tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811719312494990925.post2363385844104747310..comments2008-05-14T16:02:07.275-07:00JLBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10987058554014193721noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811719312494990925.post-835126352954261152006-10-15T09:22:00.000-07:002006-10-15T09:22:00.000-07:00On the history of secrecy, fear, and conspiracy in American society and politics, it's useful to look at Richard Hofstadter's essay, <a href="http://karws.gso.uri.edu/jfk/conspiracy_theory/the_paranoid_mentality/the_paranoid_style.html">"The Paranoid Style in American Politics,"</a> and <a href="http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/1496">Paul Krugman's NYT column from 10/9/06 </a>, which first set me on to Hofstadter's essay. I plan to post something on this shortly, styled as a follow-up to this post.J P Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512564931109178915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811719312494990925.post-38741407739352146472006-10-14T16:17:00.000-07:002006-10-14T16:17:00.000-07:00Makes me want to take off my shoes and feel the cold damp grass on the soles of my feet! <br /><br />It is tragic to consider that we swallow the collective hysteria without question. Fukuyama is definitely right in saying that “the actual and perceived threat of the late 1940’s was much more acute than the one presented by Islamic terrorism today.” We may not have our finger on the trigger, but mutually assured destruction is as much a reality today as it was then. Of course, the heads of power are not in it to destroy the world (even though we are killing the planet with our greedy capitalist endeavors anyway). They’re in it for more power. Considering this, you have to admit that it is a little disconcerting that a nut-bag like Kim Jong II is running around selling missiles and uranium in an effort to beef up his devastated economy. And not because he’s suddenly developed a soft spot for all the emaciated children starving to death since all of their farm land was replaced by poppy plants. It’s because war is expensive.<br /><br />http://news.lycos.com/dynamic/stories/N/NKOREA_ARMS_BAZAAR?SITE=LYCOS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2006-10-12-23-27-26Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11821698177456518051noreply@blogger.com