Les Jones

Blogging > Another Commenter Who Deserves a Blog

Vanity Fair's James Wolcott recently started a blog. In the wake of Hurricane Frances, here's his ignoble confession:

I root for hurricanes. When, courtesy of the Weather Channel, I see one forming in the ocean off the coast of Africa, I find myself longing for it to become big and strong--Mother Nature's fist of fury, Gaia's stern rebuke. Considering the havoc mankind has wreaked upon nature with deforesting, stripmining, and the destruction of animal habitat, it only seems fair that nature get some of its own back and teach us that there are forces greater than our own.

Which is despicable enough. Later on in the piece he relishes the fact that two hurricanes in successive order have hit Florida, home to Governor Jed Bush, and home to the electoral votes that put George W. over the top in 2004. Take that red state voters.

Read the whole miserable thing. That way you'll enjoy this comment from Tim Blair reader goldmith:

That is so deeply offensive that I can scarce think of a comment capable of expressing my revulsion. But let's try. Please excuse the rant.

It's amazing to me that the "left" (how outmoded and meaningless these distinctions are) have evolved into the most uptight, anti-rational, superstitious and piously moralistic bunch since the Puritans walked the wild forests of America (though I hesitate to make the comparison, since the Puritans accomplished great things). The "left" may joke and titter and wheeze about "fundy Christian wingnuts" but find someone lecturing you about your immorality, your materialism, your sinful pride, your lack of spiritual value and, most likely, they will be driving an old Volvo with the radio tuned to "Pacifica" and a GEORGE BUSH IS A LIAR bumper-sticker on the fender. Your average lefty is quicker to take offense than a blue-haired old presbyterian; they are constantly monitoring everyone for signs of racism, sexism, colonialism, anti-animal hate speech. They will criticize your car, your house, your synthetic fiber sweater, your swear words, your cigarettes, your sandwich, your choice of grocery bag, your skin color (if it is in the dusky pink range). Life to them is a laundry list of strictures, taboos and lamentations. They hate science, they fear Christianity, they think heterosexual porn is rape, they believe in magic, aromatherapy, tribalism; they scream about Bush killing children but fail to bat an eyelash at the consequences of "pro-choice". They cringe in disgust and embarrassment at the "black and white" moral distinctions of Bush (and Reagan in his time) when he speaks of the "axis of evil", yet no one uses the word evil more than leftists when describing the Bush Administration, capitalism, America, Israel. They mock and scoff at the president's religiosity, yet speak in reverential tones of Gaia, Buddha, Wicca, Yoga. And on and on.

In other words, they are as wrought out, blinkered and dangerously conflicted and superstitious as your average Puritan (or probably closer to your average medieval peasant), yet they call themselves progressives and call everyone else fundamentalists, warmongers, fascists. Freedom is slavery.

The end result of stewing in this murky broth of half-truth, projection, fear, and mis-education? A man sitting in Manhattan at the dawn of the 21st century, writing on a weblog about poorly-understood prehistoric deities taking delight in the destruction of sinful man's hubris-saturated civilizations. Vive Memor Lethi Fugit Hora. Pride goeth before the Fall. It almost makes you want to laugh, if you weren't crying.

Once upon I thought the nosy nieghbor was probably a Republican: checking to see if you kept your grass moved, drove American, didn't stay up late or let the kids run loose. Now it does some more likely that a Democrat will get their nose out of joint if you use artificial fertilizers, drive an SUV, or shop at Wal-Mart.

Or, worst of all, vote Republican. I used to think I needed a motorcycle to be a bad boy. It turns out all I had to do was decide to vote for a Republican.

As far as the religious angle, a person doesn't have to go to church to have profoundly irrational beliefs. There are enough people in this world who believe in UFOs, astrology, Eastern religion, Edgar Cayce, and all manner of pseudosciences that if every Christian on Earth were swept up in the Rapture it would fail to usher in a new age of reason. Organized religion has its flaws, but it does promote social stability and provide care for children, the elderly, and the sick. I haven't seen any Edgar Cayce clubs offering daycare and meals on wheels.