[extropy-chat] Copycat Copycat

[Joseph Bloch]

Fascinating, if debateable (my own B.A. being in medieval/ancient 
European history rather than American history, I won't debate you, plus 
I don't really care all that much; there are innumerable other examples 
I could cite).

But such quibbles are secondary to the point that the end does indeed 
sometimes justify the means.

Joseph

Enhance your body "beyond well" and your mind "beyond normal":
http://www.humanenhancement.com

Mike Lorrey wrote:

>--- Adrian Tymes <wingcat at pacbell.net> wrote:
>
>  
>
>>--- Joseph Bloch <jbloch at humanenhancement.com> wrote:
>>    
>>
>>>Some ends, such as the abolition of slavery, justify
>>>almost any means, 
>>>including (to use historical example) the waging of
>>>an arguably 
>>>unconstitutional and inarguably vicious and vastly
>>>destructive military 
>>>action. You've doubtless heard of it... the Civil
>>>War? Or, since you 
>>>live south of the Mason-Dixon line, the War of
>>>Northern Agression.
>>>      
>>>
>>Check your history books.  The Civil War wasn't
>>originally about slavery.  It was originally about the
>>right of states to seceed.  Slavery got tacked on
>>afterwards.  The outcome of the war accelerated what
>>economics was proving anyway: slavery was inefficient,
>>pure and simple.  (Thus the South had less industry
>>with which to crank out war material, which greatly
>>contributed to its loss.)
>>    
>>
>
>Actually, it was about a significant duty on the export of cotton and
>import of cloth to and from europe. Northern mill owners didn't want
>european competition for southern cotton supplies, or for souther
>clothing customers. They also were pro-abolition only in that they
>needed cheap black scab laborers to counteract the nascent labor
>movement.
>
>The south had less industry because they had few locations worth mining
>iron from and little hydropower. The idea that 'slavery is inefficient'
>relies on a pollyannish conception of what slaves did with their lives.
>While many worked in the fields, many others were blacksmiths,
>carpenters, millwrights, and engaged in many other trades. The idea
>that the cotton mill made their slavery obsolete is simplistic in the
>extreme.
>
>An illiterate slave vs an illiterate immigrant worker. Define how one
>is more 'efficient' than the other. The worker may be free to dream, to
>aspire, and to get educated if they so chose, but the worker is also
>free to participate in collective bargaining (violently so, in some
>circumstances).
>
>The Civil War ultimately happened because the US government didn't have
>the testicular fortitude to do what the British government had done in
>the 1830's: Britain's government spent $20 million to buy out the
>property rights of slave owners in Britain. Of course, the southerners
>likely belived that even if the US did do such a thing, they'd pay for
>it with taxes on southerners....
>
>=====
>Mike Lorrey
>Vice-Chair, 2nd District, Libertarian Party of NH
>"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.
>It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."
>                                      -William Pitt (1759-1806) 
>Blog: http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=Sadomikeyism
>
>
>		
>__________________________________ 
>Do you Yahoo!? 
>Yahoo! Mail - now with 250MB free storage. Learn more.
>http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250
>_______________________________________________
>extropy-chat mailing list
>extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org
>http://lists.extropy.org/mailman/listinfo/extropy-chat
>
>
>  
>