Monday, August 15, 2005

The Rival Project To PNAC Returns

This blog has always been my platform for criticism of the Project For A New American Century. Thus, I named it Project For A New Century of Freedom. The difference is that it's not reserved for Americans, or for American dominance. Rather, it reflects the very American idea that all human beings are born equal, with inalienable rights. Does that mean I'm going to start a crusade to ensure that for the whole world? No, at least not a military crusade. Not aggression, but persuasion. And, believe me, I'm skeptical, and am perfectly happy with a steady expansion of the circle of liberty and democracy.

The subname of the blog, "raising the twin towers of reason and compassion", is an allusion to constructing a world that is less dominated by instrumental reason and technocracy, and better balanced with emphasis on human compassion, decency, and justice. If that sounds postmodern to you, you're right. I'm well acquainted with all of the philosophical schools, including postmodernism, and though I still greatly value solid logic, reasoning, and rhetoric, that does not mean that the choice of frame through which to use our reason is neutral or equal.

Last, this all started because of the approaching war in Iraq, for otherwise I would have paid little attention to the PNAC'ers, assuming their grandiose ambitions were too radical for anybody to get behind. But, lo and behold, 9-11 happened, and hysteria hit the homeland. It was my patriotic duty to play whatever part I could in breaking the spell of the fearmongers, and getting us to focus on the real threats to civilization and humanity.

And, in perfectly synchronicitous timing, Charles Krauthammer is claiming victory for the neoconservatives (PNAC) today, which is simply absurd (I'd felt less compelled to write everyday comfortable that the neoconservatives were digging their own grave, after having proved unable to listen). All I need is motivation, and world events certainly provide them, not to mention easy targets like Krauthammer, which will be the substance of the next post.