tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286599265273958850.post223714730204665888..comments2023-10-31T07:21:09.792-04:00Comments on William L. Anderson: The Power of What?William L. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01802990642236807359noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286599265273958850.post-45034602476461325192010-03-31T09:15:43.120-04:002010-03-31T09:15:43.120-04:00Regarding the Afghan war, "progressive" ...Regarding the Afghan war, "progressive" <a href="http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2010/03/30/afghanistan_as_drug_war/index.html" rel="nofollow">Salon.com says it's a drug war</a>. I love the condescending "we know what's best for these people" tone of the article. It's the attitude of the entire US nanny-warfare state:<br /><br />"To understand the Afghan War, one basic point must be grasped: In poor nations with weak state services, agriculture is the foundation for all politics, binding villagers to the government or warlords or rebels. The ultimate aim of counterinsurgency strategy is always to establish the state's authority. When the economy is illicit and by definition beyond government control, this task becomes monumental. If the insurgents capture that illicit economy, as the Taliban have done, then the task becomes little short of insurmountable.<br /><br />Opium is an illegal drug, but Afghanistan's poppy crop is still grounded in networks of social trust that tie people together at each step in the chain of production. Crop loans are necessary for planting, labor exchange for harvesting, stability for marketing, and security for shipment. So dominant and problematic is the opium economy in Afghanistan today that a question Washington has avoided for the past nine years must be asked: Can anyone pacify a full-blown narco-state?"<br /><br />When I meet pro-war red-staters, I usually ask them why they support the same progressive Democrat style policies that brought us Detroit. At that point, they usually slink away without saying much.Bob Roddisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286599265273958850.post-37853643704754126532010-03-28T14:15:49.343-04:002010-03-28T14:15:49.343-04:00It is sad but true. Arn has turned Hillsdale into ...It is sad but true. Arn has turned Hillsdale into Neocon central. Bob Murphy taught there for a year and they ran him out. <br /><br />Arn told Richard Ebeling that the economics of Ludwig von Mises was "sh*t," so it is obvious that the people there are no friends of liberty. It is unfortunate, but there it is.William L. Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01802990642236807359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286599265273958850.post-89415533349519454462010-03-28T06:26:29.829-04:002010-03-28T06:26:29.829-04:00Krugman and Krauthammer make strange bedfellows in...Krugman and Krauthammer make strange bedfellows indeed. Excellent blog. As a former Hillsdale College student, I can assure you that as long as Larry Arnn (formerly of Claremont Institute) is still there, then the neoconservative influence there is still very strong. I feel that at this point our only salvation is total political gridlock.Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00787181232127818507noreply@blogger.com