Rep vs. Dem Differences

On Mon, 30 Aug 2004, Malcolm Teas wrote:

"tscottme" wrote in message ...
"Brian Burger" wrote in message
...Luckily, nobody depends on Canada or Europe for
their security.

Well, aside from all the Canadians and the Europeans that is. grin

Geography helps, in the case of Canada. And proximity - anyone who can get
to Canada can then get to the US, and they're the real target of the loons
out there...

Oh, and please watch your quoting, Malcolm. 'tscottme' wrote the top
comment here, in response to something I said; I didn't write the 'nobody
depends...' comment!

Brian.

"Brian Burger" wrote in message
ia.tc.ca...

And Kerry is the 'left' in the US Presidential race. Imagine where
this leaves W... (goosestepping rapidly over the horizon, possibly...)


Wow. We start right off with Godwin's law.

Then, too, we wonder what is "right" about Nazis or "left" about communists.
There doesn't seem to be much difference between them and in fact they
historically imitated and admired each other up until Germany invaded the
Soviet Union. Was Saddam Hussein "right" or "left?" He admired Hitler, but
allied with the Soviet Union.

What is "liberal" about a Europe or Canada that is grossly intolerant of
differing political or social views? What is "liberal" about Kerry
supporters that trash storefronts and beat Bush supporters up? How is their
behavior any different from that of thugs in 1935?

Maybe I am jaded, but as far as I can see the only thing people are
interested in these days is in exercising dominion over others. They want
power, and are willing to go to any lengths and use any means to get it.
Ethics, justice, right and left: they are just hollow words signifying
nothing. I truly long for leaders who are genuinely just men, who are honest
and moral, who will not steal or lie. I would vote for such a person no
matter where on the spectrum of "left" or "right" he fell.

The Nazi Party was the National SOCIALIST Party, fascsim is a left wing
philosophy, it never has had anything to do with the political right. It is
only characterized as such by entertainers with no knowledge of history.

I suggest you refer to Hayek's ROAD TO SERFDOM for the origins of fascism and
it's collectivist, left wing roots.

--
Wm. Donald (Don) Tabor Jr., DDS
PP-ASEL
Chesapeake, VA - CPK, PVG

Wdtabor wrote:

The Nazi Party was the National SOCIALIST Party, fascsim is a left wing
philosophy, it never has had anything to do with the political right. It
is only characterized as such by entertainers with no knowledge of
history.

And what was East Germany's actual name?

- Andrew

"Andrew Gideon" wrote in message =
online.com...
Wdtabor wrote:
=20
The Nazi Party was the National SOCIALIST Party, fascsim is a left =
wing
philosophy, it never has had anything to do with the political =
right. It
is only characterized as such by entertainers with no knowledge of
history.
=20
And what was East Germany's actual name?
=20
- Andrew
=20

Deutsche Demokratische Republik... or German Democratic Republic.

Jerry

"Andrew Gideon" wrote in message
online.com...
Wdtabor wrote:

The Nazi Party was the National SOCIALIST Party, fascsim is a left wing
philosophy, it never has had anything to do with the political right. It
is only characterized as such by entertainers with no knowledge of
history.

And what was East Germany's actual name?


The Nazis actually were socialists, however. Almost all major industries
were nationalized and, like all socialist states must do in the end, the
Nazis ultimately resorted to slave labor. After all, if you remove the
economic incentive to work harder or more efficiently and suppress
individual expression, then you are left with only physical force to make
people work. Socialism's failure is never the fault of the government, of
course. Hitler blamed first the Jews, but after he had killed nearly all of
the Jews he simply committed suicide himself, blaming the German people as
not being worthy of him.

As for the German Democratic Republic, I am reminded of Mortimer Adler's
assertion that socialism was the democratization of economic power. Just as
democracy theoretically equalizes political power among men, so socialism is
supposed to equalize economic power. From this viewpoint socialism is the
economic expression of democracy.

Of course, neither democracy nor socialism equalize anything.

On Mon, 30 Aug 2004 at 12:42:48 in message
ne.com, Andrew Gideon
wrote:
Wdtabor wrote:

The Nazi Party was the National SOCIALIST Party, fascsim is a left wing
philosophy, it never has had anything to do with the political right. It
is only characterized as such by entertainers with no knowledge of
history.

And what was East Germany's actual name?

Always seems to me that there is no adequate definition of left and
right in politics. There are certain policies that seem to be associated
with one or the other but there are significant variations in even that
classification. Mostly they are just insults that one party throws at
another.

Sometimes I feel it is a circle and left and right meet around the back
of the circle anyway. Any definition that I try seems to present my own
ideas in the most favourable way. :-{

Fashions change; once the cry of the British Labour party was 'No Means
Testing' for benefits. Now there are more means tests on income for
benefits than ever.

The only thing I have tried as a separation is that the left always
believes in centralised control and planning and the right sometimes
does!

Left and Right can also be attempted as a definition as a distinction
between the left who believe that 'most people do not understand their
own best interests' and the right who believe 'most people do understand
their own best interests'. :-)

That usual collapses as well.

It seems to me that labels such as socialist, fascist, dictator,
liberal, national, peoples. communist, monarchy democrat, republican and
despot only give a very slight clue to a regime. They can be combined in
almost any way you choose.

Most important is probably a structure of a nation that limits the
power of different factions.

In some cases communism has gone directly to a form of monarchy! In
others a popular revolution has finished up with an Emperor..
--
David CL Francis

Wdtabor wrote:

The Nazi Party was the National SOCIALIST Party, fascsim is a left wing
philosophy, it never has had anything to do with the political right. It is
only characterized as such by entertainers with no knowledge of history.

Someone doesn't know the definition of right and left.

Right wing philosophies tend to be conservative, want to retain
traditional values, and often advocate the establishment of an
authoritarian political order.

Left wing philosophies promote political change, and generally promote
greater freedom and well being of the common man.

Fascism, and by extension Nazism, are clearly right wing philosophies.
They cannot be characterized as being "liberal" by any stretch of the
imagination.

James Robinson opined

Wdtabor wrote:

The Nazi Party was the National SOCIALIST Party, fascsim is a left wing
philosophy, it never has had anything to do with the political right. It
is only characterized as such by entertainers with no knowledge of history.

Someone doesn't know the definition of right and left.

Right wing philosophies tend to be conservative, want to retain
traditional values, and often advocate the establishment of an
authoritarian political order.

Left wing philosophies promote political change, and generally promote
greater freedom and well being of the common man.

Fascism, and by extension Nazism, are clearly right wing philosophies.
They cannot be characterized as being "liberal" by any stretch of the
imagination.

I would love to see some lists of the philosophers that you are talking
about. I particularly would like to see the classification of Karl Marx.


-ash
Cthulhu for President!
Why vote for a lesser evil?

"James Robinson" wrote in message
...
Wdtabor wrote:

The Nazi Party was the National SOCIALIST Party, fascsim is a left wing
philosophy, it never has had anything to do with the political right.
It is
only characterized as such by entertainers with no knowledge of history.

Someone doesn't know the definition of right and left.


Probably you.

Right wing philosophies tend to be conservative, want to retain
traditional values, and often advocate the establishment of an
authoritarian political order.

Left wing philosophies promote political change, and generally promote
greater freedom and well being of the common man.

Fascism, and by extension Nazism, are clearly right wing philosophies.
They cannot be characterized as being "liberal" by any stretch of the
imagination.

At least that is how the left thinks of it. Actually, fascism and Nazism did
promote political change and claimed greater freedom and well being for the
common man. That they failed is obvious.

Most so-called left wing or liberal movements are in fact quite
authoritarian in nature -- far more authoritarian than so-called right wing
or conservative movements. Socialism, usually considered to be left wing,
requires an extremely authoritarian government with centrally planned
economies and minutely planned distribution of goods and services. The same
can be said for centrally planned educational standards and even
anti-discrimination laws -- though in the latter case I suppose since
slavery was banned and most equal rights laws were passed under Republican
administrations by Republican legislatures you might be able to make an
argument that anti-discrimination laws are a characteristic of right wing
philosophies.