More old ... 6

I can certainly see why Wilkerson suggested this book. I'm disappointed that this sort of reading advice is not more universally available. I've been trying to find a forum for international affairs of the caliber of the book forum I'm on. Just not finding it. David Martin advised young people to read several papers and blogs. I just don't know how you do it. That seems very time consuming to me, unless you are really into this stuff. I do have to say the CSPAN route seems a good one for me. Afterall I wouldn't have known about this book if I hadn't surfed around CSPAN looking for topics.

I'm just starting Ignatieff's book. And what I appreciate about it so far is the taut reasoning of it. Makes it a great book to take notes to serve as a framework and to return to to plug in details. So here goes:

Preface

"When democracies fight terrorism, they are defending the proposition that their political life should be free of violence. But defeating terror requires violence. It may also require coercion, deception, secrecy, and violation of rights. How can democracies resort to these means without destroying the values for which they stand? How can they resort to the lesser evil, without succumbing to the greater? This book seeks to answer that question."

Chapter One - Democracy and the Lesser Evil
"...why the use of coercive force in a liberal democracy, not just in times of emergency, but in normal times as well, is regarded as a lesser evil."

government's obligations, an adversarial review:
* to justify publicly
* to submit to judicial review
* to circumscribe actions with sunset clauses so that they do not become permanent

* to avoid the infringements of foundational commitment to justice and dignity
** torture
** illegal detention
** unlawful assissination
** preemptive acts of aggression

necessity does not trump liberty, or liberty, necessity
public danger does not trump private rights, or private rights, public danger

"Since good democrats will disagree about these questions, it is crucial that they agree at least to strengthen the process of adversarial review that decides these matters."

I believe that is the issue now on the minds of many members of congress of both parties. I believe they have negated their constitutional premier position of prerogatives by allowing the executive branch to act without oversight. They have basically ignored the constitution for their own partisan ends and corporate influences and left the country in greater peril. Impeach the president, or deride the congress. What are the responsibilities of the governed in this equation of adversarial review? And how timely should be their response? Do we wait for the next election cycle, while the country and the world gets in deeper trouble?

"When democrats disagree on substance, they need to agree on process, to keep democracy safe both from our enemies and from our own zeal."

I'll read on. Democrary and the Lesser Evil


For later:
Congressional Reform:
http://congress.indiana.edu/radio_commentaries/Congressional_Reform_Difficult.php