[Rhodes22-list] You can believe it, Ed (political)

[Robert Skinner]

Now, Ed, don't run off the end of the field with the ball.

While I may be constitutionally and fiscally conservative,
I remain concerned with the less fortunate of my neighbors
and am an advocate of effective social support programs,
ones that do not perpetuate the poverty cycle.

I proudly support some initiatives that some would call
"liberal", but also advocate a barbed wire necklace for 
our elected officials, something we can jerk when they 
try to spend our money to buy themselves another term.

But I also support effective response to threats and 
attacks, and by effective I mean closely directed and
clearly defined action with good intelligence behind it.

I do not support a cowboy-with-a-shotgun-shooting-from-the-hip
approach to international affairs, and I remain mindful
of Eisenhauer's warning about the "military-industrial
complex."

So it is not correct to assume that I buy all the rhetoric
that you expouse.  I try to recognize and understand what
works woth my ethical structure and avoid that which seems
ill-founded, ineffective, or unjustified.

Emmerson states: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of 
little minds."  I interpret that to mean that someone who
buys the whole Republican (or Democratic) line is not 
really exercising their grey cells or moral muscle.

The mischievous aspect of consistancy is that it tricks one
into thinking that one is thinking.

In any case, Ed, it seems to me that those who live near
terrorists or other delinquents know that their neighbors
are up to no good.  If they also know that the wrath of the
attacked will be visited on them 100-fold, they are likely
to encourage the miscreants to move elsewhere -- or rat
them out.

/Robert, not in a box.

Britanica:

Main Entry: hob·gob·lin  Pronunciation: 'häb-"gäb-l&n
Function: noun: a mischievous goblin  

Main Entry: gob·lin  Pronunciation: 'gäb-l&n
Function: noun:   an ugly or grotesque sprite that is
mischievous and sometimes evil and malicious
-----------------------------------------------------------

Tootle wrote:
> 
> Brad,
>      The last few years, at least since he moved north, Bob has been aligned
> with the liberals.  Now he makes this reply.  Simply amazing.  Who would
> have ever imagined.  It must no longer be a haven.
> 
> Ed K
> Greenville, SC, USA
> 
> Robert Skinner wrote:
> >
> > Brad Haslett wrote:
> >> Philip,
> >> You are getting very close to the real issue...
> >> Let's say out of a billion Muslims (to keep the math simple) 990 million
> >> are
> >> more interested in getting a decent meal, housing, and education for
> >> their
> >> kids...
> > -------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Unfortunately, that leaves 10 million whackos.
> > Blowing them to perdition is the only education
> > that would be effective.
> >
> > But 10M deaths could also be regarded as genocide.
> >
> > Hmmm...  Is it genocide to wipe out 0.1% of all the
> > cockroaches in the world?
> >
> > As an enlightened former Marine, I have no trouble
> > with this, but there aren't a lot of us around,
> > and somehow, I don't expect the UN to take action.
> >
> > The proper response may be to inflict 100 times as
> > many casualties as we have suffered in any specific
> > incident on the most obvious supporters of
> > terrorist activity, immediately, wherever we find
> > them.  We'd have a hit list handy.  90% collateral
> > damage would be acceptable.
> >
> > Now, who wants to be anywhere near a terrorist
> > cell?  Would terrorist leaders want to sacrifice
> > themselves to promote their program?  Seems that
> > they send boys and girls to do their dirty work.
> >
> > Just an idea...
> >
> > /Robert Skinner