This argument suffers from a severe lack of historical context.
The original USA, founded on, among other principles, freedom from an overbearing government, has changed.
Actually, the USA is founded upon the need for a strong central government following the failure of the Continental Congress (under the Articles of Confederation) to yield stable governance or economic growth, culminating in Shays' rebellion (although the Constitutional Convention had already been called by that time).
The government installed following the Declaration of Independence was ineffective and proved unable to negotiate treaties or even manage its own frontiers because it was too decentralized and provided the States with too many incentives to compete rather than cooperate. And so, 13 years later, the US adopted its current Constitution, creating a much stronger central government with distinct powers over the States and strong Executive and Judicial branches in addition to a legislative branch. This was bitterly opposed by a group known as Anti-Federalists, and the famous Federalist Papers were a series of essays published in newspapers to refute their various claims and argue for a strong federal government.
Actually, the USA is founded upon the need for a strong central government following the failure of the Continental Congress (under the Articles of Confederation) to yield stable governance or economic growth, culminating in Shays' rebellion (although the Constitutional Convention had already been called by that time).
Never mind the part about a war a decade or so earlier caused by deep seated distrust towards the former government.
This might be a controversial point, but I've always wondered why people are so insistent in thinking that the Founding Fathers somehow had some timeless advice on how to run government and that nothing they could have believed has any chance of being wrong.
We're always talking about how other models of thought or industry are outdated (people on the whole prefer Freud's vision of the mind to Descartes'), so why does Washington get a free pass on everything?
I'm a fan of most aspects of Founding Father's ideals (still not sold on bigness being bad), just weird how much hero worship goes on for 250-year old ideas.
However, the problem with the above is: if this is a war, when will it end? The First World War lasted about four years, and the Second World War lasted about six years. This war started, at least in its current incarnation, in 2001 and is still going strong, twelve years later. There is no realistic end in sight. The war on terrorism is likely to last several decades, if not longer.
Aren't a lot of the laws involved (including the AUMF) linked to Al-Qaieda and friends? You can't kill an ideology, but you can obliterate a single organisation given enough time.
Comments
This argument suffers from a severe lack of historical context.
The original USA, founded on, among other principles, freedom from an overbearing government, has changed.
Actually, the USA is founded upon the need for a strong central government following the failure of the Continental Congress (under the Articles of Confederation) to yield stable governance or economic growth, culminating in Shays' rebellion (although the Constitutional Convention had already been called by that time).
The government installed following the Declaration of Independence was ineffective and proved unable to negotiate treaties or even manage its own frontiers because it was too decentralized and provided the States with too many incentives to compete rather than cooperate. And so, 13 years later, the US adopted its current Constitution, creating a much stronger central government with distinct powers over the States and strong Executive and Judicial branches in addition to a legislative branch. This was bitterly opposed by a group known as Anti-Federalists, and the famous Federalist Papers were a series of essays published in newspapers to refute their various claims and argue for a strong federal government.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Constitution#Firs...
Never mind the part about a war a decade or so earlier caused by deep seated distrust towards the former government.
great point.
This might be a controversial point, but I've always wondered why people are so insistent in thinking that the Founding Fathers somehow had some timeless advice on how to run government and that nothing they could have believed has any chance of being wrong.
We're always talking about how other models of thought or industry are outdated (people on the whole prefer Freud's vision of the mind to Descartes'), so why does Washington get a free pass on everything?
I'm a fan of most aspects of Founding Father's ideals (still not sold on bigness being bad), just weird how much hero worship goes on for 250-year old ideas.
Aren't a lot of the laws involved (including the AUMF) linked to Al-Qaieda and friends? You can't kill an ideology, but you can obliterate a single organisation given enough time.
USA is at war with terror? I thought radical Islamists are good guys now (Lybia, Syria...)