Government Against the People

Words of Truth ^ | Aaron Armitage

[Lysander]

Good read. I see those of us who understand that the War on drugs is worse than the drugs themselves are lumped in with those who use drugs yet again.

While I recognize that drugs are very harmful, policies that increase their use and the ancillary harms associated with their use must be abandoned. The current drug war puts us at risk through increased crimes, increased corruption of police, and increased erosion of rights.

[another1]

Excellent post. Would be most grateful to be added to your flag list.

Thank you.

[A.J.Armitage]

If you'll consult the list of columns on the profile page, you'll see that this is the first mention I've made of drugs. I can't help it if meditations on tyranny lead naturally to the subject of the war on drugs.

[StriperSniper]

Good job.

One question, ...and even brown paper bags. What's the deal with that?
I could make a joke out of it but their women get dumped on enough by them.

[MHGinTN]

This comment is just plain wrong and belies shallow scholarship, casting the entire piece in an agenda-driven light:

The most tyrannical regimes, the communists of North Korea and the Taliban of Afghanistan, got that way by being as separate from and hostile to the people as they could.

[The Taliban had to have a fairly large following of the people, otherwise their efforts to incorporate the other political groups in Afghanistan would not have succeeded so well.]

[nunya bidness]

Thanks A.J. Well done.

[curmudgeonII]

Another excellent post.
They keep on coming.

[A.J.Armitage]

Apparently they're afraid the brown paper might be made from recycled copies of the Koran.

[Texaggie79]

What a great analogy.... Women forced to wear a shroud over their entire body with a penalty of death for violation, women's fingers chopped off if they wear nail polish, a crack head cannot legally purchase his crack... yup, it's all the same. We are horrid tyrants us Americans.

[annalex]

Is there a point at which an attempt to "punish those responsible" becomes a plain old war?

"Those responsible" are expendable. There is a civilization that breeds them. We can put Bin Laden and all his junior mullahs in Leavenworth and have another crop of kamikazes ready on the next day.

It is true that the Afghanis are victims of the Taliban themselves. So, they should throw the Taliban out. Again, that's war, not police action.

[Zviadist]

Nice work, AJ. Thanks for the flag. It is nice to see that some of the sane Freepers are again making themselves known.

[A.J.Armitage]

Having had or even currently having a large following doesn't preclude being hostile to the people. In the case of the Taliban, their being hostile to half the population, females, is pretty well established. (Over half of the population, actually, since so many men have been killed in the various wars, which is why prohibiting women from working is particularly stupid. They need women working, just as we did during WWII.) If reports in the press are to be believed(perhaps not, but trusting the press is better than conjecture) most people supported the Taliban at first since they brought order, and by the time they saw what that order involved it was too late.

[Storm Orphan]

You need to read more closely. The drug reference in this article is made in passing. The
point is that even as we gear for war against an enemy, we must be sure to be vigiilant about
those who would use this crisis to expand the power of the state.

[Countyline]

You are a clear voice, advancing the aim of adhering to the constitution and to be alert to loss of freedoms in the name of defending freedom. Isn't that how it is usually done? By calling it the opposite of the real intention.

Vigilence. Is required.

Thank you. May I apologize to you, for the few that attempt to disrupt and highjack the thread? Obviously there is a single track runing through their minds, and they are unable to see anything else.

[A.J.Armitage]

I never said it was the same, liar. What I said was:

There lies the ambiguity of the real world. The masters of the wretches of the world protect them, if only the way a farmer would protect the livestock he intends to sell to a meat processing plant. Closer to home, even governments founded to be for the people have their original principles compromised and admix tyranny with otherwise wholesome government.

[ScreamingFist]

"It is neither in our interests nor is it moral to gratuitously attack Afghan civilians." There will be few civilians (except perhaps young children) in Afganistan shortly. They will either side with the taliban, or with the northern alliance. The choice will be theirs to make. Excellent post, thanks.

[Texaggie79]

The drug reference in this article is made in passing.

I know, propaganda is often presented that way. As though it is an accepted idea. Well, it's not.

[A.J.Armitage]

It's a plain old war. But we have to understand who the war is against. It's against the Taliban and al-Qaeda, and other governments or networks involved.

[ex-snook]

AJ - Thanks for the thoughts. This is interesting.
The United States is nevertheless one of the freest countries in the world, ...

But somehow we feel it is our burden not to allow others the freedom of their choices. We get worked up over what Saddam does, or Milosovec, or bin Laden - how they treat women, in they don't want modern society, etc. We end up bombing the people because they can't get rid of someone. But we could not get rid of Clinton either.

So why did bin Laden do what he did? Why did the 16 others? We have to understand why in order to prevent it again.

[Storm Orphan]

No it is not presented that way.

Lies do not become you.

And you really should work on that reading comprehension if you expect to graduate.