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fpb ([personal profile] fpb) wrote2011-04-15 01:11 pm

Is there a politician in the house? - part three; or, Dear God, I hope I'm wrong

I can't imagine anyone being STUPID enough to have done what Obama, Sarkozy and Cameron have just done. Let's see: the Euro has its back to the wall, America is beginning to contemplate bankruptcy, enormous amounts of treasure are being wasted in a wholly fruitless attempt to civilize Afghanistan and to produce anything in Iraq that does not look like total failure (for which they thank us by murdering and driving out our fellow Christians). And in this atmosphere, in this atmosphere of economic crisis, lack of prospects for any improvement in relations with Islam, and military weakness, the leading figures of the West commit themselves to a policy of eliminating Gheddafi that will only succeed if they actually send troops to Libya? Do we need this? Do we need the waste, the overextension, the open-ended commitments that will suck in more and more resources with no end in sight, with no clear policy, with no possible advantage in the increased involvement in a sector whose internal and external politics are toxic to Western democracies? Is there anyone except Angela Merkel anywhere with anything even remotely resembling a spine, anyone willing to say, no, this is enough, let's get out of here? I would say, God help us; but God does not help those who will not help themselves, and stupidity is the one sin that is never forgiven and always punished right here on earth.

[identity profile] affablestranger.livejournal.com 2011-04-16 03:09 am (UTC)(link)
I wholly sympathize. Something is awfully, awfully fishy about the entire goings-on. There are axes being wielded that have been being ground for some time, I think. Also, there's just... well... stupidity, lunacy, and no small amount of self-righteousness in the equation as well. And the hypocrisy of the proponents and their supporters about it all is blinding, deafening, disconcerting, and maddening. I can put together some pieces of how this came to pass, surely, but a good deal of it just seems, at least so far, to make not much sense at all.

[identity profile] lectorpoemarum.livejournal.com 2011-04-18 07:13 pm (UTC)(link)
"a sector whose internal and external politics are toxic to Western democracies"

Indeed. I think few in America realize how deep in history the roots of democracy go, how much cultural soil had to be prepared for it. In the Middle East, it has never really worked ... even Turkey (as I understand it - it's not my best known area)needing lots of militarism to keep from being theocratic/Islamist ... except for Israel -- which has a tremendous Western history.

[identity profile] fpb.livejournal.com 2011-04-18 09:49 pm (UTC)(link)
About the roots of liberty:
http://fpb.livejournal.com/141494.html