Which is one of the questions posed to Ms. Coulter by one Young Republican at a speech for the Young Americans Foundation a couple of weeks ago. Someone at an airport saw the questioner, reading one of Ms. Coulter's books and said to the young lady,
"You're a Republican? You're so young. You know what that means, right? It means you are born without a heart."
The existential implication shook the questioner. But Ms. Coulter -- as always -- put on her poker face and dismissed the question by diverting her answer.
"That surprises me," she joshed after a pause. "Airports are like book signings for me."
Adding,
"People at airports, those are people with jobs. And people with jobs: Those are my people."
Course they are. More for you, my pre-t-tee! Who, by the way, managed to lead any given question down the opportunistic path in the direction of the validity of each of her books.News flash: Greed is NOT a virtue.
In Matthew: 7: 21-23, the Bible says,
Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22: Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23: Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!
The philosophical differences appealed by the boisterous fashion as of late demands some reflection. With the defenders of capitalism and a Colonial revival underway spurred on by the Libertarian caucus, we can't even jump right into history unless we process some of these words thrown out there through Language Arts class first. For now, let's touch up on a couple. The word "liberalism" for one, if only to be reminded that it is also defined by laissez-faire, free market economic theory, as well. And when we look up the word "liberal" vs. the word "republican" a helpful device to remember is unconventional vs. traditional. Both are founded in democracy and operate within constitutional boundaries. But a liberal is also defined by tolerance and reform, which seems to be the dividing line that drives this partisan debate. Let's not forget, then, that it was in the name of tolerance and reform that our forefathers wrote the unconventional and radically minded Constitution. They wrote it as they dreamed of a perfect nation ... a nation yet to be realized.
Even Ayn Rand admitted that certain provisions, amendments and loopholes have stood in the way of absolute, unregulated capitalism. So when there's a backlash against Big Bad Government stepping in, once again, to force us to be "good" because of our innately "bad" nature, we ought to make important distinctions on the side of her much ballyhooed Virtue of Selfishness. Granted,
"If we have a bad nature, then we have no self-esteem. And when we have no self-esteem any demagogue can order us around, because we wouldn't consider ourselves valuable enough to be free,"
as she herself said on an appearance on the Phil Donahue show in the early Seventies.
"You will be anxious to follow anyone, because you don't trust yourself."
Isn't this a perfect antidote for the woman, a constituent of senator Barney Frank, who held a poster of the president rendered as Hitler? When in fact there's another demagogue she apparently can't seem to get out of her mind. Who, indeed, does fit the bill by description of fascism in the name of religion. Kudos to Barney for his scrupulous reply.
