Comments on: why I am not a neoconservative

By: Michael Drew

Michael Drew — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 04:22:59 +0000

I didn’t mean to suggest you don’t have that. I just meant that in general, while I share a degree of reservation about progress, by and large I think that it is far less ambiguous that those things that have seemed to advance human happiness, including at the level of the individual, (increasing material prosperity, work-saving technology, even the constant evolution of entertainment options) have in fact done so than I think your (or particularly Larison’s) critique would allow.

If you don’t have time for the book itself, there was a very illuminating interview with him on the radio show On Point — onpointradio.org. Check the archives for last week, I think.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:18:46 +0000

Very good questions, Mike. I wouldn’t care to guess as to the consequences of economic disentanglement.

However, if we quit protecting the world, I think the relative post-WWII global stability we’ve seen, the UN, and nuclear non-proliferation would all go out the window.

The countries that would likely take up the protection racket slack (BRIC minus Brazil) don’t get along, have long standing territorial feuds, and regional counterweights that – for the most part – haven’t been all that belligerent/concerned/antagonistic because they’re backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Navy and a few nuclear tipped Peacekeepers.

Some may be less pessimistic, but power vacuums are always filled and rarely by friends.

By: Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results | The League of Ordinary Gentlemen

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:09:13 +0000

[...] neoconservatism writ large to be about lying, cheating and pillaging in the same way that, say, my fellow contributor E.D. does. But I do think some of the fundamental flaws with that conception of the world and the US’ [...]

By: Jaybird

Jaybird — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:58:32 +0000

Lower.

By: Bob Cheeks

Bob Cheeks — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:51:17 +0000

Sweet desert flower you are indeed a techno-whatever. Also, your heart is in good order, I sense a great deal of love for your fellow humans-dudes and dudettes.
But, my dear, sweet, gun-totin’ Carolyn not only fights the good fight in a real place, she lives the good fight in her place and in her art!
You must take care, my friend, that in the end the search for the truth means more than the truth itself.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:37:50 +0000

equality at a high quality level or low quality level?

By: Kyle Cupp

Kyle Cupp — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:12:24 +0000

Perhaps I owe it all to having a daughter and just asking the fundamental questions about how I wish the world would be for her… From there it was all – uphill?

I completely understand, E.D.

By: Mike at The Big Stick

Mike at The Big Stick — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:37:47 +0000

There are still neo-cons in the world?

By: matoko_chan

matoko_chan — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:00:00 +0000

I am a technodroid Bob.
I would loathe that person.
I made a twitter account and DM’d a proxy id to someone distributing unblocked accounts to Iranian students. A lot of young american technodroids have done that.
If the citizens in NK had cells and knew how to use them, how long could the Hermit Kingdom stand?

By: E.D. Kain

E.D. Kain — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:17:37 +0000

Kyle, I’m not really sure. It was a lot of things I suppose all happening at the same time. I’d probably need to devote an entire post to it, and I’m not quite sure whether I’ve fully come to a conclusion. Mainly I began reading and thinking about the importance of family and community. Perhaps I owe it all to having a daughter and just asking the fundamental questions about how I wish the world would be for her… From there it was all – uphill?