30 April 2006

Nuclear Midnight and the Reasons We Got Here

So I do not become one that highjacks a comment thread, I post my thoughts on Jeff Goldsteins's article on Nuclear Midnight at Protein Wisdom here [not spell checked, my attention is wasting heavily ATM]:

Just from my personal reading the basic Soviet 'suitcase bomb' is about the size of a 50gal oil drum. There were never that good at miniaturization and had problems designing and maintaining such things.

On as to why containment will not work with Iran, I responded to Jerry Pournelle's open question on that a bit ago.

The one thing that we do *not* have is a serious discussion on what the overall Goals on the War on Terror should be. And we seem to have forgotten that the important part of fighting Transnational Terrorism is to de-link it from supporting Nation States, which is why Afghanistan and Iraq are both extremely important. It is not just the survival of the US, but the entire international system of Nation States being able to provide *anything* for their own people. By glossing this over, we put that long and hard built system up on the chopping block.

Transnational Terrorists seek to use the complacency of the mighty, modern Nation State against itself, by using the wedge of non-national activities escalated with violence. With no hard and fast State Actor to be held accountable, the use of Arms for protection and offense is diminished. This is the concept of asymmetrical warfare to leverage violence in small ways to large effects. Working hand-in-hand with Narcotics Traffickers and using the same resources, they gain advantages of surreptitious transport of goods and peoples, especially when National borders are porous. So as was said earlier in the thread, and I emphasize: the question of being attacked by Terrorists is not a question of *if?* but of *when?* and *how often?*. By not enforcing National Sovereignty at any point, the Nation State is left defenseless to stop such things. Europe has suffered this over decades and so has the US. Once the flows of unassimilated immigrants who do not wish to follow the Laws of the Land come into a Nation, the very respect the Nation has for self-determination is diminished and with it the very reason for its existing as a Sovereign entity. This was welcomed in by Transnational Progressives and now is used to crack the Nation State itself by Transnational Terrorists.

The founding of the US, however, was *not* that of a mighty Nation, but of weak and squabbling States that could barely defend themselves. The very foundation of the US is based upon asymmetrical warfare, and is specifically mentioned in the Constitution as a legitimate means of defending the Nation and attack Our enemies, under the oversight of Congress. This is the National Warrant to do things for the gain of Bounty or Reward. And that right has not been given up by the American People, although Congress by not looking at its powers abdicates them in defense of the People. Further, by allowing municipalities to move out from under the Constitution by no longer enforcing the Law of the Land, setting their own immigration policies, and trafficking in human labor, All Branches of the Federal Government abdicate the concept of National Sovereignty and the exercise of the powers given only to Them by We the People. Thusly, the very concept of the Nation State are no longer being defended by those given the power to do just that.

The WMD question is a symptom of the larger disease. The disease is the strange concept of a Nation State actually being good *for* anything except governing. As the cost and technology threshold for nuclear devices goes down, the asymmetrical attack characteristics of Transnational Terrorism goes up and the erosion of the Nation State increases as they do not address this issue. The UN was a pressure valve, of sorts, during the Cold War, but by becoming seen as a Super-Oversight Government, it eroded the concept of National Sovereignty quickly and corrosively after the end of the Cold War. Indeed, unaccountable international actors at that level *also* deteriorate the concept of the Nation State as legitimate actor for their own People above those of Others.

Defense and support of the Nation State *concept* for ALL Nations and holding each other accountable when there are conflicts between the self-interest of two or more Nations. That requires a basic re-orientation of Foreign Policy so that the US helps those that help it, give cool receptions to those that neither hurt nor help, and actively pursue and shut off relations and trade with those hostile to it. Free Trade for the world only ensures that Transnational Terrorists flourish on cheap goods and means to use and transport them, and gives no incentive for other Nations to seek self-improvement via internal production. That must end with the help of those Nations friendly to us. As Mexico has now staged hundreds of small scale incursions and offers nothing for doing so, it can no longer be a Free Trade partner and, in fact, is demonstrating some support for those that would hurt our National Sovereignty.

Needless to say, in the Zero Party System we live in, neither political party actually believes in the concept of the Nation State by their lack of activity to actually defend it. Both parties support the concept of large and inefficient government to feather their own nests at the expense of the general welfare, and in doing so are destroying the trust behind the compact between We the People.

As a Jacksonian I support finding and hitting the Federal RESET button hard. I am the Party of One. And in the Zero Party Systems we are now in, so is each and every individual in the United States ALSO a party of One. We have passed off the buck of responsibilities upwards and gotten little in return save insecurity and diminishment of our rights by Transnationalist concepts. I support the end of that.

WMDs falling into the hands of Transnational Terrorists is the symptom of the disease that decays the Nation State. Ameliorating the symptom in one place only assures that it pops up again elsewhere. Until the cure is no longer that of enforcing the concept of a self-determining People as a Nation via the means of Justice. And the only Just means that are left when the life of the People of the Nation are threatened is the Terrible Swift Sword of the Republic.

We can use it *not* to skillfully and carefully excise this disease and force it back and down. Or we can dither and then use it in its fully glory of liberation...

The liberation of the heart of a people burning, so that atoms are liberated from molecules and the light of a thousands suns shine in many places with a People seeking Vengeance.

Either that or let this experiment in liberty die under threat and tyrrany.

4 comments:

Beto_Ochoa said...

At the end of the day, all we have is each other. I shudder think what event will re-light the fire of the people to govern themselves.

A Jacksonian said...

beto - I do agree... the Foundation of the Nation as laid out in its opening sentence. We have been persuaded to forget that, and all the rights in the world have no meaning without those responsibilities. That sort of Nation can *only* react on base emotions and be the end of us all.

Beto_Ochoa said...

"That sort of Nation can *only* react on base emotions and be the end of us all."

That juggernaut has alredy left the depot. We are witnessing the attempt at mob rule come to fruition.
The Stalinists believe they have already broken enough of us to achieve their ends. I didn't believe it would happen in my lifetime but it appears we will see very soon

A Jacksonian said...

Well, organized mob rule and the belief that one mob or group is better than another and deserves more than another. That attack on Individuality that is the basis for the Nation State is the attack point from all directions. We have been willfully misled to forget that this was the exact thing this Nation was meant to *oppose*.

The neutralization of Politics into mirror-sameness and neither willing to address the Nation is one outgrowth. The idea that calling something what it *is* so that it can be described has been attacked by those that pre-suppose *intentions* and attack one on those terms instead of the problem itself. That has become a legitimized part of debate and destroys the understanding that the People are to come together in understanding and help each other in this Nation.

By using methods that de-ligitimize actual, descriptive fact and replacing them with nebulous intent concepts, we are led into a sea of dishonest and dishonrable personal attacks instead of addressing the true and actual problems of the Nation.

Meekness of thought is enforced with personal attacks.

Timidity of attitude replaces that of self-sufficiency.

The Government as seen as something *good* rather than the tool of the People to Govern themselves Justly and is neither good nor bad, but may be used un-Justly.

Vibrant individualism is replaced with the pap of Group behavior, and we all suffer as a whole from those divisions. Right to the point where the Nation is no longer one People willing to come together and speak in One Voice.

The foundations for that were lain in the 19th Century and have born bitter fruit whenever it takes root. By trying to bring about 'classes' or 'groups' of people as more important than individuals, we All lose as a People in the Whole.

Perhaps Poland will show us the way, yet again. At Second Vienna, they showed us. With Solidarity they gave the lie to the Worker's Paradise as Workers, and struck the blows that crumbled that edifice. And today some of them bravely post the pictures of those who have died because of Terrorism... not their own people, but people from across the Globe and give date and time and who did it. And shame us yet again that they see themselves as a Free People and will take down *anything* no matter how long it is in their path to be free.

We have lost the ability to feel shame. And so cannot express honor.

And soon all meaning is lost to us because of that.