From: Michael Wiik (mwiik@messagenet.com)
Date: Fri May 16 2003 - 09:26:55 MDT
dehede011@aol.com writes:
> We are living members
> of a living world and we do have the power to influence our government
> through our votes. Some of us even work door to door during various
> political campaigns. Our discussions are over policy that we can influence.
While I'm sure (assuming you vote republican) that they appreciate your
vote and your canvassing work, there's suggestions they couldn't care
less about your 'influence' on their 'policy'. Consider:
<<The long reach of Leo Strauss
William Pfaff IHT
Thursday, May 15, 2003
Neoconservatives
PARIS The trouble with American conservatism during most of the 20th
century was that it was not particularly intelligent. The Republican
Party was and is a business party, anti-intellectual and to a
considerable degree xenophobic.
The radical neoconservatives, who appeared in the 1960s, are the first
seriously intelligent movement on the American right since the 19th
century. They want to remake the international order under effective
U.S. hegemony, destroy America's enemies and cripple or eliminate the
United Nations and other institutions making a claim to international
jurisdiction.
[...]
The main intellectual influence on the neoconservatives has been the
philosopher Leo Strauss, who left Germany in 1938 and taught for many
years at the University of Chicago. Several of the neoconservatives
studied under him. Wolfowitz and Shulsky took doctorates under him.
[...]
He [Leo Strauss] also argued that Platonic truth is too hard for people
to bear, and that the classical appeal to "virtue" as the object of
human endeavor is unattainable. Hence it has been necessary to tell lies
to people about the nature of political reality. ***An elite recognizes
the truth, however, and keeps it to itself. This gives it insight, and
implicitly power that others do not possess. This obviously is an
important element in Strauss's appeal to America's neoconservatives.***
[emphasis added -- mwiik]
The ostensibly hidden truth is that expediency works; there is no
certain God to punish wrongdoing; and virtue is unattainable by most
people. Machiavelli was right. There is a natural hierarchy of humans,
and rulers must restrict free inquiry and exploit the mediocrity and
vice of ordinary people so as to keep society in order.
This is obviously a bleak and anti-utopian philosophy that goes against
practically everything Americans want to believe. It contradicts the
conventional wisdom of modern democratic society. It also contradicts
the neoconservatives' own declared policy ambitions to make the Muslim
world democratic and establish a new U.S.-led international order, which
are blatantly utopian.>>
http://messagenet.com/fw/f1184.html
a.k.a
http://www.iht.com/cgi-bin/generic.cgi?template=articleprint.tmplh&ArticleId=96307
(watch your printer. sorry, this was the only way I could get it to show
in Opera)
-Mike
--
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