s economic indicators are the worst in the nation. RI is a welfare state with three main businesses: government, gambling, and poverty.
Businesses and taxpayers are responding to the hegemoney of the RI leftists by fleeing, and jobs are now scarce.
Look how the left has taxed and destroyed business in RI. Look how they have discouraged individual participation in government. Look how they have grown unions, grown welfare, and grown government.
Yes, Rhode Island has fascists, but they are of the left variety.