Progressive Democrat Issue 56: SOME READER COMMENTS

First off, I meant to point out in the last issue, right after a reader pointed it out, that the article I quoted in issue 53 regarding the Republican opposition to Wal-Mart in Staten Island was by Erik Engquist. His tagline was not included in the information I had originally gotten and I had not been able to track down the original article. I apoligize to Erik for not including his tagline. Many might be familiar with Erik's earlier work exposing the thuggishness of Charles Hynes, the Brooklyn DA.

Second, I want to quote Rick, a reader from Brooklyn, who made some great comments regarding my last issue (issue 55). Here are his comments:

The terms that sociologists use for the 2 ways of looking at the world are; "Concrete" and "Ideological." Obviously, the ideological one is the more problematic. America got to where it is by an excellent system of facilitation known as "Pragmatism." Pragmatism can be construed as a "hybrid" of the other 2 views. With pragmatism, both the emotive and environmental aspects of human existence are taken into account in a balanced, rational way.

It is no mistake that scientists can be both. For their world view takes into account, the fact that knowledge is infinitely unfolding, and that the mystery of the afterlife might never be "solved."

Many ethicists also argue that religion exists as a kind of metaphorical representation. It expresses the desire for Man to live in a beneficial harmony, with religious "morality" as an important asset.

So there is room for an ideological aspect of our lives, but that's not what the Republicans are doing. They are using self-seving variations on classic ideological constructs to manipulate and exploit unsuspecting Americans into taking complete control of the country. And as they start failing, they have no backup. Their frames of reference are all ideas and emotions, that can't be restored to anything that matches reality.

Reagan institutionalized smoke and mirrors on a grand, national stage. As a result, the ideological crowd have made him their god.

It will be interesting to see exactly how all of this will shake out.

But if you look at the history of this country, you will see, that the great gift of pragmatism keeps giving, and that it might take some doing, but in the long run, we continue to progress.