Right Wing Nation

Civil Defense sirens, duck and cover drills, fallout shelters, and Rocky and Bullwinkle, these are the things that shaped how we saw the world when we were kids. When the Soviet Union fell, I was initially relieved, but skeptical, and younger folks called me foolish for being skeptical. It should be apparent now that since the re-emergence of the KGB Soviets as the dominant political force in Russia and their Soviet-like foreign policy that my skepticism was justified.

We were raised with very clearcut ideas about what separated us from the Soviets, and foolish or not, when I see these characteristics associated with the USSR repeated, or even supported, here, I get nervous. When I see them advocated by Republicans (they aren’t always, or even mostly), I get even more nervous.

In the 90s, in addition to all of the things people usually point out (Reno and Waco, etc.), we had witchcraft trials where people were actually convicted based on no evidence that could be confirmed. Remember all those “Believe the children!” bumper stickers? But the witch trials were “for the children,” so those few of us who did object then were labeled nuts at best, sympathizers of child molesters at worst. Mind, we were labeled nuts, but the people who went on and on about “national rings of satanic cult child molesters” were not. There’s irony there.

We had ads on television and programs in school telling children to turn their parents into the police if they were smoking joints — and I’m about as much a “do the crime, do the time” type as anyone, but that was one of those differences between us and the Soviets. There, kids turned their parents into the state. Now, we wanted our kids to do it. We still do.

And let’s not forget the Meese report, surely one of the classics of pure junk science ever published. It went from sheer ludicrousness to unintentional self-parody when the moralists started quoting Ted Bundy to support their legislation. Thank God that didn’t go anywhere, but there are plenty of conservatives who would have liked for it to, and would love to push it yet again. Remember that bozo congressman — a Republican — who is trying to ban Playboy on bases? Numerous bloggers supported him, saying (among other things) that “we needed to have a national dialogue about pornography.” Here’s a clue: “Having a national dialogue” and trying to pass a law are two different things. You want to talk about it, fine. You want to pass a law, go to hell.

National ID cards. Clinton wanted them, but didn’t get anywhere. Now, conservatives are pushing for them. Great. Again, call me foolish, but how long will it be before we’re thrown in jail for not being able to produce identification on demand, as the Soviets did? You think I’m paranoid? A court just ruled that no, you do not, in fact, have to produce identification on demand if you are not a suspect. (Massachusetts, I believe?) The frightening thing is that a policeman thought he could arrest somebody for refusing to produce identification, and that the D.A. agreed and tried to prosecute him.

What really bothers me is all of this immigration nonsense. Beef up the border patrol and untie their hands so they can enforce the law, I have absolutely no problem with that. None. And I absolutely have no problem with local enforcement (and untying the hands of local law enforcement). Illegal immigrants who break the law? Lock them up and when they get out, deport them. That’s that “do the crime, do the time” part of me.

But.

Penalizing employers for hiring illegals, are you kidding me? Now we want to force businesses to become an arm of the state? That’s a couple of light years beyond just your basic liberal government intruding into the private sector where it has no business. In what world, exactly, can that be called conservative?

We don’t have illegals here, except the few that are passing through, but if I were putting an addition on my house, I’d hire the Amish (we have lots and lots of them), because they’d do it in a third the time for a lot less money than a union contractor. Sorry, I don’t see the difference between Democrats telling me I can’t hire Amish and conservative immigration hawks telling me I can’t hire illegals. The Amish work 10-12 hour days, and they get it done. They don’t steal or con. And they’ll put up the same addition for half the price a contractor would charge, and in far less time. Oh yes. You won’t work for those wages? Better find another job, then.

What business is it of anyone’s, exactly, whether I hire the Amish, or whether I waste money and time on contractors? And since when did such unconscionable government intrusion become not just a conservative issue, but a litmus test issue? I feel like Rip van Winkle. I wake up, and the conservatives are just as fond of passing laws and restricting liberty and intruding where it’s none of their business as the liberals.

If one of you people screaming about illegal immigration wants to reimburse me the thousands of dollars I’d flush down the toilet by paying inflated wages, we’ll talk. Until then, go to hell.

And a fence? Sorry, but that’s just way too East Berlin for me to go along with. Way, way, way too East Berlin. Uh-uh, you’ll never get my support on that.

The other day, when Mark Steyn said:

The modern Democratic party is like Islam: You’re either a believer or an apostate.

he was only half right. The GOP, or I should say the self-appointed “base” of the GOP are exactly the same.

I don’t want to go all libertarian on you because I’m just your basic, garden-variety traditionalist Goldwater conservative and am many light years from being a libertarian, but proponents of government intrusion just need to back way off — both liberals and conservatives. Maybe I’m just getting to be an old coot, but I really fail to see why people will not mind their own business. This country is way too full of people across the spectrum who see something they don’t like and immediately want to pass a law.

You know, if I’d wanted to live in the USSR, I would have moved there. I didn’t. There’s a reason I didn’t.

Just back off and mind your own business. What’s so hard about that?

You won’t see me whining about so-called civil liberty violations by the Bush administration or expansion of executive powers, because both are crap; Congress has been unconstitutionally taking executive powers for themselves since the 70s. And I’m not sure what it is, but something about the last eight years is turning conservatives into a bunch of moralistic jackbooted thugs — that element has always been there, but not like it is now. Conservatives don’t even believe in personal responsibility anymore; we now have them advocating for parents who refuse to be parents and want to “protect” children from television shows, video games, you name it. Conservatives support “sin taxes,” agricultural welfare, protectionism and tariffs, trade restrictions, seatbelt laws, helmet laws, open container laws, it just never stops. Bigger more intrusive government, more legislation, less liberty, all under the aegis of social engineering.

Would somebody tell me what’s conservative about that? And what about the last eight years has so encouraged these big government pass-a-law types? And most importantly, how is it that these people are suddenly the “base” of the party? When did that happen? How did that happen?

Mind your own business.