Robert Reich was a class ahead of me at college, and at the time he stood out for his knack at picking out positions that were (1) somewhat ahead of the curve, so he could get a leg up as representative of The Next Big Thing, but (2) not too far ahead, so those in power could bring him into their efforts to deal with events and bring them in line with the needs of orderly management and their own interests. His recent comments in The American Prospect, in which he says that terrorism is just a tactic and “the true battle is between modern civilization and anti-modernists,” are therefore a useful confirmation of the tendency of our rulers toward viewing the “War against Terror,” to the extent it’s legitimate and makes sense, as an aspect of a larger war against religion and in favor of atheism. (The whole article is not yet online, but the link will give you an extract.)
The true enemy: anti-modernism
If Reich (like Michael Lind, like Andrew Sullivan, like Christopher Hitchens and so many more) believes that the true enemy in the war on terror is “anti-modernists,” then we traditionalists are the true enemy. VFR, for example, is the true enemy, since, when Mr. Kalb initially created that site, his description of its point of view was that of “the anti-modern, politically incorrect right.” Similarly, all Catholics and other Christians who have opposed “modernism” in the Church are the enemy. Several years ago I attended a monthly reading group at my church where we were reading a collection of sermons by Rowen Williams (before he was made Archbishop of Canterbury). While the sermons were literate and interesting, I repeatedly criticized Williams as a “modernist.” In saying that, I was revealing myself as a proto-enemy of the West in the war against terrorism.
Our government has not been willing to round up and deport Jihadists. But perhaps someday it will start rounding up “anti-modernists.”
The true enemy: anti-modernism
Not as long as there are people like Mr. Auster and Mr. Kalb and others willing to sacrifice their time and effort rather than do more of the things we all like to do. What is so frustrating is so many people think they have no control over large events such as presidential elections or over problems such as immigration. If they only got up out of their chairs and did something, things would change quickly, as they did after the World Trade Centers were bombed, the second time. Of course leadership is the key that could unlock the closed minds. I suppose we should think of the most unlikely conservative considering Reagan’s and Schwartzenegger’s unbelievable victories. Tom Tancredo maybe, who is similarly underestimated and tireless for sure. David Vitter maybe. P. Murgos.
Yes, Traditionalism is the enemy, but…
It is called “fundamentalism” by the major media. The term fundamentalism is employed when a generalization needs to be made between Islam (a satanic faith) and “socially conservative Christianity”. The operative definition of fundamentalism is the belief in absolute moral values, on which systems of social organization have been built. Anything that violates the collegialty of hedonism (with a wink and a finger laid aside the nose), and its progenitor materialism is intellectually verboten.
Henry Tanner
Quaerite Prime Regnum Dei
http://www.kinism.org
Some more Reich quotes and references
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1168639/posts
Rem tene, verba sequentur.
Grasp the subject, the words will follow.
I concur, and thanks for the other links. Interesting.
Quaerite Prime Regnum Dei