Quote of the Day

The enemy of the moment always represented absolute evil, and it followed that any past or future agreement with him was impossible. - George Orwell, 1984

The link will take you to an on-line copy of the book, if you care to read it. I'm reading it again. Orwell's style of prose is quite entertaining.

I always find it amusing when the Right Wing Loons claim some issue with Liberals as "Orwellian". They understand the concept of "Big Brother", but I suspect they haven't actually read the book.. which.. you know.. is an indictment of everything right wing politics represents.

It would probably come as a surprise to them that Eric Arthur Blair, aka George Orwell, fancied himself something of a "Socialist"... or more precisely, a Democratic Socialist.

Often political ideologies and economic ideologies are conflated. It is as if Socialism or Communism is implied Fascism. That is not the case. To be sure, you could find nations with Communist economies also controlled by Fascist states or dictators, but one does not, by definition, imply the other.

This is why Orwell could be described as a Democratic Socialist, hell bent on the destruction of authoritarian political systems. He actually participated in wars against authoritarian regimes in other nations, purely out of his hatred for that political ideology.

Please note.. I'm not advocating for the superiority of Socialism over Capitalism, but merely trying to inject some reality into the bullshit right wing memes. I'm better described as Free Market, Capitalist, Democratic, and anti-Authoritarian.

Where I differ, most substantially, with the right wing in the United States, is on the authoritarian government the right is so fond of. Warrantless wiretaps.. torturing.. abolishing of habeas corpus.. unjust wars.. secretive posturing.. fear mongering.. "Two Minutes Hate" (which would be a great name for a band btw) and on and on.

Reading Doug's blog on a daily basis is Two Minutes Hate.

And then when they start throwing around the "Orwellian" term.. I simply have to laugh.. at their ignorance for missing the entire point of George Orwell's life.