[MD] Intellect battles the[historical] barbarians

[Arlo Bensinger]

[Platt]
Now that's funny. On one hand Arlo says his point is "not to point blame." 
Then in the next breath he says we should "accept blame where blame is due."

[Arlo]
Note. Entire historical reference to US involvement in Iran and Iraq avoided.

So you're suggesting we shouldn't accept blame where blame is due?

[Platt]
That hilarity aside, note that Arlo thinks "hypocrisy" is a great sin.

[Arlo]
Its evident that you don't think hypocrisy is wrong at all. No surprise 
coming from one who's position and philosophy are based in it as opposed to 
rational thinking.

[Platt]
But failure of a society to defend itself against biological level 
barbarians? Now, that's real MOQ sin!

[Arlo]
A real MOQ sin is attempting to justify everything the US has done with 
some blanket cry to "social over biological".

I think we disagree on whether supplying weapons to two sides, one a brutal 
dictator the other a fundamentalist regime, enabling one to use chemical 
weapons inside and outside its borders, and ignoring human rights 
violations while thousands are slaughtered, all to preserve our economic 
interests is "society defending itself against barbarians".

[Platt]
Didn't Arlo say at one time that he was against of gun control? But, I 
could be wrong.

[Arlo]
Arlo is against selling guns to criminals and violent predators, yes. To 
law-abiding citizens, no. People who sell guns to murderers, sit by and 
watch as others are killed, and then complain when someone in their family 
are killed are blind. Those who can't understand why others who lost 
friends to the murder would hate them are stupid.

[Platt]
So we're to blame for trying to stabilize and bring democracy to the Middle 
East?

[Arlo]
We have our share of blame for how this "noble goal" was actually acted. 
Those who truly believe this to be our "noble goal" would be better served 
reading history. Unless you consider arming a brutal dictator against world 
outcry, providing him with the means to deploy chemical weapons, ignoring 
human rights violations as thousands die, then arming the "other side", a 
fundamentalist regime with the sole goal of destabilization while countless 
die "bringing stability and democracy". I call it barbaric economic 
exploitation.

[Platt]
Maybe Arlo wants to feel guilty about our trying to extend intellectual 
values. But, I don't, not for a minute.

[Arlo]
"Extending intellectual values". Hehe. That takes the cake. I am reminded 
of Malachi in Steven Spielberg's Children of the Corn, standing there with 
a sickle in his hand dripping with blood as he is about to attack yet 
again. He looks at the camera and says with a diabolic smile "We've come to 
give you peace."