Prager: Left Destroys More than It Creates
Watching the left attempting to undo the greatness of American medicine and dismantle the unprecedentedly powerful American economic engine built almost entirely on non-governmental entrepreneurial effort, I realize once again that the left is far better at destroying than building.
I first realized this as I watched the left — and here I sadly include the whole organized left from liberal to far left — do whatever it could to destroy one of the most wonderful organizations in American life, the Boy Scouts of America
. From Democratic city governments to the New York Times and other liberal editorial pages to the most destructive organization on the left, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), there has been the most concerted effort to break the Boy Scouts.
When challenged about this, fellow Americans on the left respond that this is a false accusation, that they have no desire to destroy the Boy Scouts, only to coerce the organization into accepting as scouts and scout leaders boys and men who have announced they are gay.
This is not an honest response, however, because the left is in fact doing whatever it can to destroy the Boy Scouts until the Boy Scouts change their policy on gays. The left-wing position is that if the Boy Scouts do not change a policy that has been in place since the inception of the organization, they do not deserve to exist.
Therefore it is entirely accurate to state that the left wishes to destroy the Boy Scouts as that organization now exists. No matter how much good the Boy Scouts have done and continue to do for millions of boys, for the left, all this good amounts to nothing.
For the left in this instance, as in most instances, the attitude is: Destroy the imperfect in order to build the perfect.
There is no left-wing Boy Scouts. The left knows best how to crush the non-left Boy Scouts, but it has never made a boys organization of its own.
Likewise with individual lives devoted to the poor. Sure, there are secular and left-wing organizations devoted to the poor, but the individuals who give up their lives to the poorest in America and the world, like the members of Salvation Army at home and the Mother Teresas abroad, are overwhelmingly religious (and to be fair, Christian).
I just spent Thanksgiving week in Zambia and benighted Zimbabwe with my teenage son to help an organization give out mosquito nets and seed to the poorest of the poor.
The organization that brought us there, Rock of Africa, is a Christian organization that works with the destitute in Zimbabwe. As with a larger, also Christian-based, organization that I have worked with for nearly two years (full disclosure: It periodically sponsors my radio show), Cure International, all those affiliated with the organization get nothing or almost nothing for their work.
Why do the doctors who work at, and those who build, Cure International’s hospitals in places like Honduras, Uganda and Afghanistan and the volunteers of Rock of Africa do their work? Because they believe that their faith demands that they do (I have no religious agenda here, as I am Jewish, not Christian). The number of Christians and Christian organizations doing self-sacrificing work around the world is large and impressive. Now, there are also secular organizations doing magnificent work in the poorest parts of the world — Doctors Without Borders is a well-known example — but I would bet that the number of religious individuals who give their lives for virtually no pay to the worst off in America and around the world is far greater than the number of irreligious individuals.
And just as there is no left-wing Boy Scouts, there is no Salvation Army built and manned by people with left-wing values. Nor has there ever been a left-wing country as magnanimous, as willing to die for others, as opportunity-giving to people from all over the world, as America, whose greatness comes from its traditional secular values and its Judeo-Christian values. As with the Boy Scouts, the left can bring an America down, but it cannot build one.
Dennis Prager hosts a nationally syndicated radio talk show and is a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He is the author of four books, most recently “Happiness Is a Serious Problem” (HarperCollins). His website is www.dennisprager.com.
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As for former Boy Scout, and Eagle Scout I can certainly understand why Mr. Prager thinks this is an attack from the left, because he identifies himself as being from the “right”. The Boy Scouts are a private organization, and with that, they can do anything they want to do as far as requirements of admission. Where they fall short is in their inclusiveness of all young men, especially those who identify themselves as gay. Some young men may not even understand why their attraction leans more towards the same sex.
I like how Mr. Prager states “Therefore it is entirely accurate to state that the left wishes to destroy the Boy Scouts as that organization now exists.” as fact, when in reality, it is his opinion. I identify myself as one of those from the left, and I do not wish to destroy the Boy Scouts. Do I wish they would be more inclusive of those who identify themselves as gay, sure. But as an organization they have the right to do so. At the same time, young boys, and male leaders can also suppress their attraction to the same sex, or in other words – lie, which is not a foundation of the Scouting program.
What about boys who go all the way through Scouts and THEN are able to accurately identify themselves as gay? What then? Should the experiences they had while in Scouts be diminished in some day, or even be revoked?
It seems to me that Mr. Prager had two parts to this opinion article. 1. To bash the left, and 2. to prop up his conservative views as somehow being more altruistic than the left (which is laughable).
I wonder how many gay men (or lesbian women) participate in his group that traveled to Africa. I also wonder how many men he helped in Africa were gay themselves, and if it made a difference if they were gay or not?
Ultimately his views are very narrow, short sighted and opinionated (which is his right). But as far as the left bringing down America? Not likely. The Left have done a great deal of good, as well as the Right. But equally they have also had their moments of self-righteousness and destruction and to think or say anything else is just wrong.
brian,
Now you are right spot on. On the mark with right winged nuts. Somehow they just are against the coomon man. Even though most all the world is for obama. Now they forget that true fact and try to make the ones for the common man look bad. Seems that they should get run by the us government so they can learn to help the common man. Every one knows that obama is for the rights of the gays-look at how he has helped them.
art
I was involved with Boy Scouts as a parent leader for 5 years. I thought it might be good for my boys, but I hated almost every moment of it. From boy scouts aping and therefore mocking American Indian dancing to the overt discrimination against not only gays and atheists, but also anyone who happened to be a single parent, I was generally upset. What did I, a liberal, share with those I labored alongside? 1) A desire to protect children from evil (boy scout leaders never go anywhere with children alone) 2) a desire to instill a love of nature and practical skills in boys 3) a love of the flag. I think that’s about it. The boy scouts should be challenged for their exclusivity; they should be inclusive of others. They should also not be an exclusively middle and upper class organization, but that’s what they are. No poor people need apply.
Once again Dennis Prager is right-On.
I say to Brian, go out and scout your own boys and leave the Boy Scouts of America alone.
And poor Jude ate the bait being fed to her by the left. Hope your little boy makes it through your liberal leveling attempts at letting him grow up. Hope you don’t succeed in protecting him from the middle and upper classes.
And Arto, . . how come you never speak of any left winged nuts? Surely there are many among ‘coomon’ men.
geneo,
Of course i have talked about left winged nuts. But as usually you do not listen to reason. And you stick to you right winged cheny news. Billie clinton is a left winged nut that i talked about. And teddy was a left winger that i talked about. Maybe it was a different geneo that was on the post board of this sight. As usual you find the similar talking points of the cheny man but forget true acts. In billie we saw one that hurt the comman due to his flesh desires and anger. So then teddy was one that tried to eat and drink his guilts to quiet and did that glutin practice. For now there is the micheal moor that is a left winged nut. And his triying to talk bad about obama. It is his guton acts that also make him look bad. Lets admit that you have plenty of examples of left wingers that are also cheny/money drove to talk bad about obama. Ed stien is another one that is losing his reasonable thinking. During past days he had good sayings and drawnings about obama but lately he is getting to soe speaking from me for his error ways.
art
mary moore.
Can it be that you are back for good. Of course it is always so good to hear you and your reasons. Next time you should jump on early to tell the good about obama. For i am sure you have seen all the bad that right wingers say about obama. Unless it was for people like you we would have to many right winged ones talking the mo/cheny points. Sorry that you can not talk more to us. Even geneo seems to listen to your reason on how good obama is. Do please post more often on how obama has helped the cell phones for your husband be better.
art