[lit-ideas] Re: On the Trail of the Warmonger
- From: "Mike Geary" <atlas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 17:21:06 -0600
On the Trail of the WarmongerLH:
>>Geary isn't impressed with the idea of living in a democracy where elected
>>officials get to decide whether our nation goes to war.<<
Au contraire, mon vieux. I'm very glad that I do, because doing so enhances
what it means to be a human being -- which I define as one who acts as his
conscience tells him, not as he's told.
>>...he writes "Sorry, but I won't turn my conscience over to anyone."
Just what that means escapes me.<<
I know it does, Lawrence, and I'm sorry for you. But it's not too late. You,
too, can learn to live according to your own conscience. Just be your beliefs,
no matter the cost. And it'll cost you, trust me.
>>After they [elected officials] make their decision we can agree or disagree
>>with it. We can vote them out of office next election. "Sorry" doesn't
>>enter into the mesh. Did you think someone was going to force you to agree
>>with a decision to go to war?<<
My "sorry" was addressed to you. I was saying how sorry I was that you seemed
to feel obliged to violate your conscience just because some elected idiots
said you should. When it comes to your conscience, you rank higher than God
even. He respects conscience above all else -- unless He was lying. I don't
think He was. Don't ever forget that. But let prudence remind you: "they"
(not God) have the bomb. So be sure that what your conscience says matters,
really does MATTER.
>>Since Geary didn't seem to like Kagan's three reasons for going to war: Fear,
>>Interest and Honour<<
I don't like them, but I do agree that they're almost always the reason for
going to war. Fear encompasses racism, sexism, nationalism, ethnocentrism --
or just about any word ending in -ism. Interest is code for greed, power and
self-aggrandizement. Honour is simply lies, lies, lies and more lies told to
get poor soldiers to lay down their lives for the fears and interests of the
warmongers.
>>It's a good thing I don't live in one of his Socialist paradises where a
>>dictator can actually send me to an insane asylum.<<
There seems to be some confusion in Lawrence's understanding of socialism. He
apparently associates it with totalitarianism. Wrong, wrong, wrong.
Totalitarianism is like Guantanamo, only not so secretly Guantanamoish.
Socialism is like Sweden, only more so. There are distinctions between
economic systems and political systems. If that eludes you, go do some
reading. But please don't use the public library. Don't let the Bush
Administration know you're reading about socialism -- I'd hate to see you sent
to Gitmo just for wanting to know mo', and who would ever know?
>>We are worried about the Islamists. We as a nation are "afraid" of what they
>>might do. Fear then is the motivation for preparing ourselves against the
>>Islamists. If you, Geary, are not afraid of being attacked by the Islamists
>>and I am to the extent that I believe we should prepare against them, does
>>that make me a Warmonger?<<
What does "prepare against them" mean? That would determine whether I think
you are warmongering. What have you advocated should be done to address the
Islamists' fear of us? What other options besides killing the bastards have
you put forth? Etc., etc., etc. Btw, I'm much, much more afraid of the
industrialization of China and India and Indonesia and Africa than I am of a
group of people living in a cave somewhere in northwest Pakistan who only want
to be left alone to live in the 7th Century. Let them, for Christ's sake. For
Earth's sake! In fact, encourage them. Less pollution is good! Our
diminishing national treasure should be going towards a last ditch effort at
keeping the Earth alive, not towards killing mountain men and Bedouins whose
eco footprint doesn't even register on the face of the earth.
Mike Geary
Memphis
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