Too bad you haven’t succeeded in your efforts to criminalize conservative free speech.

But I’m sure you will keep trying.

and

“we are having to deal now with yet another cohort of zealots similar to those of the 1920’s or the 1950’s.

who are just as dangerous as their predecessor zealots in inhibiting the political stability that progress requires. “

You fail to provide the factual reasons why this cohort seems to appear every decade following the progressive cohort.

thanks very much for the meticulous references.

i found them enlightening in an area i have only begun to comprehend.

morris sheppard (60 and 78)

ed*ard teller (80)

reader of tea leaves (93)

and other commenters sharing their perplexity.

thanks for your observations.

for myself,

i think the explanation for the behavior of american (and israeli) right wingers is relatively simple.

it is rooted in intense loyalty, and expressed in unquestioning attachment to one or another organization or cause.

in this sense, these intense loyalties are no different from those within a family, and just as blind -

rather like the mama who says “my baby could never have robbed that bank.”

pelosi’s attackers are very loyal to the right-wing republican party and its current leaders.

imo, they differ not a whit along this important dimension of personality

than do american or israeli zionist zealots

or

than do the “warrior” families in my extended family

who, though they could if they chose, observe that george bush has severely damaged the capacity, the credibility, and the morale of american armed forces,

nonetheless remain intensely, i would say irrationally, confident of the president’s competence and judgment.

facts do NOT get in these folks way.

we see this same intense loyalty in the behavior of right-wing weblogs when they focus on a target of republican ire – or fear.

the arguments they advance are passionately stated but child-like in structure.

we are having to deal now with yet another cohort of zealots similar to those of the 1920’s or the 1950’s.

who are just as dangerous as their predecessor zealots in inhibiting the political stability that progress requires.

Thank you for your perspicaciously and peripatetically induced DSM-IV entries. I will give them all the consideration that they deserve.

ed*ard teller (80)

reader of tea leaves (93)

and other commenters sharing their perplexity.

thanks for your observations.

for myself,

i think the explanation for the behavior of american (and israeli) right wingers is relatively simple.

it is rooted in intense loyalty, and expressed in unquestioning attachment to one or another organization or cause.

in this sense, these intense loyalties are no different from those within a family, and just as blind -

rather like the mama who says “my baby could never have robbed that bank.”

pelosi’s attackers are very loyal to the right-wing republican party and its current leaders.

imo, they differ not a whit along this important dimension of personality

than do american or israeli zionist zealots

or

than do the “warrior” families in my extended family

who, though they could if they chose, observe that george bush has severely damaged the capacity, the credibility, and the morale of american armed forces,

nonetheless remain intensely, i would say irrationally, confident of the president’s competence and judgment.

facts do NOT get in these folks way.

we see this same intense loyalty in the behavior of right-wing weblogs when they focus on a target of republican ire – or fear.

the arguments they advance are passionately stated but child-like in structure.

we are having to deal now with yet another cohort of zealots similar to those of the 1920’s or the 1950’s.

who are just as dangerous as their predecessor zealots in inhibiting the political stability that progress requires.

another of your insightful comments.

nancy pelosi radiates leadership – confident, competent leadership.

it’s as natural with her as it was with clinton.

she knows how to act and what to do when in the public sphere.

that’s not so surprising, given that she’s a second generation politician

(yes, i know, so is our president).

pelosi displays caring, grace, and eloquence –

all characteristics that george bush lacks, in the extreme.

for my money, she is the most charismatic american leader at the movement, obama included.

more importantly, she is actually accomplishing something.

it was pelosi’s careful internal congressional statesmanship that got the iraq war moving off of dead center and into the history books.

i’ll wait to see if she continues to shine,

but i am willing to say publicly, that i am confident she will.

thanks for the correction.

i knew it was somewhere over there.

i must have been thinking about chocolate instead of lace.