Dec. 8, 2010
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Re: Tom Stark: Progressivism: Domination in Small Steps
link: http://archives.huntingtonnews.net/columns/101207-stark-columnsprogressivism.html
Mr. Stark's alarm was interesting and seemed to echo much of the groups of the 1930's and later in the 1950's when Joe McCarthy saw bad people under every rock. In the 1930's similarly alarmed folks from powerful places put up money to have a former war hero lead an actual coup against the Roosevelt White House until that gentleman, Gen. Smedley Butler, USMC(Ret)blew the whistle on the whole affair.
The wonderful thing about our democracy, republic or whatever one wants to call it, is that we do in fact have the means to address our concerns. At the same time, those who think they are the only patriots because they don't like what they call "progressives" are not much supportive of that democracy either. We have had our fill of authors and other alarmists who have screamed we are being not only gradually but summarily destroyed by those terrible liberals. Yet it was also those objects of Mr Stark's derision who helped get women the vote, overcome prohibition and gain civil rights for American citizens who had been denied them for a couple hundred years.
What does in fact keep our democracy afloat and alive is the very factionalism James Madison described in the Federalist Papers that would stoke necessary debate and ultimate compromise among dissident groups. If Mr Stark had his way, we might return to times when only a few had those rights. Perhaps that would be called "Regressivism."
Joseph J. Honick
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
Share This Story:
Make HNN Your Homepage (IE Users Only)
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Re: Tom Stark: Progressivism: Domination in Small Steps
link: http://archives.huntingtonnews.net/columns/101207-stark-columnsprogressivism.html
Mr. Stark's alarm was interesting and seemed to echo much of the groups of the 1930's and later in the 1950's when Joe McCarthy saw bad people under every rock. In the 1930's similarly alarmed folks from powerful places put up money to have a former war hero lead an actual coup against the Roosevelt White House until that gentleman, Gen. Smedley Butler, USMC(Ret)blew the whistle on the whole affair.
The wonderful thing about our democracy, republic or whatever one wants to call it, is that we do in fact have the means to address our concerns. At the same time, those who think they are the only patriots because they don't like what they call "progressives" are not much supportive of that democracy either. We have had our fill of authors and other alarmists who have screamed we are being not only gradually but summarily destroyed by those terrible liberals. Yet it was also those objects of Mr Stark's derision who helped get women the vote, overcome prohibition and gain civil rights for American citizens who had been denied them for a couple hundred years.
What does in fact keep our democracy afloat and alive is the very factionalism James Madison described in the Federalist Papers that would stoke necessary debate and ultimate compromise among dissident groups. If Mr Stark had his way, we might return to times when only a few had those rights. Perhaps that would be called "Regressivism."
Joseph J. Honick
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
Share This Story:
Make HNN Your Homepage (IE Users Only)
