Chances are that you know one, and it is quite possible that he or she is a functioning adult citizen.

The fringe left has seemingly become a more prominent movement, heralded by the emergence of Howard Dean’s internet-driven campaign.  Sites such as MoveOn.org and many, many others showcase a segment of the population that is consumed by a radical agenda and a vitriolic—perhaps even paranoid—hatred of President Bush.  This movement is anti-establishment to the extreme, with many of its members holding views that fall far outside mainstream America.

Many of us have been content to laugh at this phenomenon.  Most of these radical individuals produce emotionally-driven commentary that is often bordering on insanity.  The anti-war protesters we see on television are usually comical in appearance, sometimes protesting against involvement in Iraq on behalf of radical gay rights and communist revolution—hardly issues that belong in such a debate.  We see these hippies and burn-outs, and we dismiss them and go on about our normal lives.

Logic dictates, however, that the unemployed clowns who dance about like fools on television cannot possibly represent the entirety of this movement.  It is true that a very small minority can make a lot of noise, but the success of Howard Dean and the sheer number of far-left active internet sites signifies a larger degree of participation.  There have always been loud and obnoxious radicals, yet there is something different about what has occurred during the Bush Administration.  There is a larger outcry, a simmering hatred brewing among a more significant minority, and they are definitely out there somewhere—perhaps right in your own backyard.  Who are they and what motivates them?

My own experience is telling.  I just graduated from college, and I am now employed in a entry-level job as I plan my next move.  One of my co-workers is 40.  He is educated, well-groomed, polite, and reasonably intelligent and thoughtful.  He has an amicable and likable disposition.  After knowing him in this capacity for several months, I was completely shocked one morning when he let me in on a little secret: “You know, Jason, September 11th was orchestrated by the Bush Administration and Israel in order to justify an imperialistic war in the Middle East.”  Feigning complete political ignorance, I let him show me various books and internet sites that backed up this claim.  Now that he has opened up to me, I have come to learn about the 100-year-old plan for American domination of the world, including a whole variety of conspiracy theories stretching back to the First World War through the Cold War and to the present War on Terror.  My co-worker honestly believes that Bush is a pawn for a secret, neo-conservative council that runs the United Sates government though deceit and intrigue. 
I have been way too amused to argue with this individual.  Beyond placing a few “innocent” questions that temporarily trip up his faulty and incomplete arguments, I believe that he is too far gone to really bother with.  The only reason he is worth noting is that I believe that there are thousands, perhaps millions just like him. 

These are the people who have been backing the far-left.  These are the people who have gone gaga over Howard Dean.  They are average, employed citizens who are do not appear on the surface to be otherwise insane or deficient.  One could even be working with you.  Maybe there are a few in your neighborhood.  Although they believe Oliver Stone is a scion of all things true, there is probably nothing too distinct about their family, home, yard, or vehicle.

It is obvious to me why my pet left-wing extremist is totally functional on the micro level and yet is totally in outer spacer when it comes to the macro.  He is middle-aged, and while he has attained some comforts, he makes only sufficient money in a low-level job despite his college education.  He is not happy with his lot in life, and so he projects his frustrations to the ethereal world of politics and theories.  His own failures are not his enemy; Bush is his enemy, and it is Bush who is solely responsible for all that is ill in this world.  The evils of the neo-conservative shadow government seem like a sufficient scapegoat for his lack of connections to something greater than what he has achieved.  For those who wish to read more on the role of individuals in outrageous group behavior, I refer you to Eric Hoffer’s The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements.  This short and well-written book is a godsend when trying to understand the current political situation of the left.

I do hope that I am not belittling my co-worker.  He is a nice person, and he has never done anything to harm me.  His contempt for America, however, has left me no choice but to highlight his political absurdities.  I would like to think that his example will push us all to admit that the current far-left movement, while dominated by fringe characters, is receiving broad support from seemingly normal people.  This movement will probably never succeed in its goals, but we still need to counter its influence head-on in this age of terror lest America become weakened and vulnerable.  The far-left may be a ship of fools, but they are steering a very dangerous ship indeed.