In the span of just a few days, so many things change. Just this week, the current administration failed in their mission to gut and dismantle the Affordable Care Act, and seem to have succeeded in stripping away discrimination protections for LGBTQ people working in 
the federal government. These things, together with an ongoing barrage of similarly maddening attempts to roll the US right back into the dark ages, bring us swiftly back into the consideration began last week. It seems that our adolescent conservative faction of Americans are passionately ready to cut off their own foot and pave the way for their own demise in the name of self-righteous beliefs that express their ultimate assumption of entitlement to not only live their own lives according to their values, but to also force others into their small vision of the one and only right way to live.
A reminder of our basis for the discussion, the adolescent conservative insult “libtard,” which is defined by a contributor to Urban Dictionary:
“A libtard wants to live in a fantasy world (in which life is the way that they WISH IT WAS) as opposed to dealing with life the way it actually is. The most idealistic libtard envisions a time when science/technology and Socialism will eliminate all poverty, hunger, war, disease, injustice, unemployment and prejudice… Most libtards subscribe to the notion that “people are basically good,” and build their foundation for activism and “improving the human condition” on that faulty premise… Metaphorically speaking, a libtard is a sheep who thinks that their grasp of diplomatic nuance or metaphysical sensitivity will prevent their flock from being devoured by the world’s Islamic/Communist wolves.”
In part I, we began to consider the things these conservatives believe to be the core of the threatening progressive agenda, and here we continue. But before diving in, I think it is ultimately telling of the fears espoused by this segment of the population right here in the above definition. “Fantasy world” would imply that the world is a static place that is the way it is without ever changing – and I can imagine that to many people this may seem true, especially if they feel power
less to affect meaningful change in their own lives. The idea that people can hold a big vision of a better way and make that happen indeed may sound absurd. And the elimination of “poverty, hunger, war, disease, injustice, unemployment, and prejudice” may sound like an idealistic fantasy to those who are entrenched in lives that include those very things, and who have had no success in finding a way out of suffering from the effects, but again, I believe that the inability to imagine and subsequently create a situation where these things were fully resolved is ultimately the result of being deeply stuck in an oppressive way of life, and holding a lot of anger and hostility toward anyone who imagines they can transform it. I also see that for people who are living in oppression, there could be a major injury to one’s pride in suggesting that someone else can figure out and remedy these things, while those who are stuck couldn’t find a way out themselves. And pride is foolish and stubborn. Many times, we humans would rather be prideful and uphold our rightness, even to our own detriment, than humble ourselves and receive support and make changes.
And as for the “Communist wolves” ~ considering the number of members of the current administration who are suspected to have ties to the Russian government, the whole argument falls apart instantly. Now, back to our evaluation of the “libtard” agenda, as told by the adolescent conservatives.
- The adoption of laws, treaties and tax regulations that hinder America’s competitiveness. The ultimate unconscious belief in relation to our current paradigm of capitalism is that unlimited growth is positive and necessary. What that ultimately means is that in order for an economy to continue growing – which is the goal of
capitalism – people must keep wanting and buying more things, and in order to continue providing more things, resources must be procured for the creation of the things. The American way has become synonymous with more-faster-cheaper, and this is how our current system has come to define competitiveness. In order for America to continue being the world’s best everything, we must win at the more-faster-cheaper game, and lead the world in… what exactly? This is where our laws, treaties, and tax regulations have come in. By seeking to limit the more-faster-better capitalistic drive just a tiny, tiny bit, there has been some hope that we might not destroy the entire natural world for the sake of our little consumer game. And there is also the tiniest bit of integrity that has attempted to find its way into the system, asking those who are the most successful at the more-faster-better game to do their civic duty and contribute to the wellbeing of the entire nation because it’s the right thing to do. But just like children with their Monopoly game, many of the ones in charge right now simply don’t want any part in this. They want their win, they want it now, and they want it all for themselves, and to hell with everyone else.
- Ever increasing government micromanagement of private enterprise. Just as in the previous commentary, here again is the demonstration of the unwillingness of these
adolescent conservatives to come into agreement with certain rules of integrity and justice. What they call “micromanagement,” many others would call accountability and responsibility. In fact, those regulations are in place for exactly that reason. As much as I personally would like to believe that all humans act from a place of awareness, compassion, and consideration of the whole, the reality is that many, many people who come into power and wealth have the emotional and psychological makeup of children, and don’t have the wisdom to understand that we are all in this world, and this life, together. Like the little child that can’t understand why mama won’t allow him to eat nothing but chocolate bars for dinner, these unwise and greedy business people want to have no accountability for their actions and the results of their actions, and that is dangerous.
- The promotion of the tyranny of the minority. Instead of “tyranny” I suggest that what is actually meant here is “existence.” Tyranny is defined as “cruel, unreasonable, or arbitrary use of power or control.” I’d be hard pressed to find *any* semblance of
tyranny coming from minority communities, most of whom are simply fighting for their right to even have a place at the table for the conversation about what is fair and just. But for those adolescent conservatives who are threatened by the very idea that they would be asked to share the world, the country, and the neighborhood with people who live, look, and believe differently, even the existence of those who are minorities triggers an unreasonable and extreme avalanche of ideas and fears that have no basis in reality. Indeed, if any tyranny exists, it is in the hands of the very ones that espouse the fear in the first place. Fearing tyranny, they embrace tyranny as their strategy. - The filing of specious law suits to shakedown corporations for cash. The very idea that suing corporations for their misdeeds, claiming they have done no wrong, is utterly laughable. This, again, is an example of the belief that more-faster-better is the ultimate law of the land, and that anything that gets in the way of the creation of greater power and wealth must be stopped. Suing megalomaniac corporations for destroying the environment, for the unfair treatment of workers, for creating products that cause harm,
for engaging in illegal activities ~ to the adolescent conservative mind, these things are a bother, a nuisance, and the very essence of un-American, as they attempt to stifle the great American dream of liberty and freedom. Corporations are being increasingly valued as equal to actual human beings, and those at the very top of the ladder in overseeing – and having their bank accounts stuffed by – these entities have become so drunk on the almighty dollar, they have lost any capacity to consider the bigger picture of what they are doing, and the greater impact of those actions. In the end, even when these super-corporations lose lawsuits and must pay millions or billions of dollars in retribution, it is likely to be far less than what would truly be necessary to begin making up for the damage done. - The destruction of Capitalism. These words are spoken about the creation of laws to uphold responsibility and accountability in the system of capitalism, of course. And just as there are many who believe that Christianity is destroyed by allowing others to follow their own distinct religious and spiritual traditions, there are those who believe that the reigning in of the capitalist monster is the destruction of all that is holy. Personally, I believe that capitalism as we know it *must* collapse, and I know that when that time comes there will be a lot of instability and uncertainty in our culture. I also believe it is necessary to make significant change in the way we are living, and most people resist change unless it comes by force. What we need is a system of exchange that has a greater sense of reciprocity, in which giving and receiving are in balance. Right now, that is a far fetched idea for sure, as most Americans only think about what they want and how they can get it for less, the very essence of a culture of takers. If capitalism can transform into something more balanced and just, great! But if it can’t, we do need to dismantle this system and accept one that is a little more wise.
- The regulation, or banning, of all opposition media. This, too, makes me laugh. The vast majority of major media in the US, if not the world, is opposing the current US administration. Even more conservative media outlets, such as Fox, have been calling out the madness of the current US government. And this has been met with childish social media rants, refusals of the administration to participate in press conferences, and the desire to regulate, dismantle, defund, and ban all media that oppose, criticize, or satirize the president and his cronies. And they believe that’s what the progressives want? Reality check!
- The purposeful “dumbing down” of the masses through inane public school curricula and pedagogy. Yes indeed, if you tell the people that all that book learnin’ is bad news, filling up the young people’s heads with lies, nonsense, propaganda, history,
and science, they will balk. Or perhaps the bigger picture is that if you allow children – and adults – to learn about the past, they will learn about the horrific errors that humans have made, and want to change that. And if you allow children – and adults – to learn the principles of science, and educate them to understand the whole picture of what is known, and the impacts of that upon our world, they will want to change the things that are causing harm, and do better. If you liberate the people’s minds by teaching them to read and to think critically, they will not be as controllable as those who have no capacity to think for themselves, simply believing what they are told. Indeed, school is *bad* if you want to keep people in the dark. Those who are uneducated certainly don’t have the capacity and resources to fight against things that are undeniably wrong and damaging, or to find innovative and creative new ways of living, as they have a limited understanding of the bigger picture. - The further promulgation of the homosexual/pedophile agenda. Oh, this again. The ongoing and tiresome belief that just because someone falls in love with someone of the same sex, they inevitably want to rape children. The fact that there is ultimately *zero* evidence of any correlation between non-heterosexuals and pedophilia is simply not acceptable to these adolescent conservatives, as we have just learned in the last item that
even information that is verifiable by countless sources is of no value to those who don’t value the application of cultivated intelligence. I am always amused at the addition of the word “agenda” to anything connected to LGBTQ matters, as I have yet to see anything on the agenda for these people beyond their right to exist as equals in society, with the right to love who they want, marry who they want, and not be attacked or killed for simply living their lives. In fact, evidence points to an overwhelming majority of pedophiles being quite heterosexual. These two categories of people are easily lumped together by those who believe anything other than male/female sex to be perverse in some way, but ultimately, whether heterosexual or on the LGBTQ spectrum, relationships are based on mutual desire to share life in all ways. Pedophilia, by contrast, is the desire to manipulate a vulnerable child for one’s own devious purposes, having little interest in the child’s best interest. Sorry, adolescent conservatives, the argument here is weak at best, and is rooted in willful and blatant ignorance. - The establishment of world wide socialized medicine under the guise of “fairness.”
Now this is the best one of all. The richest of the conservatives have convinced the poorest of the conservatives that having healthcare provided as a basic right of life is not only implausible, but truly a violation of justice. They have been so thoroughly convinced that the right to healthcare, provided and secured by a government that truly wants to take care of its people, that no matter their own struggles and suffering, they would willingly accept the opposite. A healthcare industry that is big business, privately controlled, and managed by an insurance industry with no integrity and no controls? One that demands not a fair amount of regular contribution from individuals, but a high and increasingly higher one, while also having no ultimate investment in wellness, since sickne
ss is such good business. I am baffled by adolescent conservatives who have major health issues, and who would be utterly hopeless in their capacity to deal with those issues should their employer change, or should they lose their job altogether, who would never be able to afford medical insurance on their own. Or who would be potentially excluded from treatment because of pre-existing conditions. Or who would be left in permanent poverty if left with no coverage whatsoever. Or who would simply die because of being unable to pay for treatment. And yet it seems so much more important to the fearful conservatives to dump ever more money into war and military might, leaving our own people – including veterans – to suffer and die when we have the capacity to do far, far more? I simply cannot accept how this is still an issue for the adolescent conservatives. What is the ultimate harm in making sure that everyone can receive medical care when needed? - World peace. Now that sounds like something really standing up against. Less peace, more war! There’s a battle cry if I’ve ever heard one. I have yet to meet a human being who can stand in front of me, face to face, and say that they believe that war is the best thing for everyone. That fighting and dying are the only solutions that make sense. And that there will never be a time when this will be finished. But again, war is good
business. War sells weapons. War provides the opportunity for modern-day colonialism. War pits nations against nations, and creates a strong sense of patriotism and willingness to bravely stand for what is right. But do those who stand bravely in the front lines of battle do it in the name of economic growth? Do those who are injured and die for their country accept that they are pawns in wars that are deliberately inflamed and fueled in the name of those sitting in positions in the government who are poised to make billions of dollars in the weapons sales, in the oil procurement, in new alliances that will deliver greater and greater economic advancement? But if we aren’t at war, what to do with all those combat military jobs? Won’t they be unemployed? And employment is good for business…
Luke 23:34 ~ And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
And one more, for inspiration, as we “libtards” have the deep vision, longing, and commitment to creating a new culture, with new ways of living and being with each other that are rooted in justice, equality, love, and kindness. The seeds we sow may be small, but they are mighty, and we shall persist in the cultivation of this New Earth with the fullness of our hearts, our minds, and our strength.
Mark 4:30-34 ~ And He said, “How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? “It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR can NEST UNDER ITS SHADE.” 
