Steinem, the CIA, and Death Penalty (was Re: Politics of Crime...)

Max Sawicky sawicky at epinet.org
Tue Mar 9 23:31:43 PST 1999



> >> On Monday, March 8, 1999 at 21:04:16 (-0800) Max Sawicky writes:
> >> >It's right if he/she deserves to die.
> >> >It's such people who embody barbarism.
>
> Wouldn't you say that Gloria Steinem must have felt the same way when she
decided to join the CIA, as in 'communists are barbarians, so they deserve to die'?>
> Yoshie

No, I wouldn't. She could have had any number of motivations for whatever it was that she did, and I have no idea which ones were in play. Maybe she was an idealist. In fact, I would theorize that integrity is distributed more-or-less evenly across the political spectrum. There are honest, idealistic reactionaries, conservatives, centrists, liberals, social-democrats, and socialists in pretty much the same proportion. I would exclude the most rabid on the right and left, though there are relatively few of the latter (rabid left, that is). Accordingly, there are scoundrels at every post as well.

Are you trying to say I'm like her? In your quickie stereotype of GS, violence is primarily a political instrument of anti-communism. Unlike some of your co-religionists, or you (in a playful moment?), I've made NO allusions in favor of capital punishment in the realm of politics, where it is clearly an instrument prone to misuse. I'm talking about dudes who cut peoples' heads off and blow up babies -- gross shit like that. And I'm not disturbed if they are put away for life as an alternative. I just don't think they are entitled to the slightest consideration, and I don't think anyone -- myself, the public, their relations -- are any the worse for that, or for its consequences.

mbs



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