It was into this atmosphere that a group of prominent Americans made a revolutionary proposal that the nations of the earth agree to declare that war was illegal. The leading intellectual John Dewey and leading Protestant clergymen like John Haynes Holmes and Christian Century editor Charles Clayton Morrison supported the efforts of the American Committee for the Outlawry of War. These culminated in the famous Kellogg-Briand Pact declaring war illegal. Including India, eight of the original eleven to sign the treaty were English-speaking countries; the notoriously treaty-shy United States Senate ratified the treaty by a vote of 85-1.
Ultimately more than sixty-two nations solemnly signed it; the treaty is still in force. Technically speaking, war has been illegal for almost eighty years. This is, of course, a tremendous relief to all concerned.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
QOTD
From Walter Russell Mead's new book, God and Gold: Britain, America, and the Making of the Modern World, at 10 (2007), referring to the inter-war period:
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9 comments:
It's too bad Humanoid Sapien can't obey a simple law.
Good thing that law (treaty actually) is unenforceably immoral and dangerous. Sloth is no justification for forced surrender of the powerless and distant--and would make the world worse off.
For once, will the pro-life folq admit they are not in favor of life?
No, it's not enforceable; there are 8,000,000,000 of us running around.
That's what the conserves love, "contolled insanity" ala "1984." Libs are happy with it, too.
Ronald:
To be charitable, your arguments are unclear. To some extent, however, I've answered here.
The more folq there are, the more ungovernable the Planet is, the more chaos, the more violence.
8,000,000,000 is 6,000,000,000 too many. That's what's making "the world worse off."
Ronald:
There is no "right" number of people on the planet. Your Malthusism is a century out of date: population control angst persuasively was refuted years ago and, in any event, falling birth rates in Europe and elsewhere moot your fears.
The Sea Shepherd guy has stated 1,000,000,000 is plenty. He's pretty smart.**
At any rate, we all know "God IS Gold." Even a dumb-kee like me know that.
**Capitalism depends on the philosophy of "More-More." As a result, it is destructive. It causes slow decay. It "conserves" nothing.
It's insidous, same as immigration. One day your neighborhood is the same and before you know it (even though it took awhile) it's a slum.
Ronald:
1) Anyone who thinks capitalism is destructive doesn't understand economics. To the contrary, the exchange of goods in the free market augments wealth -- as it has here in America. And if he hasn't taken account of the "green revolution," perhaps that Sea Shepherd guy isn't so smart.
2) But if he is, you said I was smart. So when two smart people disagree, how do you decide? What's YOUR proof of outdated resource determinism?
you don't use your high IQ, Carl.
You are a conservative but you hate conservation.
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