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Mar 3, 2004 My name is Matt. And I’m a socialist. There – I said it. It’s not easy, but it is rather therapeutic in a way and absolutely crucial to my ongoing recovery. I’m taking it one day at a time, you know? Friends and family have been a big help. I do, however, sometimes pine for the good ol’ days when I was just another college Leftist in the ivy-covered confines of West Philadelphia. That is to say that while it certainly wasn’t better for me, it was a whole lot easier. If I still felt the way that I used to about social issues and politics, I could say whatever I wanted about a given situation and still be right. Results and feelings would trump both process and reason, thus excusing any apparent contradictions in my views and allowing me to hedge my bets. For example, I could take Clarence Thomas to task for allegedly telling pubic hair jokes and opining about the endowment of male adult film stars, but then summarily dismiss credible rape and assault accusations against a sitting president as “sexual peccadilloes.” I could chirp “separation of church and state” every time some third graders tried to perform a nativity play at Boise West Elementary School, but then applaud the California Supreme Court for forcing the Catholic Charities to provide contraception to its employees. I could argue that “virtual” sex between minors on the Internet was protected under the First Amendment’s free speech provisions, but at the same time nod approvingly at the passage of the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Bill. (The latter, of course, sets penalties for non-media groups that criticize candidates by name in the crucial weeks leading up to an election – criticism of government was certainly not what the Founding Fathers had in mind!) Sticking with the Bill of Rights, I could vehemently, and rightly, defend each of those amendments as individual – not group - rights. Except for the Second Amendment. The obvious intent of that unfortunate nuisance was that we all blindly entrust our personal security to the institutions of the state, despite the fact that the latter can promptly disavow any responsibility for such in a court of law. The Founders, of course, were simply predicting our present day National Guard. I could constantly bemoan the situation of the broken families among the poor in our cities, but then disavow the notion that the “War on Poverty” has anything to do with it. Trillions of dollars spent and an increasingly non-judgmental welfare system couldn’t possibly lead to a semi-permanent underclass that views government handouts as their right! (Chalk that one up to racism and a lack of opportunities.) I could cry foul when Alabama’s Justice Roy Moore violated the law and his civic duty by installing a monument of the Ten Commandments in the rotunda of his courthouse. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, however, is courageous for flaunting the law and issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. I could breezily excuse judicial activism with the mantra of a “living, breathing Constitution.” Questionable decisions that smile on my causes though, like Roe v Wade, are quickly pulled from the respirator and merit litmus tests for any future judicial appointments. That way, I would get to decide what “lives and breathes.” I could deride defense spending and the need for a well-funded intelligence apparatus as relics of the Cold War – and then ask with a straight face how 19 foreign terrorists could have plotted 9/11 for two years, right in our own backyard. I could boast about my unwavering support for all things done in the name of “diversity,” including quotas and set-asides, all the while ostracizing any colleagues who dared not to think like me. (People who feel that school vouchers are a good idea just don’t get it!) I could throw the term “Orwellian” around with reckless abandon when talking about anything done by the Ashcroft Justice Department, but also campaign relentlessly for the passage of “hate crimes” (legislation that by its very nature criminalizes thought that I find to be unacceptable). Indeed, things would be a lot easier if I were still on the Left. But I’ve come too far to allow myself to relapse. Nobody said that the road to belief in limited government, a strong defense, individual responsibility, and the original intent of the Constitution would be an easy one. One day at a time, my friends. One day at a time. ------------ About Matthew Bastian: Recovering socialst, part-time drummer, long-suffering Brewers fan, and all-around beach hound, Mr. Bastian lives in central New Jersey. Email Matthew Bastian: mbastian19@hotmail.com ------------ |
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