this post was submitted on 19 Oct 2023
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[–] [email protected] 110 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (13 children)

“When I came to this bureau ... I knew it was not without its moral complexity and moral compromises, and I made myself a promise that I would stay for as long as I felt … the harm I might do could be outweighed by the good I could do,” Paul wrote on LinkedIn. “In my 11 years I have made more moral compromises than I can recall, each heavily, but each with my promise to myself in mind, and intact. I am leaving today because I believe that in our current course with regards to the continued – indeed, expanded and expedited – provision of lethal arms to Israel – I have reached the end of that bargain.”

Gutty. Well thanks for trying to change things from the inside, it's a shame things are set up the way they are. Not to mention having the strength to stick to your morals and leave when you realize there's no more good you can do.

[–] witten 6 points 1 year ago (12 children)

I dunno. It sounds like he was a state-sponsored arms dealer. Was he really "doing good?"

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I have little faith in the amount of movement you can actually cause from inside the system personally but Im not going to pretend my way is the only way, it's good that people try. It sounds like this is someone on whom the ethics weighed heavily from the very beginning and their resignation when it became too much supports that. I could be very wrong on my analysis, but someone who's got the moral fortitude to leave at all like this is probably among the better people in those positions for what that's worth. I guess what I'm trying to express is that I feel like most people in positions like theirs are not as ethically inclined as they were, at least from the views I get on the outside.

[–] aairey 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ironically, that "good" person is no longer in such a position.
Thus, one could question once again whether "good" people can be in such a position.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

One could ask what positions do exist for "good" people? Is there any left that lets them have any say?

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