--- Nick Arnett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Perhaps where we most differ is that I'm > increasingly unwilling to use > language that divides humanity into good and bad > people. Nonetheless, > when one is a cop, that shorthand is immensely > pragmatic, and we are > being the world's police, for better or worse. And > it is difficult for > me to believe that OSB and other terrorists are > redeemable, yet do so I > must. Believe me, that's purely on faith, as I see > no *logical* reason > to regard them as anything other as evil incarnate. > Nor am I the sort > of person who imagines that if we just treat such > people better, they'll > turn their lives around. I know myself well enough > to know that change > is unlikely and slow at best... and believe there > are people who must > not be permitted to roam the world freely. And as > much as I would like > to play God and say that it shouldn't be so, I do > think there is an > decent argument that sometimes the best way we can > love our neighbor is > to kill him. Such is life in a fallen world, in > words about my faith. > > If "bad people" is shorthand for people who are > dangerous and must be > contained, I'm comfortable with it. If it is > shorthand for people who > aren't offered God's grace of forgiveness and > redemption, I can't accept > that. > > Nick
That's between you, your priest, and God. I respect that moral position. But that's not an acceptable way to run a country. Gandhi, for example, turned down the opportunity to run India after independence for precisely that reason. He understood that his religious morality is not a guide to state policy. Of all of the extraordinary acts of his life, that may be the most impressive - he understood his limits, as well as his extraordinary capacities. It's commendable to believe that everyone can be redeemed. It's _not_ acceptable to act that way if you're President of the United States. There your responsibilities are vastly different. John Leo mentioned this in US News: Many of the doubts that hover over Sullivan's case for Kerry are rooted in the value system widely shared among Democrats: Most people are basically good; wars are caused not by evil motives but by misunderstandings that can be talked out; conflict can be overcome by more tolerance and examining of our own faults or by taking disputes to the United Nations. As a personal creed, these benign and humble attitudes are admirable. As the foundation of a policy to confront terrorists who wish to blow up our cities, they are alarming. ===== Gautam Mukunda [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Freedom is not free" http://www.mukunda.blogspot.com _______________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Declare Yourself - Register online to vote today! http://vote.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
