Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Albert Camus analyzes Dubya, Iraq, and "a world in despair"
i am not sure some of the people doing these things feel guilty at all. even when you listen to soldiers coming back and explaining what happened the picture is mixed. i saw a very intersting interview with stan goff where he was talking about some people came back from vietnam physically and emotionally wrecked whereas others came back and said...quote…
“i can’t tell you how much i just loved greasin’ em”i imagine this idea exists even more so among people who give the orders but don’t actually do the dirty work themselves
Posted by michael on from exile 05/02 at 06:12 AMSadly, Michael, you might be right. Camus’ belief in guilt seems almost quaint today...at least on the surface. Who knows what truly motivates the criminals in charge?
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 05/02 at 06:59 AMif i had to take a guess at the motivation i woul say a mixture of the ‘pure’ power outlined in 1984 and avarice
an unusual combo i know but, well, there are lots of unusual things going on
Posted by michael on from exile 05/02 at 07:13 AMHi everyone, I am back to my own computer after being away for a few days. I have tried to follow the conversations here though. Michael, you make a very good point. There are a lot of quotes from this war that are very disturbing such as, “The chick was in the way.” There must be something very wrong with a culture that can produce so many who are totally lacking in any sense of empathy. Think about how many news reports there have been about young men who beat up the homeless. It is like the USA is a gigantic global playground that has become populated by millions of playground bullies. Sadly, these bullies have the weaponry to commit mass slaughters.
When I arrived home last night I received word that my Defense Lawyer, who represented me in my criminal trial for protesting the war, was withdrawing from the case. The reason is that his law firm has now hired the attorney who worked for the government, the same attorney who prosecuted me. There is now a conflict of interest so my lawyer has made the decision to quit my case. The Appeal of my conviction is still before the State Supreme Court. I doubt that another lawyer will represent me because I have no money.
The sun is trying to come out. My plum tree has a million beautiful blossoms so there is some joy and beauty in the world.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 05/02 at 08:14 AMCamus indeed had powerful things to say about power, much like this quote by someone before him (also of contemporary significance):
“It is the impossibility of living by any other means that compels our farm laborers to till the soil whose fruits they will not eat, and our masons to construct buildings in which they will not live. It is want that drags them to those markets where they await masters who will do them the kindness of buying them. It is want that compels them to go down on their knees to the rich man in order to get from him permission to enrich him.... What effective gain has the suppression of slavery brought him?... ‘He is free’, you say. Ah! That is his misfortune. The slave was precious to his master because of the money he had cost him. But the handicraftsman costs nothing to the rich voluptuary who employs him.... These men, it is said, have no master—they have one, and the most terrible, the most imperious of masters, that is need. It is this that reduces them to the most cruel dependence.”
Happy belated May Day expendables…
Posted by RT on from 05/02 at 08:48 AMjust wanted t give a little heads up on the new endangered species list which is out on the 4th (strangely, it still doesn’t include people)
some links for the preliminaries. things aren’t lloking good for hippos, rays and sharks
http://tinyurl.com/s69cj
http://www.redlist.org/wnew/Posted by michael on from exile 05/02 at 10:01 AMbest of luck with the legal problems, RMJ.
Posted by JOS on from Chicago 05/02 at 11:19 AMHello again, Expendables.
Welcome back, RT...thanks for the always relevant Linguet quote. “Most cruel dependence” certainly describes life for the non-rich in a capitalist state.
RMJ: I echo JOS’ good wishes. I wish we could do more.
Where’s Keir and Owen? Camus was their idea.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 05/02 at 11:55 AMSorry Mick. My partially read copy of The Rebel is tucked away in storage and I couldn’t bring myself to buy another copy.
Off topic...maybe this will convince men to stop poisoning our environment:
Posted by JOS on from Chicago 05/02 at 01:31 PMEven more damning: read “A Question of German Guilt” and substitute “America.”
Posted by James Secor on from China 05/02 at 03:30 PMHello again, all. JOS: I will use that link soon. Thanks.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 05/02 at 07:06 PMSuperb quote, Mickey! I have been a Camus person since way back (even if I cannot find the book under discussion at the moment - it must have been ‘mislaid’ during our move nearly 2 years ago and hasn’t been sighted since).
And ‘hi’ to Michael, Rosemarie, RT, JOS and James Secor. Where are the others?
Another showery day coming up in Daylesford, Australia but as the saying goes: ‘We need the rain’ ..
Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 05/02 at 07:28 PM‘It is like the USA is a gigantic global playground that has become populated by millions of playground bullies. Sadly, these bullies have the weaponry to commit mass slaughters.’
Spot-on, Rosemarie! The worst thing is indeed that these bullies can launch illegal and immoral wars and claim that they do so because God told them to.Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 05/02 at 07:32 PM...on swans.com (Aug.1 2005), check out the book review by Louis Proyet of Ronald Aronson’s “Camus and Sartre” for an interesting take on A.C.
Posted by zek lumpen on from 05/02 at 07:40 PMThanks, Helga...and welcome to the site, Zek. I’ll check out that review.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 05/02 at 08:16 PM
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