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Jewish World Review Jan. 25, 2013/ 14 Shevat, 5773 Half-Plaudits to Phil Mickelson By David Limbaugh
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Welcome to an America with liberalism in full ascendancy as golfer Phil Mickelson apologizes for doing nothing wrong while the Obama administration lambasts its opponents for justly demanding it apologize for doing plenty wrong on Benghazi. Welcome to a land where the gravest problem threatening the nation is spending, where the Democratic president refuses to cut, where the Democratic Senate lawlessly refuses to pass a budget and where Democrats thwart congressional GOP efforts to enact spending and entitlement reform, yet the public is conned into believing that Republicans are the problem. Welcome to a culture in which the political left is frighteningly intolerant toward dissenting views yet convinces many that right-wingers are the close-minded ones. Welcome to a society in which the left increasingly celebrates licentiousness and the abandonment of traditional standards of morality yet holds itself out as the guardian of society's progressive moral order. Frankly, I don't know whether the majority of Americans have fundamentally changed, whether ignorance, apathy and/or a sense of helplessness have seized too many right-thinking Americans, whether the Saul Alinsky-fed Democrats are just superior at propaganda or whether the Republican political class, out of frustration or lack of conviction, has given up. I'm not sure the American people are as liberal as it seems, if for no other reason than liberals still conceal their true intentions or disguise them in such platitudinous language that we never have a true referendum on liberalism. President Obama's inaugural speech was a bold reaffirmation of his radical liberal prescription for the country but wrapped in the veneer of constitutionalism. That this ruse partially succeeded is borne out by the sincere assessment of some intellectually honest liberals that his speech signaled a call for moderation. I'm not convinced the American people are shunning conservatism, if for no other reason than conservatism lacks effective political leaders to clearly articulate the case for conservatism, such that we never have a true referendum on conservatism. Yet liberalism is prevailing in the halls of government and in our culture, and with its victories, liberals are getting cockier, more aggressive and less tolerant. The prevailing majority, under the demagogic leadership and political power of President Obama, is bullying and beating down its dissenters and willing to trample on the Constitution anytime it interferes with their ends. Is this the America our forefathers established and sweat blood to preserve? Is this really the America we want to bequeath our children? Is its rapid descent, the orchestration of which is being led by a president who doesn't believe in its founding principles, a foregone conclusion? The recent kerfuffle involving golfer Phil Mickelson is illustrative of the enormous upheaval we are witnessing in America today. Mickelson complained that he is paying nearly two-thirds of every dollar he makes in taxes. He innocuously implied he may move from California to reduce his state tax burden. The sports media, which are every bit as shamelessly liberal as their counterparts in the political media, savaged Mickelson for daring to complain about paying his "fair share." After they shamed him, Mickelson apologized — regrettably — saying he should have kept his thoughts to himself. Why? Is dissenting opinion not allowed? Is he a reprobate for believing it's excessive for government to confiscate two-thirds of every dollar he makes? It's no one else's business how much Mickelson makes. Do we want a free nation, or do we prefer one in which state planners can control how much we make and, to paraphrase President Obama, tell us when we've made enough money? Do we want to substitute for the American dream the maxim, "Feel free to try to succeed in America, but if you do, you'll immediately be demonized and cut down to size"? Should we applaud a culture that lacks the moral courage to discourage envy and covetousness and instead champions them? This is liberalism, folks. This is the left's ideal America. Mickelson neither advocated lower taxes nor announced a newfound interest in political activism. He simply discussed his own situation. He didn't ask for government relief. He merely announced he may exercise self-help and remove himself from that oppressive jurisdiction. For that — for daring to announce he may exercise a freedom he still has, namely to relocate, for refusing to bow to the collective — the freedom haters on the left unleashed on him their wrath. Congratulations, liberals. You are not only skewering the American dream but also trying to smother the American spirit in patriots who are refusing to abandon that sacred dream. I pray that we have more Phil Mickelsons willing to voice their opinion, but I would hope that, when challenged, they would stick to their guns (pun intended) and fight back. Things look bleak for freedom lovers today, but this fight is far from over. Let the Mickelson experience serve as a lesson of both how to speak up and how not to retreat when attacked. Half-plaudits to Phil Mickelson — but only half. Fight on, patriots.
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David Limbaugh, a columnist and attorney practicing in Cape
Girardeau, Mo. Comment by clicking here.
© 2010, Creators Syndicate
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Arnold Ahlert | |||||||||||||||||||
