Comments on: Free Speech in an Age of Jihad

By: Roger’s Rules » Brit to Palin: Drop Dead: or, By George, I Think She’s Got It!

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 15:26:42 +0000

[...] been circumscribed. I expect it to be at least as informative and enlightening as the conference on Free Speech in a Age of Jihad that Andrew McCArthy and I organized last spring. The New Criterion published edited versions of [...]

By: SteveB

SteveB — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 21:10:07 +0000

Charles — You write:
Freedom is something that transcends ties between liberal and conservative views

Now let’s go back to the original quote by Burnham, that Roger Kimball referenced:

Modern liberalism does not offer ordinary men compelling motives for personal suffering, sacrifice, and death.

So you and I seem to agree that liberalism might incline one to value freedom, and it seems reasonable that someone who values freedom might even be willing to risk death for it (as Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner were), but, according to Burnham, liberalism does not offer ordinary men compelling motives for personal suffering, sacrifice, and death.

Seems like a contradiction, doesn’t it? Do you agree with Burnham, or not?

By: Charles

Charles — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:50:58 +0000

Freedom of one’s race or people was never a liberal issue, simply a human one. Sure, many say that they died under a liberal banner. As for the civil rights movement, it was passed largely under republican influence in the house and senate. Freedom is something that transcends ties between liberal and conservative views (both depend on it! I just wish more liberals saw that!).

Don’t forget that someone in one of those freedom marches in the 60’s died a proud president of the NRA.

Just a thought.

By: SteveB

SteveB — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:49:30 +0000

Dave F:
Well, that’s an interesting standard you’re proposing. In order to claim that someone has “died for liberalism”, it isn’t enough that they be a liberal themselves, dying in service to a cause supported by other liberals and opposed by conservatives (let’s remember, William F. Buckley’s National Review was harshly critical of the civil rights movement). No, it must be the case the liberals and liberals alone must support the cause for which you’ve died.

I really don’t see why you have to be so stingy in allowing us our martyrs. If you’ll give me Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner, I’ll gladly concede that the roughly four thousand Americans who died in Iraq died for Conservatism, or at least for the Republican Party.

By: KenB

KenB — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:12:22 +0000

I was so happy to be able to attend last week’s conference, and to see and meet some of the heros from the war for our civilization. It was spectacular.

Thank you Roger and all your team and the folks at FDD for organizing it.

The next day I started my subscription to The New Criterion.

By: william

william — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:08:36 +0000

Roger,
THIS IS A GREAT POST. Sadly, as Al Fin says the college professors will not wake up to this. That is true I teach at a college and I’ve never seen a group of people so out of reality in my life. In one sense it is very discouraging. In another I have faith that the citizens are and will wake up to this real on going threat.

By: Dave F

Dave F — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:14:14 +0000

SteveB — You are confusing categories. Fighting racism is not the sole province of liberalism. The Missisippi civil rights workers did not die for liberalism, even if they were liberals.

By: Robbins

Robbins — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 04:26:47 +0000

Roger, I wish you’d write something about Roger Cohen the new addition to the New York Times op ed page.

The writer who I gather is from South Africa seems to think that Islam is a pluralistic religion that allows for diversity:

“Obama’s Indonesian Lessons”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/14/opinion/14cohen.html?hp

He also says he was offended by Hillary’s defense of the ‘religion of my fathers,” because they are not pluralistic.

This must mean that he would also be offended by the religion of my Jewish parents.

Roger Cohen also keeps confusing South Africa with the USA.

Yes, I wish someone would write a critique of this pretentious and ignorant internationalist who thinks that Islam will help us achieve diversity.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:50:27 +0000

I wasn’t at the conference, but those photographs provide almost as much information as if I had been. It’s tremendously encouraging to know that the the far right is not populated solely by middle-aged white men anymore.

Now there are a few middle-aged white women.

This is progress, surely.

By: SteveB

SteveB — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 20:13:00 +0000

You quote from James Burnham’s book Suicide of the West: Modern liberalism does not offer ordinary men compelling motives for personal suffering, sacrifice, and death. And you note that the book was published in 1964. What else was happening in 1964? Well, that was also the year that civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner were were killed in Mississippi.