Michael Prescott: "[Neil Parille's summary] has much in common with the work of Kremlinologists back in the days of the USSR."
Greg Nyquist: True. Fortunately, there is one important difference. Neither Peikoff nor ARI have nukes. If they did, well, we can only imagine the consequences. "So what brought down American civilization? How was this mighty edifice laid to waste?" "Oh, that's easy: Leonard Peikoff got the bomb."
Reminds me of a line from Woody Allen's movie "Sleeper." Woody, awakening in the distant future, asks what catastrophe wiped out civilization. He is told,
ReplyDelete"According to history, over 100 years ago a man named Albert Shanker got hold of a nuclear warhead."
Albert Shanker was the combative head of a teachers' union.
Or the Kenny Everret gag where he was done up like General Patton and haraunged everyone with a list of people he'd round up...put in the a field and bomb the b*****ds.
ReplyDeleteWhen the camera pulled back the punchline was there'd be three people and a dog listening in.
- Steven Johnston
UK
Guys, I don't think we have to worry too much about Peikoff or any other American Civilian getting nukes. Even in an extremely libertarian society, the state would have a hard time justifying even allowing the sale of nuclear weapons on the open market. That's something that would probably be illegal even in that society. They're not like guns, they're not at all practical for an individual's self defense and setting just one off would tend to kill large numbers of innocent people not involved in the attack.
ReplyDeleteI'm more worried about nations like North Korea or Iran having nukes, or terrorists groups like Al-Qaeda getting the bomb.
"Guys, I don't think we have to worry too much about Peikoff or any other American Civilian getting nukes."
ReplyDeletePresident Peikoff?
Anon69,
ReplyDeleteWhat are the chances, realistically, that Peikoff will ever become our president, and even if he did get elected to America's highest office, the president of the united states doesn't have absolute power, even as president he wouldn't be allowed to just use nuclear weapons on a whim. Be thankful of that.
"Guys, I don't think we have to worry too much about Peikoff or any other American Civilian getting nukes."
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, none of us our worried about Peikoff getting the bomb. Like the Woody Allen's Albert Shanker joke in Sleepers referenced by Michael, it's just a joke. Indeed, part of the humor of the joke is the absurdity that Peikoff could in fact get the bomb.
I had forgotten about the Shanker joke; but I have to think I was unconsciously influenced by it. And also by an old Tom Lehrer song. Jokes about so-and-so getting the bomb were more prevalent back in the 60s and 70s.