politics, mostly NP with a glance at Vineland

[mikebailey at speakeasy.net]

> On 9/29/06, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com> wrote:
> > From the Hullabaloo blog:
> >...
> > I'll say it again: Americans are living in a fascist state. > >
...
>> We're gonna be lucky if more of us don't end up "persons of interest" to >> the Bush administration. 

to which rich replied:
> 
> I think this is too much--America is not a fascist state (yet). come on
> foax, bush is not hitler--he is not up to the task as president, is
> influenced too much by cheney and rumsfeld, has made some really awful
> policy choices but geez, fascists?
> 
> we are fighting a fascist-like foe and we are heading down a slippery slope
> from benign paternalism into who knows what.
> 

this is like the debate at the family reunion at the end of Vineland, where the parties argued about whether America was already in the grip of fascism or only almost there

war by itself is worse than almost any form of government
http://www.ocregister.com/commentary/essayslib/ whips out a good quote from
James Madison:
"Of all enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other." 

it's really quite amazing that US courts and citizens each time after war have been able to restore many liberties, and in some areas to increase them...oh, what people could accomplish if there were no wars slowing progress down

questions about this war, this administration -

1) what is the ratio of innocents to enemies in our killing and maiming?

2) here's a good one: from any given military action, what is the ratio of enemies killed to enemies created?  

3) if the power of the executive increases in time of war, what is the incentive of the executive to end war?

4) and my favorite: if compassion is an effective check on executive power, what may be done to increase compassion in the executive?