Report #5

From: Dave Screwtape

To: Our Media Allies

Subject: Defeating McCarthyism

To paraphrase the Paul Simon hit, "Where have you gone Edward R. Murrow, a nation turns its lonely eyes towards you." McCarthyism, long thought dead has reared its ugly head in the neoconservative attack on Hollywood.

Anyone who does not believe that America is a good and great nation is accused of a lack of patriotism. Indeed, the very idea that just because someone hates this country, its history, its culture, and everything its ever stood for will cause them to be accused of being unpatriotic ought to send a chill down our spines.

Its important that you take a stand. Some of you have already done great journalistic pieces exposing the Republicans anti-Hollywood McCarthyism. However, not all of you have which is the reason for this letter.

Some of you have refrained because you don't see this as "real McCarthyism". Yes, there are differences. For example, no leaders of this anti-Hollywood effort are fat alcoholics from Wisconsin. But, the primary difference many cite is that there is no governmental action involved but rather private protest.

Whether it is private action such as boycotting a film or public action such as a US Senator pressuring an executive not to hire an actor based on a liberal belief, it's all McCarthyism. We must make this clear to the American people, so that they feel guilty if they do not see the next George Clooney movie or watch the West Wing.

In fighting McCarthyism, we must make a clear distinction between us and the intolerant. The intolerant are never victims of McCarthyism, they are its perpetrators. Whenever, they encounter anything they consider persecution, your ears must be deaf to their complaints. They are encountering the new forces of society which gives no quarter to intolerance. There is no moral equivalence between them and us.

Example: the students who walked out of a graduation ceremony featuring a distinguished New York Times war reporter who wouldn't give a speech extolling the virtues of the military, but rather attacked the late war in Iraq were practicing intolerance and McCarthyism. The students who walked out of a Georgetown graduation ceremony featuring a Catholic Cardinal who was condemning homosexuals and abortion were protesting intolerance.

Another example: Students who are booed or in some way treated negatively for refusing to recite the pledge or sing the national anthem are victims of McCarthyism. Those who are forbade from praying in school or bringing Bibles and religious material are being brought into compliance with a worldview that demands tolerance rather than pushing your own narrow viewpoint on everyone else.

As an aside, it seems totally out of place to pray in public schools. Did God provide students with a school lunch program? Did God provide special education to students? Did God create Girl's basketball programs? No. I say that students ought to thank Senators like Ted Kennedy for their tireless efforts on their behalf every day, rather than thanking God who had nothing to do with the benefits of public education.

Anyway, remember to differentiate between McCarthyism and fighting intolerance and you will do well. You must fight McCarthyism, for if you do not, this country will be taken over by pompous, intolerant bigots and that be must avoided at all costs.

Best Personal Regards,

Dave Screwtape

The Screwtape Report is written by Adam Graham. The Screwtape Report is written from a Democratic perspective by a conservative in order to reveal Democratic strategy and thinking. You can subscribe to the reports by clicking here.

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By Adam Graham