Archive for October 2021
Only the Children are Innocent
In modern war, the Western world typically seeks to avoid killing “innocent civilians.” Likewise, the people of the West decry the deaths of “innocent bystanders” in situations of criminal violence. This stems from a too narrow assessment of responsibility. In war it is most obvious. In war, all adults of a nation are responsible for…
Read MoreTattoos?
I’ve never really understood tattoos. What is their purpose? For instance, let us say a man has tattooed on his arm some statement or symbol representing core principles of his life, such as “faith,” or “strength.” Why did he do that? Is it because if they weren’t tattooed into his skin, he’d forget about them,…
Read More“Respect” is always relative
“It seems like you don’t respect me.” As what? “What do you mean, ‘as what?’” Well, think about it. If a man is a skilled surgeon, I respect him as a surgeon. If he is also a philanderer who routinely violates his marriage vows, then I don’t respect him as a husband, but I still…
Read MoreIt’ll make you just like them…
You see it in the movies all the time: If the hero stoops to killing the villain, then the hero will become “just like” the villain. Thus the hero inevitably spares his murderous nemesis, or is marked an antihero otherwise. This is, of course, nonsense. It is perfectly possible for a good man to kill…
Read MorePoliteness is not the same as Weakness
A polite revolutionary makes every effort to abide by the law, and not lightly to dissolve the political bands which connect him with what has been until now his people. A polite revolutionary states his case, petitions for redress, and sues for a peaceful separation when redress is not possible. A polite revolutionary is not…
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