Yesterday I wrote a post disparaging W. Cleon Skousen and his book "The 5,000 Year Leap," which changed Glenn Beck's life, and which Beck has been praising to the skies. The late Skousen had a reputation as a far-right weirdo and anti-communist conspiracy theorist. I bought a copy of "Leap" on the way home from work yesterday, to see exactly what it says. I read most of it last night, and skimmed through to the end.
Skousen must have developed his unsavory reputation from his other books, because none of his is in "Leap." If all you knew about Skousen was "Leap," you would be completely oblivious to the bad stuff about him. "Leap" is a work of interpretive history, one that treats the American founding as a "miracle," and renders the Founders as having an air of semi-divinity about them. In its worshipful tone and substance, it blurs the line between religion and nationalism -- not in a frightening way, but rather in a hokey, 1950s civic-religion way. This is the kind of book you'd expect Opie's civics teacher in Mayberry to assign to him. It's an eccentric book to be sure, and a poorly written, poorly argued and sentimental one. It is, I mean to say, a bad book, but it's not an evil book or a crazy book. The idea that America is charged by God with a manifest destiny, and is an exception among the nations of the world, is a deeply problematic idea, to say the least, but it is (alas) one well within the historical mainstream f this country. Skousen himself may have been an extremist in his convictions, but you have to look to his other material for evidence of that; it's not in "The 5,000 Year Leap," and I want to make that clear after yesterday's post, which I mean to correct.
That said, as I was going through "Leap" last night, I kept thinking, "How in the world did this thing set Glenn Beck's mind on fire?" It's not that Skousen or anybody else is wrong in the least to be filled with admiration for the Founders and their achievements, but that this is such a mediocre work of starchy pseudo-history you can't believe somebody in his position would take it so seriously. Yesterday, having read about Skousen's mindset, I was alarmed that Texas Gov. Rick Perry would be recommending "Leap" as a guide to understanding the times. I feel differently this morning. It's sort of embarrassing that the governor takes guidance from this unsophisticated tome, but it's not all that alarming or unusual, as its take on the meaning of American history would almost certainly make emotional sense to patriotic people in small towns all across Texas -- where the governor's base is.
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I'm no expert, but I'm actually reading The 5000 year leap before coming to
a decision on it (something others might try). To this point, the reasoning
seems sound and the quotes provided seem to support the arguments presented.
I intend to follow up and document the quotes and will repost if they don't jive or
are out of context. Finally to takes guts to publically admit you made a mistake. I respect that.
Has anyone considered what it took to take over a country already populated by other human beings. There were over 500 groups of human beings with their own philosophies, spirituality, and form of governments already here. The Lakota Sioux were the last to go...massacred and thrown into mass graves. Explain to me please how God could possibly be in THAT!
When communism fell at last I was not surprised because it seemed to me always destined to fall. Why was my liberal mind more confident of our system than the conservatives that constantly pronounced us doomed to fall to the evil Soviets?
Exile
I could give a rat's @ss about the fall of Communism in Russia. It is the soft-influence of Communism within our own borders that us Conservatives fear.
Since the fall of Communism in Russia, there is a new generation of believers who are working within our society, who still think that the Communist model is "enlightened" and serves the interest of the common man.
There are those who now tout Thomas Friedman and others who advocate the benefits of expediency offered by eliminating or suppressing the two party system in our country, in favor of an enlightened Prolitareat to direct our countries economy. If you are honest, you will accept this happening. If you are not, or a Leftist idealogue, you will deny and deflect.
Of course, as a Conservative nutter, this is just that rantings of far-right zealot.
Spike out.
Thank you Rod, for admitting that there is nothing "right-wing extreme" or "evil" in the book "The Five Thousand Year Leap".
Let me make one observation and suggest a second exercise for you.
It seems to me many books that are written in layman's language are labeled "poorly written". I find, very often, that "truth" and "well-written" are not synonyms.
Second, can I suggest another exercise, related to your reading "Leap" and the above observation. Mr Skousen may indeed have a reputation as a right-wing extremist, but, wouldn't it be wise to check out his other books to see if is truly an extremist, or if this, also, is merely label is just another example of name-calling by those who disagree with him. Is it possible that his reputation as a right-wing extremist comes from somewhere other than Mr. Skousen's own words and life? Think about it.
What I find amazing is that you wrote and published the original article blasting the, "5000 Year Leap" and Gelnn Beck for recommending it before you yourself ever read it. Are you kidding me?
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