Wei,
I no longer have my library copy of the broadcasts handy, or I would cite
from the passages. While I don't deny the possibility of a "tactical"
opposition to the War Powers Act (because it was Roosevelt and not someone
Pound admired who was now the leader with fewer checks and obstacles
standing in his way) I think Pound had a fervent, sincere, idealistic belief
in the power of certain key political documents, the US Constitution and the
Magna Carta among them.  These documents represent the unwobbling, the
precise, the firm, the inheritance of western civilization, the clearly and
simply stated Will of the Founding Fathers. These documents mean so much to
Pound that I would be very slow to dismiss these passages as statements made
out of convenience or mere expedience. They reflect the things Pound loved
no less strongly than they reflect the things he hated.
Tim Romano

P.S. To correct the record: you mistakenly identified Tim Redman as the
author of the posting.


>
> >
> >Wei,
> >
> >How about Pound's strenuous opposition to the War Powers Act, by which
> >powers given under the US constitution to the congress are ceded to the
> >President? Lots about this subject to be found in the broadcasts.   Here
> >also you will find an intersection with the theme of "confucian
precision."
> >Pound's belief is that the bending of the language of the consitution is
a
> >threat to the republic. Paradoxically, confucian ideals are brought to
bear
> >upon issues of constitutional democracy.
> >
> >Tim Romano
> >
>
> Let's have the full quote.  You may have a very good point here.  We need
to
> know the context, and the argument.  I am open to looking at it, and eager
> to re-examine the question in light of the war powers debate.  I don't
have
> the full text of Doob available right now.  Perhaps you can give us a few
of
> the quotes.
>
> If he is broadcasting from Rome, while making this objection, we would
have
> to ask some serious questions.  For instance, what is there in the
quote(s)
> to indicate a serious belief in democracy, or in the Republic?  Is Pound
> merely making this argument to show the basic hypocrisy of so-called
> American democracy?  (Which would not necessarily imply a belief that
> democracy itself is a good system).   Of course Russian and Cuban
propaganda
> organ broadcast many calls to the American people to honor the will of
> Congress in the Nicaraguan matter.  This does not mean Soviets and Cubans
> were committed to democracy [You will recall that Congress passed the
> "Boland amendment" which cut funds to the Nicaraguan contras, and banned
any
> "direct or indirect" aid to them.  The executive bypassed the will of
> Congress using secret funds, gained through the sale of arms to Iran, as
> well as by way of "donations" from private citizens, from the Saudis,
> Israelis, Taiwanese, and the South African Apartheid regime].  The point
is,
> one can be critical of a particular policy for tactical reasons, or even
> strategic reasons, without any commitment to a real principle.  Russian
and
> Cuban communists might criticize the US  executive, and give support to
the
> "democratic will" of the American people, as expressed through Congress,
> merely for tactical reasons, not because they had any commitment to
> democracy.
>
> So, was Pound advocating a particular policy in the US because he hoped it
> would make the victory of the fascists in Europe more likely?  Or was he
> advocating democratic Congressional restraint on the executive ---in the
war
> making power ---as a genuine matter of principle, or because he genuinely
> felt that Congress as an institution deserved his support?  The fact that
he
> makes the broadcast of his view via Radio Rome, in the heart of Fascist
> territory, renders any alleged pronouncement in favor of democracy a
little
> bit suspect, don't you think?  Let's look at several of these quotes.
They
> could be very enlightening.
>
> Also you use the phrase "threat to the republic".  Does Pound ever use thi
s
> phrase, and does he, in your view, express support for a "Republic", as
you
> and I might understand it, namely as a government representing the people
> through designated representatives, operating under the rule of law?
>
> ---Wei
>
> ________________________________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com
>
>