Sept. 30
Do the ends ever justify the means?
My heart aches for my beautiful country. Each day I see the U.S. government, from the administration to the Congress, acting against the values this country has always stood for--justice, humaneness, rights for all, etc.--and justifying those actions with the old argument that it is O.K. to do something not quite right if the end result is O.K.
Where is the moral basis for this belief? And why is our country encouraging fear on a daily basis? Does no one remember the famous quotation: "We have nothing to fear but fear itself!"?
Is it O.K. to kill many people around the world to supposedly make America safer? Is it O.K. to ignore the suffering of people in other countries because they are not "like us"? Is it O.K. to send our beautiful young people to fight a war originating in lies, and just as bad, maiming many, many more. The media seldom lets us see the horrific wounds suffered by our dear military young people.
The Congress this week passed a bill that eliminates most human rights from certain prisoners in the custody of our government. It also allows what many of us would see as torture to be used at the discrimination or decision of the President. Amnesty International is in shock.
What scares me the most is that so many Americans seem to be so placid about all of this. Where is the outrage? Where are the academics who understand the principles that the ends never justify the means especially if those means are immoral or unethical? Why are Americans so apathetic? Are we all brain-washed?
My previous blog was my attempt to try to get myself to understand why so many people whom I love and respect don't see the evil that I see. To quote one souce I found on the Internet, "Clearly, if one takes even the slightest step toward questionnable means in order to achieve some exemplary end, then where does one draw the line thereafter?" THAT is what worries the heck out of me.
I'm not developing a cogent, historical argument here today. I just needed to voice my worries and concern about the direction this country has been taking for the past six years. Does no one see that we are becoming like the zealots we propose to fight against "in order to save America."? Both sides seem to believe, as zealots usually do, that they are right, and that gives them the license to kill or destroy whomever. This "right" allows them to by-pass all the historical and religious tenets that they claim to follow in order to follow what they term a "just cause." This sickens me. I'm sure I will write more about this issue.
Do the ends ever justify the means?
My heart aches for my beautiful country. Each day I see the U.S. government, from the administration to the Congress, acting against the values this country has always stood for--justice, humaneness, rights for all, etc.--and justifying those actions with the old argument that it is O.K. to do something not quite right if the end result is O.K.
Where is the moral basis for this belief? And why is our country encouraging fear on a daily basis? Does no one remember the famous quotation: "We have nothing to fear but fear itself!"?
Is it O.K. to kill many people around the world to supposedly make America safer? Is it O.K. to ignore the suffering of people in other countries because they are not "like us"? Is it O.K. to send our beautiful young people to fight a war originating in lies, and just as bad, maiming many, many more. The media seldom lets us see the horrific wounds suffered by our dear military young people.
The Congress this week passed a bill that eliminates most human rights from certain prisoners in the custody of our government. It also allows what many of us would see as torture to be used at the discrimination or decision of the President. Amnesty International is in shock.
What scares me the most is that so many Americans seem to be so placid about all of this. Where is the outrage? Where are the academics who understand the principles that the ends never justify the means especially if those means are immoral or unethical? Why are Americans so apathetic? Are we all brain-washed?
My previous blog was my attempt to try to get myself to understand why so many people whom I love and respect don't see the evil that I see. To quote one souce I found on the Internet, "Clearly, if one takes even the slightest step toward questionnable means in order to achieve some exemplary end, then where does one draw the line thereafter?" THAT is what worries the heck out of me.
I'm not developing a cogent, historical argument here today. I just needed to voice my worries and concern about the direction this country has been taking for the past six years. Does no one see that we are becoming like the zealots we propose to fight against "in order to save America."? Both sides seem to believe, as zealots usually do, that they are right, and that gives them the license to kill or destroy whomever. This "right" allows them to by-pass all the historical and religious tenets that they claim to follow in order to follow what they term a "just cause." This sickens me. I'm sure I will write more about this issue.
posted by Booktalk Gayl at 9:20 AM
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