Centerfield

Tom,
I'm not sure how productive it is to cite anecdotes in an apparent attempt to convince centrists that democrats are more interested in ideological purity than republicans.

The point is that the "culture war" is being waged by a minority of invested and powerful partisans from both fringes that has alienated a busy and more common-sense minded public which is ignored because they don't shout loudly or often enough on culture issues.

BK,

I'd have to say that the point Tom Grey brings up is one of the things that scares and infuriates me most about the Left in America. Not the pro-life/pro-choice debate.... the "Hate Speech" laws. Many European nations, as well as Canada and Australia have laws on the books that make it a crime, not to harm anyone or even threaten to harm anyone, but to simply and honestly express your beliefs.

Rob Wilson, a man in Australia, is appearing in court right now for "villifying" a pagan witch. He's being prosecuted for a crime simply because he expressed his belief that paganism is wrong.

These are not boogyman stories, these are real people facing criminal charges in countries very much like our own (including our neighbor to the North) for simply speaking their beliefs... not making threats. These are countries that the agenda setters on the American Left want to model our own laws on.

That concerns me enough to push me far right just to make sure it doesn't happen here. Those countries were nations that resembeled our own on the political spectrum but in relatively recent times they've been pushing far left. It is the same direction that many leading elements in the Democratic party want to see our nation go....and quite frankly I don't want to see it happen here.

Amen to your entire post, BK. Democrats sure aren't the only ones aggressively pushing an agenda, and I think your phrase "being waged by a minority of invested and powerful partisans..." is right on target. "Minority" being the operative word there. Although I might add a minority of *loud* invested and powerful partisans. :-)

Cengel, I share your concerns about misguided "hate speech" laws. They are deeply troubling. I'm a classical liberal and a utilitarian, and my concern has pushed me not to the far right, but to the far center.

IMO, the far left hate speech ilk closely resemble many on the religious right who are dogmatic authoritarians. Notice how often both of these fringes run afoul of the true meaning and spirit of free speech, freedom of expression. Whichever way I look afar to the fringes, I see uncritical acceptance of an ideology/theology and concurrent willingness to impose it, whether it be mullah Moore in Alabama trying to enshrine the idea of our entire governmental system as in fealty to his God, or whether it be lefty PC thought police who want to make name-calling a crime. The only real differences among these people is the texts they worship.

Frankly, I don't care whether the person who wants to substitute their judgement for mine is from the left or the right, I recognize the stink.

I agree with the comments about the pernicious hate crime laws, but I doubt we are likely to have those in America. The fact is the left is far more powerful in other countries; more to the point is that the concept of individualism is far more central in the US than in other countries. So that while there are certainly leftists here that would like to impose speech codes and so forth, I think they are much more limited than in other countries. the concept of free speech is far more central to our national identity. So I don't think you really have much to worry about. (I must admit, however, that I moved away from liberalism because of my dislike of the culture of political correctness and "goody goody" liberalism.)