There are two ideologically-driven movements currently in the West that are bent on destroying the pluralistic nature of Western democracies.
There are certain things in life that are binary. Period. Throughout history, there has never been a woman who is 1/3 pregnant. You hope that the last words you should never hear are, “Hi, this is your captain up here on the flight deck. We’ve lost the right wing, but don’t worry, we still have the left one.” A doctor saying that he removed 80% of a very aggressive cancer is not giving you great news. In many things, it’s all or nothing, 1 or 0, right or wrong.
Pluralistic societies tend not to be binary but generally have a spectrum of people, ideas, and ways of life. Americans are extremely open and accepting of others, and even the most religiously devout people usually keep their religion to themselves and do not try to foist it on others. There can at times be conflict. I know of places in New York where Jewish communities are growing, and existing townspeople want to limit such growth so as to keep a balance in local affairs. But generally speaking, Americans go by “live and let live”.
What happens when social forces that brook no dissent or opposition try to take over pluralistic societies? We’ve seen how the Nazi Party parlayed a minority position in the Reichstag into total power that destroyed any and all opposition. Someone once translated the French revolutionary motto of “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity or Death” to mean, “Be my brother or I will kill you.” Pluralistic societies, like someone with a compromised immune system, are susceptible to totalitarian ideologies. Initially, they are allowed into the market of ideas, given full legal and social protections, and then without tools to stop them, the ideologues take over and destroy the open and free aspects of society that let them come to power. The mullahs in Iran initially made pacts with shop owners and others who had been badly affected by the Shah and his secret police; when they finally secured power for themselves, Khomeini and friends turned on their former friends and wiped out the open features of Iranian society. I once met a fellow on a flight who was Jewish and a former Iranian singer and heartthrob. He was fortunate to flee in the early days of the revolution.
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Currently there are two movements, ostensibly complete opposites, that accept no middle ground and demand that others accept their position—or else!
The first is Islamism. This is not something either made up or hidden. Imams throughout the West and in Islamic countries make it clear that they want Sharia law to rule the world. They are not subtle about their goals and state that they expect others to submit or suffer. The Muslim participants in the marches, encampments, and riots since 10/7 have shown that their goals go well beyond Israel and the Jews. They have been allowed into Western societies and enjoy all of the physical benefits and freedoms that generally do not exist in the countries from which they came. They use the freedoms of assembly, speech, and religion not to simply enjoy living according to their religious requirements, but to use the very freedoms granted them to take over the societies that welcomed them. Look at Islamic countries and one sees lashing and stonings and women being forced to dress according to religious dictate and not their own free will. Look at religious minorities in these countries such as the Jews and Baha'is in Iran. The folks in the US, demanding that sharia replace all common law would expect the Islamic United States or the United Islamic Kingdom to work by the same rules. If you don’t know what a “no-go zone” is in Europe, then you don’t know what is happening in major European cities.
The other movement that is ideologically extreme and not accepting of any criticism or half-way measures is the trans mania. As I have written before, biologically there is no such thing as trans. One can cut off and/or add body parts or take drugs, but the basic biology of male and female chromosomes and their physiological implications do not change because some blue-haired sophomore at Harvard screams so. Whereas Islam is recognized as one of the world’s great religions, trans is a modern religion in which all players are demanded to play along. Oy to the one who refuses to change pronouns or uses an old name for a person who has magically gone from Bob to Sally or vice versa. They demand laws requiring that others play along with their masquerade, and there are stories of students being ejected or workers being fired for not obeying this very modern religion.
As in Islam, the focus of the trans leaders is to destroy the very Christian nature of the West, especially the US. The basic fabric of society is interwoven with religious values, laws and concepts such as family, charity, and being a good neighbor. We had a Catholic family as neighbors back in Chicago and they always treated my Jewish immigrant parents with the greatest kindness and respect. Trans does not care if it destroys the fabric of Western countries: you must accept their deranged demand that a man becomes a woman by merely claiming as much or maybe by taking some puberty blockers or the like. It's like demanding that schizophrenics be allowed to vote twice.
So how does an open society remain open but not commit assisted suicide? In the case of Islam, there are steps that must be taken. In Europe, it already may be too late, but the US still has a chance to preserve its pluralistic democracy. Anyone who has violated his or her visa during the most recent anti-US marches should be deported. Immigration from Islamic countries should be limited. The FBI, if they can stop dragging grannies out of abortion clinics, should keep an eye on individuals and institutions that promote sharia law over general US law. And immigrants should be strongly encouraged to become Americans in language, custom, and allegiance. Sharia should be practiced at home and in the community but not foisted upon the general population who have their own religious lives and values to uphold. And those protections are for all religions equally, including for atheists.
As to trans, we need to continually put forth that it is a mental state unrelated to any reality. “Trans” people should be seen as individuals in need of psychological or personal help. If one buys into trans, then he or she has essentially opened the door to the negation of historical Judeo-Christian values that have been the bedrock of Western societies for ages. This is binary. There is no room for official acceptance of trans demands. Let them scream but they can keep their trans delusions to themselves and let girls and women win their own races.
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