Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Charles Krauthammer: More Dr. Strangelove Than Not

Chas. Krauthammer, syndicated columnist wrote a cover essay advocating legalized torture for the Dec. 5 edition of The Weekly Standard. Mr. Krauthammer argues".. that torture is not only defensible in certain very limited circumstances, but in fact morally necessary." This magazine serves as the Neocon/Likudnik propaganda publishing arm of The Project for The New American Century. The editor of The Weekly Standard is Wm. Kristol who is also a co-founder of PNAC and its present chairman.

Krauthammer reminds of the character Dr.Strangelove in Stanly Kubrick's 1960s movie of the same name. It starts with both being in wheelchairs. While this would be normally a point of sympathy or an unmentioned fact instead it may point to a possible origin for both characters dark, tortured and unsympathetic feeling to humane civilized morals and customs. Then again it may not. But who wants to be polite about possible motives of someone who advocates torture. Krauthammer like Strangelove in the movie uses hypothetical situations he thinks will logically force the conclusion of morally condoned crimes. Krauthammer's transparent arguments merely serve up the discredited philosophy of the ends justifying the means. This is where both miss the point of living a humane and just life. Life is necessarily an ongoing process. How you live life is more important than the goals that on sets.

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