Shattering Illusions

This is my latest at the Partial Observer. Excerpt:

The now-repentant Sullivan and Dreher helped give Bush the "political capital" to invade Iraq. But at the end of the day, all they were guilty of was exercising their First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and freedom of the press. As are the unrepentant war supporters; Bill Kristol and Sean Hannity never killed anybody, whereas George Bush is responsible for starting a war that has killed hundreds of thousands.

The people with the power are the ones responsible. That they get support from others for even their most foolish schemes only goes to show that the social system raises impressionable children to trust the State, and that habit of belief is hard to break. Faith in the State is strong even though the State commits every wrong we are taught not to do. We are taught to respect individuals and their property, and to treat others with courtesy. The State, however, views individuals as members of a collective, as figures in statistical studies, as collateral damage. Does the fact that one person is able to figure the State out as a teenager while it takes another 40 years to see the light make the former more virtuous than the latter? Can we condemn one for not having the education, experience, and perspective of another?

Comments welcome at the Partial Observer.