I don't know who Chris Hedges is but this piece on the sin of war is powerful. As an ex-neocon (ideologically, that is), I feel a great deal of shame about my unapologetic support for the US government's imperial wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I fell trap to the human fascination with war, which Hedges uncompromisingly lambastes, "... the awful knowledge that is hardest to digest [about war is] the knowledge that the line between the victims and the victimizers is razor-thin, that human beings find a perverse delight in destruction and death, and that few can resist the pull. At best, most of us become silent accomplices." Worse, I was a vocal accomplice. The least I can do to recompense for my sins in this regard is to become a vocal opponent of mass murder, i.e. war. War is sin. I supported the US government's wars of aggression and I regret that.
Actually, it should have gone to the dogs, but didn't. I'm talking about Leona Helmsley's estate , of course. The contract clause of the Constitution says, "No State shall ... pass any ... Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts..." This means that private contracts cannot be changed by legislative edict. This clause is incredibly important because the willingness of private individuals to engage in profitable enterprise - which is the foundation of social welfare - crucially depends on their belief that they can realize a profit. In turn, their belief that they can realize a profit depends on their belief that they can hold parties to a contract liable to the terms in the contract. For example, lenders must have confidence that they can repossess the collateral for a loan if the loan is defaulted on. Otherwise, they will not take the risk of giving the loan in the first place. When lenders are too scared to lend, everyone is worse off. In the case of Leona Hel...
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