By Frank Salvato

Too often those who opine on political matters make the mistake of directing their criticism – or accolades – toward a generalized group when in fact the comments are meant for a more specific faction commingled within that group. I, at least on a few occasions, stand guilty as charged. This type of generalization has contributed to the coarse ideological divisions in our country and has become the modus operandi of politicos and pundits alike, from all avenues of political thought. At a time when our nation is embroiled in a critical struggle for survival and in an effort to realize a more cohesive American political and social culture, I believe it may behoove those of us who scrutinize and maintain a comprehensive understanding of politics and events surrounding the elected-class to start correctly identifying the groups with which we take issue.

For the record, the Progressive-Left is an aggressive faction currently ensconced within the Democrat Party. Where most Progressive-Leftists are Democrat (some of the more extreme are Green and even Socialist or Communist), most Democrats are not Progressive-Leftists. In fact, where mainstream Democrats and Republicans are concerned, we, as thoughtful Americans, have much more in common than not, explaining why an overwhelming majority of the American public considers themselves moderate or mainstream in their political leanings.

I do not dislike Democrats. The realty of the matter is that I have many friends who are Democrats. While I have many differences with their ideology and their views for how best to execute the caretaking of our government and country, I don’t dislike them as people. In fact, I embrace and appreciate the opportunity to engage in thoughtful and intellectual debate on issues important to our nation with those of differing opinions. When two or more patriotic and sincere parties set out to express their ideas and concerns regarding the stewardship of our government and the path forward for our nation it can only be described as the quintessential American political experience.

In many cases, when the elected class engages in honest debate, where the true goal of the matter is the well-being of our country and our people, it produces a positive and quality product. Honest, impassioned debate is what established the floors of the US House of Representatives and the US Senate as two of the greatest debating platforms in history.

But political debate – true, honest, sincere, genuine, open political debate – can only be achieved when the parties involved possess all of the aforementioned prerequisites; truth, integrity, sincerity, substance and frankness. When one party is disingenuous or has ulterior motives or has the best interests of special interests at heart, the product almost always produces something that is far from that which facilitates the well-being of our nation. Insincere political debate almost always comes at the detriment of the American people; it almost always indicates a desire to place the welfare of a political party or ideological faction above the process of good government for all Americans.

Both the statesman-like qualities of the thoughtful elected class as well as the ugly qualities possessed by those who practice special interest and opportunistic politics can be found on both sides of the aisle. But nowhere in American politics is the hideous quality of the narcissistic and self-serving more evident than among those who take pride in calling themselves part of the Progressive-Left.

I oppose and hold ideological contempt for Progressive-Leftists. I abhor their penchant for stopping short of examining all of the facts regarding the issues they deem important and I detest their self-instilled, over-inflated sense of self-esteem which enables them to believe they should dictate to the rest of the world not only what is acceptable and what is not, but how we should live our lives.

At almost every turn, this malicious group of egotists twists and contorts the tenets instituted by our Founders and Framers in an effort to place their ideology above the principles set forth by our founding documents, our Charters of Freedom. They ignore the true intent behind much of the founding dogma, intent born of great political philosophers such as John Locke, Thomas Hobbes and even Cicero and Aristotle, critical thinkers who influenced our Framers. Instead they replace this doctrine with the failed theories of the Marxist/Leninist era, self-deprecating political canon that advances the false hope of attaining equality at the redistribution of wealth and the promotion of class warfare while establishing an elitist class that rules over those who have had “equality” thrust upon them.

Today’s Progressive-Left can also be addressed as the American Fifth Column. This political faction, through their statements, deeds and demands, evidences a clear lack of intellectual vision, an inability to see beyond their immediate goals or to ascertain the consequences of their actions and demands. They operate with an analytical capacity seldom seen in anything other than the temper tantrums of a spoiled three year-old. And just like that spoiled three year-old, those of the American Fifth Column, the Progressive-Left, insist without reservation that they are not only correct in their avenue of thinking – no matter what the subject – but that anyone who opposes them is wrong, ignorant of the truth and uninformed of reality.

The caustic anti-war contingent – epitomized by groups such a CodePink – has no answer to questions raised about the likelihood of an all-encompassing Iraqi genocide should US and Coalition Forces leave that theater pre-maturely. In fact, judging from comments made by Senator John Kerry denying the Southeast Asian genocide perpetrated after the US exit from Vietnam, many among the Progressive-Left would accept a limited genocide of Iraqis as a consequence for their political agenda.

When challenged that the global war against Islamofascist aggression is a struggle that will not cease simply because we do not engage in it, those of the Progressive-Left insist that the catalyst for said aggression is US interference in the Middle East and American support for Israel. They are at a loss to explain why Islamofascists are slaughtering Hindus, Buddhists and other Muslims in Africa, Indonesia, South America and elsewhere in the Middle East, American culture not prevalent in most of those locations.

The Progressive-Left is in such a determined state of denial about the aggressive threat of radical Islam that they embrace the religion of Islam as a whole, labeling it “the religion of peace,” while ignoring that almost everywhere in the world where Islam interacts with other cultures there is conflict. They cannot comprehend the reality that should the US disengage from combating Islamofascism on the battlefields of Iraq and elsewhere in that theater, al Qaeda and its minion groups would think nothing of taking the bloodbath to the streets of Chicago, Baltimore or San Diego. They are in such denial that House Armed Serviced Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO) has banned the use of the phrase “global war on terror” in his committee proceedings.

The American Fifth Column, manned by the Progressive-Left, has demonstrated its desire to usurp constitutionally mandated rights by establishing a shadow set of laws in the form of political correctness, laws friendlier to the one-world tenets of the United Nations Charter and its encroachment into our sovereignty as a nation than to the US Charters of Freedom.

The institution of “hate crime” and “hate speech” laws illustrates the Progressive-Left’s attempt to legislate political correctness. One of the most critical aspects to understanding the extent of the encroachment of such legislation onto our constitutional rights comes in the form of a singular question. Who would be the arbiter in establishing the defining criteria with regard to what is considered “hate,” in both action and speech?

Recognizing the brutal reality that criminals, by definition, do not follow the laws of our land, the continued encroachment upon our Second Amendment right to bear arms in pursuit of the false notion that it is the inanimate object that is dangerous and not the living being interacting with the inanimate object, literally places law abiding citizens at a disadvantage to a criminal class. Yet anti-gun groups, championed by the Progressive-Left, continue to lobby for incremental Second Amendment limitations while waging a grassroots campaign for gun control laws that witnesses municipalities literally outlawing the possession of fire arms altogether, completely usurping the US Constitution.

Where our national security is concerned, the Progressive-Left employs, yet again, the inanity of political correctness and a far-reaching morally relativistic justification limiting intelligence gathering and terror prevention.

By objecting to the use of profiling – one of the most valuable tools in law enforcement and a tool devoid of the variable of emotion, a tool based on the use of statistics – Transportation Safety Administration screeners go out of their way to avoid the label of racist, scrutinizing, detaining and questioning many who fall outside the profiles of suicide-bombers, hijackers or Islamofascist terrorists.

And by insisting on politically motivated oversight and limitation of intelligence gathering concerning potential terrorist operatives and operations targeting the United States the Progressive-Left literally impedes US anti-terror operations while affording limited resistance to those plotting against our country. They do so while ignoring the damage caused by leaking this intelligence to the mainstream media.

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, the definition for “Patriotic” is:

“Love of and devotion to one's country.”

That the Progressive-Left American Fifth Column would: attempt to rewrite American history by denying the consequences of a pre-mature Vietnam disengagement to the point of forcing our nation to facilitate the Islamofascist genocide of the Iraqi people; deny our government and military the necessary tools to engage our enemy, offensively, in the global war against Islamofascist aggression; create a shadow set of laws that usurps the authority of the US Constitution; and deny our intelligence and law enforcement communities the ability to aggressively pursue the protection of the American people from harm, that they would do all this and much more, illustrates a contempt for our country and the very principles used on which our freedoms were forged, not a devotion to it or a love of it.

As I said, I don’t dislike Democrats. Honest and thoughtful debate is important to our governmental process. I can’t say the same, however, for the Progressive-Left. In fact, I believe they are dangerous.