At The Extreme

by
Douglas
Logan

I
left
Florida,
two
years
ago,
with
an
intense
dislike
for
its
governance.
I
don’t
identify
as
“woke”.
But
the
radical
anti-woke
agenda
of
Ron
and
Casey
DeSantis
appalled
me.
The
extreme,
anti-intellectual
views
of
many
local
school
boards
were
insulting
to
my
values.
The
fact
that
the
state
had
become
a
haven
for
selfishness,
greed
and
bias
was
very
off-putting.

For
many
reasons,
I
moved
to
upstate
New
York.
Its
former
governor,
Andrew
Cuomo,
is
a
duplicitous,
opportunistic
charlatan.
His
conduct
towards
women
is
reprehensible.
His
extreme,
progressive
agenda
does
not
get
my
support.
I
hope
he
gets
his
butt
thoroughly
whipped
in
his
race
for
Mayor
of
NYC.

Both
DeSantis
and
Cuomo
are
flawed
politicians,
selling
political
extremism.
They
do
not
represent
me,
my
values
or
my
position
on
the
ideological
spectrum.
Yet,
if
you
believe
everything
you
see
and
hear
in
the
broadcast,
cable,
or
social
media,
the
polemical
world
is
binary.
You
are
categorized
in
one
of
the
two
extremes.

Dick
Polman,
the
veteran
national
political
columnist,
addressed
this
in
his
essay
this
morning.

“But
it’s
the
baleful
nature
of
our
media
environment
to
amplify
extreme
responses,
on
all
issues,
so
that
we
react
to
the
excesses;
so
that
the
excesses
stand
for
the
issue,
whatever
it
is:
reaction
to
Gaza,
Israel,
policing,
etc.
And
then
we
lose
sight
of
what
matters.”

The
current
discussion
in
the
“public
square”
rarely
represents
my
left-of-center
views.
Hamas
is
an
immoral,
terrorist
organization
that
must
be
eradicated
as
a
movement.
Israel
had/has
the
right
to
respond
forcefully.
The
Israeli
government
cruelly
and
immorally
inflicted
tens
of
thousands
of
casualties
on
innocent
civilians.
I
can
walk
and
chew
gum
at
the
same
time.
These
are
not
contradictory
positions.

We
must
establish
control
of
our
borders.
We
do
not
bear
the
responsibility
of
immediately
allowing
a
border
crossing
by
every
migrant,
or
even
asylum
seeker.
We
should
institute
fair
and
transparent
rules.
But,
anti-migrant
gestapo
tactics
are
immoral
and
uncivilized.
I
believe
we
Constitutionally
owe
due
process
to
anyone
on
our
soil.
Again,
I
see
no
contradiction.

I
believe
those
shouldering
the
burden
of
non-binary
gender
should
be
treated
with
grace,
empathy
and
understanding.
However,
I
do
not
support
many
of
the
extreme
positions
allowing
unfair
advantage
in
women’s
sports.
And,
I
think
many
are
overly
preoccupied
by
bathroom
usage.

This
is
but
a
short
list
of
the
issues
I
think
about;
the
positions
I
take.
I
am
a
decorated
Vietnam
combat
veteran,
who
put
down
his
guns
when
he
returned
to
civilian
life.
I
am
morally
opposed
to
abortion
but
politically
committed
to
a
woman’s
right
to
make
decisions
for
her
own
body.

“In
the
world’s
broad
field
of
battle,

   In
the
bivouac
of
Life,

Be
not
like
dumb,
driven
cattle!

   Be
a
hero
in
the
strife!”

Longfellow’s
words
are
a
reminder.
Corporate
media,
for
commercial
purposes,
treats
us
like
dumb,
driven
cattle.
Its
drovers
drive
us
to
our
extreme
corners.
The
center
has
no
rabbi.
We
all
have
to
be
voluble
and
heroic.
Refuse
to
be
represented
by
the
extremes.