Hippies/peaceniks were right, says Reagan conservative

[NJCher]

On the way home from class tonight, I heard the most incredible audio opinion piece. It was from a conservative who identifies as a Reagan conservative. Youngish guy, just turning 40 or so now.

Anyway, as a boomer who was once a hippie/peacenik demonstrating in the streets against the VietNam War, I just about cried when I heard him talk about his scorn for us and our ideals--and how bush's war has changed him and made him think now that we were right all along.

One of the most poignant parts of his piece was when he was talking about how he will advise his own kids (and young people in general, by implication), that presidents and generals cannot be trusted in their calls to arm. He said he will teach his kids to question them.

Here's a link to the audio piece and I will watch for the transcript. When the transcript is posted, I'll put it up with the URL.

Here's the audio link:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6817201



Cher

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. I heard that segment

it warmed my old hippy heart.

[NJCher]

3. wasn't it terrific!?

Peace, sister. :)

:pals:



Cher

[DoYouEverWonder]

10. And to you

The end is in sight.

:pals:

[twilight_sailing]

2. As time goes by

more and more former right wingers will admit the truth of the matter.

So what? That is not a rhetorical question. So what?

I've been alive long enough to know that for every right winger who sees the light a hundred more haters spring up. They hate us. I am not kidding. Hate.

[NJCher]

9. the difficulty

So what? That is not a rhetorical question. So what?

It's extremely difficult to say "I was wrong and you were right." When someone has the character to say it--and to say it publicly, as this man did--I have to say it matters.

In a day and age when strength of character is rarer and rarer--when it seems most people act in their own unmitigated self-interest--it matters.

I tip my hat to this man. I admire him for being able to say "I was wrong."



Cher

[twilight_sailing]

12. How many who took their cues from him

will now change their minds?

Again, this is not a rhetorical question.

[tridim]

4. I can't think of a single instance since the 60's when the peaceniks have been wrong.

We're always right.

[knowbody0]

5. my whole family disowned me as "communist" back then

we WERE right, history prooved it, we ARE right now!

Thanks for posting this, heartwarming.

[ChiciB1]

6. NICE! And I'm A BOOMER Too!

Still remember how I felt when I realized way back when that "they LIE!"

[annabanana]

7. Well, yeah.

Love always wins in the end. That's the "word" that was in the beginning, after all.

[DoYouEverWonder]

11. Say the word

The Word (Lennon/McCartney)


Say the word and you'll be free
Say the word and be like me
Say the word I'm thinking of
Have you heard the word is love?
It's so fine, It's sunshine
It's the word, love
In the beginning I misunderstood
But now I've got it, the word is good

Spread the word and you'll be free
Spread the word and be like be
Spread the work I'm thinking of
Have you heard the word is love?
It's so fine, It's sunshine
It's the word, love
Every where I go I hear it said
In the good and bad books that I have read

Give the word a chance to say
That the word is just the way
It's the word I'm thinking of
And the only word is love
It's so fine, It's sunshine
It's the word, love
Now that I know what I feel must be right
I'm here to show everybody the light

Say the word and you'll be free
Say the word and be like me
Say the word I'm thinking of
Have you heard the word is love?
It's so fine, It's sunshine
It's the word, love

[DinahMoeHum]

8. Rod Dreher is a columnist for the Dallas Morning News

and is the author of "Crunchy Cons"

http://www.amazon.com/Crunchy-Cons-Birkenstocked-evangelical-homeschooling/dp/1400050642/sr=1-1/qid=1168564125/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-8592341-1169556?ie=UTF8&s=books

He also has a blog at Beliefnet:
http://www.beliefnet.com/blogs/crunchycon/

[Horse with no Name]

13. knr

for later.
Thanks!

[R_M]

14. My first recomendation!

[wryter2000]

22. Welcome to DU

:hi:

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. happy to issue the 5th rec

[undergroundpanther]

16. Never trust

A rich man to be clear about your financial situation if it means he may lose money if he "helps" you. Never trust A politician to feel for you,And never ever trust a general or a "leader" of anything who is profiting off a war in any way to be honest about it.
Power corrupts. It really does unless it is forced to be checked, made transparent and is SHARED by all the people equally as possible.

[bluhoodie]

17. Would that more people would change their stance

like this, with or without an admission of regret. Obviously, judging by the polls, a lot of people have changed their opinion about bush and his policies. I hope the new Democratic Congress will give people more positive things to focus their energies on.
K&R

[zulchzulu]

18. MP3 of NPR commentary

Great commentary...

MP3/3MB

[DarkTirade]

19. I think this online comic explains my thoughts on this exactly...

Or at least what to say to these people when they finally start to figure it out.

http://www.digitalpimponline.com/strips.php?start=203&title=movie

[progressoid]

20. Maybe not as eye opening as he thinks.

I got the feeling that he was blaming flawed politicians more than flawed policy, or flawed ideology. Granted, he wants to teach his children that "they have to question authority". But he says he's "still a conservative despite it all".

Maybe I'm seeing the glass as half empty, but I think he'll ultimately cling to his conservatism. Eventually, he'll find a way to rationalize those hippie thoughts away.

On the half full side, a LOT of people heard a man seeking some personal redemption and give some props to us at the same time. Maybe he'll sit out a few election cycles too!

[BeFree]

21. One con eye open, the other: still closed

It is the true nature of conservatism to not have blind faith in the government. Recently, the cons have had both eyes closed, therefore blind to the government's deceptions. The cons have been had and their realization of that reality hurts them deeply.

Usually the final word in any argument with a con is mine: "The difference betweeen me and you is that you trust the government, and I don't."