The People's Right to Bear Arms

Jim heartfield jim at heartfield.demon.co.uk
Wed Apr 21 11:59:09 PDT 1999


In message <B03898593BC0D011A5B50060973D0F5CD6BF24 at rlm- exch1.rlmnet.com>, Carl Remick <cremick at rlmnet.com> writes
> Whatever the initial moral worthiness of one's
>aims, violence corrupts and absolute violence -- war -- corrupts
>absolutely (Clinton and Blair: Please copy).

I would have said that it was the initial worthiness of the aims that was really destructive in Kosovo. When you presume that you know so much better than other people how their lives should be led, then it is easy to annihilate them in their own interests.

Arms training, by contrast, instils people with a sense of responsibility and respect for other people. If the politicians were not so distant from the real effects of weapons, they would be less blase about using them.

In message <371DE6E7.2AA5 at ee.cornell.edu>, Enrique Diaz-Alvarez <enrique at anise.ee.cornell.edu> writes


> I also opppose
>US sales of F-16 to other countries, even though it means that the US
>will have a monopoly on advanced fighter weaponry.

Some people in the world have good cause to regret the US monopoly over advanced fighter weaponry, but then I can see why you might not. After all its much better when you can bomb a country but they can't bomb you. -- Jim heartfield



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