Off The Deep End

Lunatic fringe
I know you're out there
-from the song "Lunatic Fringe" by Red Rider

I was "lucky" enough to recently be exposed to the not-quite-sane philosophies of two lunatic fringers, from two wildly divergent points of view. It was an experience.

The conservative in question took the right's tendency toward self-righteousness to its illogical extreme, positing himself the sole arbiter of Good and Evil in the world (and you can guess which alternative he thought himself to be). He declared any disagreement (no matter how small) with any of President Bush's decisions (no matter how ill-fated) to be the result of BDS (that's Bush Derangement Syndrome) and thus invalid. And liberals? They all, every single one, hate America and want our troops dead.

The blind rage was astounding and frightening.

*****

The leftie wacko started out with an oldie but a goodie: George W. Bush is the real terrorist! Then came the inevitable follow-up: The 9/11 attacks were orchestrated by some combination of Bush, Cheney, the CIA, the NSA and the Mossad. And our involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq? Well, it's all about oil, pipelines and the military-industrial complex, of course.

Again, mindless, blind rage.

*****

Nothing gonna stop them as the day follows the night
Right becomes wrong, the left becomes the right
-from the song "Ride Across The River" by Dire Straits

It certainly is easy to marginalize people of this sort, to simply tell them to don their tin-foil hats until the voices go away. But upon further reflection, I can't help but think: There, but for the grace of God, go I. It is doubtless that I have strong points of view, and that I can often get rather worked up about matters political. Is it really that great of a step from where I am to where they are?

Fortunately, I have my wife. She, when necessary, is more than capable of letting me know what a blowhard I can be, and is diligent in telling me when I'm full of shit. She is, as John Adams said of Abigail, "my ballast." Has been for over 23 years.

So, thank you, Barb. I love you. God knows how far off the deep end I'd be without you.