The problems with extremists and extremism

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With the two "untouchable" subjects--religion and politics--it's especially true that, if the extremists (read: fundamentalists, etc.) dominate your group, no matter how extreme you were (conservative, right-wing, whatever), it's never good enough. You can never be "pure" enough. You can never say anything, nearly, that isn't far enough over in that corner.

That's what formerly conservative-enough Senator John McCain has been finding out--repeatedly--ever since he started fighting George W. (I'm a dumbshit) Bush for the presidency in 2000.

Sure, he was conservative. But he just wasn't "conservative enough."

So he lost in 2000.

And ever since, he's been trying to run farther and farther to the right, ever more conservative, until there's almost nothing he could not or would not say, in an effort to stay in office.

Formerly, he was a moderate on issues and it was good. It was good for the people of Arizona and good for the country.

But when the ultra-rightwing conservatives took ever more control of the party, he had to keep swinging farther and farther "out there", to make and keep them happy.

It's gotten pitiful. Really pathetic. John McCain has thrown whatever decency and self-respect he used to have out the window, in an effort to keep his Senate seat.

It's true for religions, too. Look at fundamentalists in any religion--here in the states with Christianity and across the world, with Islam and Muslim people.

The extreme right-wing Christians won't like and will likely deny--of course--any comparison to fundamentalist Islamists but it's accurate.

As with the political groups, you can never be "pure" enough. You can never be "good enough" when things bend to the extremes.

But people just don't learn or heed the warnings from history so we get what we've got nd it isn't pretty. It leads to purges within political parties--political death--but it leads to judgements and, frequently, physical death, when it comes to religion, particularly in the Middle East.

Maybe one day humankind will learn.

Here's hoping.