What an interesting post, Jacob.
You were obviously steeped in idealism, as I was. Unfortunately, your views do not take into account the present realities.
The problem is undoubtedly difficult. However, it must be approached with eyes wide open.
Force will not work.
Kindly advise Saddam and the terror mongers. They believe force does work and are working unceasingly to develop and use it against us in a cataclysmic way.
Until you are able to propose a viable alternative, we would be remiss in our obligations to our children, our populations and, indeed, our culture and our democratic ideals, if we were to accept the notion that legitimate self-defense--and, yes, pre-emption in the right circumstance--is not an appropriate use of force.
The times they are a-changin', Jacob. We no longer dealing with the odd essentially harmless nutball. We are dealing with folks who are actively trying to destroy us and our way of life using weapons which can do catastrophic damage. To sit around waiting for our ideals to prevail--a process which may or may not happen and, if it does, will take decades to accomplish--is to invite disaster.
I think the ideals in the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independance are Ideas that will eventually displace all competing Ideas......But it will not happen by U.S. Generals doing Nation-Building, after ShockAndAwe with massed tanks advancing behind a barrage of cruise missiles. That's just not the right tool to use to spread the memes of Democracy and Freedom.
Wholeheartedly agree with the first sentence. As far as the second is concerned, I suppose the retort is another question: Are you willing to allow armed psychotic Baathist Stalinism to impose its rule on a crucial point of the globe for the sake of allowing our peaceful ideals to peacefully proliferate?
The ideals you propose seem devoid of the notion that legitimate self-defense and pre-emption in the appropriate circumstance is a legitimate manner in which to protect them. That's fine if you are a pacifist but dangerous in the extreme if you're not. |
