Uncomfortable parallels... for somebody

The right in our country likes to say that anybody who disagrees with them is supporting our enemies in fact or spirit. But it's hard not to see the right-wing crazies (especially the rabid religious right) as having much more in common with the world-view and aspirations of Islamic fundamentalists than with those of our Founding Fathers. Kos has had a couple of posts on this theme, with additions from commenters, coming up with a laundry list of parallels between the American Taliban and their mideast counterparts. Just a couple examples:

Foreign Policy

Al Qaida/Taliban: World domination - do it our way or we attack

American Taliban: World domination - do it our way or we attack

Liberals: Peace and international cooperation

Executing Minors

Al Qaida/Taliban: Executing Minors OK

American Taliban: Executing Minors OK

Liberals: Find this to be a barbaric and embarrassing practice

Free Speech

Al Qaida/Taliban: Anyone who disagrees with us is an infidel and must be silenced

American Taliban: Anyone who disagrees with us is a traitor and must be silenced

Liberals: Anyone who disagrees with us is in for a spirited discussion

I have to agree with his take on the whole thing (the parallels and the pointless namecalling):

The reasons we hate the American Taliban are the same reasons we hate fundamentalists of all stripes -- they seek to impose their own moral code on the rest of society, and do so with the zeal and moral absolutism possible only from those who believe they are doing "God's work".

Let's stop looking for the right kind of loyalty, and instead try to look at how we can all live and let live, at least a little. Don't we have consitutional principles and secular political philosophy for just that reason? Sigh.