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AMERICAN CONSERVATIVES brag about their stated belief that america can do no wrong. "America is the solution, not the problem. liberals feel differently." they intone. "America is a force for good in the world, always has been, and nobody should think otherwise." they bleat. The republican national convention hammered that theme, as if it were gospel, as if it were honest, as if it were patriotic.

The fact that the united states, with five percent of the world's population, consumes twenty five percent of the world's wealth (but doesn't produce that much)....the world wide american military empire, the huge gap between the rich and the poor..these things simply do not seem to bother conservatives as much,or at least do not evoke expressons of disgruntlement.

It actually seems as if american conservative consider this state of affairs normal, natural, and desirable. And therein lies the essential difference between liberalsim and conservatism, anytime, anyplace; attitude towards the status quo. Liberals attack it, conservatives embrace it. Hence liberals are often, quite properly, regarded as "complainers".

And partly because of this, liberals run the risk of being widely viewed as negative, anti american, argumentative, and ungrateful. The republicans never fail to present this dubious argument.

Conservativism can never accept liberalism: how can you simultaneously defend the status quo and promote change? Li8berals have a different situation, and opportunity. In order to advocate change, one need not believe that the status quo is rotten through and through, nor entirely unworthy of preservation. One need only believe that it needs to be reformed, to an extent, tweaked a bit. "When one respects nothing", said Goethe, "it is no trick to be brilliant."

Liberals sometimes seem just a bit too brillliant. The fact that they tend to congragate within institutions of higher learning contributes to this perception. For a fact, most liberals embrace free enterprise, religiosity, and respect for tradition, but not to the exclusion of change and progress.

The first thing every liberal should do in the morning is rise, sing the national anthem vigorously, and with equal vigor proclaim love for jesus, (even though that wasn't his name) guns, and money.

A tip of the hat to the magnanimity and purity of american history, and current forgien policy, while grotesquely dishonest, might serve to snugly secure a conservative foundation for the crusading, reform minded american  liberal.

Bb

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