Letter to Congress on Leo Strauss and Save the Children
Senator Bill Nelson
716 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Saturday, May 10th, 2003
“Because mankind is intrinsically wicked, he has to be governed. Such governance can only be established, however, when men are united – and they can only be united against other people.”
Leo Strauss
“Perpetual deception of the citizens by those in power is critical (in Strauss’s view) because they need to be led, and they need strong rulers to tell them what’s good for them … Those who are fit to rule are those who realize there is no morality, and that there is only one natural right, the right of the superior to rule over the inferior … Following Macchiavelli, he maintains that if no external threat exists, then one has to be manufactured”
Shadia Drury, author of “Leo Strauss and the American Right”, 1999
Dear Senator Nelson,
Since an article on Leo Strauss appeared in Le Monde a few weeks ago, the New York Times and the New Yorker have “discovered” this ideological godfather of the men who have taken over U.S. foreign policy. Those who acknowledge his influence include Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, Irving and William Kristol, Gary Schmitt and Abram Shulsky. Shulsky is the head of the Pentagon’s Office of Special Plans, which produced the phony intelligence that fuelled the drive to invade Iraq. I have not read Ms. Drury’s book yet, but these quotations suggest that our country is falling under the sway of nothing more nor less than good old 20th century Fascism.
A good way to debunk the myths of any ideology is to take an unbiased look at its results. Save the Children’s annual Mothers’ Day report on the condition of mothers and children around the world does just that, particularly as it relates to Afghanistan. U.S. and federate forces conquered that country 18 months ago, and it has since fallen to 163rd out of 163 on STC’s Children’s Index, making it the worst place on Earth for children, worse than any war-torn country in Africa or anywhere else. 16% of Afghan children are dying in infancy, only 13% have access to safe drinking water, and mines and unexploded ordinance are killing and maiming children every day. Their mothers are not much better off, with 1 in 7 dying in childbirth and only 4% having any access to family planning. This is the reality of “Pax Americana”. We need to acknowledge this reality and challenge the myths being foisted on us by slick politicians and corporate-controlled media. Then we must forge a foreign policy based on international law, multilateral economic development, peaceful coexistence and humanitarian values. It is not too late for us to rejoin the rest of the human race, and offer it leadership in place of war, manipulation and domination.
And please support “The Women and Children in Armed Conflict Protection Act of 2003”.
Yours sincerely
716 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Saturday, May 10th, 2003
“Because mankind is intrinsically wicked, he has to be governed. Such governance can only be established, however, when men are united – and they can only be united against other people.”
Leo Strauss
“Perpetual deception of the citizens by those in power is critical (in Strauss’s view) because they need to be led, and they need strong rulers to tell them what’s good for them … Those who are fit to rule are those who realize there is no morality, and that there is only one natural right, the right of the superior to rule over the inferior … Following Macchiavelli, he maintains that if no external threat exists, then one has to be manufactured”
Shadia Drury, author of “Leo Strauss and the American Right”, 1999
Dear Senator Nelson,
Since an article on Leo Strauss appeared in Le Monde a few weeks ago, the New York Times and the New Yorker have “discovered” this ideological godfather of the men who have taken over U.S. foreign policy. Those who acknowledge his influence include Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, Irving and William Kristol, Gary Schmitt and Abram Shulsky. Shulsky is the head of the Pentagon’s Office of Special Plans, which produced the phony intelligence that fuelled the drive to invade Iraq. I have not read Ms. Drury’s book yet, but these quotations suggest that our country is falling under the sway of nothing more nor less than good old 20th century Fascism.
A good way to debunk the myths of any ideology is to take an unbiased look at its results. Save the Children’s annual Mothers’ Day report on the condition of mothers and children around the world does just that, particularly as it relates to Afghanistan. U.S. and federate forces conquered that country 18 months ago, and it has since fallen to 163rd out of 163 on STC’s Children’s Index, making it the worst place on Earth for children, worse than any war-torn country in Africa or anywhere else. 16% of Afghan children are dying in infancy, only 13% have access to safe drinking water, and mines and unexploded ordinance are killing and maiming children every day. Their mothers are not much better off, with 1 in 7 dying in childbirth and only 4% having any access to family planning. This is the reality of “Pax Americana”. We need to acknowledge this reality and challenge the myths being foisted on us by slick politicians and corporate-controlled media. Then we must forge a foreign policy based on international law, multilateral economic development, peaceful coexistence and humanitarian values. It is not too late for us to rejoin the rest of the human race, and offer it leadership in place of war, manipulation and domination.
And please support “The Women and Children in Armed Conflict Protection Act of 2003”.
Yours sincerely
posted by Nicolas Davies | 10:50 AM
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