Stradiotto

Morality

The latest in the ever shifting set of rationales for attacking and occupying Iraq is the "moral obligation" argument; the so-called flypaper strategy, the repeatedly debunked Al Qaeda connection and (crickets chirping) the existence of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons having grown too bizarre for any but the most delusional to trot out.

The idea - as nearly as I can tell, is that the United States is acting as a moral agent. It had the power to liberate the Iraqis from (our former client) Saddam Hussein who had oppressed them cruelly (with our backing) and was therefore obliged to do so. There is a grain of good sense in this. Generally speaking, a moral agent is obliged to undo whatever harm he has done, act in defense of the helpless when able and, in enlightened self-interest, improve the lot of the whole that he may also benefit.

This is several cuts above the "eye for an eye, and who cares whose eye it is" mentality, the "make an example of someone awful to keep other predators at bay" and the "might makes right" arguments that most rational beings refute before they leave kindergarten. Right now, however, it smacks of noblesse oblige and in true aristocratic fashion it has worked out poorly. All it's done, in spite of the good intentions of its proponents, is divert more loot and power to despicable people.

The primary problem is the would be aristocrats are greedy sociopaths. That wouldn't such a stumbling block if they were competent. The fact that they've never suffered significant consequences for past botches - indeed, they've failed their way to the top, doomed this adventure from the start.

By taking on the role of moral agent, the (nearly) representative democracy of the United States has opened itself to collective guilt, shame being an alien concept to people whose religion is conspicuous consumption. There are a number of arguments reflecting that floating around: "we dare not fail", "we broke it, we bought it", etc. . . They would have a better chance of flying if the breakers had any interest in fixing it. They don't, and there's not a snowball's chance in hell they'll turn it over to anyone who does. The people in charge have shown no inclination to bow to any pressure other than the narrowest short-term self interest - rather like the CEOs who strip mines companies in order to boost third quarter paper profits.

This is part of the larger, long term assumption that what benefits the powerful always benefits the weak. Hence the trickle down theory. It becomes altogether divorced from reality when collective benefit of the morally bankrupt few - the well-connected, the well-armed and those willing to use brutality to further their goals, butts head with the basic human desire to get along. A consistently vicious elite can maintain ascendancy for a long time. They don't fail until popular indignation is so strong that governance becomes impossible or a bigger bad ass comes along.

Modern representative democracy developed as a means of transferring power among the elite without great loss of privilege and bloodshed. That was a very enlightened view for the time. The elite could depend on retaining privilege and possibly regain power. Uppity "little people" have managed to stretch the protection enough to give themselves more coverage than subjects of a state have ever enjoyed. A few grudging concessions were won in most Western democracies. The novel idea that what helps the weakest also helps the strongest enjoyed a brief popularity. That's in full blown retreat.

Lovers of liberty, like American libertarians, were sold on the idea that economic freedom was the same as allowing the financially powerful free rein. In theory, this would lead to greater personal liberty from that dictats of a crushing state. I call it the trickle down casino fallacy. W.S. Burroughs warned us about the inexorable logististics of the vampiric process. It certainly applies here. They always take more than they need.

Skillful manipulation of greed and fear can get otherwise intelligent people to consistently act against their self-interest. Patriot 2 and the Medicare giveaway passed with barely a murmur. Hopped up thugs just crushed a peaceful demonstration against the gloablization of this ethic in Miami. Credit card applications now boast of compliance with intrusive and easily abused state powers. Channel surfers in the United States are never told that the incompetence of a cretinous elite, persecution of minorities and the violence that always accompanies radical state power can be extended to, and inflicted on, them.

Perhaps on some nearly unconscious level suburban gated communities reflect the fear of this in addition to fear of some "other". They won't figure it out until privilege is curtailed enough that they, or their children, experience the horror of imprisonment and an amoral bureaucracy backed by willing thugs. Dictatorial homeowners associations with their rent-a-cops are a model of what we can expect if things are not turned around.

It's a sad reflection on humanity that wannabe authoritarians can recruited from the same pool as their victims. They're resentful, crazy and when they're unleashed, they do not know restraint. If the Bush mob and the Vichy Democrats manage to ruin the economy, humvees and burgular alarms won't be much help.

I think electing, Diebold willing, a conservative - i.e. electable - Democrat like Howard Dean might help a little, but there's a long term battle ahead. If recent history is any guide, most of his policies would be bitterly contested just because he's not a Republican. If he proposed more civil rights restrictions, he'd be damned for not going far enough. If he tried to roll back some of the more outrageous laws, he'd be damned for going soft on terror. Apologists for, and enablers of, the Codpiece are cynical enough to do the country massive harm for political gain.

An unlikely coalition of right and left wing moral agents is our best hope. Representative democracy as we knew it is broken.

A Package Deal

Once again, our beloved President (may God warm his footy PJs) is the victim of liberal hate speech. They seem to feel that we here at Team Codpiece are knuckle dragging morons who don't appreciate the enormous sacrifices (some of them still screaming) he has made on our behalf.

One fact they can't seem to assimilate is that Operation Let a Thousand Daisy Cutters Bloom was made necessary by failed policies of The Clenis™. We are a proud people and won't stand for that, hence this entry from my barcalounger.

You see, what liberals need to understand is that four legs are good and two legs are bad. Except, of course, when they're not.

He's at it again!

Orrin Hatch, computer assassin and software weasel (props to Amish Tech Support) is in the news again. His staff, we (or I, when properly medicated) learn via the Yellow Doggerel Democrat, has stooped to cracking - purely on their own initiative, of course. No right thinking demagogue would ever stoop to siccing his script kiddie minions on his colleagues. I get the hiccups just thinking about it.

I'm certain they'll be severely punished for this gross infraction. A furious Hatch, deeply committed to ethical behavior, is certain to have them jailed at once. Then again. . .

Well, that was depressing. Fortunately, there are reasons to be grateful - until you remember what Thanksgiving's all about.

Googling for answers

Inspired by this post from Left I On the News, I did a number of Google searches that I found illustrative of precisely what is wrong with the United States and its politicians.