Conservatism and "The Commons"

I am of the Left. Let us get that out of the way now. Liberal, Progressive, call me whatever you want, but this is what I am. I am proud to wear this badge, and I have arrived at it after many years of careful thought and rationale.

I believe in Democracy. Not some mere idea of "freedom," as loaded a term as that may be (freedom from WHAT?). No, I believe that the role of Government is to serve the people. I believe in those classic ideas first laid out by the Greeks and later perfected by the Founders, the Abolitionists, the Suffragettes, and the New Deal coalition. Mine is a proud tradition. To lay claim to it is to say that one is Soldier, one is Samurai. It is a belief that the Good of All is the Good of One. It is a belief in what the Greeks would have called the Commons.

It is a simple philosophy: Feed the hungry. Clothe the poor. Heal the sick. Teach the young. Right the Wrong.

Mine is a proud philosophy, and I champion its ideals vocally. It is a philosophy that champions debate, that holds high the respect for diverse backgrounds and opinions. It embraces this cacophony of voices because, implicit within its folds, lies the assumption that All Voices Are Heard. No one voice is any less of value than the others. As such, though I may be the classic Liberal, I acknowledge and respect the need for the Conservative viewpoint. My best friend is a classical Conservative. I admire and respect his views enormously.

Still, I believe that, much as Light and Dark exist in the Way, so too do Conservative and Liberal philosophies exist in the Commons. Each serves a vital function. The Liberal seeks to shed aside those old practices which may have given way to Injustice over time, while the Conservative seeks to shield against the slow erosion of the Commons.

But what happens when, like a lupine T-Cell that turns against its host body's tissue, one viewpoint turns against the Commons which is the very lifeblood of Democracy?

I have a problem with modern Conservatism. At best, I find it seeks to morally justify selfish pursuits, and at worst it seeks to destroy the Commons outright. Some mind find this dramatic, so allow me to explain. Conservatives I know--even conservatives here--tell us that our freedom is under attack by government, and I believe them. But what I cannot accept is that such attacks come in the form of amesty to illegal immigrants, come in the form of protests against war, come in the form of a woman's right to choose, come in the form of a poor man's right to aid.

When I hear a conservative these days talk about Justice, about Freedom, I have to laugh. Why? Because these same individuals would deny rights to others that they claim for themselves. They would deny the same opportunities to others that they themselves, either by birth or by education, have come to take for granted. They would justify tax cuts for the wealthy and an expansionist foreign policy. They would champion "Freedom" for citizens of other nations, while denying it to those here at home. They would deny a woman her right to choose when, where, and how she gives birth, but then they would deny her the assistance that IS HER RIGHT by the Commons in order to give that child a healthy upbringing.

Do you not see this? Do you not see how the flesh turns against the flesh? When one half of that seal turns against itself, what is to be concluded but that such a philosophy is now corrupted, has become morally bankrupt? Can such a philosophy have any more role in the Commons, or must it, too, be shed, like all the other Injustices?

So when a conservative here tells me that I am wrong, that I am not patriotic; when a conservative tells me that my beliefs harm democracy, I must confess not to mere disagreement, but to outrage. For it is the Conservative that today threatens Democracy; it is the Conservative that threatens Justice, threatens the Common Good. For it is no longer interested in the Common Good. No--it cares now only for itself.

And such a belief system can have no place in a healthy democracy. It must be torn down and made anew. It must be rendered unacceptable. It must be EXPUNGED.

Conservatio delenda est.