Tyrrell on Jesse Jackson

Tyrrell slags muck at Jackson for being a “far-out left-wing zealot.” This label ignores the meaninglessness of the linear “left-right” dichotomy and reveals that Tyrrell, like so many Repdems, is not too good at “the vision thing.”

The artificial categories of “left” and “right” do not adequately express the complexities of multifaceted contemporary world politics. Are all leftists for freedom? Does that include unrestricted freedom for multinational corporations to do whatever they wish in pursuit of profit? Are all those on the right for economic deregulation? Does that include the removal of regulations restricting the cultivation and sale of marijuana and hemp? So far as “the vision thing” and being “far-out,” America is not a corporation that just needs a new CEO. America is a nation and a land whose leader must guide us through profoundly radical changes which can’t be sidestepped or forestalled. I mean changes like converting from a war-based economy to a peace-based economy, providing the means for all Americans to have food, shelter and medical care, and halting the burning of fossil fuels. Moreover, if Jackson is a “zealot,” then he is one by default. None of the Repdems seem to stand for anything at all.

JOHN D. BALTIC

Los Angeles