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I almost gave up on politics last night.
I was listening to Newt Gingrich on iTunes, on a podcast that contains nothing but audio files of him speaking to various audiences. I've heard him called a master of NLP before, but until now I can't say I ever recall hearing him speak. The few quotes of his I see in the print media had mainly led me to believe he was a highly intelligent and thoughtful man. Until I heard him speak, I probably would have been pleased to see him nominated as his party's candidate for president. So it was with rising horror last night that I listened to him and found that he was intelligent, thoughtful, well-spoken... and that he was fundamentally opposed to everything we might consider American.
I consider myself a fairly well educated person. I've especially spent time learning about the role of religion in American politics and history, as part of trying to counter the brand of nationalist Christianity that is presently trying to overtake first our government and then our society. So it was with interest that I started listening to Newt talk about "The Centrality of Our Creator in Defining America". He began by making a fairly plausible argument, citing the Declaration of Independence, one of the founding documents of our nation. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." He claimed that all of the basic human rights guarded by our Constitution come from God, and that without God either man has not these rights or else they come from the State and can be taken away by the State as well. Furthermore, he pointed to Thomas Jefferson, the author of this Declaration, and to a quote of his inscribed upon the Jefferson Memorial: "I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." He offered this as evidence of the religious nature of Jefferson, swearing a powerful oath to God, and mocked Democrats for interpreting (in his words) God in that passage to mean "a large purple banana" or something equally deeply symbolic.
I was stumped. I knew that his argument was false. Moreover, I knew that in fact Jefferson was talking about religion as a form of tyranny over man. But I didn't see how to prove that. His argument was too neat. He'd selected his quotes too well. There didn't seem to be gaps in his armor, easily evident holes in his logic that I could exploit to show his audience how false and wrong it all was. I was starting to despair, especially since I knew without a doubt that nobody on the liberal side of the aisle was nearly as effective a communicator as this, prevarication aside.
I almost gave up.
But Jefferson would not. Jefferson did not tolerate members of the clergy wishing to establish some "official" form of Christianity in the government he helped found. And that quote which stands eternally immortalized upon the Jefferson Memorial is itself the proof, for here is the larger passage of his letter it was taken from: "They [the theocratic clergy members] believe that any portion of power confided to me, will be exerted in opposition to their schemes. And they believe rightly; for I have sworn upon the altar of god eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man. But this is all they have to fear from me: and enough, too, in their opinion."
Moreover, Jefferson's own words can show his meaning in the Declaration of Independence. From an earlier draft we can see clearly the true source of our rights:
"We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable; that all men are created equal and independent, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent and inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." This was Jefferson's understanding... that our rights stemmed from the fact of our equal creation, not as gifts from on high. That because all men are created equal no man or government of men has the right to elevate themselves by depriving another of life, liberty, or the pursuit of happiness save in preservation of the natural rights of others.
That's what our country was founded on. That is the truth, in Jefferson's own words. And telling that truth in a compelling and effective manner is, ultimately, how we will win against this newest batch of theocratic clergy members and the civil leaders who seek to avail themselves of the support of theocratic sects. For we too, like Jefferson, must swear eternal hostility to this and all forms of tyranny over the minds of man.
So I urge you to listen to Gingrich, as I will. Learn from him, and see how he uses language to manipulate and persuade. And then counter him with truth delivered in a manner which will enable your audience to address the "large purple elephant" in the room.
I was listening to Newt Gingrich on iTunes, on a podcast that contains nothing but audio files of him speaking to various audiences. I've heard him called a master of NLP before, but until now I can't say I ever recall hearing him speak. The few quotes of his I see in the print media had mainly led me to believe he was a highly intelligent and thoughtful man. Until I heard him speak, I probably would have been pleased to see him nominated as his party's candidate for president. So it was with rising horror last night that I listened to him and found that he was intelligent, thoughtful, well-spoken... and that he was fundamentally opposed to everything we might consider American.
I consider myself a fairly well educated person. I've especially spent time learning about the role of religion in American politics and history, as part of trying to counter the brand of nationalist Christianity that is presently trying to overtake first our government and then our society. So it was with interest that I started listening to Newt talk about "The Centrality of Our Creator in Defining America". He began by making a fairly plausible argument, citing the Declaration of Independence, one of the founding documents of our nation. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." He claimed that all of the basic human rights guarded by our Constitution come from God, and that without God either man has not these rights or else they come from the State and can be taken away by the State as well. Furthermore, he pointed to Thomas Jefferson, the author of this Declaration, and to a quote of his inscribed upon the Jefferson Memorial: "I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." He offered this as evidence of the religious nature of Jefferson, swearing a powerful oath to God, and mocked Democrats for interpreting (in his words) God in that passage to mean "a large purple banana" or something equally deeply symbolic.
I was stumped. I knew that his argument was false. Moreover, I knew that in fact Jefferson was talking about religion as a form of tyranny over man. But I didn't see how to prove that. His argument was too neat. He'd selected his quotes too well. There didn't seem to be gaps in his armor, easily evident holes in his logic that I could exploit to show his audience how false and wrong it all was. I was starting to despair, especially since I knew without a doubt that nobody on the liberal side of the aisle was nearly as effective a communicator as this, prevarication aside.
I almost gave up.
But Jefferson would not. Jefferson did not tolerate members of the clergy wishing to establish some "official" form of Christianity in the government he helped found. And that quote which stands eternally immortalized upon the Jefferson Memorial is itself the proof, for here is the larger passage of his letter it was taken from: "They [the theocratic clergy members] believe that any portion of power confided to me, will be exerted in opposition to their schemes. And they believe rightly; for I have sworn upon the altar of god eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man. But this is all they have to fear from me: and enough, too, in their opinion."
Moreover, Jefferson's own words can show his meaning in the Declaration of Independence. From an earlier draft we can see clearly the true source of our rights:
"We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable; that all men are created equal and independent, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent and inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." This was Jefferson's understanding... that our rights stemmed from the fact of our equal creation, not as gifts from on high. That because all men are created equal no man or government of men has the right to elevate themselves by depriving another of life, liberty, or the pursuit of happiness save in preservation of the natural rights of others.
That's what our country was founded on. That is the truth, in Jefferson's own words. And telling that truth in a compelling and effective manner is, ultimately, how we will win against this newest batch of theocratic clergy members and the civil leaders who seek to avail themselves of the support of theocratic sects. For we too, like Jefferson, must swear eternal hostility to this and all forms of tyranny over the minds of man.
So I urge you to listen to Gingrich, as I will. Learn from him, and see how he uses language to manipulate and persuade. And then counter him with truth delivered in a manner which will enable your audience to address the "large purple elephant" in the room.
no subject
Thank you for your post, as it was very thoughtful. By quoting Jefferson, you refuted Gingrich's argument very neatly.
May I steal your post so I can pass it on?
Oh, and off-topic: Have you asked your boss for time off for CTT yet? If so, what days do you have off?
If not, please do so ASAP, since CTT is less than three weeks away.
no subject
And yes, certainly you may steal this post and pass it on. :)
About CTT, I've put in for it but not heard back yet. Which worries me a little, but it's before the official cut-off of when we're not allowed to take time off due to our busy season, so I'm hopeful that the person in charge of approving it just didn't get to it yet. We've had kind of a busy week this past week, including a Baby Shower for one of the more beloved members of our staff.