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On Mon, 15 Oct 2001, John Clark wrote:
> Samantha Atkins <samantha@objectent.com>
>
> > From where I sit the US is quite interested in a war.
>
> That's ridiculous, there is no reason America would want any war right
> now, much less a "major and indefinite" one. Do you think Americans just
> woke up one fine day and thought " You know what I'd really like, I'd like to
> rule the poorest country in the world, Afghanistan"? It's not complicated, no
> need to look for hidden motives, we are at war because somebody is trying
> to kill us and they've already made a very good start.
Nobody is really out to serve the will of the American people or any
other people. Of course an indefinite war would not be in our
interests as citizens. Powerful elites pursue their agendae by
a) spin
b) hijacking of the bureaucracy of power
c) naked aggression
d) conceding to the genuine will of the people
...whichever has the best cost:benefit ratio in a given situation. The only
things saving our butts are:
a) nobler individuals who came before us in our respective countries
who crafted institutions resistant (but never immune) to cooptation
b) power elites are domain specific
c) the agendae of power elites often conflict with each other (at the
moment, Islamic theocrats vs. secular corporatists)
d) the actions power elites take to further their own power are
subject to the same imperfect information and unintended
consequences that confound the actions of humans in general.
- --
* I believe that the majority of the world's Muslims are good, *
* honorable people. If you are a Muslim and want to reassure me and *
* others that you are part of this good, honorable majority, all *
* you need to say are nine simple words: "I OPPOSE the Wahhabi cult *
* and its Jihad." *
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