The Ugly American - a mission and a destiny

epigone73

[epigone73]

Please comment.

epigone73

[jocon307]

Welcome to Free Republic.

You must remember this, method cannot defeat evil; nice cannot defeat evil; only GOOD can defeat evil.

Your heart is in the right place, but your premises are flawed. Nevertheless, Islamofacism will be defeated, victory is the only option, victory at all cost, and whatever else our beloved Churchill said.

[Jack Black]

Self consciously brilliant and condescending at the same time. Not a style the FR responds to, but I have to say it was very well done and thought provoking. I enjoyed this article, but suspect few others will.

As a criticism why bother to insult your readers. People who don't know who Faust is need it explained, not their own ignorance proclaimed.

[rmlew]

Welcome.

[Jack Black]

Oh, one good Burroughs quote deserves another:

"Do not believe the modern calumny that we are turning the planet into a slag heap, heavy metal is our program and we are prepared to go down by it".

It's from memory and I don't remember which book it is from.

[Tribune7]

bump

[mcenedo]

Welcome

bump for killing terrorists and their support network.

[The Mayor]

bump for later read.

[epigone73]

But that is precisely the problem; good alone cannot defeat evil. Moral superiority, etc., notwithstanding, God is with the army with the largest battalions. I don't see how anyone could think otherwise -- indeed, some of our best tragedies concern the defeat and destruction of noble men who lack the means to put their virtue into action.

[Revolting cat!]

Excellent! (And yes, do insult and shame the philistines.)

[epigone73]

"Self consciously brilliant and condescending at the same time." Guilty as charged; blame my teachers, but i love a little dig, even at those I wish to persuade. A character flaw, perhaps, but there it is.

[Revolting cat!]

I wonder if you've read Mark Helprin's more specific analysis (though still lacking practical solutions): War in the Absence of Strategic Clarity

[avenir]

The dark religions are departed, and sweet Science reigns--William Blake

[epigone73]

No, can't say I saw that one. There's plenty of good stuff out there of course; my own was an attempt to bring a slightly different perspective to the problem.

I do not view western civilization as the best of all possible; in point of fact, I believe we did make a mistake in taking the Faustian bargain.

But, having taken the deal, we might at least secure for ourselves (and our posterity --sorry, couldn't resist) the temporary advantages of the bargain.

to repeat, I am by no means confident that the west will emerge triumphant, or even that it will survive in its present form for much longer. But, for all its problems and shortcomings, I would certainly prefer it to a universal caliphate any day of the week and twice on Shabbas.

[jocon307]

"God is with the army with the largest battalions. I don't see how anyone could think otherwise"

With all due respect, I don't see how anyone could think that what you say is true. Did the Nazis win? No. Did the commies win? No.

If you wish to be an atheist, that's fine, I won't proslytize to you, but I don't buy it. I cannot look at the world around me and think that it is just an accident, I cannot live my life, my inner mental and emotional life, and think there is no meta reason to it. Vida brevis, ars longa and all that rot.

[cornelis]

FYI:
ISI book Icarus Fallen by Chantal Delsol:

[epigone73]

Jocon:

i think you miss my points.

1) The battalions question; how large was the Wehrmacht versus, say, the Belgian army? And who came out on top? When the Allies -- Brits, Americans, Russians -- got into the game, the Krauts were no longer the biggest gang in Europe, and went down in defeat. in war, power is everything;

2) Atheist? "Twice on Shabbas," I said. And does an atheist accuse his civilization of selling its soul. My point is that the Modern west is atheist, on principle, these days, although the instinct was there from the renaissance.

Of course there is a G-d, and one of my points is that, having secured power at the cost of our eternal damnation, we might at least use that power to save our lives for a little while yet.

No atheist, me.

[epigone73]

ISI -- Scruton's old outfit. not a bad guy, and he did throw some wonderful little parties when I knew him. (Name dropping)

[cornelis]

The identification of an absolute evil forces us to believe that an order exists beyond our will, beyond our capacity as creators of order. --Chantal Delsol

[jocon307]

Well I'm very glad to hear you are not an atheist. Now it can be told: I think all atheists are fools.

It's still not accurate what you say about battalions, the Americans, I guess I should say Colonists, won the revolution.

I'm not sure we've sold our souls, I think we tainted them in the garden of eden. What's always interested me is how if you watch sci fi it always takes a pretty conservative view on the unlikelihood of the perfection of life.