Posted on 03/14/2003 9:49:24 AM PST by mrustow
It's amusing to think of Kristol ruling over the unwashed masses, arrogant smirk and all, but 9/11 was the first day of kindergarten for a whole lot of people whose only picture book was CNN or the network nightly news.
Let Kristol think he pushed Bush into strangling Iraq. Let Buchanan bury himself in confusion about who he hates most. Use them.
It's amusing to think of Kristol ruling over the unwashed masses, arrogant smirk and all, but 9/11 was the first day of kindergarten for a whole lot of people whose only picture book was CNN or the network nightly news.
Oh, that smirk! Talk about a guy begging for a punch in the nose!
Let Kristol think he pushed Bush into strangling Iraq. Let Buchanan bury himself in confusion about who he hates most. Use them.
ROTFL. You have those guys nailed. They're choking on their own narcissism (or is it, megalomania?).
I dunno. I'll bet they remember the millions, if not billions of dollars in lost productivity, and new security expenses. They orgasm at the thought of harming America, be it economically or militarily.
American foreign policy must protect America's vital interests. That is a dangerous enough business, without indulging in fantasies of bettering the world.
I can’t remember. Am I still allowed to say ‘Amen’ in this country? (If so, please insert one here. If not, I’m saying it anyway. And let the chips fall where they may. :)
I generally don’t allow myself to be labeled as part of a group …. thus my disdain when a few people, in the recent past, have chosen to affix the paleoconservative label. I will admit to feeling sympathy for paleos -- with the vehement exception of their unfriendliness toward Israel. They are generally purists who long for the good old days (when we weren’t such a hedonistic, secularly humanist, superficial, easily-led, easily-duped society). Paleos are determined to battle against bigger government, more powerful (than individual) business interests, and the unprecedented omnipotence of the unelected media. In all of those frightening -- and frighteningly increasing -- phenomena, they are justifiably concerned about the demise of our republic form of government.
The paleos cringe when the extent of others’ dedication to liberty consists of flag waving and debating the merits of superficial cures to what ails us. They want real, reactionary (in the good sense of the word) change, back to the way things used to be. Trouble is, while I embrace ninety-nine percent of their vision, I also see much of its realization as hopeless. You can’t go home again -- i.e., back to the glories of the old republic. The citizenry is just too complacent -- and the majority of them have never even been taught about those old glories,* so they have no magnificent point of comparison from which to assess the current decay.
* I occasionally ask my piano students questions about the time period during which a piece of music I assign them was written. In doing so, I have been dismayed to learn that, even receiving their education in our supposedly high-quality, rural public education system, my otherwise intelligent junior high and high school students can’t answer such questions as: Which side won the American Civil War? What was the Jamestown settlement? During which century was the American Revolution fought? Can you identify one of the amendments to the Constitution? What was President Reagan’s greatest accomplishment? Can you tell me something about Robert E. Lee? What was the Cold War? On what continent is Austria? Did we 'win' the war in Vietnam? Why (or why not)?
How can these children (and their children) help us to lift this country back up to (or at least close to) the heights that it used to occupy, if they have absolutely no concept of what went before? They have no sense of national heritage, roots, or brave ancestry.
Forgive the digression …. :)
And it was such a long digression that I think I forgot what I wanted to say about Stix’s article. Ah yes …. he’s right you know, about the fact that you can’t necessarily liberate a people who have no affinity for democracy (no matter the neocon’s phony, sanctimonious moralism). As difficult as it is for the average modern American to comprehend, Arab civilizations have existed for more than a thousand years, and one would be hard pressed to study them, up until the present day, and find any indication that they revere individual liberty. So, despite the fact that we would like to think that post-war Iraq will see less brutality against civilians, we would be fools to believe that the liberation of Iraq will lead to western-style respect for individual life and liberty. Anyone harboring that Pollyanna notion needs to think more in terms of intervention for the sake of America’s survival, rather than for the sake of Iraq’s enlightenment. Some cultures prefer the dark ages.
‘African Queen’ is on cable now. Gotta go watch Bogart and Hepburn blow up the Louisa (yet again).... :)
BTTT.
Quite right, here is another from my simple mind, After we dispose of Sadam and his "army" how do we think Saudi Arabia will feel without an army. Can they take this any way but as a warning?
Huh?
Quite right, here is another from my simple mind, After we dispose of Sadam and his "army" how do we think Saudi Arabia will feel without an army. Can they take this any way but as a warning?
But that's what the essay says.
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