Posted on 06/30/2004 1:54:14 PM PDT by quidnunc
You missed the word "benign". No one would call those three benign. Well, maybe Moore would but he doesn't count. Let me rephrase that, No sane person would call those three benign.
But a strongman running things can be a not bad way to go and was the way most of the world has been run through out history. I hate to put it this way but you have to grow to the place where you understand power and what it should and should not be used for before you are ready for true self rule or liberty.
If you have a feudal mindset it will not work. Which is the problem with most of South America and Africa and Asia and to an extent with Europe.
Can Iraq do it? Maybe, they have a better chance then most but if they choose otherwise, to return to a monarchy or some other form of government as long as it is benign it would not necessarily be a bad thing.
Now you're stretching -- they were similar to what preceded the US, and G. Washington et al sure thought of them as 'colonies'.
You are right, I did miss 'benign'. Perhaps it's partly because I'm very cynical about the concept of a benign dictator. What's that old quote (Lord Macauley, I think): "Power corrupts, and absolute power......"
I'm not worried about exporting our values. We lead by example, and if the rest of the world didn't like how we live, they wouldn't be trying to immigrate here.
This may be the first time in over a year where I've had a different take on the situation than Steyn.
Like in San Francisco?
There is a federal death penalty, and that's why Timothy McVeigh was executed. But I think he's the first person in about 25 years to be executed by the Feds. Most of those executed are indeed executed by the states.
As much as I hate to disagree with George the US was more settled then colonized, at least according to the modern usage of the term. Which means I likely don't disagree with him after all.
They used the term "settlers" and "colonist" pretty much interchangeably then.
A couple of years ago, on a flight back from London, I got into a conversation with a man from the Netherlands who was criticizing the US for our consumption and penchant for large houses. I asked him why he was visiting the US,if he disliked us so much. He just shrugged and said, well I'm going to Alaska, that's different. No matter that he had already toured the rest of the US.
They rail against the things they love and do themselves. It's utterly bizarre.
But you are right to be cynical, sort of. Like I said it is a feudal way of looking at things. But the power does not only flow one way in that system, it really does flow both ways with rights and responsibilities on both sides.
The "peasants" are looked after by the "lord" in return for part of their labor. A monarchy usually works better then a true dictatorship.
But he has been disappointed; America has no taste for imperial adventures.
To Pokey:
Oh look! A Steyn!
Thanks for Mark!
Thank you for posting the REST of the story.
Why don't you do FR two favors by ceasing to post Steyn excerpted?
1. Stop wasting bandwidth by a partial post that is added to by another poster with the whole article, then added to many times over by the comments of people who are so grateful when the whole thing is posted on your partial thread
2. Stop aggravating the clientele by a partial post when a full post is allowed
Well, what say you?? Can you either post the whole nine yards, or leave it alone?
Why don't you go boil your head?
Gretchen, Gretchen, Gretchen!
You must be new here. Quidnunc does this precisely so he can annoy decent people, like yourself.
This is a crucial component of his pitiful life - mining the Web for the finest articles, then chopping them into pieces so he can then lecture the Proletariat about his posting righteousness!
Not new here, signed on in 1998, but I felt obliged to put the question to the quid.
It's so indecorous and such a waste of everyone's time, energy, and money.
Why people want to get such negative attention is beyond me.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.