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Curious premises

Reader comment on item: [Bureaucratic Leftism and] Globalthink's Perils

Submitted by Mark Baber (Switzerland), Sep 26, 2002 at 07:06

Hi Daniel,
I hail from New Zealand, one of the left's predictable targets, to paraphrase your introduction. I rather suspect it's one of the right's predictable targets too, but that doesn't seem to deserve a mention these days.

I do not identify myself as belonging to any particular mainstream religious philosophy - I suppose I'm a heathen to all of them. So I acknowledge that I write as a "religious minority".

I was a little surprised to see your comments start with the premises that the U.S. government has an over two-century record of forwarding human rights and defeating tyrants, and that the United States has duly elected leaders.

There are many histories and facts that indicate that "some" U.S. government officials have promoted human rights and helped defeat tyrants, and "some" have done exactly the opposite.

It's rather a large dispute throughout the world and the U.S. at present as to whether the United States electoral system is indeed democratic or not, and I'm sure you are aware of the debate and issues concerned. Are they indeed "duly elected" ?

You seem to group them all together - they're all so wonderful, and none can be criticised for personal, national, or global mistakes or unjustified bias.

Proceeding from this point to a discussion of "the strange idea" that none of them or their motives should be subject to scrutiny by anyone who is not an American official (most of the U.N.), completely undermines your arguments and justification for the vilification of the 'left' , whoever they might be.

Dodgy premises, leap of logic, and then such conclusions ?

I'm very keen to hear a rational explanation for American governance of the world's affairs according to its own "interests", but don't see this in your message.

As an aside, I believe New Zealand has strict limits on political campaign finance, and has no recent history of election fraud or misrepresentation. It may well be that "transnational progressivism" represents "a" significant challenge to liberal democracy", but purchased elections and campaign fraud represent "a" challenge as well - which is the "more significant" challenge ?

If campaign finance control makes for a backward step in democracy, I guess that makes most New Zealanders positively regressive. Maybe the first regressive step was leading the western world to grant women the right to vote ? Just kidding, Daniel, just kidding.

I'm so astonished to read other comments that seem to indicate that the American authors truly believe America to be a democratic republic - by what independent, verifiable criteria would one measure this by ? The last elections ? (Shudder)
Submitting....

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Reader comments (44) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Great Article [101 words]Johnny CarpatiNov 14, 2005 20:3028382
Transnational Progressivism Has Infiltrated the GOP and Free Republic [192 words]Steve SadlovJan 5, 2005 13:2119435
Global economy is like swiss cheese with more holes than cheese [242 words]Tapart Real NewsOct 20, 2003 00:0011846
Don't forget fanatical secularism [323 words]ChanaMar 13, 2003 20:547224
Why should the world bow to the US' policies? [133 words]Hugh BarrOct 1, 2002 07:472770
No ones asking anyone to "bow" to the US [147 words]BillBixbySep 7, 2009 08:102770
Two points [137 words]Andrea BayneSep 28, 2002 12:162685
Only for us [80 words]Marcus WhiteSep 27, 2002 16:472671
President Bush made his point very clearly [32 words]Greg OfieshSep 27, 2002 14:232669
U.N.: a nice idea but... [36 words]Andrew SummeySep 27, 2002 13:252665
EQUALITY - discontent in disguise. [135 words]A Canadian named LennSep 27, 2002 00:332660
The views of Dr. Pipes are not welcome in left wing Canada [203 words]Jeff BercovitchSep 26, 2002 09:412655
Curious premises [424 words]Mark BaberSep 26, 2002 07:062653
Let Europe Fight its Own Battes [94 words]Eugene A. GenoveseSep 26, 2002 01:222650
Schism of UN into Oceana and Eastasia... [241 words]Steven KlonSep 26, 2002 00:112647
Liberal - Modern or Classical? [238 words]Mark W. GlennSep 25, 2002 18:222644
Why the appeal??? [315 words]Howard VeitSep 25, 2002 18:132643
Communist Goals in 1963 Congressional Record [43 words]C.G. DavisSep 25, 2002 16:432642
Homosexuals will be persecuted, too [127 words]Steven Malcolm AndersonSep 25, 2002 14:142639
"Transnational Progressivism" or Globalization? [275 words]Leon HadarSep 25, 2002 13:502638
Bureaucracy as mass movement [352 words]John J. OlsonSep 25, 2002 10:452634
Next war - against lethargic monstrous bureaucracies. [97 words]John B. JaymesSep 25, 2002 10:322633
Free Association [419 words]Jean L. Martin (M.A., M.S.S.W.)Sep 25, 2002 09:582632
World Tyranny [136 words]Tom HalleySep 25, 2002 09:372631
Taxation Without Representation [202 words]Dave MarciniakSep 25, 2002 08:352629
A friendly criticism [129 words]Joe WillinghamSep 24, 2002 23:282624
Globalitarianism [218 words]C.G. DavisSep 24, 2002 22:272622
It might be worse now~ [199 words]Lawrence RicciSep 24, 2002 22:022621
So what is the surprise? [182 words]Robert FusfeldSep 24, 2002 21:432620
Welcome To Canada [313 words]Stephen BlogginsSep 24, 2002 20:252619
Very Perceptive! [61 words]Paul TardifSep 24, 2002 18:582618
The Dream Palace of the Liberals [325 words]Ben ShniperSep 24, 2002 17:052615
And one more thing... [18 words]Howard GoldSep 24, 2002 16:122613
Add Judicial Overreach to the Perils of Bureaucratic Leftism [516 words]Andy SteinfeldSep 24, 2002 15:142612
Not just Leftist [263 words]Glenn KlotzSep 24, 2002 15:042610
Nothing new under the sun. [375 words]SheerahkahnSep 24, 2002 14:262609
American ingenuity or Imperial iniative? [129 words]Mark FeldsteinSep 24, 2002 14:252608
"Bureaucratic Leftism" [15 words]Mordecai J. GoldSep 24, 2002 14:252607
You must be kidding! [114 words]C Murray AdamsSep 24, 2002 14:152606
Bureaucratization of Decision Making [74 words]Alan PerlmutterSep 24, 2002 14:062605
New World Order [298 words]Terrall PutnamSep 24, 2002 14:042604
The New World Order [266 words]Ken BesigSep 24, 2002 13:192602
The Nanny State [102 words]Dan SchwartzSep 24, 2002 13:012601
Recent NY Post article [21 words]norman rushSep 24, 2002 10:322599

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