"The Bork Prognosis"
by J. R. Nyquist
July 30, 2002
"Last week the press corps wondered aloud about Vice President Cheney’s secret rendezvous with a ballistic missile submarine off the coast of Florida. Among other signs of impending conflict, they also noted that U.S. and British authorities have warned Australian citizens in Iraq to leave at the first opportunity. The U.S. government seems to be moving toward a final solution of the Iraq problem. This week the U.S. Senate will hold hearings about our military options against Saddam Hussein. There are also rumors about terrorist moves against the Saudi monarchy, as well as a Wall Street Journal article from former DCI James Woolsey about the weakening of the Islamic regime in Iran. From all this it seems that America‘s political will is about to be tested. This leads us to two questions: How strong is the United States and how prepared is the country for what lies ahead?
"The United States is the wealthiest and most powerful nation the world has ever seen. Even so, a country that outwardly appears strong and healthy might be inwardly diseased. In fact, a tendency to deny symptoms of internal decay and weakness may be economically obligatory in a market culture where pessimism is viewed as injurious. Under these circumstances, how can we obtain an honest assessment?
"Further complicating our inquiry, we find differing ideological perspectives on what is truly harmful to society and what is benign. For example, the radical individualist may see nothing socially fatal in the blossoming of pornography, substance abuse, abortion, illegitimate births or the growing vulgarity of popular culture; the egalitarian, in his turn, may see nothing fatal in the continuing growth of big government, ever-higher taxation and welfare dependency. The traditional conservative, in turn, may find himself alarmed at the damage done by both the radical individualists and the prevailing egalitarians. In terms of national security and “the war on terror,” the country’s strength depends on the moral courage of the people..........."
financialsense.com |
