Psychologically speaking, why do Pubs -- who 'hate govt' -- blindly defend

everything that the US government does militarily (overtly or covertly)?

I distrust the government. I have no illusions that our government would spend $200+ billion bombing a country into oblivion for any kind of noble cause. I no longer have the illusion that our government is more pure or less corrupt than others.

Yet Republicans, who claim to have deep distrust of government (i.e.,"want to drown it in a bathtub" or think that "all politicians are corrupt"), live in a sheer, childlike fantasy world when it comes to critique of US "interventions"?

They circulate emails about how "the last seven times we Americans took up arms and sacrificed the blood of our youth, it was in the defense of Muslims (Bosnia, Kosovo, Gulf War 1, Kuwait, etc.)...our troops die to free more Arabs from the gang rape rooms and the filling of mass graves of dissidents of their own making."

Everything is for noble reasons. Everything is because we have no choice.

They claim to hate government, yet they IDENTIFY with THE government so deeply that you're better off insulting their MOTHER than questioning the motives of a war. Why do they trust the government 100%, like children, when it comes to war?

I can't understand them. They sacrifice their state's rights position constantly.

I think their hypocrisy is based on willful ignorance. Thinking is too hard for them and REthinking would mean admitting that not everything is black and white and maybe they have been wrong about some things...maybe they have been lied to since they were children. They're willfully ignorant because they're afraid...of being wrong and of complication in their worldview.

almost the same question just last week. We were talking about the Confederate flag, and I asked him why he felt it was ok to display such a symbol.

He said it represents "states rights", not slavery.

So I asked him why he was against the Mass. gay rights decision. "If you're a fan of states rights", I asked him, "surely you're against any sort of Federal overriding of that state decision".

"Queers don't need to get married", he said.

So I can only say that, according to my research, Republicans reconcile these two ideas by being extremely fucking stupid.

"by being extremely fucking stupid." :D

completely. But I think for a lot of them that stupidity is willful...they don't WANT to think. It scares them.

They only defend it when it's a Republican doing it. God help a Democratic president who wants to use force.

Important difference.

They don't really hate the government - they only hate what the government tries to do to help the less-well-off.

They worship power and wealth. They hate it when the government tries to restrain power or tax wealth for public benefit.

They love it when the government militarily crushes someone weaker and less wealthy.

It's basic social darwinism. Has nothing to do with liberty.

They hate paying for the government.

They want someone else to finance all of their subsidies and benefits, while they skate. That's why Republican administrations always borrow-and-spend. Better to make the grandchildren pay for their play time, than to tighten their belts and live like compassionate human beings.

All their rhetoric about "small government", "personal responsibility" and "welfare states" is pure propagandistic bullshit. Take away a Repub's job, and watch how fast s/he heads for the unemployment office.

They are whitewashed sepulchres.

Republicans have never been against big government. That's just their line of rhetoric. They found it plays well with the public.

They're only against big government regulating big business.

Welcome to DU!! :toast: