Sunday, February 21, 2010

On Your Own

If you are of sub-par intelligence and need someone to micro-manage your life, we, like most other Western nations, have just the government for you. On the other hand, when it comes to dealing with hostile nuclear powers, you're on your own. Mark Steyn draws the contrast:


If you're minded to flip a pancake at speeds of more than four miles per hour, the state will step in and act decisively: It's for your own good. If you're a tourist from Moose Jaw, Washington will take pre-emptive action to shield you from the potential dangers of your patio in Arizona.

On the other hand, when it comes to "keeping you safe" from real threats, such as a millenarian theocracy that claims universal jurisdiction, America and its allies do nothing. There aren't going to be any sanctions, because China and Russia don't want them. ...