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Criticism of Franzman who called Arendt a white supremacist: https://engageonline.wordpress.com/2016/06/16/7958/amp/ https://engageonline.wordpress.com/2016/06/

by mhneu 10y ago

Criticism of Franzman who called Arendt a white supremacist: https://engageonline.wordpress.com/2016/06/16/7958/amp/ https://engageonline.wordpress.com/2016/06/16/7958/amp/ Also, Trump's order applies to green card holders. This is a major and worrying expansion beyond a refugee pause. http://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKBN15C0R4 http://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKBN15C0R4 Also the problem isn't the "amount of power", the problem is using that power badly. And yes many wish Obama accepted even more refugees. https://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/08/25/opinion/anne-frank-today-is-a-syrian-girl.html https://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/08/25/opinion/anne-frank-tod...

FrancoDiaz 10y ago
Also the problem isn't the "amount of power", the problem is using that power badly. That's disturbing, but not surprising. I guess unchecked power is ok with you as long as it's policies that you're OK with being implemented.
- pitaj 10y ago
  It's a hypocritical, authoritarian, and dangerous belief that many people of every demographic share.
- karlmdavis 10y ago
  Of course that's okay with most folks. Reality is messy, and large swaths of it are unamenable to formalization in laws; human discretion will always be required. Now, we can argue about where the balance is best struck, whether it's better to have the president making decisions vs. individual government workers, etc. Those discussions are fine. But we nerds have to stop pretending that a nation's laws are or could be or even should be as black and white and bug free (hah!) as most computer code.
- matt4077 10y ago
  I think this is a misunderstanding/misrepresentation of the argument. Following your logic, everyone criticising the Iraq war would be a hypocrite if they did not also oppose Congress' power to authorise wars. Others are arguing that this executive order violates constitutional rights because it's awfully close to a religious test. Within that line of reasoning, there's no contradiction between opposing this order and not opposing Obama's, assuming those do not violate constitutional rights.
geezerjay 10y ago
> Also the problem isn't the "amount of power", the problem is using that power badly. Actually, the problem is precisely the "amount of power". You can't grant someone the power to do something and then proceed to assume that no one could actually do it. If it's supposed to be impossible to implement, don't build the tools to do it.

by mhneu 10y ago

FrancoDiaz 10y ago

Also the problem isn't the "amount of power", the problem is using that power badly. That's disturbing, but not surprising. I guess unchecked power is ok with you as long as it's policies that you're OK with being implemented.

pitaj 10y ago
It's a hypocritical, authoritarian, and dangerous belief that many people of every demographic share.
karlmdavis 10y ago
Of course that's okay with most folks. Reality is messy, and large swaths of it are unamenable to formalization in laws; human discretion will always be required. Now, we can argue about where the balance is best struck, whether it's better to have the president making decisions vs. individual government workers, etc. Those discussions are fine. But we nerds have to stop pretending that a nation's laws are or could be or even should be as black and white and bug free (hah!) as most computer code.
matt4077 10y ago
I think this is a misunderstanding/misrepresentation of the argument. Following your logic, everyone criticising the Iraq war would be a hypocrite if they did not also oppose Congress' power to authorise wars. Others are arguing that this executive order violates constitutional rights because it's awfully close to a religious test. Within that line of reasoning, there's no contradiction between opposing this order and not opposing Obama's, assuming those do not violate constitutional rights.

geezerjay 10y ago

> Also the problem isn't the "amount of power", the problem is using that power badly. Actually, the problem is precisely the "amount of power". You can't grant someone the power to do something and then proceed to assume that no one could actually do it. If it's supposed to be impossible to implement, don't build the tools to do it.