Faith in reason is the cornerstone of Jeffersonian democracy: ?Fix reason firmly in her seat and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion.? Rationalism is fine when dealing with sensible democrats, not with Islamic-Arab despots.
Jews today, especially those social democrats who have led Israel down the path of Oslo, incline to rationalism even with respect to Israel?s Jew-hating enemies, the Arafat-led Palestinian Authority, despite its long record of deceit and terror. Entrenched in a stupefied state of denial, they would have us believe there is no military solution to Israel?s conflict with the PA, that diplomacy, hence reason, must eventually prevail.
Not all democrats, not even all social democrats, betray such foolishness. Contrast the 19th century social democrat Ferdinand Lassalle, a Jew. In his drama Franz von Sickengen, there occurs a dialogue between a Lutheran chaplain, a pacifist, and Ulrick von Hutten, the great 16th century humanist. To the pacifist's contention that reason as opposed to force is the driving principle of history, von Hutten replies: ?My worthy Sir! You are ill-acquainted with history. Reason is its content, but its form is ever force.?
Recalling that it was the sword that saved Greece from Xerxes, and liberated Jerusalem from the Saracens; that it was the sword that David, Samson, and Gideon labored with, von Hutten concludes: ?Thus, long ago as well as since, the sword achieved the glories told by history; and all that is great, as yet to be achieved, owes, in the end, its triumph to the sword.?
In the 20th century, the sword saved Europe from the tyranny of Nazi Germany. But did reason emerge triumphant? Is it not the case that democratic Europe sides with the Palestinian Authority, an unmitigated despotism? Are Europe?s political and intellectual elites oblivious of the fact that the PA trains Arab children to emulate homicide bombers and to reduce Jews to human debris?
Decadent Europe aside, what are we to say of Israeli politicians who desperately seek a diplomatic solution to Israel?s conflict with the Palestinian Authority ? as if they were dealing with juvenile delinquents or engaging in conventional democratic politics? ?I will give children to be your rulers.? (Isaiah 3:4)
Purdue University political scientist Louis Rene Beres put it this way: ?All politics is delinquency, challenging and besmirching life with the eternally smug babble of criminals, fools and... above all, the gibberish of the ordinary.? Beres regards all politics, but especially Israeli politics, as ?infantile.? For evidence, it is enough to point out that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his four predecessors released, armed and paid thousands of Arab Jew-killers to provide for Israel?s security. But add this most revealing aspect of the democratic mind: Mr. Sharon is praised as a ?pragmatist? by Israeli political scientists. ?I am the Lord that? turns wise men backward, and makes their knowledge foolish.? (Isaiah 44:24, 25)
What a commentary on the rationalism of contemporary democracy! But don?t you see the implications? Don?t you see that Israel?s democratic elites are impervious to reason ? indeed, are less rational than Israel?s Islamic-Arab enemies? Don?t you see that even the most lucid and penetrating critique of the ?peace process? is politically futile, can have no impact on the behavior or policies of Israel?s government? This being so, that is, if human reason is incapable of changing the disastrous course of that government, then the only rational alternative is either force (hence revolution) or a resurgence of faith. All other measures are counterproductive if they obscure these two alternatives.
To avoid misunderstanding, I hasten to add that civil disobedience on a massive scale is the type of force referred to, but it can only be revolutionary if its goal is fundamental change in the character of Israel?s system of government. As for a resurgence of faith, this can only be effective if its goal is to transcend the secular democratic state, that is, to transform Israel into a Torah-based commonwealth (which I have elsewhere shown to be the most rational system of governance).
All of which means that ?right-wing? critics of Israel?s government should stop spinning innocuous flapdoodle and get down to basics ? to force or faith.
Jews today, especially those social democrats who have led Israel down the path of Oslo, incline to rationalism even with respect to Israel?s Jew-hating enemies, the Arafat-led Palestinian Authority, despite its long record of deceit and terror. Entrenched in a stupefied state of denial, they would have us believe there is no military solution to Israel?s conflict with the PA, that diplomacy, hence reason, must eventually prevail.
Not all democrats, not even all social democrats, betray such foolishness. Contrast the 19th century social democrat Ferdinand Lassalle, a Jew. In his drama Franz von Sickengen, there occurs a dialogue between a Lutheran chaplain, a pacifist, and Ulrick von Hutten, the great 16th century humanist. To the pacifist's contention that reason as opposed to force is the driving principle of history, von Hutten replies: ?My worthy Sir! You are ill-acquainted with history. Reason is its content, but its form is ever force.?
Recalling that it was the sword that saved Greece from Xerxes, and liberated Jerusalem from the Saracens; that it was the sword that David, Samson, and Gideon labored with, von Hutten concludes: ?Thus, long ago as well as since, the sword achieved the glories told by history; and all that is great, as yet to be achieved, owes, in the end, its triumph to the sword.?
In the 20th century, the sword saved Europe from the tyranny of Nazi Germany. But did reason emerge triumphant? Is it not the case that democratic Europe sides with the Palestinian Authority, an unmitigated despotism? Are Europe?s political and intellectual elites oblivious of the fact that the PA trains Arab children to emulate homicide bombers and to reduce Jews to human debris?
Decadent Europe aside, what are we to say of Israeli politicians who desperately seek a diplomatic solution to Israel?s conflict with the Palestinian Authority ? as if they were dealing with juvenile delinquents or engaging in conventional democratic politics? ?I will give children to be your rulers.? (Isaiah 3:4)
Purdue University political scientist Louis Rene Beres put it this way: ?All politics is delinquency, challenging and besmirching life with the eternally smug babble of criminals, fools and... above all, the gibberish of the ordinary.? Beres regards all politics, but especially Israeli politics, as ?infantile.? For evidence, it is enough to point out that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his four predecessors released, armed and paid thousands of Arab Jew-killers to provide for Israel?s security. But add this most revealing aspect of the democratic mind: Mr. Sharon is praised as a ?pragmatist? by Israeli political scientists. ?I am the Lord that? turns wise men backward, and makes their knowledge foolish.? (Isaiah 44:24, 25)
What a commentary on the rationalism of contemporary democracy! But don?t you see the implications? Don?t you see that Israel?s democratic elites are impervious to reason ? indeed, are less rational than Israel?s Islamic-Arab enemies? Don?t you see that even the most lucid and penetrating critique of the ?peace process? is politically futile, can have no impact on the behavior or policies of Israel?s government? This being so, that is, if human reason is incapable of changing the disastrous course of that government, then the only rational alternative is either force (hence revolution) or a resurgence of faith. All other measures are counterproductive if they obscure these two alternatives.
To avoid misunderstanding, I hasten to add that civil disobedience on a massive scale is the type of force referred to, but it can only be revolutionary if its goal is fundamental change in the character of Israel?s system of government. As for a resurgence of faith, this can only be effective if its goal is to transcend the secular democratic state, that is, to transform Israel into a Torah-based commonwealth (which I have elsewhere shown to be the most rational system of governance).
All of which means that ?right-wing? critics of Israel?s government should stop spinning innocuous flapdoodle and get down to basics ? to force or faith.