THE LEFT'S MINDLESS RHAPSODIES ARE HITTING A SOUR NOTE

In a post titled "The Four Pillars of the Socialist Revival and the Rise of Islamofascism" I laid out the thesis that the re-animation of socialist/communist/Marxist ideology after its supposed demise at the end of the last century, was due to four separate lines of attack on western civilization.

These four lines of attack included:

Leftist Environmentalism - which has at its center the idea that humans are destroying the earth; and implicit in that assumption is the idea that technology is evil and that we would all be better off returning to a more primitive lifestyle;

Multiculturalism - which asserts that ALL cultures are equally good and wonderful; EXCEPT for western culture which is uniquely evil;

Politically Correct Thought, Speech and Rhetoric - through which the nihilism and anti-reality/anti-reason tenets of postmodern philosophy are enforced; and

Terrorism - or, direct physical attacks and the use of physical force to intimidate those who do not agree with your political ideology

The good news is that there is mounting evidence that these strategies are beginning to backfire on the left.

First, leftist environmentalism placed all its eggs in the global warming basket; and that basket has been slowly unraveling for the last several years. Most recently the expose of the global warming scam among even scientists has made the entire movement the object of ridicule and well-deserved suspicion of its underlying motivations. A key feature of leftist environmentalism is that global warming (or global cooling or whatever) is primarily due to the evil behavior of human beings. The corollary of this is, of course, that the superior intellect of leftist elites make them uniquely qualified to control the evil behavior of the unwashed masses and save the planet!

Next comes the denunciation and failure of the multicultural society by the German President, Angela Merkel:

Somebody eventually had to say it — and German chancellor Angela Merkel deserves credit for being the one who had the courage to say it out loud. Multiculturalism has “utterly failed.”

Multiculturalism is not just a recognition that different groups have different cultures. We all knew that, long before multiculturalism became a cult that has spawned mindless rhapsodies about “diversity,” without a speck of evidence to substantiate its supposed benefits.

The multiculturalism line of attack against western civilization was necessary in order to delegitimize the economic and political liberty that is the hallmark of western civilization. By attempting to equate these western values with racism and oppression directed at other cultures, the dead-ender elites of communism and socialism hoped to institute subtle and clever assault against capitalism and freedom--which stand squarely in the way of their obtaining power over others. They succeeded beyond their wildest dreams because of the useful idiots of the left (and not a few in the middle and on the right). This is why it is so heartening to see a European country where these ideas firmly have taken root open their eyes to reality.

A parallel line of attack on political freedom--particularly freedom of speech--has been the dogma of political correctness. On university campuses we have witnessed the insidious erosion of freedom of speech by the academic left. Just go to the website of FIRE (the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education) if you want to understand how free speech is being stifled in the one place where it should most be revered and protected. Instead, "freedom of speech" is granted to anyone deemed politically correct by the campus left; while those who disagree are routinely characterized as racist, sexist, homophobic and/or Islamophobic. When speech is not felt to be consistent with leftist dogma, it is called "hate speech."

This is one of the best and most succinct discussions of the desire to criminalize "hate speech":

This push must be, and will be, resisted by all who care deeply about freedom of speech because, at the end of the day, "hate speech" is really a very subjective judgment that very much depends on the eye of the beholder, or, if you will, the ear of the listener. Extreme examples are easy to identify, but most liberal experts in this field neglect to point out that obscene and so-called "fighting words" that invoke extreme emotion are already not protected as speech under current Constitutional jurisprudence. That being the case, the "extra" protection afforded by "hate speech" codes really are illusory. What is really going on here is an attempt to declare beyond debate certain subjects that the Left finds offensive.

More mundane examples, however, are likely not to produce such unanimity of judgment. Is Little Green Footballs and invaluable political forum that focuses on the plans and deeds of Islamic Fascists? Or is it a racist hate-site that the government should shut down? We suspect the answer to that question very much depends on one's political views.[....]

We understand that freedom of speech is painful to liberals. We know what you're going through, having had to live through the era when you controlled the public debate and no dissenting voices to liberal orthodoxy were allowed into the hallowed halls of CBS News or the New York Times.

Hate speech codes are nothing more and nothing less than an attempt to criminalize one's political opponents and should be resisted by all who care for liberty, be they right or left.(Emphasis mine)

But there is hope that the PC madness is also unraveling. Those who celebrate freedom and who have been dismayed by the suppression of speech that "hurts the feelings" of others can only rejoice at the recent events in one of the more "politically correct" countries of the world:

The criminal case against Geert Wilders appears to be unraveling.

Wilders, the controversial Dutch lawmaker and filmmaker known for his outspoken stances against Islam, was facing prosecution in his home country for allegedly inciting racial hatred. But prosecutors in the case said Friday they've asked the court to drop the charges.

The prosecutors now say that Wilders was targeting the religion, not Muslim individuals, and he has some leeway as a lawmaker to make statements about social problems, Reuters reported.

Earlier this month, Wilders appealed for freedom of expression and then exercised his right to silence as the trial began, at a time when his popularity and influence in the Netherlands are near all-time highs.

Wilders has compared Islam to Nazism and called for a ban on the Koran. He argues he has a right to freedom of speech and that his remarks were within the bounds of the law.

Finally, we come to the last pillar upon which the hopes and dreams of leftists everywhere are held up: direct violence against those who disagree with you. The pervasive terrorism of the 21st century is a direct consequence of this line of attack on western civilization by the dead-enders of communism, socialism, and Marxism. It is no coincidence that Islamic fanaticism has not only risen, but been thriving in a culture dominated by postmodern leftist ideas. In this collusion we have a perfect example of the historical confluence of socialism, communism, and fascism. All three ideologies are nothing more than the utopian fantasies of the totalitarian mindset. Radical Islam and its quest for complete control over the minds of man is the ultimate expression of leftist ideals.

It is this same mindset, rooted in collectivist hubris and moral relativism, that forms the basis for almost all leftist thought today. And, it is also the basis for the rise of Islamofascism over the last half century.

The alliance between historical remants of those failed 20th century ideologies--responsible between them for more human misery and death than ever before known in history--and the Islamic fanatics (who represent the 21st century totalitarian mindset) is clearly visible in the precepts of postmodernism political correctness and multiculturalism, which dovetail perfectly into the rhetoric that rationalizes terroism and the behavior that appeases and enables it. Their mutual goal and utopian dream is to control the minds of men.

The tyranny that each group desires to impose is not viable in a world where human thought is free; and thus, the purpose of postmodern philosophy is nothing less than to undermine mankind's perception of reality itself.

Because only in a psychotic world, cut off from reason, truth and reality; can there be even the slightest sliver of hope that the anti-human, anti-freedom agenda of the left might still be able to be imposed upon the human world.

Fortunately, people everywhere on earth are starting to wake up and realize what is happening. They see that human progress is being held hostage by the utterly failed ideas and policies of the political left, who want nothing more than make the clock run backwards on human progress. Here in the U.S., we have a chance to repudiate once and for all these misbegotten and utterly irrational ideas; and crush the hope (and change) that burns brightly in the breasts of the left's political elites; whose sole motivation has been and always will be to obtain power and control over the human mind.

UPDATE: On the leftist environmentalism front, here's an interesting (and spot on) take on "The Climate Change Chameleon":

Climatism, the belief that man-made greenhouse gases are destroying Earth's climate, is a remarkably flexible ideology. Calling it "global warming" for many years, advocates then renamed the crisis "climate change" after the unexpected cooling of global surface temperatures from 2002-2009. Last month, John Holdren, Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, urged everyone to start using the term "global climate disruption." What's next -- "catastrophic climate calamity"?

Whatever it takes, I guess, to get control over us clueless climate deniers.

UPDATE II: NPR fires Juan Williams...screw free speech. Do you begin to see how this alliance between the left and Islam works? Political correctness is the handmaiden of terror. Don't hold your breath waiting for the knee jerk accusations of NPR being "racist"--I mean, Williams was clearly a traitor to his race....

Key William's quote (and insight from someone with moderate views) from last night: "I think, look, political correctness can lead to some kind of paralysis where you don’t address reality."

Cliff May on Williams' firing: "...at NPR most people favor engagement with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — but not with Bill O’Reilly."