[lit-ideas] Re: well, it's heating up....

  • From: "Lawrence Helm" <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sun, 19 Feb 2006 18:44:18 -0800

Ursula,

 

Your argument is the moral equivalence argument.  It implies there is no
moral difference between the Islamists and us.  Do you really believe that?

 

You might be interested in Paul Berman's Terror and Liberalism.  Berman is a
Liberal who was appalled at the Liberals who, in effect, supported Saddam
Hussein during the war with his regime.  He didn't agree with Bush's reasons
for fighting against Saddam.  He preferred purer reasons.  He thought we
should overthrow Saddam's regime because it was the right thing to do.
Liberals should stand for good against evil.  There was no excuse for
arguing that Saddam's regime should be left alone.  Saddam's regime was a
blight upon humanity, an offense to Liberals everywhere and should be
overthrown.  Liberals should have supported that overthrow rather than
opposed it.  

 

And if you now, in effect, support the equally evil regime in Tehran, you
fall under the same criticism Berman leveled against his political
compatriots back in 2003 when he wrote his book.  

 

What does Liberalism stand for?  If it stands for defending Saddam Hussein's
regime and the present regime in Tehran, then where is its moral compass?  

 

Lawrence

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Ursula Stange
Sent: Sunday, February 19, 2006 5:45 PM
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: well, it's heating up....

 

Eric, read carefully what you've written.  2+2=4 over here.  2+2=4 over 

there.  

They threaten, we crouch behind our leaders.   We threaten, they crouch 

behind their leaders.

Venal leaders on all sides.   Stupid followers on all sides.

 

Not having followed this thread with dedication (or even cursory 

oversight), I don't want to address the  John Bolton item in your last 

paragraph, but the first sentence of your final 

paragraph...............what???

Ursula

 

Eric wrote:

 

> Omar: Well, Eric, I am not sitting on a pile of nukes so I guess I'm 

> kind of missing the joke. It sounds to me like the US is threatening 

> to attack a country again, and that country is bracing to defend 

> itself as best as it can. Which of this is supposed to be funny, exactly?

> 

> 

> Eric: It's funny that the despots who rule Iran are enlisting martyrs 

> in a cynical attempt to promote their own power and care nothing about 

> the lives of their citizens. The motives of the ruling  elite in Iran 

> are so horrid that the only response  to their bluster is laughter. 

> Besides, I'm all cried out over this one.

> 

> If Iran were really "defending itself" rather than defending the power 

> of a few despots, we would all be friends, and work toward reducing 

> all nuclear weapons rather than increasing the danger to humanity. 

> Even the notorious and dubious John Bolton sees it clearly. If he can 

> see it clearly, surely the ruling Mullahs can.

>

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