I would rather increase by 1% the number of americans committed to defending freedom than double the number who merely dislike Bush as an imcompetent.
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Yes, but highlighting incompetence isn't the goal because incompetence isn't the issue.
The goal is, rather, showing how the stated objectives of a policy or legislative maneuver (for ex. Patriot Act) differ dramatically from the policy or law's actual purpose as revealed through an analysis of its structure.
Imagine for a moment that I say my goal is to prevent fires in your neighborhood but my method is placing containers of napalm jacketed with high explosives beside every house. The units might be labeled "fire prevention modules" but their components indicate the opposite purpose. Between the advertisement and the act there falls a long shadow.
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A principled defense of freedom is vital and irreplaceable but we live in an instrumental age - arguments built upon principle must be married with an ability to look deeply at structures to uncover what's real.
Government and Capital are now deploying ever more subtle technologies against us to accomplish a long list of command and control objectives. Resistance to these technologies should come from technical as well as moral positions.
.d.