The most dangerous man is he who is unjust but has deceived everyone into thinking that he is just.

“Anyone who is caught should be thought inept, for the extreme of injustice is to be believed to be just without being just. And our completely unjust person must be given complete injustice; nothing may be subtracted from it. We must allow that, while doing the greatest injustice, he has nonetheless provided himself with the greatest reputation for justice. If he happens to make a slip, he must be able to put it right. If any of his unjust activities should be discovered, he must be able to speak persuasively or to use force. And if force is needed, he must have the help of courage and strength and of the substantial wealth and friends with which he has provided himself.” — Glaucon in Plato’s Republic.

It’s not torture. It’s “coercive interrogation.”

It’s doublespeak.

The lesson that I want you to take away is that injustice is nearly always perpetrated behind the mask of justice. (Injustice for injustice’s sake is easily countered.)

Look behind the words.

Look behind Bush’s rhetoric about freedom and look at his actions in Iraq.

I know I’m not being a good Republican, but I can’t help it. I must look at the situation objectively.

Of course, he hasn’t convinced everyone, but I do not think that all who oppose him oppose him for good reasons. The strange thing is I think that Bush has deceived himself into thinking he is just.

Our greatest weapon is our American ideology — of freedom, justice, and self-determination.

The most dangerous ones are those who loudly proclaim that they are doing things in the name of freedom, and convince everyone that this is so, yet actively work to undermine that freedom.

[Sorry to be all vague and not talk about things in concrete terms, but this is my personal weblog and I have the right to experiment.]