The Right-Wing Mind

Doing a little surfing and ran across this story from TPM via John McKay at archie:

"Are there wonderful Americans who happen to be homosexual serving in the military? Yes," [Gen. Peter Pace] told the Senate Appropriations Committee during a hearing focused on the Pentagon's 2008 war spending request.

"We need to be very precise then, about what I said wearing my stars and being very conscious of it," he added. "And that is, very simply, that we should respect those who want to serve the nation but not through the law of the land, condone activity that, in my upbringing, is counter to God's law."

I find Pace's attempt at qualifying his statement even more repulsive than the original, being the First Amendment freak that I am. McKay had a similar reaction:

Before going any further, everyone should notice the very disturbing implication of his last statement. Pace is firmly endorsing the Religious Right position that American law should not be allowed to run counter to their sect's interpretation of Biblical law. This position is firmly embedded in their revisionist "Christian Nation" theory of American history.

This is right in line with John McCain's contention that the Founders established the US as a "Christian nation," which is obviously and blatantly untrue. (McCain seems to be a prime example of what pandering to the nutfudge right will do to you -- he used to be worthy of some respect before he made himself into a raddled old doormat.) I really would like to see someone ask a subject like Pace just exactly what in the Constitution gives him the right to impose his own personal religious beliefs on the rest of the country. Alas, not with this press corps -- they're just as ignorant as their interviewees.

This all ties into Barbara O'Brien's comments about the conservative mindset:

Over the long years I’ve observed some consistent traits among righties. One is that they sincerely believe most people think the way they do, even when polls say otherwise. In fact, “most people agree with me” is a common fallback debate tactic. Some have an almost frantic need to believe they belong to a majority, possibly because it makes them feel powerful. Erich Fromm wrote that people who find autonomy isolating and bewildering often will submerge themselves in an authoritarian group. Such people often have a strong sado-masochistic streak, Fromm said. They derive pleasure both from submission to a higher authority and from aggressively dominating people who fall below them in the social/power strata. “Humor” is often a socially acceptable form of hate speech used to keep less desirable people in their place.

Naturally, people who submerge their individuality into an authoritarian group place much importance on the trappings of conformity. Today much of the Right Blogosphere is in a tizzy because Barack Obama has stopped wearing a flag pin in his lapel. From right-wing reaction you’d think Obama had announced his engagement to Osama bin Laden.

I've noticed similar traits in discussion groups and even in comments on this blog: anything that runs counter to their beliefs doesn't exist. And I'm using "beliefs" in the broadest sense, as in the legendary headline at GayPatriot at the height of the Abramoff-Coingate-Cunningham etc. scandals: "The Democrats' Culture of Corruption." The Republican-owned scandals received no mention there because, I would assume, Republicans couldn't possibly be corrupt.

O'Brien also has a lengthy quote from John Hawkins that you would swear was from The Onion. It's not.