freemode.net

Linux/Unix basics    [ Software ]

Got asked by a coworker for some basic pointers on Linux and Unix, so I came up with a list of "starting points" for someone who's new to the Linux/Unix world.

"Why are we at war?"    [ Rants ]

Picked up a copy of "Why are we at war?" by Norman Mailer from Borders yesterday.   It's a thin volume, reads a lot like a political leaflet distributed during periods of upheaval, like during the American Revolution or the fights between the Fascists and Communists in Europe during the early part of last century.   That is, there's a lot of wild-ass speculation and rumor-mongering without a whole lot of evidence or reasoning to back up the theories that he's spouting.   What you end up with by the time you're 2/3 through the book is a theory that happens to fit the facts, which doesn't really prove anything but makes for 30-60 minutes worth of politically-oriented diversion.

What do I actually believe?    [ Politics ]

Just government can only come from the well-informed consent of a free people.

Actions have moral value in terms of right and wrong, which can be weighted based on circumstance, but stem from universal moral values.   Killing people is wrong (perhaps justified in self-defense or in times of war, but the moral value is still wrong), giving alms to the poor is good, cutting off someone in traffic is bad, smiling and saying hello to people is nice.

Religions and ethics systems may have different rules, but generally stem from the same set of universal moral values.   Christianity and Islam certainly differ (as do Sunni and Shiite Muslims, and Catholic and Baptist Christians), but one can abstract their rules of behavior out to common moral principles.

There exist basic natural rights which the state must have a clear and compelling justification to abrogate, and only limited power to do so.   Free speech, freedom of religion and conscience, the right to property and the right to privacy are intrinsic and not granted by the state, but are held in trust by citizens.   Other secondary freedoms are created by the formation of government by an informed citizenry, including the freedom to own weapons and the right to a speedy and fair trial.

An armed citizenry prevents abuse of government power.   John Locke ("Second Treatise on Civil Government"), Charlton Heston and Alexander Solzhenitzen ("The Gulag Archipelago") agree on this one.

Big governments do bad things.   Small local governments may also do bad things, but in general have less power to exert evil and impede freedom.   By creating a state of competition and an antagonistic relationship between not only different branches of government, but also different levels of government, the rights and freedoms of citizens are best maintained.

Hm.   Guess I'm a republican after all. :)   Or a 19th-century liberal in the 21st-century Pax Americana.