Sunday, February 17, 2013

"Interests" As Mantra

"Interests!" the crackpot realists scream, always "interests!" Vaguely defined, ever transmogrifying, mutually contradictory! Interests! The word serves as mind-numbing mantra! All to defend the expense, futility and very real risks (as the events of 9/11 should have demonstrated) of empire! Multiple wars, a network of bases, far-flung garrisons, "special relationships," shifting and entangling alliances, multilateral "defense" agreements--the republic hemorrhages blood, treasure and liberty straining under her globocop burdens. As if she has no interest in saving American blood, treasure and liberty. As if her meddling does nothing to incite extremists to target Americans. As if American politicians--who have proven themselves incapable of running daycare centers--are uniquely qualified to run an international military empire.

Saturday, February 16, 2013

The Heresy of Americanism

What, pray, is the "textbook perfect definition of the heresy of Americanism"? Did St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas succumb to the heresy when they denied, e.g., "the Church's social teaching had any place in the civil domain" with respect to prostitution? They did that when they argued for legalized prostitution, no?

Granted, abortion is a more grievous matter than prostitution. But where is a Catholic American politician supposed to draw the line? Should a Catholic American politician threaten to toss adulterers, fornicators and contracepting couples into the hoosegow? Is that the only way he can be faithful to the Church's social teachings?

Where do my obligations as a Catholic impinge on my duties as an American citizen? As an anarchist, I regard taxation as theft and imperial war as mass murder. Yet others in this forum regard Austrian economics--which is descriptive science, not prescriptive moral code--as a matter more worthy of condemnation. Go figure.