no third solution » Archive
RE: There’s a gun in the room
“Libertarian Jason” has written a solid essay about the nature of the State. To paraphrase: The State’s sole apparatus is that of force; the application or threat thereof. “The irrefutable fact of the matter is that government works only by violent, coercive means. It works no other way.” You can read it here. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Potpourri
Afghanistan & Prohibition
Despite the “several hundreds of millions of dollars” that the Bush administration has poured into Afghanistan, in an effort to curb the production of poppy, cultivation has increased. A State Department official denies Afghani sovereignty even on the most basic of humanitarian grounds; denying that “excuses” like abject poverty are not enough to justify the production of opium. By all accounts, opium production in Afghanistan has increased significantly in the last few years. “[Opium has] become an industrial production,” said Doris Buddenberg, director of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime here, noting that Afghanistan’s opium output this year was a staggering 6,700 tons. Rural poverty, dashed hopes for economic recovery, Taliban blandishments and anti-government sentiment “all added up to more families deciding to grow poppy,” she said. Of course, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Drug War Rants, World Politics
Ahmadinejad: Pacifist?
Reading through Iranian President Ahmadinejad’s speech, delivered to the UN General Assembly today – one would think that he is an ardent pacifist, his speech is eloquent and prosaic, and calls for the good in all men to achieve the common good. “…Some seek to rule the world, relying on weapons and threats…others are bombarded daily in their own homes, their children murdered in the streets and alleys of their own country, and their homes reduced to rubble. Such behavior is not worthy of human beings and runs counter to the truth, to justice, and to human dignity…” But this does not correspond well with the goals of islamic hegemony, which itself relies on the application or the threat of violence; calling all muslims to wage a war of attrition against all non-muslims. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Potpourri