People attempting to sound wise frequently say to take all things in moderation. That’s not quite true. I don’t think axe-murdering or gang-raping are made any more acceptable by pacing yourself. I think it might be better to say don’t take good things to excess, but that has problems of its own. Telling your wife that you’ve been moderately faithful to her will like make you extremely celibate. Such are the perils of nuance.
The Pseudo-Intelligentsia of the Pseudo-Enlightenment of the last several decades have been telling us that there are no absolutes, that all morality (and history for that matter) are relative, and subsequently depend on their context. That is, right and wrong are different things for different people. The absolutes that came crashing to the ground on 9-11-01 only made them more shrill in their moral equivalence. Sympathy for the Devil is the “civilized” mode of thinking.
The problem is, there have been all kinds of civilizations. From those that have gladiatorial games or run gulags to pacifist states that try to mind their own business. The American Republic has a distinctive culture, and it’s a good one too, however much that statement might make the Left wail in protest.
Our nation won’t be saved by nuance and half-measures. Certainly diplomacy should be given a chance, but not an endless series of chances such as we have seen in the past. That’s why we, as a nation and as individuals, should get back in touch with our inner barbarians. Those simple folks that live inside of us all and believe in saying what needs to be said, doing what needs to be done, and cracking a few heads if simpletons get in the way. After all:
Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.–Barry M. Goldwater
