There are a couple of great posts over at DailyKos countering the wing nut assertion that we liberals are somehow rooting for al Qaeda. Kos puts it like this:
Funny how the wingers try to claim American liberals are in league with crazy fundamentalist Muslims.
Reality is, we hate everything Islamic fundamentalism stands for. On the other hand, the Dobson’s of the Republican Party — you know, the people running the show — have far more in common with the enemy than they’d ever like to admit.
The reasons we hate the American Taliban are the same reasons we hate fundamentalists of all stripes — they seek to impose their own moral code on the rest of society, and do so with the zeal and moral absolutism possible only from those who believe they are doing “God’s work”.
So true. Here’s the comparison, cribbed from Kos and his comments:
| Issue | al-Qaeda/Taliban | American Taliban | American Liberals |
| Religion in government | One and the same | One and the same | Separation of church and state |
| Schools | Religious indoctrination. Run by clergy. | School prayer. Religious indoctrination (creationism and “intelligent design”). Private religious school system. | Leave religious teachings to parents and sunday school. |
| Women | No school, must cover entire body, no rights | Government control over reproductive freedoms, hostility to Title IX, hostility to working women | Equality of the sexes |
| Religious freedom | ‘Think like us, or we’ll whiip you and/or chop off your head’ | ‘Think like us, or we’ll condemn you to hell’ | To each her own |
| Homosexuality | Eradicate them from society | Eradicate them from society | Equality under the law |
| Torture | Torture them or chop off their heads | Torture them or homosexually rape them. | No torture |
| Medicine and Science | Faith-based world view | Faith-based world view | Reality-based community |
| Foreign Policy | World domination – do it our way or we attack | World domination – do it our way or we attack | Rule of Law, Peace and international cooperation |
| Executing Minors | Executing Minors OK | Executing Minors OK | Find this to be a barbaric and embarrassing practice |
| Pop Culture | Hate it… kill it | Hate it… ban it | Laugh at it… boycott it |
| Self-image | Belief in their own infallibility | Belief in their own infallibility | Willingness to consider other viewpoints |
| God | God is on our side and will help us kill our enemies | God is on our side and will help us kill our enemies | God may or may not exist and will not help us kill anyone |
| Stem Cell Research | No Stem cell research | No Stem cell research | Stem cell research |
| Leaders | God chose Osama Bin Laden to defeat the Great Satan | God chose George W. Bush to lead us | God didn’t choose anyone |
| Use of Force | As a means of propagating a world view | As a means of propagating a world view | As a last resort |
| Bush’s War in Iraq | Love it! | Love it! | It’s a disaster |
| Press | Control of the Press | Manipulation of the Press | Freedom of the Press |
| Free Speech | Anyone who disagrees with us is an infidel and must be silenced | Anyone who disagrees with us is a traitor and must be silenced | Anyone who disagrees with us is in for a spirited discussion |
| Individuals | Conform or else | Conform or else | Embrace diversity |
| Cooperation | You’re either with us or against us | You’re either with us or against us | We’re all in this together |
| Tolerance | Death to the infidels | Kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity | Live and let live |
| Conscience | Obedience to authority | Obedience to authority | Critical reflection |
| Origins | Universe and man created 6,000 years ago by God | Universe and man created 6,000 years ago by God | The Universe began as we know it at least 14 billion years ago, maybe more |
| Leaders | Subservient to will of its leaders | Subservient to will of its leaders | Will served by Representative government |
| Fear | Life is scary and uncertain, seek refuge in moral absolutes and scorn those that threaten those absolutes | Life is scary and uncertain, seek refuge in moral absolutes and scorn those that threaten those absolutes | Life is scary and uncertain, seek refuge in accepting that respect for our fellow man and the individual choices he/she makes is eminently moral |
| Women | A woman’s place is in the home | A woman’s place is in the home | A woman’s place is wherever she wants it to be |
| Marriage | Marriage is only between a man and a woman | Marriage is only between a man and a woman | Marriage is between any two people who love each other |
| Energy | Wants the West to be totally energy dependent on oil so it can finance terrorism | Wants the West to be totally energy dependent on oil so it can finance war on terrorism | Wants the world to be totally energy independent of oil to eliminate terrorism. |
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