"The far-left is just as bad as the far-right." [View All]

[Bjorn Against]

We have heard it time and time again. The far left is just as bad as the far right they tell us. Of course they never tell us what the “far left” stands for, so maybe we should look at the positions of the left in America and compare them to the positions of the right so that we can confirm whether or not they are indeed just as bad.

Apparently it is just as bad to believe every American should have access to quality health care as it is to leave tens of millions to live without health insurance.

Apparently it is just as bad to want peace as it is to bomb a civilian population which posed no threat to the United States .

Apparently it is just as bad to want to protect our environment as it is to allow industry to spew more toxic chemicals into our air and water.

Apparently it is just as bad to believe every American should have equal rights as it is to believe that people should have their rights denied if they love someone of the same sex.

Apparently it is just as bad to believe that we should work to protect people’s basic Constitutional rights as it is to believe that we should hold people in secret prisons without charges and torture them.

Apparently it is just as bad to believe that we should count all votes accurately as it is to believe that we should allow Diebold to count our votes without oversight or accountability.

Apparently it is just as bad to believe that everyone should have an equal voice in our democracy as it is to believe that those who can afford the biggest campaign contributions should have their voice heard more loudly than everyone else.

Apparently it is just as bad to believe that we should start moving towards renewable energy sources as it is to believe we should continue allowing Exxon to run our energy policy.

Apparently it is just as bad to believe that all Americans should receive a fair wage for their labor as it is to believe that we should continue to pay CEOs over 400 times what the average worker makes.

Apparently it is just as bad to believe that no person is above the law as it is to believe that the people in the White House should face no accountability for their crimes.

Apparently it is just as bad to believe that we should listen to the scientists and do something about global warming as it is to play Russian Roulette with our children’s future and do nothing to stop the coming environmental catastrophe.

They can say that the “far left” is just as bad as the far right all they want, but the truth is that on every major issue of importance it is the leftist position that would benefit the most people. It is the leftist position that respects human rights and workers rights. It is the leftist position that seeks peaceful solutions rather than the military solutions which result in mountains of dead bodies. But they keep telling us that the left is just as bad as the right, and people still keep blindly repeating the talking point without seriously looking at the positions held by each side.

What exactly is it that makes someone “far left”? Is it their belief that everyone should have the right to health care? Is it their belief that corporations should be held accountable when they cause harm? Is it their belief that we should not bomb civilian populations who pose us no threat? Is it their belief that torture is wrong? Is it their belief that the pResident should have to follow the law? What position is it exactly that makes someone far left?

I am sick of so-called “moderates” who support the illegal occupation of Iraq, support the insurance industry as they deny health care to tens of millions of Americans, support the Bush Administrations illegal surveillance of American's phone conversations, and oppose doing anything substantial to stop global warming calling us extremists. There is nothing “moderate” about continuing following the status quo in a country that has gotten this far off track, and they are the ones that should be compared to the far-right because they are the ones that have continually voted with the far-right on many of the most crucial issues facing this nation. There is no comparison between progressives and the far-right, but it is easy to compare those who vote with the far-right to the far-right.

There are not two extremes in this country, there is only one extreme and saying the “far-left is just as bad as the far-right” over and over again does not change the reality that it is the right-wing that has been working to destroy this nation.