Rodent Regatta

Bill Whittle at Eject! Eject! Eject! is turning his attention to the culture war. Here’s an excerpt:

I have long maintained that the threat from Islamist terrorism, while real and potent, presents no long-term threat to an awakened and determined America. We are fighting—and winning that battle as we speak. Far more pernicious is the battle for the very idea of what this country is and should be, a culture war that prior to 9/11, we were losing and losing badly if for no other reason than the fact that we elected not to fight it at all.

Bill Whittle
The Sleep of the Jacksonians
(and what to do about it)

What’s hard for me to grasp is how both sides can be losing. The Dean campaign is full of supporters who claim they want to ”take American back.” Ever since Charleton Heston’s speech at Harvard, the other side of the culture war has been trying to ”take America back.” Which is it? Are both sides losing? Are both sides unhappy merely because they haven’t won?

Here’s another excerpt that gives me some hope that people will begin to evaluate what all of the rhetoric is about:

So this is our new ground: the fight for the soul of our country as a haven for individualism, reason, science, morality, strength and responsibility in a sea of ships wrecked on the shoals of socialism, tribalism and political correctness. And if, at its best, my previous work was a call to arms, then the work we set out on now, together, will be more in the way of a repair manual.

Bill Whittle
The Sleep of the Jacksonians
(and what to do about it)

Few would argue – from either side – about the list of attributes that Whittle calls out. Individualism is good. Reason is good. Science is good. Morality is good. The list goes on. The debate ensues when each side begins to develop its own definition of each of these terms in light of its greater agenda. We’ll see if there can be meaningful debate about the specifics of the culture war.