A Crap Sandwich By Any Other Name...

I received a militaria catalog in the mail today called Military, apparently by some group called "The Press of Freedom." It's a right wing production. It contains an article by Oliver North. It has articles that denigrate Barack Obama. And it has little snippets that are quite anti-liberal in content. One of them in particular pissed me off. Under the heading "Liberalism/Socialism" it says,

"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." - Thomas Jefferson

I couldn't agree more. The problem is, they're co-opting Jefferson to make him appear the enemy of liberalism when in fact, Thomas Jefferson was rooted in the liberal ideas of the Enlightenment. He was as far from the conservatives of that time as can be. Obviously, at the time, he was something of a radical, as were all the Founding Fathers, when you remember conservatism at the time was deeply rooted in monarchy and state religions.

The thing is, conservatives are perfectly happy spending our money on their causes, for example, Faith Based Initiatives - then its not tyranny at all. They're not denouncing the use of tax dollars to fund various programs because somebody finds them immoral or objectionable. They're demanding that their own views be privileged. By all means, they say, spend our tax dollars. Spend them on churches, on proselytizing, and on other programs that further the cause of Christianity.

And so, of course, they are hypocrites, and of the worst kind. I'll give this particular crap sandwich its due consideration and dispose of it appropriately.