George Orwell Speaks

The great George Orwell, author of one of the most influential books in history, 1984 spent his life fighting against totalitarianism in all of its forms. His words are especially appropriate now that America is embroiled in a new struggle against forces of totalitarian evil. He speaks of the Left that spoke out against actions against the Nazi regime as the current Left speaks out against actions against Osama bin Laden.

"[T]here is a minority of intellectual pacifists whose real though unadmitted motive appears to be hatred of western democracy and admiration of totalitarianism. Pacifist propaganda usually boils down to saying that one side is as bad as the other, but if one looks closely at the writings of younger intellectual pacifists, one finds that they do not by any means express impartial disapproval but are directed almost entirely against Britain and the United States. Moreover they do not as a rule condemn violence as such, but only violence used in defence of western countries."

-George Orwell, “Notes on Nationalism,” 1945.

How true Orwell’s words ring today

Andrew Sullivan has this, as well as some of the most astute observations on the issue of these terrorist bombings on his site. While I don’t always see eye to eye with him, his coverage of these events and their ramifications have been nothing short of exceptional. I have to admit that he is now one of the current American thinkers I find the most compelling.