Comments on: Can Disney’s Davy Crockett Save America?

By: ComradeRutherford

ComradeRutherford — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:27:12 +0000

That quote, and it’s full-length version, remind me of another truncated ‘conservative’ idiocy: My country, right or wrong.

Not many know the full version of that, which is, “My country, right or wrong. When right, to be kept right. When wrong, to be set right.”

George Bush was clearly wrong, and Obama, along with the Democratic ‘Leadership’ are not about to ‘set right’ the wrongs of 8 years of Conservatism.

By: Propagandee

Propagandee — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:12:20 +0000

A fundamental flaw in Rands thinking is shown in her fictional protagonists: conservatives that were both productive and honest.

Instead of designing and building bridges, contemporary conservatives are busy tearing down the figurative ones and letting the literal ones rot.

By: mark1147

mark1147 — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:17:30 +0000

We bought the myths we were taught and then p*ss’d people off when we tried to force the country to live up to them.

I’ve never heard it put more succinctly, but that’s exactly what the experience of the ’50s and ’60s was for me (early boomer, b. 1947).

By: Glenn W. Smith

Glenn W. Smith — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:03:28 +0000

Is the cohort of morons connected to the confederacy of dunces? :)

And, I’m all for singing the Davy Crockett anthem, in the key of C, “the people’s key.”

By: durangodave

durangodave — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:39:58 +0000

If I had a dollar for every poorly worded comment I’ve made, I could rival a Wall Street investment banker ;-)

By: cbl2

cbl2 — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:30:42 +0000

So that’s one of my theories about how we ended up where we are today

Barbara Ehrenreich has recently weighed in with her own idea about how we got here, dovetails quite nicely with what Glenn is saying about real pragmatism

By: cbl2

cbl2 — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:23:36 +0000

Glenn, I’m with Siun, this is a very thoughtful piece

and I was recalling Disney’s Tonka at your mention of Disney’s treatment of Native Americans. it depicts Custer as a blustery, hard ass ‘decider’.

youtube is down or I’d find a clip

By: Mommybrain

Mommybrain — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:23:07 +0000

I propose a choral rendition of Davy Crockett by all of us who remember the words at NN10 in Vegas next summer. What key should it be in?

Another thoughtful essay, Glenn, thanks. I’m reading Frank Schaeffer’s Crazy for God and he mentions that that attitude, of certainty, dogmatism and the conviction that you are superior to everyone else, is the #1 thing he took away from the religious teachings, both by word and deed, he got from The Work (as his parents called it). It’s also one of the things he has the most trouble letting go.

Forty years ago The Population Bomb was a best seller Ehrlichman posited that there would be mass starvations from overpopulation in the 70′s and 80′s, everywhere including the US.

I remember long discussions in college about whether he was right and what we could possibly do about it. Our conclusion was that it was immoral to bring more than one child into the world. I know there were many others who came to the same conclusion and so my cohort of progressive-valued men and woman had far fewer children than other cohorts of my generation. The Christianists today are having kids by the tubful so that one day there will be more of them than of us and they can take over the country.

So that’s one of my theories about how we ended up where we are today. The cohort of morons is just bigger than the cohort of progressives.

Namaste, Glenn.

By: foothillsmike

foothillsmike — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:21:09 +0000

Much of what was presented was black and white. The Lone Ranger and Superman fought evil. Germans and Indians were bad. Was there any gray?
Did this lay some of the seeds for todays problems?

By: Raven

Raven — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:05:32 +0000

Nothing at all. . .honest. Your comment just rang true with me. Poor wording on my part.