Hell Is on the Way
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By George Neumayr
Published 7/30/2004 12:47:18 AM

The last refuge of the modern liberal is patriotism. John Kerry
clothed himself on Thursday night in the American flag that his
friends used to boast of burning. He relied on ribbons he once
flung at the White House as proof of his fitness to occupy it.
And he accused the Republicans of anti-Americanism, a slur
liberals once wore as a badge of honor.

Kerry perspired his way through the platitudes ably enough,
but it was telling that he had to depend parasitically on Dick
Cheney's line -- "help is on the way" -- to find an anthem of
his own. The Democrats have decided to be a pale imitation
of the Republicans even in their rhetorical constructs.

Kerry's daughters were saddled with the chore of having to
humanize him. They came up with a few human qualities he
displayed at a "chili feed," spoke of how he brought some
"foliage" to his dying mom, and how he once rescued a
hamster named Licorice from death. No sooner was the
hamster story concluded than Alexandra Kerry was
promising that her Pa would protect abortion -- "controlling
our bodies." The Democrats never fail to couple their
environmentalism -- protecting animals -- with calls for not
protecting humans through abortion. Democrats argue for
purity in nature and impurity in human nature, selflessness
toward hamsters, selfishness toward vulnerable humans.

Kerry said that "complexity" doesn't trouble him. Actually,
he means contradiction doesn't trouble him. It was interesting
to see him slide from internationalism to near-nativism within
a few paragraphs of the speech. The candidate who believes
we should be working more with foreigners spoke in an almost
brooding nativist tone about the indignity of fired Americans
surrendering their jobs to "foreigners." The great internationalist
-- the one who says that we are too closed off to the world
-- is upset that Americans and foreigners are working side
by side at auto plants?

There was also of course the blatant contradiction of Kerry
saying that Democrats won't divide America, then doing just
that before finishing his speech. This most improbable champion
of the "middle class" had no qualms about dividing America by
wealth, egging Americans into soaking the rich. It was a nice
hypocritical Democratic touch to have notorious tax-dodging
multimillionaire Willie Nelson sing before the class-warfare
commenced.

Kerry's derivative rhetoric went from Cheney's "help is on the
way" to quoting Ron Reagan Jr. musings on his father's religion.
Kerry said that he doesn't wear his "religion on his sleeve"
-- perhaps too many recently discovered ribbons are getting
in the way -- but that he endeavors to be on "God's side." Then
he proceeded to tout the Democrats' opposition to the Republicans'
constitutional protection of marriage as ordained by God. Naturally,
Kerry didn't mention in his warning about constitutional tinkering
that he marched for the Equal Rights Amendment, a constitutional
amendment that would have, among other things, backdoored
same-sex marriage into the Constitution.

What God has joined together, the Democrats are happy to put
asunder. Barney Frank, speaking at the convention earlier, let the
cat out of the bag when he said Democrats stand for letting
homosexuals "marry," further proof that a Kerry presidency will
mean same-sex marriage nationwide.

Weaker at home, weaker abroad -- this is the Democratic mantra
reduced to reality which Kerry's new-found patriotism cannot conceal.