Apolitical Staples

I don’t agree Greg … :P

Seriously, healthy, civilized debate is how adults learn. Getting Tories to agree is like herding cats. That’s why we’re not the Natural Governing Party. We’ll just have to become the Un-natural Governing Party for this century.

There’s healthy, civilized debate and then there is echo chamber.

I think that you can find both online. Poltical Staples, Bound By Gravity, Daimnation, I would add to the list of conservative blogs that try to foment discussion, clearly not an echo chamber.

And there are those like CalgaryGrit and, hopefully, Cerberus that, while distinctly partisan, bring a critical eye and open mind to issues instead of a regurgitation of the party talking points or ideological line. In fact, today I had a post on this topic/issue as well.

Ted

Cerberus

I agree with Ted’s post. I love politicalstaples’ site and come here pretty much every day. I enjoy his opinion and don’t ever find him blindingly partisan. Some great discussion ensues and he’s pretty receptive if any commentor’s have a suggestion.

My own inspiration for blogging has pretty much come from the excellent blogging Calgary Grit and Political Staples. When I first started blogging these sites were of key importance and I remember when Staples linked me back in the whole Susan Murray “shit” fiasco, I was pretty pumped. As a Masters student in poli sci, I practically salivate at the power of the bloggosphere to spread messages and offer opinion.

Staples and Grit are at the forefront of this effort.

Greg & Ted, you are both excellent bloggers in that you don’t let partisanship get in the way of intelligent, critical thought, and that’s something I, for one, appreciate.

Thank you for the compliments - though I was not fishing for them in writing that post.

And I would agree that the Calgary Grit has hit a sweet spot. When know he is partisan but that does not stop him from ripping if necessary. I would argue he is better at it than I am.

Try this on for size then…

“I don’t agree with everything that is written by radicalized Muslims intent on waging a war against infidels in the Middle East and against Western Civilization.

In fact, The Muslim worldis so large, divided and full of different opinions that I don’t even come close to reading every single word written by every single Muslim in the world.

If some crazy Muslim says something that you find offensive or scary — too bad for you and realize that it has nothing to do with any of the rest of the reasonable and peaceful Muslims who are striving towards reformation of their religion.

It is one persons opinion. Nothing more. Nothing less. Same goes for every other religious group.

Bloggers complain that the media is lazy. There is nothing lazier than trolling through the most radicalized crazed Islamic writings and commentary to find reactions to a big event (say the torture of Iraqis in Abu Gharib) and somehow prove that all Muslims are x, y or z because a, b, or c said something. I cannot express how stupid that is.

So if you ever feel the urge to paint me or other Mulsims as something because someone else, however loosely connected to them, says something you don’t like, think twice and move along. I’ve grown incredibly tired of it.”

Agree or disagree? Show your work.

Thanks

Ted - the post you linked to was very good. It is good news for the CPC (perhaps not for the country) that BCL and TiGuy are so adamant that the LPC has no problems. So long as people who share those views are in positions of influence in the LPC, the Liberals will continue to ‘put lipstick on a pig’ - and likely ensure that the Tories get better election results than they really deserve.

The LPC has to understand that they are in PCPC post-Mulroney territory. They didn’t fall as hard in terms of seats, but only because the PCs were gutshot by the Reform Party: particularly in areas where Reform was not an alternative, the PC vote held up fairly well. Add to this the concentration of votes in urban ridings and the residual effect of thirteen years of ‘scary Stockwell / scary Harper’ campaigns, and the Liberals don’t look like a party that has been soundly rejected by the voters - but they are: they lost a majority, and then a minority in a period when interest rates and unemployment were down, taxes were (too slowly) coming down, and economic growth was up; that is unprecedented.

Unfortunately, the history of narrowly-based parties in this country (Reform, Bloc, Social Credit, Progressive Party) is not good - and the Liberals cannot count on another ‘Harper is scary’ campaign getting any traction. If they don’t make a concerted effort to rebuild a national base (which will require a true re-thinking of the Party and its purpose) they will be stuck in an urban ghetto. Because there are lots of seats there they will not disappear - but they will be a perennial second-place party; and federal politics will become an oscillation between Tory minorities and majorities. At the same time, the Liberals would risk seeing the NDP become the natural voice of the ‘progressive’ side of the electorate - many of whome stick with the Liberals only because of their electability; when you take that away, what have they to offer?

MWW - I will take your analogy more seriously when:

:> Bloggers can issue death warrants (on no authority other than their spiritual standing, and with no form of due process) that their adherents will attempt to implement around the world - sometimes successfully

:> Blogging Tories stage global protests at Embassies and Consulates (flag burning, window smashing etc, optional) after a cartoon of Harper is published, or Blogging Dippers do the same thing in response to Mike Klander’s comments on Olivia Chow.

:> Bloggers accept a formal structure where some are entitled to teach and lead the organization, while others are followers.

:> Any one (or more) Blogging Tory specifically claims to speak for all Blogging Tories (or whatever Blog Roll you choose) and for the institution of Blogging Torydom on the basis of his or her status as the recognized spiritual leader of the community, their position as a preacher, and their study of the holy texts of Blogging Torydom, and this status is acknowledged by the other Blogging Tories

Islam is a less structured and heirarchical organization than most Christian churches - there is no Pope-equivalent in Mecca, for instance, and no College of Cardinals - and perhaps could be better compared to the body of Christendom altogether, with competing churches and sects and theological differences in doctrine and interpretation. Even at that, though, there are far greater lines of authority and heirarchy in Islam than in the Blogging Tories (or any other blogging group I have seen) - and far less willingness to confront and disavow unsavoury rhetoric or calls to unacceptable action.

Agree or disagree?

Was that supposed to be a useful analogy?

There isn’t even a miniscule fraction of conservatives who view murder as a reasonable means of impressing their views on others, much less a silent minority or majority who are content to stand quietly by and see their values advanced by any means necessary; and modern conservatives take their ideas from a broad tradition of classical liberal and rational thought derived from many rational and enlightened minds, not the single-minded work of one man with a messianic complex. Please play again.

Your comment that there’s “nothing lazier than trolling through a blogroll” remind me of my own reaction to Andrew Anderson voting himself off the fence.