unintended consequences

The most Ive ever paid for a copy is $20. And the last 2 copies I got less than 18 months ago, keeping one and giving the other to a buddy. I paid hummm $3.95 each at a St Vincent Di Paul. At the same time too..which is wierd..normally these are rare enough not to find 2 in the same store, let along at the same time.

I think Ive bought at least 5 copies over the last 10-12 yrs.

Gunner

"A conservative who doesn't believe? in God simply doesn't pray; a godless liberal wants no one to pray. A conservative who doesn't like guns doesn't buy one; a liberal gun-hater wants to disarm us all. A gay conservative has sex his own way; a gay liberal requires us all to watch and accept his perversion and have it taught to children. A conservative who is offended by a radio show changes the station; an offended liberal wants it banned, prosecuted and persecuted." Bobby XD9

"War Crimes, like Heresy, is the actions of the losing side."

Does a state - yes. Does a people (the "nation") - also yes.

Any organism includes self-defense as a fundamental.

Of course. But where non-violent change is not allowed, then recourse to violent change is necessary.

By me, it is a personal question. I'm opposed to the use of tactical nuclear weapons, persistent poison gases or artillery inside city limits. I can understand those who would kill a tyrants entire family, which doesn't mean I necessity approve. (I am not a "kill them all, let the toasty one sort out his own" sort of person.) And it depends where you find yourself. If there is no alternative, then there is no problem. The alternative to "Victory or death" is "maximum success or a reasonable alternative."

There is a saying that the IQ of a crowd is the average IQ of the crowd divided by the number in the crowd.

OTOH, the problem I have with Unintended Consequences is that it is too optimistic. Or mayhaps the book ends too soon. Certainly Henry Bowman's "war" is over. From here on, he will fight no more. But ... what about others? Those opposed to the DEA (as the Vail anecdotes relate), are they included? There isn;'t a TLA which hasn't pissed someone off for what they considered capricious reasons. All Henry Bowman did was provide a catalyst for the use of political murder as a means of seeking redress of grievances. The precedent is now established (in that world) where killing government workers is accepted. That is what concerns me, about the book, or a Great Cull.

In this world, our government authorizes the killing of U.S. citizens, without trial.

"...the U.S. government has created a ?hit list? of Americans abroad marked for murder."

So how far are we from Henry Bowman's world?

It is fiction, gunner.

ANYTHING can happen there.

Really? Im sorry you are so ignorant of political and social..and yes...military realities.

Shrug

Gunner

"A conservative who doesn't believe? in God simply doesn't pray; a godless liberal wants no one to pray. A conservative who doesn't like guns doesn't buy one; a liberal gun-hater wants to disarm us all. A gay conservative has sex his own way; a gay liberal requires us all to watch and accept his perversion and have it taught to children. A conservative who is offended by a radio show changes the station; an offended liberal wants it banned, prosecuted and persecuted." Bobby XD9

1) Hobbes wrote that in a "state of nature" life was brutish, nasty and short. How is this different than life "in a state of war"? War lets you do things which would be crimes otherwise: kill people and take what stuff of theirs you do not break. 2) It is said that "anarchy" is the state of there being no government. But is a situation where one cannot depend on the actions of the government any less of an "anarchy" of a society "without structure". If the rule of law is subject to exceptions based on race, creed, or connections, then what restricts the in. Or to put it another way, if Government employees consider themselves unrestrained by the law, why should I consider myself so constrained?