Well said Jed.
Jed Rothwell wrote:
Wesley Bruce wrote:
We can't rule out a collapse of communism in China or a shattering of
the peoples republic, both would be messy, very messy.
Not necessarily. The collapse of communism in Russia and Eastern
Europe was calm and orderly, with practically no casualties. Of course
Russia still has a long way to go before it achieves Western European
standards, but it is improving and it is far better than it was under
communism. I expect that China will gradually evolve away from
communism, until the government is overthrown in a "velvet revolution."
Doomsday scenarios seldom come true, because most people are sane, and
they want to live in peace. In the 1950s, many people assumed that the
US and the Soviet Union would eventually launch a nuclear Armageddon,
but it never happened. It turned out we could live with them and they
could live with us. I am 110% confident that we can reach the same
kind of accommodation with China and also with Muslim nations such as
Saudi Arabia. See Kennedy's speech at American University, June 1963:
http://usa.usembassy.de/etexts/speeches/rhetoric/jfkuniv.htm
QUOTE
"Some say that it is useless to speak of world peace or world law or
world disarmament - and that it will be useless until the leaders of
the Soviet Union adopt a more enlightened attitude. I hope they do. I
believe we can help them do it. But I also believe that we must
reexamine our own attitude - as individuals and as a Nation - for our
attitude is as essential as theirs. . . .
First: Let us examine our attitude toward peace itself. Too many of us
think it is impossible. Too many think it unreal. But that is a
dangerous, defeatist belief. It leads to the conclusion that war is
inevitable - that mankind is doomed - that we are gripped by forces we
cannot control.
We need not accept that view. Our problems are manmade - therefore,
they can be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No
problem of human destiny is beyond human beings. Man's reason and
spirit have often solved the seemingly unsolvable - and we believe
they can do it again."
Remember that! If you have any doubts, look around and see what we
have accomplished already. Read history, and try to realize how
difficult it was to build civilization. You will see that our present
problems are small in comparison.
Also, the notion that France is going to be taken over by Muslim
civilization is nonsense. No trend lasts forever. If anything, over
the next few hundred years I expect Western values and science will
permeate Muslim nations even more than it has already, despite their
opposition. Science and democracy, which are two sides of the same
coin, are the most powerful ideas in human history. They outweigh even
religion, nationalism, capitalism and communism. I think they will
continue to move mountains and change civilizations for many centuries
to come. Long after capitalism has been replaced by a system in which
we will produce all the goods we want for free, and people do no work,
and long after nation states have withered away and international
borders no longer exist, science will still be progressing. Today's
news offers hope. Science and rationality have triumphed in Dover, PA:
"All eight members of the Pennsylvania school board that had been sued
for introducing the teaching of intelligent design as an alternative
to evolution in biology class were swept out of office Tuesday by a
slate of challengers who campaigned against the intelligent-design
policy."
- Jed
