Brass Tacks Politics

18/06/2025

Anakin hates sand, Tuskens, and logical consistency.

17/06/2025

Act in accord with the categorical imperative from duty, my friends!

"The world is [not] yours."

17/06/2025

We must remember that at the core of immoral action is a taking of exception for yourself to logical rules that apply to all rational beings in the mutual moral community. It's a form of unjustly using others for your own ends.

17/06/2025

Now we will see the AIPAC influence on our Congress in full effect!

17/06/2025

I've always despised the warmongers and foreign policy propagandists that provoke conflict for selfish gain. Also not too fond of the apologists and the lukewarm that are derelict in their duty to oppose these evil people.

16/06/2025

When it comes to foreign policy, just support the exact opposite of Lindsey Graham and you will be right 95% of the time.

16/06/2025

Of Doves & Serpents – The West’s Foreign Policy Moral Shortcomings in Ukraine & Beyond

The artist that created this image no doubt meant it to be a rebuke of Putin’s recent actions in Ukraine. But I see it as an unintended ironic representation of our (the West’s) moral and strategic shortcomings in east/west relations since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Immanuel Kant, referencing Matthew 10:16 in his seminal essay “To Perpetual Peace“ touches on the proper relationship between politics and morality in the following way; “Politics says, “Be ye wise as serpents,” to which morality adds (as a limiting condition), “and innocent as doves.”

The West prides itself on being guided by certain valid moral principles. But we haven’t always acted in a manner consistent with a duty to abide by them. We are like a dove that defecates on the heads of our adversaries and expects them to fall in line.

We have identified good ends and publicize them well but have secretly (and not so secretly) acted in a manner that will achieve the opposite. The recent Ukraine situation is case in point. This is not to say that all the blame for recent tragedies is solely the West’s fault; nothing so complex can be explained in such a simple way. But we must look at the big picture when analyzing such affairs and focus on that which we have the most control; our own motivations and actions.

Kant called the reflection on our own actions towards a preferred ends to ensure they are in line with our duty to uphold the moral law the “sharpening stone of virtue.” I think this is accurate, and true courage is facing perceived dangers in this manner, not in sacrificing our principles for the illusion of short-term gain. In Matthew 6:33 it is said, “Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and (your needs) will be given to you as well.” Kant again applies such wisdom to the subject of international relations in pursuit of real peace, “Seek first the kingdom of pure practical reason and its righteousness, and your end (the blessing of perpetual peace) will come to you itself.”

Do not be afraid to stand firm with the principles of Right.

16/06/2025

It should go without saying that if you are doing something wrong or illegal, and you finally get held to account, it is not a valid defense to simply state that you have been getting away with it for a long time.

16/06/2025

Do you think it is a good idea for Republicans in Congress to "Separate out the debt ceiling and have a separate vote on it" in order to help secure Senator Rand Paul's vote for the "One Big Beautiful Bill"? Link to more info in the comments.

16/06/2025

The internal politics & affairs of sovereign states ought to be considered separate from analysis of actions between states. While it's noted the former influences the latter, proper analysis demands a "view from above."

16/06/2025

So long as our Republic stands, one should never be ashamed to be an American.

16/06/2025

War is hell and inherently irrational but insofar as we can craft a realistic policy regarding warfare and the use of force by states that is compatible with universal, objectively-derived moral principles, it ought to be based around or reflect Just War doctrine. In most contexts and scenarios, preemptive strikes contradict this doctrine and should be avoided, especially when other avenues for rational conflict resolution clearly still exist.

Read the basics of Just War Theory here:

Just War Theory Just war theory deals with the justification of how and why wars are fought. The justification can be either theoretical or historical. The theoretical aspect is concerned with ethically justifying war and the forms that warfare may or may not take. The historical aspect, or the “j...