"Paradoxically, in today's intellectual climate novelists may have a clearer mandate than scientists to speak the truth about human nature. Sophisticated people sneer at feel-good comedies and saccharine romances in which all loose ends are tied and everyone lives happily ever after. Life is nothing like that, we note, and we look to the arts for edification about the painful dilemmas of the human condition. Yet, when it comes to the science of human beings, this same audience says: Give us schmaltz!"
From: Steve Pinker's The Blank Slate <--- Steve Sailer.
Mark Twain once observed that someone who is a mechanic wouldn't think to express an opinion on animal husbandry or crop rotation to a farmer but every man amongst us thinks himself qualified to express an opinion about politics.
Gerry Spence, an extraordinary trial lawyer, published an audio tape wherein he provided an excellent account of the egregious conduct at Ruby Ridge of the Dept of Justice, the FBI, and the US Marshals Service. Mr. Spence had represented Randy Weaver and knew whereof he spoke.
The flip side of the tape, however, was a mind boggling account of how "corporations" were the source of all evil in the US.
He had just gotten through describing a horrendous case of federal oppression, an FBI policy of shoot on sight that killed Mr. Weaver's wife, and a Marshals Service's gunning down of Mr. Weaver's 12-year-old son -- none of which had anything to do with corporations and everything to do with bureaucratic hubris and political unaccountability. But what exercised Mr. Spence was corporate greed and, if we recall correctly, pollution, with not a mention of any of the political implications of how Mr. Weaver had been treated.
You'd have thought that Ruby Ridge, Waco, and Whitewatergate had somehow been the love child of 3M, Coors, Caterpillar Tractor, and Toys R Us.
It is true that the Colonel's own understanding of the constitutional scheme did not exactly arrive at an early hour. The same is true of the Colonel's understanding of Islam, such as it is. We are all deficient in our understanding of the workings of government and the ambitions of twerps.
However, it is a sad testament to the difficulty of arriving at a sensible understanding of public matters that a highly intelligent man as Mr. Spence could be satisfied with such a pathetic take on matters of importance.
I mean, doesn't anyone know that it's Jerry Falwell and conservative talk radio that are the real enemies of America?
2 comments:
I don't think he would be happy about my characterizing his "take on matters of importance" as pathetic.
He went from compelling details on the specific abuses by the FBI and US Marshal to a generalized cri de couer about Corporate Evil. If he made any kind of case for the existence of it, I couldn't discern it. For such an outstanding legal talent, one so gifted in the persuasive arts, it was pretty thin gruel.
But, yes, I got it that the feds behaved abominally at Ruby Ridge and that Mr. Spence really, REALLY fears the influence of corporations.
Now I'm just waiting for him to lay out his evidence, particularly evidence that it is THE most dangerous threat to The Republic.
I might even go part way down that road with him on the issues of corporate mania (1) to finance the Chinese military buildup and (2) to undermine US workers by keeping the southern border open to cheap illegal labor.
Maybe Mr. Spence will tell us more about how the American legal establishment failed to protest the hijacking of the Constitution.
I'd pay attention to anything he had to say on that score, but I plan to go on with my life while I wait for him to do that.
Oops. We misspelled Mr. Spence's first name. Now corrected.
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