tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608702.post4474847054640583502..comments2023-10-25T08:46:20.242-05:00Comments on The Distributist Review: The Democrats Cave-in, AgainJohn Médaillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16463267750952578888noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608702.post-82365577323094484452007-11-07T21:32:00.000-06:002007-11-07T21:32:00.000-06:00I agree, John. Richard Moore, in his brilliant ar...I agree, John. Richard Moore, in his brilliant article "Escaping the Matrix," refers to it as the Empire importing the technologies of population control, traditionally used in the imperial periphery, to its core. The reason is the prospect of an increasingly disgruntled population as the First World economy of the New Deal and postwar era is remodelled into a Third World banana republic.Kevin Carsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07525803609000364993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608702.post-4408350231503869442007-11-07T13:37:00.000-06:002007-11-07T13:37:00.000-06:00Kevin, I certainly agree that it is the need to te...Kevin, I certainly agree that it is the need to terrorize subject populations. However, the next "subject population" to be so terrorized may be our own. It is not Osama bin Laden's fingernails that Cheney wishes to pull out, but yours and mine should we become too troublesome, which, God-willing, we will. The ultimate use of these techniques is not for foreign populations, but domestic ones.John Médaillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16463267750952578888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608702.post-36214189989062355752007-11-05T00:56:00.000-06:002007-11-05T00:56:00.000-06:00I suspect in their secret heart of hearts, Cheney ...I suspect in their secret heart of hearts, Cheney and the people staffing his torture state don't really care about torture's efficacy in eliciting the truth. The main benefit of torture, from the perspective of such wicked and power-crazed people, was identified by Naomi Klein: terrorizing subject populations. They need for the Empire's subject populations to know that opposing the U.S. armed forces or its puppet dictators will get people tortured, murdered, and "disappeared" by the tens of thousands. Torture, like all other forms of state terror, is intended to demoralize and weaken the will to resist.Kevin Carsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07525803609000364993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608702.post-16701417364106276742007-11-03T21:31:00.000-05:002007-11-03T21:31:00.000-05:00I should have written: "This seems akin to killing...I should have written: "This seems akin to killing a man to prevent his murdering of another."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608702.post-20238494254432977092007-11-03T21:28:00.000-05:002007-11-03T21:28:00.000-05:00I'm no expert on such a thing, which perhaps place...I'm no expert on such a thing, which perhaps places me out of the discussion, but Buchanan makes a pretty good case.<BR/><BR/>If it is known that a bomb is going to go off and it is known that the man behind it is in your custody, isn't it moral to torture him to learn of the bomb's location and thus save the innocents?<BR/><BR/>This seems akin to shooting a man to prevent him from killing another.<BR/><BR/>The original article is found here (in case you didn't see it on the linked page): <I><A HREF="http://www.theamericancause.org/patthecasefortorture.htm" REL="nofollow">The Case For Torture</A></I> by P Buchanan. March 2003.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608702.post-16941370166582377162007-11-03T21:10:00.000-05:002007-11-03T21:10:00.000-05:00Shame on Patrick Buchanan, since as an educated Ca...Shame on Patrick Buchanan, since as an educated Catholic he should know that under Catholic moral teaching, an act evil in itself can never be made good by circumstance. Stealing bread for a starving family is not stealing, for as St. Thomas says, "necessity makes all things common." <BR/><BR/>Killing is not wrong, murder is, and is always wrong. I have served two tours in Vietnam, but I did no murder. <BR/><BR/>You are certainly right that we cannot entrust the state with such an awesome right; nor can we trust anyone else. I wouldn't even trust myself with such power.John Médaillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16463267750952578888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608702.post-85055220501904670322007-11-03T19:48:00.000-05:002007-11-03T19:48:00.000-05:00This is a wonderful blog. I found it advertised at...This is a wonderful blog. I found it advertised at YouTube (via your video) of all places. My only complaint is the counters on the left that distract the eyes from reading along the right.<BR/><BR/>---<BR/><BR/>Patrick Buchanan wrote a <A HREF="http://conservativetimes.org/?p=1233#more-1233" REL="nofollow">defense of torture</A> in 2003:<BR/><BR/>"The morality of any act depends not only on its character, but on the circumstances and motive. Stealing is wrong and illegal, but stealing food for one’s starving family is a moral act. Even killing is not always wrong. If a U.S. soldier had shot Mohammed to save 50 hostages, he would be an American hero."<BR/><BR/>That's probably the best defense of torture I've read.<BR/><BR/>---<BR/><BR/>My own humble stance is the state cannot be entrusted with such a power, a policy of torture weakens America’s image, and such a policy justifies the torture of captured American soldiers.<BR/><BR/>Torture might be justifiable, but the state cannot be entrusted with such a power.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com