Shelby Steele: “What Drew Me To Conservatism”

After the devastating losses in recent national elections, and maybe the loss of much of America’s cherished freedom of free enterprise and individual rights during the new President’s first hundred days, it is no wonder noted conservatives and even some Republicans are examining the personality of America’s conservatism.  On Monday’s Prager radio show Dennis praised the day’s Wall Street Journal for its opinion page article by one of the best contemporary American conservative thinkers, Shelby Steele. 

Tears come to my eyes when I hear said or see written words as the following: 

“ What drew me to conservatism years ago was the fact that it gave discipline a slightly higher status than virtue.  This  meant it could not be subverted by passing notions of the good.  It could be above moral vanity.  And so it made no special promises to me as a minority.  It neglected me in every way except  as a human being who wanted freedom.  Until my encounter with conservatism, I had only known the  racial determinism of segregation on the one hand and of white liberalism on the other;   two varieties of white supremacy in which I could only be dependent and inferior.

The appeal of conservatism is the mutuality it asserts between individual and political freedom, its beautiful idea of a free man in a free society.  And it offers minorities the one thing they can never get from liberalism; human rather than racial dignity.”

Mr. Steele continues:  Conservatism “seeks the discipline of ordinary people rather than the virtuousness of extraordinary people.  The challenge for conservatives today is simply self-acceptance, and even a little pride in the way we flail away at problems with an invisible hand.”

I admit my prejudice, that the tears are accompanied with pride that I am still a live American, proud of my country, my country’s religion and values, especially when I know such words are written by a fellow American.  I know that I am among honorable friends. 

Good Prager people…Please be disciplined enough to read Mr. Steele’s complete article in the March 16th Wall Street Journal.

Update: Ezra Levant Coming To Radio 1280

A few blogs ago I reported that this coming Saturday, March 21, 2009, Ezra Levant will be interviewed by the folks at Northern Alliance of Patriot radio, 1280, sometime between 1:00 and 3:00PM.

Background for this insidious invasion into even a kindergarten level of human right of   free speech in a democratic society was reported in the earlier blog.  I had relied on my aging memory in this previous blog and had misblogged that Mr. Levant’s sin had something to do with publishing an article in his Western Standard publication about some kind of Muslim misbehavior in Edmonton.

I apologize hereby to all Prager people, and particularly to Mr. Levant.  His sin was publishing the Danish cartoons in the Weekly Standard for which he has had to defend himself in front of…not a court of law…but in the office of a bureaucrat of the Alberta Human Rights Commission who possesses the power to imprison him for allegedly offending Muslims.

A bureaucrat, given legal power in a democracy to punish, to judge over a citizen of a democratic country…not a dictatorship of  tyrants such as in Libya, Uganda under Idi Amin, Iraq’s Sadam Hussein, Stalin of the USSR,  or Afghanistan under the Taliban, but, a democracy, our neighbor to the North, Canada!   And in the 21st not the 15th century, before Canada was born!

Remember the Danish cartoons?  Probably none of you have seen these little “Peanuts” of politics.  They were put under the pillows by the entire American media….with the single exception of a Philadelphis newspaper.   Muslim mischief went far beyond any boundaries limited to the streets of  Edmonton.  People died.  People cried.

Stay posted.  I hope we will be able to include access to all six videos of  the Alberta Human Rights Commission vs. Ezra Levant hearing as soon as possible…

And here they are. I found them linked to YouTube from the Atheists Media Blog!

Opening Statement

What was Your Intent?

The Real Violence in Edmonton

I Don’t Answer to the State

Entitled to My Opinion?

Attributes of Free Speech