Aren't Natural Disasters Bad Enough?
W and Dostoevsky- by Justin Raimondo
Given the degree of environmental upheaval that has been predicted for the period between now and 2012, I find myself thinking that a President wanting to play Darth Vader is the very last thing the world needs at the moment. Although I'm assuming it wouldn't have been, I would have considered it supremely appropriate for the Imperial March to accompany Bush's steps up to the podium to deliver the address.
The deeply tragic irony of course is that although the kneejerk response of many who are supposedly right wing would be to label me a Communist, (I'm actually not, as even this profile doesn't entirely fit me...I'm more moderate than what it describes, for the most part) the rhetoric of Bush's speech had Bolshevik echoes as Justin claims, which is something that I find frankly terrifying. Communism was no answer...It was a murderous mistake, as was extreme fascism. Yes, maybe I veer slightly towards what I've heard referred to as the left...but from everything I've seen, that is only because I care about people and because I genuinely want to apply the Golden Rule with regards to my own behaviour...that means I try not to have any double standards. Ergo, the reason why I don't believe in war/killing people is because I know how much I myself don't want to be killed. I also believe that violence is the easy thing to do...It is so much easier to destroy than it is to create...to take life rather than to give or sustain it.
The true political answer in my mind though can only be moderation...because if you go too far to an extreme in either direction, it causes people to die in enormous numbers. There has to be a balance. The other thing about balance is that it is a scenario in which everyone else's political opinion, regardless of whether you agree with them or not, can survive. I might not agree with some of the things I've seen here, but I would never advocate taking away the right of Glenn Reynolds or anyone else for that matter to express their opinion...Again, mainly because I know how much I want and need to be able to express mine. The other thing is, diversity of opinion is something we need if we're going to figure out better solutions to problems...if everyone thinks the same way, everyone is also going to adopt the flaws present in that particular line of thinking...because no human ideology is or can be perfect.
Bush's supporters might wonder why I think he is so terrible, but despite the number of times Bush used the words liberty and freedom in his speech, Iraq has given us ample demonstrations of how in reality Bush's administration applies those principles. The primary thing Iraq's population stands any chance of being liberated from is their lives...and the same goes for the rest of the Middle East from what I've been seeing.
I just find myself hoping that given everything we're likely going to experience in the next seven years, that humanity truly can make it. I think we can survive...but I also think it's going to get pretty rough before it gets better.
Given the degree of environmental upheaval that has been predicted for the period between now and 2012, I find myself thinking that a President wanting to play Darth Vader is the very last thing the world needs at the moment. Although I'm assuming it wouldn't have been, I would have considered it supremely appropriate for the Imperial March to accompany Bush's steps up to the podium to deliver the address.
The deeply tragic irony of course is that although the kneejerk response of many who are supposedly right wing would be to label me a Communist, (I'm actually not, as even this profile doesn't entirely fit me...I'm more moderate than what it describes, for the most part) the rhetoric of Bush's speech had Bolshevik echoes as Justin claims, which is something that I find frankly terrifying. Communism was no answer...It was a murderous mistake, as was extreme fascism. Yes, maybe I veer slightly towards what I've heard referred to as the left...but from everything I've seen, that is only because I care about people and because I genuinely want to apply the Golden Rule with regards to my own behaviour...that means I try not to have any double standards. Ergo, the reason why I don't believe in war/killing people is because I know how much I myself don't want to be killed. I also believe that violence is the easy thing to do...It is so much easier to destroy than it is to create...to take life rather than to give or sustain it.
The true political answer in my mind though can only be moderation...because if you go too far to an extreme in either direction, it causes people to die in enormous numbers. There has to be a balance. The other thing about balance is that it is a scenario in which everyone else's political opinion, regardless of whether you agree with them or not, can survive. I might not agree with some of the things I've seen here, but I would never advocate taking away the right of Glenn Reynolds or anyone else for that matter to express their opinion...Again, mainly because I know how much I want and need to be able to express mine. The other thing is, diversity of opinion is something we need if we're going to figure out better solutions to problems...if everyone thinks the same way, everyone is also going to adopt the flaws present in that particular line of thinking...because no human ideology is or can be perfect.
Bush's supporters might wonder why I think he is so terrible, but despite the number of times Bush used the words liberty and freedom in his speech, Iraq has given us ample demonstrations of how in reality Bush's administration applies those principles. The primary thing Iraq's population stands any chance of being liberated from is their lives...and the same goes for the rest of the Middle East from what I've been seeing.
I just find myself hoping that given everything we're likely going to experience in the next seven years, that humanity truly can make it. I think we can survive...but I also think it's going to get pretty rough before it gets better.
posted by Petrus at 9:40 AM
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