The following is an e-mail I go the other day. - Klintron

Two things happened today. First, I received a forward. I rarely get
them, as I make it clear that I don't much like them. Every once in a
while though, one is actually worth reading. This one was, but I'll
spare you of it since it's already seen wide circulation.

Later an article directed my attention back to the Project for a New
American Century page. I haven't been there for a while, but again
read their asinine and poorly written Statement of Principals. The
most impressive thing about it is still that they were able to get 25
signatories who were willing to go on record as being in agreement
with such a amoral and imperial vision of American foreign policy.

Anyway, I was inspired to edit it for them, and give them a similar
document, with a conscience. I attempted to avoid some of their
incoherencies and incomplete sentences, but the structure falls
largely in line. To take a look at the original, go to:
http://www.newamericancentury.org/statementofprinciples.htm

After having done this, I'd like to hope that a more enlightened
vision of our Republic's future could garner more signatures than they
got. Read on, if you agree, add your name and pass it on. If you like
it enough, and have the skills to throw up a web page on which to host
this, it would do better at collecting signatures there.

Without further adieu:

Project for the New American Revolution
Statement of Principals

American foreign and defence policy has lost its moral and strategic
compass. Conservatives and Liberals alike have criticized the
self-destructive policies of the Bush Administration and PNAC. They
have also fallen prey to divisively partisan issues such as gay
marriage, abortion, and immigration. These have distracted them and
diluted the message, preventing a unified voice of opposition from
being heard. No plausible alternative guiding principals of American
foreign policy have been presented, and we have not fought to maintain
an American society that inspires respect and awe worldwide in order
to advance American interests in the new millennium.

We aim to change this. We aim to make the case and rally support for
American global leadership.

As the 20th century drew to a close, the United States stood as the
world's preeminent power. Having led the West to victory in the Cold
War, America faced an opportunity and a challenge: Did the United
States have the vision to maintain cultural and governmental alliances
with our Cold War allies, and to build strong ties with its former
enemies? Did the United States have the resolve to resist the calls
for needless warmongering which would doubtlessly rise from the
behemoth military-industrial complex inherited from a bygone era?

We have so far squandered the opportunity and failed the challenge.
Only a few years into the new millennium we have nearly completely
destroyed the capital – both the military investments and the foreign
policy achievements – built up by past administrations and in the wake
of September 11th. Haphazard and poorly implemented foreign affairs
and defense initiatives, utter contempt for the tools of statecraft,
and consistently disastrous leadership have made it increasingly
difficult to maintain American influence around the world. Reckless
decisions, such as administration support for the opening of the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for drilling, demonstrate how the
promise of short-term commercial benefits threaten to override
strategic considerations. As a consequence, our nation has failed to
address present threats, and to deal with potentially greater
challenges that lie ahead.

We seem to have forgotten the essential lessons of every competent
administration's success: authority exists partly through respect, and
cannot be won by fear alone; democracy cannot be spread while being
simultaneously redefined to exclude individual freedoms; and
leadership cannot be maintained while undue secrecy causes public
distrust.

Our aim is to remind Americans of these lessons and expose the
consequences of their abandonment. Here are four steps toward remedy:

• We need to decrease foreign energy consumption and defense influence
significantly if we are to make military decisions based on our
republic's founding ideals rather than falling to temptations of
imperial powerplay;

• We need to increase our participation and regard for international
bodies charged with analysis and enforcement of proper behavior in
world affairs, and accept that our influence should be peddled with
their consensus and assistance;

• We need to evenly promote the cause of political and economic
freedom abroad without regard to strategic and economic gain.

• We need to accept that America's role as a worldwide police force is
now greatly out of favor worldwide, and in a unipolar world it
engenders fear and bitterness. It must be ended in order to extend an
international order friendly to our security, our prosperity, and our
principals.

Such a Franklinist policy of military restraint and moral clarity may
not be fashionable today, but it is necessary if America is to build
on the successes of its short history, and to ensure our freedom,
esteem, and influence live on in the new millennium.

Jay Snyder