Doug Henwood wrote:
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> Luke Weiger wrote:
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> So you're [Carrol[ saying the Iraq embargo is a good set of killings?
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> Remind me why you're here.
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I suspect Luke, besides his indifference to Iraqi suffering, is _also_ confusing two quite separate comparison/contrasts. I am at least as parsimonious as Chip in my use of the term "fascist," and I draw a definite distinction between the Nazi _state_ and the present U.S. state -- I would much rather live in the latter, and wish that state structure were more widespread. But refusing to compare the U.S. _state_ to the Nazi state does _not_ preclude comparison between the criminal actions of u.s. leaders and of Nazi leaders. Goering & Goebbels were mass murderers; Clinton and Powell were/are mass murderers.
Moreover, one can accept that the Germans had a fairly good excuse not to oppose vigorously the crimes of their leaders, such opposition constituting mere martyrdom. U.S. citizens have no such excuse for being apologists for the slaughters (starting back a century ago and listing only a few of them) in the Philippines, El Salvador (twice), Dresden, Nagasaki, Guatemala, Iran, Vietnam, Iraq, Yugoslavia, and now Afghanistan. Unlike the situation in Germany, U.S. citizens have had a series of powerful voices, from Twain through Chomsky, to instruct them in exactly what they were doing. Luke (along with many many others) cannot accept that instruction.
Carrol