Subject:
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Re: The War That Never Ends
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Sun, 3 Aug 2003 02:45:18 GMT
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Viewed:
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403 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Bruce Schlickbernd wrote
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Well, no, the Barbary Pirates were like cockroachs. They hung around for
quite some time despite numerous people trying to wipe them out. Once the
Pax Brittanica began they were finally surpressed (another parallel for your
example with the current “Pax” Americana, but again, at least it was
concerning a demonstrable threat).
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I will grant that the threat isn’t demonstrable, except of course, the carnage
perpetrated on 9-11. The problem is that the potential threat is so horrific
that if it isn’t pre-emptively diffused, unspeakable calamities will probably
occur. The stakes are so high; a single individual can unleash an attack that
could kill literally millions of people. Do you or Richard doubt for 1
nanosecond whether, if given the opportunity, OBL or SH would hesitate unleash a
nuclear weapon on U.S. soil? I honestly and sincerely don’t. Demonstrable
pirates are one thing, but even a potential nuclear event is far more
threatening IMO.
I have to laugh at the timing of my response; I just finished watching Minority
Report with my kids:-)
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You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. I wonder about
belonging to any political party (currently a Green, but I’ve been a Whig, a
Mug-Wump, a Bullmoose, and a Free Silver - though whether any of those
existed at the time I registered as such, I have no idea - in addition to a
democrat and a libertarian). You can end up in this us-vs-them mentality
where you get this odd idea that your side can do no wrong, and the other can
do no right. It blinds you to your own side’s faults. Now, whether John
plays devil’s advocate, or actually believes everything he writes, I don’t
know. Trusting everything Bush (or any politician) says contrary of the
evidence just because he represents your political viewpoint is a dangerous
self-deception.
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I am not a party-line guy. I happen to find myself in philosophical agreement
with conservatives more than liberals most of the time, but I wouldn’t say that
the Republican party is any where near perfect! I chide Lar about being a
“Loserterian” because I think the Republican party would benefit greatly from
an influx of Libertarian ideas, rather than have them wasted in a completely
ineffectual third party. I am a strong advocate of smaller government, but
neither party seems to be interested in that. I am sensitive to the
potential damage to civil rights the Patriot Act could inflict. I am
uncomfortable with being lead by anyone who would want to be a politician--
there is nothing sleazier than a career politician, regardless of their
political affiliation.
I am smart enough to know that the truth always seems to lie in the middle
somewhere (and smart enough to know that my bias says that it lies closer to MY
POV;-)
I actually think that we all want the same things, but merely disagree as to
how to get them. If people simply respected each other’s rights, I believe it
wouldn’t matter a whit which political ideology was in control. The key in my
mind is creating a moral society.
JOHN
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: The War That Never Ends
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| (...) Well, no, the Barbary Pirates were like cockroachs. They hung around for quite some time despite numerous people trying to wipe them out. Once the Pax Brittanica began they were finally surpressed (another parallel for your example with the (...) (21 years ago, 2-Aug-03, to lugnet.off-topic.debate, FTX)
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