I read a number of websites and blogs on a fairly consistent basis. This item appeared on www.smirkingchimp.com today: When the Punch Line is War
By Charles Cutter
Feb 26, 2004, 20:11
"On Monday evening Mr. Bush addressed the Republican Governors Association to highlight the themes of his re-election campaign. He referenced his "war on terror" at least four times; September 11, at least five. Another solemn occasion, one would think. But to the man who dodged Viet Nam, the world of war does not inspire solemnity - at least not when he's performing for campaign money.
Speaking presumably about the Democrats, but more likely about anyone who disagrees with his administration, Mr. Bush said, "They now agree that the world is better off with Saddam Hussein out of power; they just didn't support removing Saddam from power. (Laughter.)" The parenthetical reference to "laughter" is copied from the White House web site; it's not as if they're ashamed of this levity. Mr. Bush followed up with, "Maybe they were hoping he'd lose the next Iraqi election. (Laughter and applause)'"
This is the real Mr. Bush: A so called man who makes jokes about his illegal, immoral, and anti-Christian act of war. The fact that Mr. Bush's handpicked man to head the search for Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, Dr. David Kay, has publicly stated, "We were all wrong", explodes the big lie that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction.
Rereading President Jimmy Carter's opinion piece in the NYT, March 8, 2003, shows the utter careless, uncaring, cavalier treatment that Mr. Bush has undertaken to lead this nation into a shame that is unprecedented in American history.
Mr. Carter writes, "As a Christian and as a president who was severely provoked by international crises, I became thoroughly familiar with the principles of a just war, and it is clear that a substantially unilateral attack on Iraq does not meet these standards." As events have unfolded in the search for weapons of mass destruction from Hans Blix to David Kay there has been nothing shown by the lack of physical evidence that Saddam had a weapons of mass destruction program. That would lead any rational minded person to the inevitable conclusion that Saddam did not have those weapons, in particular nuclear weapons that would poise any serious and credible threat to the survival of America, in his possession.
Mr. Carter continues, "For a war to be just, it must meet several clearly defined criteria.
The war can be waged only as a last resort, with all nonviolent options exhausted.
The war's weapons must discriminate between combatants and noncombatants.
Its violence must be proportional to the injury we have suffered.
The attackers must have legitimate authority sanctioned by the society they profess to represent.
The peace it establishes must be a clear improvement over what exists."
From the establishment of Christian principals of "The Just War" theory
was first enunciated by St. Augustine then further embellished upon in the Middle Ages but fully brought to the currently accepted principals, as written by Mr. Carter's pen, notably the 16th-century Spanish Scholastics such as Vitoria and Suarez, and then the Dutch Protestant Scholastic Grotius and by 18th- and 19th-century jurists, was an explanation of the criteria for a just war.
However the U.S. Constitution also has a say in how we are to go about war making and, again, Mr. Bush has failed to meet the clearly defined meaning. The stark fact that there was no readily at hand nuclear weapons by Saddam's Iraq war machine only underscores the frightening willingness of Mr. Bush to use fear for political purposes that harm the national good.
I'll continue to write more on the Just War theory.
By Charles Cutter
Feb 26, 2004, 20:11
"On Monday evening Mr. Bush addressed the Republican Governors Association to highlight the themes of his re-election campaign. He referenced his "war on terror" at least four times; September 11, at least five. Another solemn occasion, one would think. But to the man who dodged Viet Nam, the world of war does not inspire solemnity - at least not when he's performing for campaign money.
Speaking presumably about the Democrats, but more likely about anyone who disagrees with his administration, Mr. Bush said, "They now agree that the world is better off with Saddam Hussein out of power; they just didn't support removing Saddam from power. (Laughter.)" The parenthetical reference to "laughter" is copied from the White House web site; it's not as if they're ashamed of this levity. Mr. Bush followed up with, "Maybe they were hoping he'd lose the next Iraqi election. (Laughter and applause)'"
This is the real Mr. Bush: A so called man who makes jokes about his illegal, immoral, and anti-Christian act of war. The fact that Mr. Bush's handpicked man to head the search for Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, Dr. David Kay, has publicly stated, "We were all wrong", explodes the big lie that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction.
Rereading President Jimmy Carter's opinion piece in the NYT, March 8, 2003, shows the utter careless, uncaring, cavalier treatment that Mr. Bush has undertaken to lead this nation into a shame that is unprecedented in American history.
Mr. Carter writes, "As a Christian and as a president who was severely provoked by international crises, I became thoroughly familiar with the principles of a just war, and it is clear that a substantially unilateral attack on Iraq does not meet these standards." As events have unfolded in the search for weapons of mass destruction from Hans Blix to David Kay there has been nothing shown by the lack of physical evidence that Saddam had a weapons of mass destruction program. That would lead any rational minded person to the inevitable conclusion that Saddam did not have those weapons, in particular nuclear weapons that would poise any serious and credible threat to the survival of America, in his possession.
Mr. Carter continues, "For a war to be just, it must meet several clearly defined criteria.
The war can be waged only as a last resort, with all nonviolent options exhausted.
The war's weapons must discriminate between combatants and noncombatants.
Its violence must be proportional to the injury we have suffered.
The attackers must have legitimate authority sanctioned by the society they profess to represent.
The peace it establishes must be a clear improvement over what exists."
From the establishment of Christian principals of "The Just War" theory
was first enunciated by St. Augustine then further embellished upon in the Middle Ages but fully brought to the currently accepted principals, as written by Mr. Carter's pen, notably the 16th-century Spanish Scholastics such as Vitoria and Suarez, and then the Dutch Protestant Scholastic Grotius and by 18th- and 19th-century jurists, was an explanation of the criteria for a just war.
However the U.S. Constitution also has a say in how we are to go about war making and, again, Mr. Bush has failed to meet the clearly defined meaning. The stark fact that there was no readily at hand nuclear weapons by Saddam's Iraq war machine only underscores the frightening willingness of Mr. Bush to use fear for political purposes that harm the national good.
I'll continue to write more on the Just War theory.
posted by Ken at 10:32 PM
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