[extropy-chat] letter concerning presidential growth

[Adrian Tymes]

--- Brett Paatsch <bpaatsch at bigpond.net.au> wrote:
> Adrian Tymes wrote:
> > --- Brett Paatsch <bpaatsch at bigpond.net.au> wrote:
> >> But that does not mean that there are not rational humanistic
> grounds
> >> for being anti-American, and anti-Western, and anti-Australian
> when
> >> the collective citizenry of America, or the UK or Australia are
> >> morally culpable for not caring enough to hold their governments
> to
> >> account for breaches of promise and further contributions to the 
> >> erosion of human rights and the rule of law.  
> > 
> > What of those citizens who attempted to do so, and were thwarted
> > by the other citizens?  Would you tar them with the same brush,
> > for failing to lay down their lives (which it might have taken,
> > in the face of that much opposition) for what you claim is just?
> 
> What about them?  They are minority instances of a class. They
> are not the class.

They are, in fact, just under half of the class in this case.
And if you tar them for something they did not do, they will
perceive you as being unwilling to engage in honest debate or
reconciliation.  Which leaves them...what options?  Those who are
indeed responsible, may perhaps repent their behavior.  Those you
attack for something they did not do, are left with no options
save ignoring your attack (which, if you can actually do
something to this large a class, might not be an option) or
retaliating in as destructive a manner as possible.  The end
result is a lot more destruction (of mental energy, goodwill, or
possibly physical property) than would otherwise be necessary,
which benefits no one.

The class of people who are responsible for the actions of the
government of America is not now, and never has been, the entire
population of said country.  The same holds for Australia and any
other country of at least several thousand people (if the
threshold is not in fact smaller).  Justice is meted out to
people, not nations, and there is always a limit to liability
for the actions of other people.

If you would punish someone for not impeaching Bush, punish the
members of Congress, not the people who voted for them.
(Punishment for "voting the wrong way" has long been recognized
to have profoundly negative effects on who gets elected, even in
this case.  That's why we have secret ballots.)  In fact, that
may still be possible: organize movements opposing all
Congressional incumbents, running in the 2006 elections, who
refuse to sign a pledge to impeach Bush.  (Of course, circulate
that pledge to them first, and make sure it's simple and to the
point rather than laden down with hyperbole that might make even
pro-impeachers blink.  The voters you hope to persuade will see
through that hyperbole.  If it's a simple pledge to impeach Bush,
you might get more support from them than you think you'd get.)
You might even be able to get organizations such as MoveOn to
help out with that.