Liberal Priorities; Or, Confounding the Coketownian Mind

When I read the news each morning, it's as though I've fallen through the looking glass: The issues that preoccupy our media and our current Administration are at first confounding for what they address, then infuriating for what they ignore.

I'll be right back.

 For the above phenomenon, some examples:

• The Democrat's largely symbolic equal-pay legislation in the immediate aftermath of the financial crisis
• Repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell as the country was still reeling from near-depression
• Obama promising to close Guantanamo Bay as Afghanistan was beginning to descend into chaos
• And today: Obama signing an executive order to allow the partners of gay veterans to be buried in military cemeteries, even as our already-fragile economy shows signs of weakening; Iraq is in crisis; the Middle East is aflame; tens of thousands of illegal immigrants are rushing over our border; and our immigration system is overwhelmed trying to address a self-inflicted humanitarian crisis.

I am reminded further of this disconnect in priorities any time I use Google. Their Google Doodles, which are at once a window into the progressive psyche and little idols for our mostly liberal media to genuflect and spend a few moments reflecting on, show the contrast in our priorities quite starkly. Google is notorious for ignoring Memorial and Veterans' Day; it is in fact sensational news when Google bothers to honor these holidays.

Google ignored Veterans' Day this year, as it does most years. (A little ribbon at the bottom of the page, added hastily late in the day, is small pittance.) But they have found time to post a new Google doodle for each day of the World Cup. They frequently honor the birthdays of obscure historical figures or women whose biographies have been inflated by modern scholarship (Ada Lovelace, this means you, dear).

They also found it proper to honor the birthday of Rachel Carson--one of the most vile creatures of the 20th century. As the prime catalyst in the move to ban DDT, her contributions to the misery of the human race cannot be understated. Her environmental success caused the deaths of millions. This is not a woman to honor; she should be reviled. The world's list of mass murderers should include not only those who kill by introducing chemicals, but also those who kill by confiscating them.

When the Democrats push for things like Obamacare and gun control, and when the media ignores stories like Afghanistan and the IRS scandal, it betrays the deep disconnect between the priorities of liberals and conservatives. There must be method to their madness; they must have some objective in mind. But considering the disastrous drafting and implementation of Obamacare, the impossibility of climate change legislation, and the inability to raise taxes on anyone, I can't help think the left's erratic priorities are the reason they can accomplish few big things.