Back to Rustic Rebel's initial question...

I've felt the same thing RR. I live in an extremely conservative area, and have many loved ones who identify with what is often referred to as the political right. Over the last 10 to 15 years I have stopped discussing many subjects with them, because discussions quickly become heated. No doubt, part of the fault for this has been mine.

Since the 2000 presidential election, I have completely shunned political discussions to preserve valued relationships. I have pursued political and peace activities in a stealth fashion. In the last several months, I have heard people close to me vilifying peace advocates as naive, misguided, puppets, commies, anarchists, and traitors. Often the people spewing these epithets have no clue that I am what they have come to hate.

These same people (who are compassionate members of family and the community) have in recent months said things that make my jaw drop (for instance, ending a Christmas dinner prayer with "may God save us from the muslims", or "so what if there's no proven link between Saddam and bin Laden, all arabs are Al-Quaeda sympathizers", and "who cares about the French, in one generation, they will be a Muslim country anyhow").

The scary part is, I know where these lines (and this mentality) come from. I travel a lot, and listen to the radio to stay awake. The radio in the U.S. is wall-to-wall far right wing outrageous propaganda. At any time of the day or night, one can choose between Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, Michael Savage, David Brudnoy, Micael Reagan, and innumerable local clones. These fellows project the authority of journalists, but do not aspire to a journalists standards of fact and balance. They do not allow for the possibilty of loyal opposition, or a reasoned, conscientious disagreement. If you don't agree, you are an idiot, or just evil. I used to be distressed about this mentality on the airwaves, but now I believe it has been shown to be effective for motivating voters, so the right has adopted the technique at all levels, and it has become the chosen method of discourse by the political right - from the President ("you're either with us or against us") to pro-war people in the streets ("you love Saddam you anti-American traitor"). I actually think that a vast segment of the population has been brainwashed to some degree.

Of course everyone's veiwpoint is biased (and many might say that I've been brainwashed), but I really don't see the converse - I have not yet seen a sign at a rally saying that Bush wants to kill babies. I have not heard a single liberal commentator (are there any? well, maybe you could site NPR) using the type of invective that is de rigeur on the right.

I think it boils down to this: a hallmark of liberalism is a willingness to acknowledge the legitimacy of differing viewpoints, while it has become the modus operandi of neoconservatism to denigrate opposing views in apoplectic outrage.

Every time there is a peace rally, I fervently hope that those advocating peace do not use violence or invective in the name of their (our) cause, and I hope that someday soon, people will tire of the current fashion of demonizing the opposition.