Hold your Fire and Teach

The trend to "hold your fire" on the incoming administration is starting to scare me. Fox reports some of the odd thing that are going on, but seems to lack the curiosity to ask questions. Obama sending emissaries to listen to the summit on the world economy? They say it is just to listen, but is it? What if that is not what is happening? How will what we know of him effect the out come? In general how bad can it get? There are some thing that need to be asked. Every one says Obama is a blank slate so shouldn't we be questioning even more.

From: Bookworm Room-That’s the problem with post-election punditry

(continued from a comment on another post)"That’s exactly right. I have inchoate fears right now, based on almost two years of watching Obama at work, and being quite worried about him, his agenda, his cohorts and his followers. But until something happens, that’s all those fears will be: inchoate.

Right now, I’m doing something I haven’t done too much in the last few years: I’m hunkering down in the real world, and trying to get a little emotional distance from the intellectual excitement of politics. "

Obama has done nothing yet. We are all tiered. Fine. However Obama, the people he is looking to put into the new administration and the leader in congress do have ideas and a philosophy. There is a danger in this. The Obama Administration and his acolytes are going to his the ground running with a mass of willing (some apparently ignorant of much) followers that will hear nothing else.

From Bookworm Room comments: Charles Martel

"What bothers me the most is the uncomprehending stares I get when I remind people that nothing is free, that A leads to B leads to C leads to D — that there really IS a slippery slope, and they just elected a guy super-equipped with rope cutters, hob-nailed boots for stomping knuckles and extra-viscuous oil for accelerating the slide."

There is a fundamental lack of curiosity, basic knowledge of history, opposing philosophies and logic and the ability to accept new ideas (even if just to take a good look and reject them latter).

This should be a time to teach. Start from scratch with your arguments. Spoon feed little bite size ideas. They will have to be small, but that is how things are built. Take advantage of the down time to restart the American curiosity. Teach that has been lost, the skills to think again for one's self. Do not lay the whole argument out. Just strengthen the knowledge and skills of the people, put the pieces on the table and let them put them together.

Those on the right have to stop reading the end of the book to the general public. Those that understand already know the end and those who don't find the end impossible at the very least. Stop preaching to the choir and start teaching the skill to join the choir if they want.