Sunday, November 25, 2007

I thought it was a joke, but he is dead serious!

Over at BlueOregon, some guy named Albert Kaufmann, a regular B.O. columnist, has a post titled: "It's time for a US Societal Re-education Campaign."

When I read the title I thought surely, this must be a lampoon of some sort. Who in their right mind would actually write a title like that? Certainly no one who knew anything about the shameful history of totalitarian socialist regimes like Mao China and the USSR could sincerely suggest that the US government do the same thing.

Wrong.

Right off the bat, this guy acknowledges that similar efforts in the past weren't really all that kosher, but says it is necessary to "save our asses," so we should do it anyway, just call it something other than "re-education."

So, he actually calls for annual week-long mandatory classes in which every citizen would be taught a laundry list of (in his view) essential learnings. He scripts a daily syllabus for what he wants to 'teach' us all. Predictably, what follows is a litany of liberal dreams: global warming, local buying, recycling, anti-capitalism, living without a car, sharing resources, and on and on ad nauseum.

The list itself is hysterical - one after another totalitarian-liberal platform is tossed in as if it is just obvious that all these things are unquestionably desirable things, with which no reasonable person could object. Eat more vegetables. Organic farming. Bicycle riding classes. The ins and outs of hitchhiking! How to play well with others. How to have a romantic relationship!

You simply have to read it - it is that laughable. But also very, very sad, and more than a little bit scary.

Scary because this is a person who simply sees no limitation at all on the power of government to control our lives. The sweeping purview of the items he wants the government to train the entire population about is breathtaking. He seems to have no reticence about his certitude that all the things he lists are such obvious positives that we should use the coercive power of government to make sure we all agree.

Ok, sure he's a kook. I know. But he is not so much a kook that the leading liberal blog in Oregon doesn't give him space to display his idiotic views for all to see, nor does his post generate much opposing views from his fellow BO bloggers.

The sad truth is, this guy isn't really all that far out of the political mainstream here in Oregon. And that should scare us very, very much.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Michael Savage calls liberalism a "mental disorder." What is it in some people that causes them to want to dominate others in this way? It seems pathological to me. My neighbor is out raking up his leaves across the street. I feel no compunction to go over there and proscribe the way he does it, or how he ultimately disposes of the leaves. His son is playing in the piles, but I have no urge to run over there and ask why he isn't wearing clothes of natural fibers. What is wrong with me?

Anonymous said...

Oh. My. God.

That is incredible. That an adult can actually write down such dribble is just shocking. What a total bufoon.

klatu said...

Maybe people need to "WAKE UP" and realize that this Socialist is just main stream thinking from the DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST PARTY. Blue "Communist" Oregon by burying this Clowns WORDS is just hiding what they and BILLARY Clinton also think.

Anonymous said...

Of course, this is NOT mainstream thinking from Democrats/liberals, as anyone who had read the outraged comments that follow the article would know.

Be thankful he's decided not to run for office.

Rob Kremer said...

I dunno, Mick. I read the comments over there and it looks as if several commenters say it is a fine idea.

Certainly not all of them, and some do take him to task, for sure. But given that this guy gets to post on BlueOregon, he obviously represents the views of a certain significant part of the left.

Anonymous said...

Look at what's happening on college campuses right now. Many schools are doing the exact kind of socialist re-education this poster was saying we need. Colleges are about as mainstream liberal/progressive/socialist as you're likely to find.

Anonymous said...

Yes that is correct. University of Delaware tried to establish mandatory re-education in its residence halls: http://thefire.org/index.php/article/8555.html

University of Oregon has its "Cultural Competency" effort.

This stuff is springing up all over.

Victoria Taft, 11am - 3pm KPAM 860 said...

I tried to leave this on the BO site, but apparently I'm banned from posting which explains why they want reeducation camps and are starting with the content on their own site!

"Albert,
You forgot the lecture about the Essential Milton Friedman, the primer on Private Property Rights, "The 5th Amendment is Your Friend!" required reading would be, "See I Told You So" by Rush Limbaugh, and on the 7th day, "Jesus Loves You but Wants You to Stop Sinning; read the red parts of The Bible."
Just some suggestions. Now if we could just get Blue Oregon to sponsor the reeducation camps...
Love,
Victoria "

Anonymous said...

It's a little surprising to me that the liberals need a college or adult level "second bite at the apple." They already control the vast majority of American children's minds from Kindergarten through Grade 12 with intensive indoctrination into environmentalism, atheism, socialism, etc. These college efforts - and the B.O. post - seem to indicate that the Left is realizing its brainwashing efforts in public schools are not very effective.

Anonymous said...

It's the total hypocrisy that just kills me. This tool Kaufman uses a computer, which uses electricity to run and manufacture. It's built with massive amounts of chemicals and toxic materials, no to mention all the servers, switches, phone lines and communication equipment needed in order for him to get his word out.

Not until these wackos live in a log and use almost no resources in which to live will they ever be taken seriously by me.

klatu said...

Mick said...
Of course, this is NOT mainstream thinking from Democrats/liberals.

Klatu said: Your wrongoooooo Mick.
This "ISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS"
MAINSTREAM thinking of the Democrat Liberals. They should never hold anything of Power in the USAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
ever again. GOTTTTTT ITTTTTTTTTTT

jim karlock said...

Not to mention their gloomy world view of impending global frying and "peak oil".

Give them facts and they deny them.

They are extremely dangerous fools right up there with Lysenko and eugenics.

Thanks
JK