-Caveat Lector- what a load of crap as if being against war puts one outside being either liberal or conservative.
I am against war, its is the last resort option, not the 1st choice response. I do not advocate foregoing relations with Israel - as I've stated many times before Israel in this situation is a red herring. so already the definitions in this article are way off base. let me put it as clearly as I can I love this country I live here by choice I understand what makes it great, as well as where it falls short. my desire is to improve the shortcomings, without sacrificing the strengths. I understand right and wrong. I understand how great America's tolerance is compared with most of the rest of the world. I think that before America begins dropping bombs, and curtailing freedoms in the name of the war effort, every other option should be explored first. If America stayed out of WW2 I would never have been born. war is evil, and yes, sometimes it's a necessary one. for that very reason it should be approached carefully after much consideration as to its goals, its methods, and its winnability. In the present situation there was no consideration, no options examined, there was just a quick shift to official wartime rules and actions. Lack of debate and deliberation are inherently anti-democratic, and thus a grave danger to the USA> -- ------------ ------------- ----------- -------------- ------------------- ------------------ Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is a force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master; never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action. George Washington NEURONAUTIC INSTITUTE on-line: http://home.earthlink.net/~thew > From: Euphorian <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Reply-To: Conspiracy Theory Research List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Sat, 27 Oct 2001 01:42:15 -0500 > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [CTRL] Questions / Torture > > -Caveat Lector- > > From > http://www.whwg.com/Firm/WritersSample.cfm?SampleId=42 > http://www.whwg.com/Firm/WritersSample.cfm?SampleId=43 > > }}}>Begin > The Jewish World Review > October 19, 2001 > "Questions for the Anti-War Crowd, Part II: What if someone took them > seriously?" > by Michael Long > If you want to see contempt for both America and reality itself > rolled up into one, check out the anti-war crowd. Differences > between themselves and other Americans are far more than disputes > over policy. The questions I myself have posed to the protesters > (see �Questions for the Anti-War Crowd�) represent a step-by-step > procedure to expose their fundamental hypocrisy and startling > na�vet�. > The anti-war crowd is dangerous less for their ideas (which are > dangerous enough: demanding that the U.S. forego retaliation; > cutting off Israel�as if appeasement would purchase peace; and > abandoning anti-Taliban rebels) than for their toxic > irresponsibility. That is, the arguments they make are offered with > the tacit understanding that no one will take them seriously. > One can best appreciate the bankruptcy of even their most detailed > tirades with a little thought experiment: What if someone in charge > actually did what the protesters said? > Consider the situation point by point. How serious can an armchair > president be if he opposes the Afghanistan�s Northern Alliance�the > leading opposition to the Taliban�because, as one poster to Mother > Jones online magazine put it, �the Northern Alliance is not > necessarily remembered with fondness�? Who would defend our right to > be free from terror if no one fought terrorists? Who would protect > dissenters from physical violence if no one stood against regimes > that deal in such violence? > Anti-war protesters reject that there is any virtue in American > power, though they are quite happy to bask in its protection. > Here�s a flash for the anti-war movement: politics is rarely a > matter of pure choices between good and evil. The protesters are > afraid of moral imperfection, so they damn anything less than the > ideal. And while they wait for that ship to come in, innocent people > pay the price; lately in the form of greater exposure to terrorism. > Because she is imperfect, the protesters cannot stand the thought of > supporting her. But the question is not of America�s perfection. > She isn�t perfect. The real question is this: Is America�or any > other nation, for that matter�good enough and tolerant enough to > merit defending against her enemies? > And the answer is obvious. Look around�the greatest tolerance > anywhere in the world is found right here. Not in middle-eastern > theocracies, nor in socialist �utopias,� nor in Fidel Castro�s front > yard, nor in a cave in which a psychotic bully legislates the lengths > of beards that can be displayed under the Afghan moon. > Reasonable Americans across the political spectrum instinctively > understand this, and thus we find no ideological monopoly of any kind > on standing up for America. Those who favor action come from the > Democratic Party; the Republican Party; the ranks of independents; > the occasional claque of Nader voters; the remains of the Perot > crowd. Nearly everyone senses in their bones that something sacred is > at stake, something not easily replaced, something that is worth > fighting for. > Both liberals and conservatives recognize that our differences are a > matter of degree. That is not to say that we differ on only trivial > things�far from it. But we hold in common something far more > important than our differences: we understand that civilization > itself�and civilization is another word for systematic > tolerance�breathes deepest in the American system. We are invested > in it, and we will protect that investment for ourselves and for > those who come after. > On the other hand, the anti-war crowd has no system to defend, no > place to go home to. Their passion for relativism has cut loose > their anchor. They are intellectually cornered and morally > paralyzed�they are marginalized and growing trivialized�because of a > crushing inability to identify and acknowledge right and wrong in a > world where such a capacity is the key to survival. > When will they learn that when someone kills six thousand innocent > people, he forfeits his right to be understood? Anyone who sees > terrorism as a reasonable means to a political end is an enemy of > civilization, utterly incapable of defending or even recognizing even > the lowest walls that separate us from chaos and anarchy. > Put another way, apologists for terrorists are terrorists themselves. > They preach tolerance, but they don�t really understand it. > Tolerance is a kind of love, but what good is love if it is not also > expressed through justice? Love without justice is mere license, > like a parent who refuses to say �no� to a child because he or she > �loves� the child too much. > That�s not love, that�s immorality. What a shock�and what a > pity�that some folks still don�t know. > To contact Mike Long, please send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
