Reading recommendation

[unixronin]

ilcylic linked to this article by Jonathan Schell, "Too Late for Empire", reprinted with permission from The Nation, in which it will appear in print in the August 14-21 issue.

It makes interesting reading.  I recommend that you go read it too.  It may make you think.

Comments

[smandal.livejournal.com]

Classical liberals have been yelling, "Make money, not war!" the whole time, but no one seems to listen.

The problem is that our civic traditions are still very much in the pre-industrial mold. Gov't is seen as a rights-granting agency, not a rights-protecting one, even though every kid learns about the Bill of Rights.

[danjite.livejournal.com]

But can it make me stop?!?

[ilcylic.livejournal.com]

That's what heroin is for.

-Ogre

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Would you really want to stop thinking?

[danjite.livejournal.com]

In truth, sometimes I do.

It took me years to get the thinking under control to some minor extent, making actual rumination an act of will, and free will at that. Though, of course, my deepest thinking is like background-batch processing- I get a *ding* when the thinking is done and whilst it is happening I have my primary processing on more immediate tasks.

But, no, I would not want to stop thinking full time. If I did that, I'd have to get a job!

Nice tori-targeting icon, btw.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Heh, I never thought about it as a targeting reticle. :) It's just my mon.

[ithildae.livejournal.com]

IT does not work as a philosophy paper, he cites as fact things that have only been alleged. The premise fails, hence the argument fails.

He does point out some of the relative hypocrisy of King George, some of it false, but enough true to make the point.

Is he saying that the single party government is less effective that the two party government we had for Tricky Dicky's capers? (Note for history, Nixon was on McCarthy's senate "Anti-American Affairs" committee.)

His main point seems to, obliquely, say that we cannot ever defeat, or even significantly inconvenience, transnational groups dedicated to killing our civilians. Oddly enough, he does not mention Afghanistan.

Make me think? Perhaps. I prefer to watch Hugo Chavez for a bit longer before I accept his argument. I suspect that a sufficiently ruthless country could make empire work today. A significantly humane country, like the US, where most government workings are eventually transparent, could never do it. I agree with that.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

I wasn't saying it was gospel, just that it bears thinking about. I thought the premise interesting -- the idea that America is attemting to empire-build in a post-Imperial era. I'm not necessarily convinced that's what's going on. (Personally, I suspect it has rather more to do with naked greed, corruption to the very root of the political process, and a belief that they can by now get away with virtually anything.)

[sierra-nevada.livejournal.com]

And this differs from the motives for Empire building ... how?

Also, I think you forgot religious righteousness and fervor for conversion (excuse me, "salvation") of the heathens.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

True that.








(P.S: "Heathen" and proud of it)