Comments on: A Heart to Heart Talk http://dissidentvoice.org/2007/08/%e2%80%9ca-heart-to-heart-talk%e2%80%9d/ a radical newsletter in the struggle for peace and social justice Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:07:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Mike McNiven http://dissidentvoice.org/2007/08/%e2%80%9ca-heart-to-heart-talk%e2%80%9d/#comment-4876 Mike McNiven Thu, 30 Aug 2007 07:10:42 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2007/08/%e2%80%9ca-heart-to-heart-talk%e2%80%9d/#comment-4876 Please see an Iranian scholar’s view who lives in exile and –based on his own words– cares about Peace and Social Justice in his homeland: http://www.losangeleschronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=35885 Please see an Iranian scholar’s view who lives in exile and –based on his own words– cares about Peace and Social Justice in his homeland:

http://www.losangeleschronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=35885

]]> By: Mike McNiven http://dissidentvoice.org/2007/08/%e2%80%9ca-heart-to-heart-talk%e2%80%9d/#comment-4600 Mike McNiven Mon, 27 Aug 2007 05:44:10 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2007/08/%e2%80%9ca-heart-to-heart-talk%e2%80%9d/#comment-4600 http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/028728.html http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/028728.html

]]> By: Bill Collins http://dissidentvoice.org/2007/08/%e2%80%9ca-heart-to-heart-talk%e2%80%9d/#comment-4066 Bill Collins Tue, 14 Aug 2007 15:50:47 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2007/08/%e2%80%9ca-heart-to-heart-talk%e2%80%9d/#comment-4066 Every social structure promotes continuity of views and direction. In Dr Leupp's own department of History, as in every department in every university, puppets are placed in positions of authority in the attempt to maintain policies consistent with those who put them there. Of course President Bush placed individuals who are aligned with him in those offices. That is the definition of leadership. A democracy is not reasonable or feasible in the Middle East until the Islamic extremists are no longer a relevant issue. The world's only hope for stability there is to have benevolent dictators who can keep peace. The only way to keep dictators benevolent is for them to know they will be replaced when they get out of line. These unstable countries are not capable of self-governance. As bad as conditions appear, self-rule would be emphatically worse. What is interesting to me is how immediately polarized and even vitriolic we become when discussing policy & politics. President Bush is not a master statesmen, but he very likely believes that the course of action he is taking is the correct one for the country. It is highly improbable that a significant number of educated and experienced people who are aligned with his decisions are all in on a huge conspiracy. It would be interesting if it were true, but again, unlikely. Look at President Clinton's term's of office. He made huge policy mistakes, as all presidents lacking the gift of future sight have made and always will make. He failed to take significant action against the Taliban. He did not know that his failure would ultimately contribute to 9/11. He did not want to become embroiled in a wider conflict. President Clinton's policies created an unenforceable agreement with North Korea that allowed them to develop nuclear weapons. He believed he made the correct choices at the time, but they resulted in increased world instability. We are at a precipice where history cannot accurately help us to predict the correct course of action to take. The destructive capabilities which a small group or even an individual may possess is going to exceed imaginable proportions in the next decade or two. Nuclear is not the threat. Synthetic biology is. Our technological advances will allow someone with basic engineering/biological understanding to design any capability into an organism. This is germane to the discussion in that we must exert control over the dangerous parts of the world if we want to survive. I will admit that the methods President Bush has employed may not be the correct ones to accomplish this. Until a reasonable, rational, stable environment exists in the Middle East, someone must attempt to prevent them from harming or destroying the rest of us. It is no longer feasible to think we can exist in a live & let live fashion. That would be nice. Every social structure promotes continuity of views and direction. In Dr Leupp’s own department of History, as in every department in every university, puppets are placed in positions of authority in the attempt to maintain policies consistent with those who put them there. Of course President Bush placed individuals who are aligned with him in those offices. That is the definition of leadership.

A democracy is not reasonable or feasible in the Middle East until the Islamic extremists are no longer a relevant issue. The world’s only hope for stability there is to have benevolent dictators who can keep peace. The only way to keep dictators benevolent is for them to know they will be replaced when they get out of line. These unstable countries are not capable of self-governance. As bad as conditions appear, self-rule would be emphatically worse.

What is interesting to me is how immediately polarized and even vitriolic we become when discussing policy & politics. President Bush is not a master statesmen, but he very likely believes that the course of action he is taking is the correct one for the country. It is highly improbable that a significant number of educated and experienced people who are aligned with his decisions are all in on a huge conspiracy. It would be interesting if it were true, but again, unlikely.

Look at President Clinton’s term’s of office. He made huge policy mistakes, as all presidents lacking the gift of future sight have made and always will make. He failed to take significant action against the Taliban. He did not know that his failure would ultimately contribute to 9/11. He did not want to become embroiled in a wider conflict. President Clinton’s policies created an unenforceable agreement with North Korea that allowed them to develop nuclear weapons. He believed he made the correct choices at the time, but they resulted in increased world instability.

We are at a precipice where history cannot accurately help us to predict the correct course of action to take. The destructive capabilities which a small group or even an individual may possess is going to exceed imaginable proportions in the next decade or two. Nuclear is not the threat. Synthetic biology is. Our technological advances will allow someone with basic engineering/biological understanding to design any capability into an organism.

This is germane to the discussion in that we must exert control over the dangerous parts of the world if we want to survive. I will admit that the methods President Bush has employed may not be the correct ones to accomplish this. Until a reasonable, rational, stable environment exists in the Middle East, someone must attempt to prevent them from harming or destroying the rest of us. It is no longer feasible to think we can exist in a live & let live fashion. That would be nice.

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