Jun
27
Theocracy, they cried
June 27, 2008 |
I’ve always thought the petulent moaning about “theocracy” to be overdone, but then maybe that’s because I am one of those socially conservative neantherdals that wants to take us back into the Middle Ages (as though the Middle Ages were bad). But I have come to realize that there are certain individuals who do have some theocratic leanings. What’s notable is that they are not right-wingers. No, if you catch a whiff of theocracy, it’s coming from the port side.
Case in point: my friend Morning’s Minion at Vox Nova blog. He has filed a couple of blistering dissents to the Heller decision. To be blunt, neither is even good enough to be worthy of a fisk. I think Dale Price has summarized them sufficiently. But I do think that there is something worth noting about them.
In essence, Morning’s Minion is calling for the complete shredding of the US Constitution. To his credit, he’s really not shy about his disdain for this “Enlightenment” inspired document. To hell with the old white men who wrote the thing. Instead of adhering to the original meaning of the US Constitution, we must follow . . . Morning’s Minion’s personal religious ideals. Oh, and the teaching authority of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Righty then.
There are so many deep philosophical problems with this attitude that I don’t have time to spend a single blog post detailing all of them. But what’s most striking is that MM has pretty boldly presented a method of constitutional interpretation that could pretty clearly be termed theocratic. Instead of being guided by the rule of law, our Nation would be guided by the religious convictions of philosopher-kings. At least, I suppose that’s who would be appointed the task of deciding upon constitutional issues.
I note that Feddie has also observed this disturbing ideology. I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for Andrew Sullivan to follow suit.
Comments
8 Comments so far
Google Reader- An error has occurred; the feed is probably down. Try again later.
[...] please see this post by Jeff Martin over at What’s Wrong with the World. Dale Price and Cranky Con are also on the case. PermaLink | | Trackback/Pingback [...]
“Case in point: my friend Morning’s Minion at Vox Nova blog. He has filed a couple of blistering dissents to the Heller decision. To be blunt, neither is even good enough to be worthy of a fisk.”
“Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
Uh… What is a “fisk?”
Fisk: “A point-by-point refutation of a blog entry or (especially) news story. A really stylish fisking is witty, logical, sarcastic and ruthlessly factual; flaming or handwaving is considered poor form. Named after Robert Fisk, a British journalist who was a frequent (and deserving) early target of such treatment.”
source
I am one of those socially conservative neantherdals that wants to take us back into the Middle Ages
I really hope that was hyperbole. Any modern “I” who would mean that would cease to be a recognizable-to-himself “I” in such a case.
As much as I tend to fall on the traditionalist/conservative side of things (I believe my husband mentioned once that I “make Ashcroft and Bolton look like pansies,”) I have to admit that antibiotics and the flush toilet make living now vs. the middle ages preferable.
CrankyProf points to an ongoing dispute between us… She sees history as “progressing”- i.e. as knowledge expands, the individual is able to better make choices. (That we choose badly is merely a sign of the deep flaws inherent in the person.) I see history is inherently tied to the “fall from grace.” People living in one time are no better or worse than people in any other time. “Preferable,” as my beloved suggests, is relative to a narrow view of other times and places.
For example, my children are bored out of their minds. I wouldn’t dare to turn them loose on the woods over by my parent’s place for fear that something bad would happen to them. But, as children, we were gone from the house by 8 and didn’t return until dinner. (My mother had a ship’s bell that she would vigorously ring to call us in.)
Better? Worse? I don’t know. It sure is different though.
Atari to PC games to X-Box and God only knows what is next. Better to get a short-term thrill from an Atari game that lasted 10 minutes or an interactive game with hundreds across the glob? Don’t know.
Antibiotic resistant germs or no vaccinations for common childhood diseases? Children dressed like tramps or children silently abused? Driving accidents by distracted drivers or by drunk drivers? Blowing your enemy and his family to Kingdom Come or burning their croft and letting them starve through the winter?
Better? Worse? Nope… Just different.
Hyperbole, though I do believe, along with CS Lewis, that the Middle Ages get a bum rap.
And I think I tend to agree with G-Veg, though I don’t really have time to expand upon the point at the moment.