WiseChat

From an IM session yesterday with Doc, in response to my Terror as PR post in response to his post declaring that Nick Berg’s beheading was PR:

Hannah Arendt in The Origins of Totalitarianism said the means for control by the totalitarian state was terror. Also that totalitarian states were grounded in belief systems. Hitler’s was one about nature (Aryans rule!). Stalin’s was one about history (The People will rule!). Both involved moral inversions based on collapsed distinctions. Hitler was merely helping nature by killing Jews. Stalin was merely helping history by killing off “decadent classes.”

Terror*ism* puts the techniques of totalitarian government in service to religion. As with the other cases, there are collapsed moral distinctions.

I could go on, but wanted to dump my brain. no time to blog it.

Sheesh. The guy can’t help himself…

Doc even gives bonuses in his IMs:

President Bush gets off the helicopter in front of the White House carrying a baby pig under each arm.

The Marine guard snaps to attention, salutes, and says: “Nice pigs, sir.”

The President replies: “These are not pigs, these are authentic Texas Razorback Hogs.
I got one for Vice-President Cheney, and I got one for Defense Secretary Rumsfeld.”

The Marine again salutes, and says, “Nice trade, sir.”

10:53:17 AM