One would think it obvious. Right now, in the world, there is a loose aggregation willing to, among other things, shoot terrified children in the back, either as a means to some other end, or as an end in itself. If the concept of civilization means anything at all, it means stopping the people that do this sort of thing.
And yet, there is no consensus to do this.
I do not agree with Jonah Goldberg's contention that the sole or primary motivation against tackling Islamist terror head-on is the narrow political implication of supporting a Republican effort. I know too many intelligent opponents of the war to accept that premise.
I think, rather, that it reflects an entire worldview in which it is assumed that world events dictate events to a greater extent than individual will. In this instance, this translates into the assumption that Islamist militarism is a response to various American actions, and that the appropriate means of dealing with this response is to cease the stimuli.
I suspect that this worldview is probably true to a limited extent, but I think that individuals are actually more capable than this system implies. More to the point, I think that Kerry sincerely believes this, and that he will act accordingly, which is why I am supporting Bush.
(I could be more poetic, but my throat hurts, and I want some tea. If I'm unclear, let me know.)
- Moishe Potemkin
Posted by MoisheP at October 10, 2004 07:38 PM