tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post1144282172850245430..comments2024-03-27T20:37:08.065+01:00Comments on Defence and Freedom: "War is a racket" (Repeat)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-28600024684132962592011-12-18T21:12:24.297+01:002011-12-18T21:12:24.297+01:00Interesting post, I think it's pretty much the...Interesting post, I think it's pretty much the natural way of things because in all decision making processes an organized minority can gain enough leverage to lobby an outcome in their own special interest (look at ancient Athens, the "birthplace" of democracy). The public is going to pay for these expenditures that disproportionally benefit a fraction of the population. In the case of Athens the often recalcitrant "allies" had to foot the bill. But that was on a far greater scale than current chequebook diplomacy footing US interventions.<br /><br />The idea of benefit to the Volksgemeinschaft is problematic because it would justify to rob other people in order to pay for your Kraft durch Freude vacation trip. Let's look at things from a different point of view, fair deals. These are deals that benefit both sides and both Volksgemeinschaften if want to call them like that, but i prefer the term population because it's non-exclusive. Volksgemeinschaften could in the be a bunch of aristocrats earning their dime on exploiting slave labour by people not considered Volksgemeinschaft. The problem remains as to what is a fair deal and what are unfair obstructions to a fair deal. This makes me think about the old story of Phoenician traders in Africa. The traders put their goods on the beach and signalled to the natives while going back to their ships. Afterwards the natives put there amounts of gold next to the goods. Each side did only take gold or goods if they agreed. That's a pretty nice story about fairness meaning respect for other peoples judgements. The racket employed derives from the concept that someone thinks he knows things better and other have to involuntary obey him for some benefit to whom? It should be pointed out that the Phoenicians weren't only nice guys, Carthage and others had lots of pirates stealing goods and abducting people against their will. So this fairness story above also contains elements of precaution for the personal liberty of partaking natives by limiting opportunities for involuntary abduction.<br />In today's world you probably did a seemingly fair deal if you're recommended to other customers without your doing. You rarely need weapons for such deals other than fighting robbers who do nothin g but racketeer for their earnings.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-38202747877605072482011-10-10T22:48:37.093+02:002011-10-10T22:48:37.093+02:00We need more mavericks like Smedley. There are to...We need more mavericks like Smedley. There are too many who go along with the crowd. But Butler was never one to keep quiet about his opinions, even when they were controversial. Hans Schmidt wrote a good biography of him.mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-54346593275340599682011-10-10T22:42:35.233+02:002011-10-10T22:42:35.233+02:00if you looked hard enough, i'm sure you could ...if you looked hard enough, i'm sure you could find a former soldier convinced he'd spent his life fighting against crab people.trtnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-36377057221676003332011-10-06T11:41:13.946+02:002011-10-06T11:41:13.946+02:00I think it comes down to the question if you belie...I think it comes down to the question if you believe in "Volksgemeinschaft" or not (and I don't want to answer that), as the whole construct of the Nation State is only justifiable when you believe in it. Otherwise it's a corrupted version of feudalism, one without the consent of the minions.<br /><br />Economic wars as those described by the General, and I would include the first world war here also, can be justified (not in a moral, but practical sense) as long as they benefit the broad population (aka Volksgemeinschaft), or enable a certain lifestyle for them (e.g. via the availability of cheap natural resources or by opening markets for their products). I mean, face it, all the successful Empires of the modern world are based on that business model. Why should the U.S., in the tradition of Venice, the Dutch, the British Empire, be any different?<br /><br />The problems start when the profits of the use of national resources, treasure and blood are going only to 0.5% of the population, as it the case today.<br /><br />Maybe today the General would write "the state is a racket", not just "war is a racket" ...Distillernoreply@blogger.com