Thanks. I half figured the only response I'd get was 'WTF is that guy talking about...'.
The foundation of "progressivism" goes back to Cromwell through the NE Puritans to the abolitionists to the women's temperance union/prohibition crowd, to Woodrow Wilson--the great godfather of all modern progressives, all the way to the present day "progressives" with their speech codes and political correctness. One constant of the "progressives" is their view of the Constitution and other government structures as impediments or obstacles to achieving their 'greater good.' Another constant is stamping out the expression of views that dissent from their orthodoxy.
Some people just want to control other folks (actions, speech, and even thoughts), don't want people to have fun or laugh, can't tolerate views that dissent from their orthodoxy, and are deeply offended that some person (besides them) somewhere is a sinner.
Cromwell and the Puritans strongly opposed Christmas and Easter. Sort of like the extreme PC crowd among the "progressives" these days...
Also present is a deep, deep suspicion of 'popery' and anything remotely Catholic--back then and now. Our Nation's early Cavalier types (like Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Mason, Henry, etc--many if not most of our 'major' Founding Fathers) celebrated Christmas (or certainly didn't oppose it), drank (lots), grew tobacco (often with slaves), smoked, weren't big moralists, cared very deeply about the Constitution and the structure of government, and weren't especially scared of Catholicism.*
The Cavalier types also have a tragic romanticized history of a number of 'glorious' defeats in battle against overwhelming odds: The English Civil War, The Jacobite Rebellion, The US Civil War.
* An obvious difference between most of our our 'big name' Founding Fathers and the House of Stewart is our rejection of the Divine Right of Kings doctrine. Despite this, Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Mason, Marion, Henry, etc were firmly on the Cavalier side of the Cavalier vs Puritan divide and were no fans of Puritanism.
Last edited: Apr 27, 2019