Comments on: Democracy? http://informedspeculation.com/2006/02/13/democracy/ Refunds Cheerfully Given To All Who Disagree Sat, 07 Apr 2012 09:00:47 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: george tunis http://informedspeculation.com/2006/02/13/democracy/comment-page-1/#comment-329486 george tunis Sat, 18 Aug 2007 14:23:40 +0000 http://decision08.net/2006/02/13/democracy/#comment-329486 <strong>george tunis...</strong> well in a way it is correct. To say the least thank you for a great post. I enjoyed reading it.... george tunis…

well in a way it is correct. To say the least thank you for a great post. I enjoyed reading it….

]]> By: megapotamus http://informedspeculation.com/2006/02/13/democracy/comment-page-1/#comment-12803 megapotamus Tue, 14 Feb 2006 23:27:56 +0000 http://decision08.net/2006/02/13/democracy/#comment-12803 The Hamas victory actually IS a good result because it lifts the veil, as it were, from the Palis political wishes. What do the Jews want from the Arabs? That they will stop blowing up Jewish babies in their cribs. What do the Arabs want from the Jews? That they will stand still for extermination. Moral equivalence in this instance does not withstand any decent scrutiny. But the Arafat dance gave those who wished to believe a gauzy fiction the ability to do so. Clarity was the casualty. Hamas says what they mean yet have no greater ability than Arafat to make it happen. The Israelis are in a better position with Hamas (especially a Hamas bereft of Western largess) in charge than they have been since the PLO left Tunis. Sharon saw this well. The dog has caught the car. The Hamas victory actually IS a good result because it lifts the veil, as it were, from the Palis political wishes. What do the Jews want from the Arabs? That they will stop blowing up Jewish babies in their cribs. What do the Arabs want from the Jews? That they will stand still for extermination. Moral equivalence in this instance does not withstand any decent scrutiny. But the Arafat dance gave those who wished to believe a gauzy fiction the ability to do so. Clarity was the casualty. Hamas says what they mean yet have no greater ability than Arafat to make it happen. The Israelis are in a better position with Hamas (especially a Hamas bereft of Western largess) in charge than they have been since the PLO left Tunis. Sharon saw this well. The dog has caught the car.

]]> By: DaMav http://informedspeculation.com/2006/02/13/democracy/comment-page-1/#comment-12798 DaMav Tue, 14 Feb 2006 18:22:04 +0000 http://decision08.net/2006/02/13/democracy/#comment-12798 What's this? An evil conspiracy NOT to fund our sworn terrorist enemies with our tax dollars? We should respect the Palestinians' democratic choice. That does not mean we have any obligation to pay for it. If we are stupid enough to do so, we are basically rewarding behavior leading to violence and terrorism. Have we gone so far round the bend that this is even an issue worth discussing? What’s this? An evil conspiracy NOT to fund our sworn terrorist enemies with our tax dollars?

We should respect the Palestinians’ democratic choice. That does not mean we have any obligation to pay for it. If we are stupid enough to do so, we are basically rewarding behavior leading to violence and terrorism. Have we gone so far round the bend that this is even an issue worth discussing?

]]> By: Cal Jensen http://informedspeculation.com/2006/02/13/democracy/comment-page-1/#comment-12796 Cal Jensen Tue, 14 Feb 2006 17:46:39 +0000 http://decision08.net/2006/02/13/democracy/#comment-12796 <a href="http://vitalperspective.typepad.com/vital_perspective_clarity/2006/02/us_israeli_offi.html" rel="nofollow">U.S., Israeli Officials Deny New York Times Story on Hamas</a> U.S., Israeli Officials Deny New York Times Story on Hamas

]]> By: All Things Beautiful http://informedspeculation.com/2006/02/13/democracy/comment-page-1/#comment-12795 All Things Beautiful Tue, 14 Feb 2006 17:16:32 +0000 http://decision08.net/2006/02/13/democracy/#comment-12795 <strong>Islam's Heart On St.Valentine's Day</strong> Europe's commitment to such fundamental principles as freedom of opinion and the press likewise seems a bit shaky these days. A resolution that the European Parliament intends to pass this week recognizes the value of these rights. But it has to be pa... Islam’s Heart On St.Valentine’s Day

Europe’s commitment to such fundamental principles as freedom of opinion and the press likewise seems a bit shaky these days. A resolution that the European Parliament intends to pass this week recognizes the value of these rights. But it has to be pa…

]]> By: Mark http://informedspeculation.com/2006/02/13/democracy/comment-page-1/#comment-12794 Mark Tue, 14 Feb 2006 16:47:51 +0000 http://decision08.net/2006/02/13/democracy/#comment-12794 Good point, boose...though I do believe that long-term, Bush is correct to make that equivalence...short-term, bad results can occur, but you have to follow some path to get from A to B, and Democracy is the path most conducive (perhaps exclusively so) to freedom... Good point, boose…though I do believe that long-term, Bush is correct to make that equivalence…short-term, bad results can occur, but you have to follow some path to get from A to B, and Democracy is the path most conducive (perhaps exclusively so) to freedom…

]]> By: allan shfldon http://informedspeculation.com/2006/02/13/democracy/comment-page-1/#comment-12793 allan shfldon Tue, 14 Feb 2006 16:44:12 +0000 http://decision08.net/2006/02/13/democracy/#comment-12793 i can believe my gov. would plot like that.They Have Done It Before. i can believe my gov. would plot like that.They Have Done It Before.

]]> By: boose http://informedspeculation.com/2006/02/13/democracy/comment-page-1/#comment-12792 boose Tue, 14 Feb 2006 16:40:25 +0000 http://decision08.net/2006/02/13/democracy/#comment-12792 the problem is that the official strategy should be to promote freedom, not democracy. Democracy just follows the mob's rule, and as seen by the south during the civil rights era, mob rule can be pretty stupid. That's why promoting democracy, rather than freedom, is a poor strategy. That's why hamas won the election. That's why bush equating democracy with freedom was a big mistake. the problem is that the official strategy should be to promote freedom, not democracy. Democracy just follows the mob’s rule, and as seen by the south during the civil rights era, mob rule can be pretty stupid. That’s why promoting democracy, rather than freedom, is a poor strategy. That’s why hamas won the election. That’s why bush equating democracy with freedom was a big mistake.

]]> By: Dennis http://informedspeculation.com/2006/02/13/democracy/comment-page-1/#comment-12786 Dennis Tue, 14 Feb 2006 15:11:45 +0000 http://decision08.net/2006/02/13/democracy/#comment-12786 I guess in reading the story, I feel like the meat of it doesn't live up to the lead. The lead makes it sound like dirty tricks will be employed, but the main tactic, at least from the American point of view, will be to say American taxpayers don't have some moral obligation to fund Hamas' purchases of explosive belts. Now as for whether we want to destabilize Hamas, I'm not sure we should. For years, the Palestinian leadership was able to play good-cop/bad-cop, talking peace to Westerners and looking the other way when suicide bombers geared up. Now the bad cops are all they have. To me, it was a clarifying election. The world knows where the Palestinian people stand, and I think Israel should feel free to act accordingly. I guess in reading the story, I feel like the meat of it doesn’t live up to the lead. The lead makes it sound like dirty tricks will be employed, but the main tactic, at least from the American point of view, will be to say American taxpayers don’t have some moral obligation to fund Hamas’ purchases of explosive belts.

Now as for whether we want to destabilize Hamas, I’m not sure we should. For years, the Palestinian leadership was able to play good-cop/bad-cop, talking peace to Westerners and looking the other way when suicide bombers geared up. Now the bad cops are all they have. To me, it was a clarifying election. The world knows where the Palestinian people stand, and I think Israel should feel free to act accordingly.

]]> By: RiverRat http://informedspeculation.com/2006/02/13/democracy/comment-page-1/#comment-12780 RiverRat Tue, 14 Feb 2006 12:54:48 +0000 http://decision08.net/2006/02/13/democracy/#comment-12780 Sheesh, Another unattributed story from the NY Slimes and you treat it like it's gospel. Even money it was written by a Hamas PR flack with a masters degree from the Columbia School of Journalism. Sheesh,

Another unattributed story from the NY Slimes and you treat it like it’s gospel. Even money it was written by a Hamas PR flack with a masters degree from the Columbia School of Journalism.

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