What engaging the culture war has wrought

For those liberals who were convinced that taking down conservatives was going to resolve important political and cultural issues and schisms, we sow what we reap.

Here is the consequences of the bitterness among conservatives that the most recent round of liberal political takedowns is sowing:

"In an exclusive interview with NewsMax Magazine, Bill O'Reilly declares that the U.S. is engaged in a "culture war" pitting those with traditional American values against "secular progressives" who want to overhaul the nation.

And O'Reilly is using his power as a top radio and TV "talker" to fight for those traditional values. Warrior O'Reilly says Christianity is under attack, identifies the country's most dangerous man, and scoffs at the influence of Hillary Clinton. Here's a sample of what O'Reilly has to say: "The far-left smear machine is already cranked up over ‘Culture Warrior.' You basically have to begin with the definition of the culture war. And it's between traditionalists who believe the country is noble — America is a noble nation, we can make mistakes, but basically at the heart of our system is a nobility that makes the world a better place – and secular progressives, who believe America is a deeply flawed nation that needs a fundamental overhaul."

NewsMax Magazine's October edition features a wide-ranging interview with O'Reilly — author of the new book "Culture Warrior."

Warrior O'Reilly says Christianity is under attack, identifies the country's most dangerous man, and scoffs at the influence of Hillary Clinton.

Here's a sample of what O'Reilly has to say:

"The far-left smear machine is already cranked up over ‘Culture Warrior.' You basically have to begin with the definition of the culture war. And it's between traditionalists who believe the country is noble — America is a noble nation, we can make mistakes, but basically at the heart of our system is a nobility that makes the world a better place – and secular progressives, who believe America is a deeply flawed nation that needs a fundamental overhaul."

He also states in the interview: "There isn't anybody more vilified in American culture than me. Why? Because I know what [secular progressives are] up to, and I know how they work."

And he says: "The Republicans fear me, not as much as the Democrats, but believe me, Dick Cheney isn't kicking my door in to get on ‘The Factor' because I've got their number."

O'Reilly is also unafraid of taking on his colleagues in the media. As for MSNBC's repeated attacks on his Fox show, O'Reilly said, "It's desperation. There has never been an operation that has failed as much as this operation. You've had a 10-year failure. Not one success." Perhaps O'Reilly's most surprising comments were about Hillary Clinton, a polarizing figure that's become the bogeyman for the right. Not so fast, says O'Reilly, who argues that Hillary is "not a hard core secular progressive" but simply a "knee-jerk liberal."

In his interview with NewsMax, O'Reilly also tackles the ACLU, George Soros, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Newt Gingrich and other figures on the national scene.

The accompanying NewsMax Magazine feature article "Talk About Power" takes an in-depth look at the world of talk radio and its impact on the nation, spotlighting NewsMax's Top 25 Most Influential Talkers in 2006 — including Rush Limbaugh, Don Imus, Michael Savage, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham.

The "O'Reilly's War" edition of NewsMax Magazine has been hitting newsstands across the country, including many Barnes & Noble, Hastings, Follett, Borders, B. Dalton, Books-a Million and other major bookstores, as well as Publix supermarkets in the Southeast."

I've tried my best to convince liberals to avoid this path. They refused. This is the consequence.

Here's my favorite question: who's going to take responsibility?

I'm sure it will be all those Democratic leaders in Congress. Probably all those radical and liberal activists. Perhaps it will be all those professors who have helped rationalized a leftist assault on conservatives.

Or, perhaps, worst of all, it will be noone.

How sad that would be. A world that is truly hopeless because noone will ever take responsibility for any of the most serious mistakes.

Except...

That world can't sustain itself. So something else will have to take its place.

Perhaps a world of that is less harsh and which allows for more genuine responsibility.

It really is the only honest way forward.

There is no culture war that will finally resolve our problems. Or an election. Or a final caged match where only one ideology comes out alive.

There is only a path that creates the space for more genuine responsibility.

And that is the path where we treat one another better and where we borrow from the best ideas, no matter where they come from.

That is the only path forward and has always been the only path forward, for as long as humanity will survive and thrive. And it is the only honest path forward for a humanity that is too scared and scary to make a thriving world less difficult to sustain.

Here's to a more genuinely thriving and sustainable world. It will only come when we pay closer attention and treat better our one most important resource on the planet: each other.

Love,
Ben