(Actual, Not Kantian) Nihilism
By Shorter Jeff Goldstein: The thwarting of a terrorist plot using lawful means proves that we need to use lawless methods to thwart terrorism.
What’s particularly funny about this, of course, is that Goldtsein is constantly blathering about how anyone who disagrees with him about anything is a “moral relativist;” he seems as confused about the concept as Chris Muir. For those who are confused, a simple primer: “torture is morally unacceptable, as well as counterproductive, and hence we should not engage in it”–whether right or wrong–is not “moral relativism.” Conversely, “conventional standards of morality do not apply when a pre-defined class of ‘good guys’ exercises lawless violence on a pre-defined class of ‘bad guys'” is pretty much the definition of “moral relativism.” (And needless to say, using a successful use of lawful methods in order to bootstrap arguments for arbitrary state authority is pretty much the antithesis of “classical liberalism.”)