Opus 2026-268: Reparations across the Board

I don’t understand the reasoning behind reparations.  How someone who never owned slaves could owe something to someone who was never a slave is a mystery to me.  But for today let’s go with that.  We have a principle that no matter how far back you go in history and whether you have ancestors involved or not, you have the right to pay people back or demand payment from them.

So let’s look back in history.  I just finished reading about how the Muslim victors would set terms for surrender, guarantee safe passage and as soon as the gates were open begin to slaughter everyone and steal everything.  They loved to ride their horses over infants and slice open pregnant women.  If we are going to accept the logic of reparations then we have the right to take a tank and a few 50 caliber machine guns into any Muslim neighborhood and start shooting.  It is only fair because centuries ago Muslims did it to Christians.  Point out the fallacy in my logic.

Perhaps we could look back to the Mongols sweeping over Eastern Europe, the Middle East, northern India and any other place in reach.  The Mongels at one time made up the ruling dynasty of China so it would only be fair if all the armies of the world would start rolling across the Gobi and not stop until they arrived at the Formosa Straight.  It is only reparations at work.

Maybe we should insist on the help of the US Army to support the Cherokee to reclaim their ancestral grounds.  I don’t mean in Georgia.  Before that.  Back when they were located up in New York and Pennsylvania.  Let’s kill everyone in those states or if we are really serious about reparations locate the descendants of the Indian tribes that drove them out and give them what they deserve.

I am sure we could find other examples.  If you go back in history you could come up with a reason to kill just about anyone and take their worldly goods.  What a world that would be.

Ultimately this just goes back to the Conan principle.  Conan the Barbarian was able to do anything he wanted to do if his muscles were bigger and his sword sharper.  In other contexts it is called the law of the jungle and if you are weak, you are dinner.

So sure.  Reparations sounds like a good idea if you have all the guns and no moral scruples.

homo unius libri