It occurred to me some time ago, after reading various anti-warrior commentary, that there is a reason that they will never provide a coherent and rational solution to the problem of how to combat terrorism, terrorist-sponsoring states, and so on: these people have no solutions. They're like the annoying people in your work lunch group, who keep rejecting all your restaurant choices ("Taco Bell gives me the runs," "Jack-in-the-Box is too greasy and I'm afraid of dying from food poisoning," "I don't eat Chinese/Italian/Mexican/Thai food") but when you ask them where they want to eat they say, "Oh, I don't know -- you pick something!" And then the round of rejection starts all over again, until lunch hour is almost over and you only have time to grab a bag of chips from the office vending machine.
Ayn Rand's book Atlas Shrugged contains a moment that is apropos to this situation. Her exasperated heroine has been frustrated in her attempts to deal with the incompetents who are thwarting her every plan to fix her ailing railroad business. Their influence is entirely negative, consisting of destruction of anything that actually works. She finally asks one of them (I forget which -- I am not going to hunt through the whole book to find it) what they want her to do. Of course they have no plan: "You'll think of something!" is the reply. Without going into her philosophy, Rand makes it clear that she finds that to be one of the most horrifying phrases in the English language.
These anti-war people, if you ask them, are ready to claim that they want to "help" the Iraqi people and that they don't approve of terrorism, and so on, but when you ask them what they want to do about it that won't somehow end up with someone getting hurt, their only idea is to "get someone else to do something about it." Just don't ask who that "someone" has to be -- they have no answer to that.
(Part of this post was originally a comment to the post linked above.)
Posted by Andrea Harris at March 24, 2003 02:36 PMI don't know that this is altogether correct. There are often two answers given, neither of which is very useful:
1. "We need to talk to them. Diplomacy [by which they mean 'moral posturing without any sort of threat'] must be given a chance. Or twelve."
2. "We need to go to root causes, to make the world a fair place so that folks like Saddam will only be interested in petting puppy dogs and growing house plants [as opposed to throwing puppy dogs to his fedayeen and growing chemical plants]."
It's only when you go beyond those answers that either they look blankly ("Isn't it obvious?"), they get angry ("You're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem!"), or they simply reply (as you say) that the solutions you're offering won't work (for them).
Feh.
Posted by: *** Dave at March 24, 2003 at 02:55 PMAn even better example in Atlas Shrugged is the passenger train headed for a jammed tunnel. The engineers and officials of the train operation know there is a problem, but all are afraid of reprisals for acting, so each disappears from contact in order to avoid responsibility. The train enters the tunnel and all its passengers die of asphyxiation.
Geddy Lee captured this lesson years later: "If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice."
Oh dear God, now I sound like a libertarian.
Posted by: Ernie at March 24, 2003 at 02:58 PM"If we could only understand why they hate us", say the blithering idiots.
Posted by: Denny Wilson at March 24, 2003 at 03:18 PMThe problem isn't their not having a solution; it is that (with certain notable exceptions) they don't want a solution.
Posted by: John "Akatsukami" Braue at March 24, 2003 at 03:27 PMI loved a comment I saw on that site...can't remember the name...featuring interviews of war protesters. Some idiot said we needed to send "some sort of James Bond guy."
Posted by: Steve H. at March 24, 2003 at 04:00 PMi don't understand you iraqi's resistant in this war with the americans..don't you want a new iraq? don't you want to live like the united states? don't you want freedom? don't you want to live without fear? fear from worrying about your life and your loved ones? i have read some of the horrific stories about saddam and his regime, they are not humane, they are animals that need to die,,they treat everyone there like criminals and animals..he has most of the iraqi's money to build himself his palaces, while his people are starved and poor.. think about your future and children, don't you want a better life for your country? if so, then welcome the americans in your country and we will help you build a new iraq..don't kill the ones that are trying to help you...the person that deserves to be killed is saddam and his regime..they tortured, humiliated, degrated, abused your people since he has been in power...it's time for a new iraq...let the americans help your country, stop killing the americans...the only reason why we have to bomb certain areas there is because of saddam and his troops..it's the only way, so go hide and stay away from the fighting and let us in......
Posted by: rosemary ross at March 24, 2003 at 05:35 PMHere's a "solution". How about, if this war really is about "liberating", we kill Saddam Hussein instead of the whole damn country? Find out where he really is, and kill him. It's not like the Americans havn't done it before, to much nicer people than Saddam Hussein. If your country was being invaded you'd fight the invaders too, even though your president is an evil man with no soul, as well as a complete moron. The reason you hate people like Micheal Moore is because they aren't afraid to show how evil and stupid the Bush Dynasty and its oil sponsors really are. That cartoon says he's spitting on America. Sorry, but he's spitting on the Bush regime, not America. I realize that a lot of right wing fundamentalist terrorists like Bush's supporters consider it high treason to disagree with or even hate the currrent American president. And in the end, the biggest reason you hate films like "Bowling for Columbine" is because, how did Clueless George put it, you "hate freedom", and that movie encourages you to think for yourself, which doesn't mesh with what CNN and FOX want you to think.
Sorry, but every American has the right to hate George Bush without hating America. They are definetely not the same.
Posted by: Andrew Koster at March 24, 2003 at 05:57 PMI think I can say without much worry that George W. Bush is closer to being like America than Michael Moore is.
And yes, Jabba the Filmmaker has the right to say what he likes. And so, Andrew, do you.
And so do we. I'll leave it to our kind hostess to supply the "and if you don't like it..." conclusion.
Posted by: Kevin McGehee at March 24, 2003 at 06:54 PMGee, Andrew Koster from IP address 24.42.195.149, you're a real brave Michael Moore fan, with your fake email address.
I don't know why I'm bothering -- must be the nice walk I had today -- but I'm going to try to talk this high school boy down off the ceiling.
First, you say:
Here's a "solution". How about, if this war really is about "liberating", we kill Saddam Hussein instead of the whole damn country? Find out where he really is, and kill him.
Sigh. How are we supposed to do that? I'm afraid that the CIA neglected to implant the homing device in his molars when they let him out of the lab they grew him in. What can I say, budget cuts. Oh -- and in case you are getting your only news from al-Jazeera, we are actually trying our damndest not to "kill the whole damn country." Not that you'd appreciate our loving care that has so far led to the capture of several of our men by Saddam's evil Fedayeen.
Next, you blither:
[...]even though your president is an evil man with no soul, as well as a complete moron.
Oh, are you the person God assigns to keep track of people with and without souls? I wondered who was keeping that list up.
Seriously, dear boy, this sort of infantile crack is so 2000, and it won't get you any converts over the age of seventeen to your viewpoint.
You go on to rave:
The reason you hate people like Micheal Moore is because they aren't afraid to show how evil and stupid the Bush Dynasty and its oil sponsors really are.
Lovey, I don't "hate" Michael Moore. I have contempt for him. There is a difference. Look it up. As for the "stupid evil Bush dynasty oil sponsor" nonsense, see above about infantile cracks.
I must remark upon these two comments:
lot of right wing fundamentalist terrorists like Bush's supporters
and
the biggest reason you hate films like "Bowling for Columbine" is because, how did Clueless George put it, you "hate freedom", and that movie encourages you to think for yourself, which doesn't mesh with what CNN and FOX want you to think.
Oh good lord. Where to begin. First, maybe you should try to lay off the caffeine and sugar. That can't be good for your health. Second -- well, I don't get CNN or Fox, except for the local Fox station which I have maybe watched five minutes of. I rarely watch television. So that isn't where I get my indoctrination from. (I get it the old-fashioned way, from the radio signals that come in through my fillings.)
As for being a right-wing terrorist Bush supporter -- oh dear, you've pegged me. You know, I do have your IP address. I can probably quite easily find out where you live... you're really brave to taunt a terrorist like me and my comrades.
So, do you think I have calmed Andrew down?
Posted by: Andrea Harris at March 24, 2003 at 07:15 PMWhat they remind me of is the IBM ads -- you know, the ones with "server pixie dust" and "universal business adapters." These people actually think there really is a "killing Saddam Hussein and his circle and no one else pixie dust," and a "universal peace adapter."
Posted by: David Foster at March 24, 2003 at 08:52 PMAndrea, I don't know how you find the energy to do that. I'm only working on a couple of deals, and I'm completely beaten down by it all. Good work...
Posted by: Scott at March 24, 2003 at 10:25 PMIt's probably worth noting to "Andrew" that the US did try killing Saddam (et al.) -- and may well have succeeded, given the questionmarks surrounding the videos of him that have been released since then.
But, no matter how hard he has tried, the regime is more than Saddam Hussein, and even if he and his two sons were killed off, there are other inner circle monsters that need slaying.
I do wish there were some way to send 007 in to earn his keep. Assassinating a head of state, especially a wildly paranoid one, is not that easy.
Posted by: *** Dave at March 24, 2003 at 10:36 PMI don't know how I do it either, Scott. Must be the tasty Michael Moore fans I have been munching on. (Mmmm... Donuts!)
Seriously, even if we sent in some sort of magical 007-type assassin, these antiwar squeakers would just say something about "unilateral assassins!" "Dubya the executioner, who does he think he is?!?!" and "Assassination of a head of state is against the Geneva Convention and the UN rules and the rules of whist!" And so forth. They are just... anti. Their good buddy Clinton, who shmoozed so graciously with the Hollywood nomenklatura, is the only one they would trust to go kill tons of people. Apparently these people think his style of making wars was fabulous.
Posted by: Andrea Harris at March 24, 2003 at 10:45 PMQuoting Ayn Rand? Oh my, I knew I liked you! I'm pretty sure it was Dagny's brother, James, who said "You'll fix it, you always do," when Taggart RR was falling apart because of his ineptitude and he needed her to do something about it.
Posted by: Venomous Kate at March 25, 2003 at 12:24 AMMikey has fans? Still? Well...happy dining! Mix in a salad and a nice t-bone every now and then, though. Grease is good, but it needs a base to rest on.
[love!!! the "squeakers" term -- look for it at my joint...if I ever find the energy to go after the maroons again.]
Posted by: Scott at March 25, 2003 at 12:36 AMI'm losing my energy. I've pretty much said everything that I can think of to say. All I have left is mockery. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Posted by: Andrea Harris at March 25, 2003 at 01:15 AM