Dear EDITOR:
Mr. Monroe, you are quite correct when you point out that the
overwhelming majority of governments rule by fear.
Dear EDITOR:
Mr. Monroe, you are quite correct when you point out that the overwhelming majority of governments rule by fear. Such has been the case since governments came into existence and I see no sign of any change.
The normal pattern is for a small elite to use unjust law and police force to maintain political and economic dominance. Our country is making the transition to the same system as we speak. Our elite class relies mostly on bribery at the moment. Violent rule comes later, after they persuade us to disarm ourselves.
A ruling elite has two sets of enemies, one internal and one external. Internal enemies are defeated by undermining independence, breaking up societal organizations, and picking off potential leaders via legal plunder. External enemies are discouraged with military strength. Unfortunately for the ruling elites, military strength requires the efficiency of independence, strong societal organizations, and effective subordinate leadership.
Mr. Monroe, the freedom, prosperity, and security that I prize and you despise were born in the womb of war. History is full of the unpleasant fate of peoples whose governments were able to focus on their oppression without the distraction of threatening external enemies. I recommend Gibbon’s “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” for a preview of the course of world politics under a centralized UN government. You might also check out everyday life under the Byzantine, Ottoman, and Chinese empires before thrusting us onto the same stage.
Peace ain’t in it.
I infer from your Feb. 19 letter that you are looking forward to a time when the UN morphs into a world government. Please set aside your infatuation with utopia and take a close look at the UN before committing us to that course.
For one, the UN is not even remotely democratic. Ambassadors are appointed by their respective governments. Very few of those governments are democratic; most are dictatorships of one variety or another. They generally regard Western ideas of liberty and rule of law as pathetic jokes.
For another, the socialists and the fundamentalist Muslims have apparently allied themselves. If you take the trouble to count noses, you will find that they have a practical voting majority in the General Assembly. For a discussion of the tender mercies of the socialists, I recommend “The Black Book of Communism.” The peaceful natures of Muslims can perhaps be illustrated by the 50 percent of Palestinian school children who dream of becoming suicide bombers.
Please explain to me the advantages of placing the United States under the rule of a legislature whose most fervid wish is our utter destruction.
On another subject, there is a question going the rounds amongst conservatives to which I have heard no reply. Where the heck were all of you peace activists when Clinton was bombing the snot out of Serbians who, unlike Iraq, had done nothing to us?
Stuart Allen, Gilroy
Submitted Friday, Feb. 21 to ed****@****ic.com
