Posted by
Citizen Carrier on Wednesday, November 14, 2007 9:04:02 PM
Supporters of Ron Paul often seem astonished or perplexed when people exposed to his wisdom, either from him or through his surrogates on the internet, fail to become converts.
This is usually accompanied by demanding to know just where my opinions deviate from those of Paul and why. The conceit being that only a lack of proper understanding or my questionable conservative credentials could be the reason.
To be brief, Paul lost me at "It's our fault".
Wisely, Paul has not repeated those words very often since he gave Giuliani the opportunity to look incredulous for home audiences. But his surrogates on the internet have not received the memo.
Paul could announce that he will burn down the IRS Building and disband the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, but that would have no effect on me. When you blame the rape victim for the crime because her skirt was too short, I won't be jumping on your bandwagon anytime soon. Actually, never.
But the problem isn't just Paul. It's those supporters of his who constantly speak of America as an "empire". A meddlesome, holier-than-thou empire that should retire from the scene after offering a spate of apologies to the world at large for ever having the arrogance to think of ourselves as making a positive difference.
The problem, the thing they don't realize, is that guys like me cannot discuss "America" as some sort of abstract thing. I cannot discuss America in the third person. As if I am detached from it.
When you lampoon or criticize America, you do the same to me. When you complain about Iraqis murdered, you are calling me a murderer. I personalize it. I internalize it. I would do this even if I weren't a soldier.
I've grown accustomed to Persons of the Left speaking this way. I'm not supposed to like them anyway. And I don't. But when I hear people who also believe in limited government, tax cuts, and gun rights ALSO speaking indistinguishably from the most rabid disciple of Noam Chomsky...I cannot stand it.
It is too late to win me back, but I suspect that was never your purpose either. This is about venting, not about persuading.
My advice: Drop the "America is the bad guy" stuff. Drop anything that could even be remotely construed as such. For you cannot win an election without us. We could probably do it without you.