Learning by Candlelight

Another practice of tyrants is to multiply taxes, after the manner of Dionysius at Syracuse, who contrived that within five years his subjects should bring into the treasury their whole property. The tyrant is also fond of making war in order that his subjects may have something to do and be always in want of a leader. - Aristotle


Perhaps Jefferson and Madison read Aristotle instead of watching TV or playing video games.

Peace Talks

It is madness for sheep to talk peace with a wolf. - Thomas Fuller 


If your are going to negotiate you have to consider your adversaries nature, not your own.


(Other posts on War) 

God is on Our Side

If God had not been on our side
And had not come to aid us,
The foes with all their power and pride
Would surely have dismayed us; - Martin Luther 

Ever notice that God was on the winning side? Ever notice God was also on the losing side?

(Other Posts on War) 

Peace in the Middle East?

Quarrels would not last long if the fault was only on one side. - Francois de La Rochefoucauld 


Is that why it appears there will never be peace in the Middle East?


(Other posts on War) 

Stable Ideas

'Tis plain there is not in nature a point of stability to be found; everything either ascends or declines: when wars are ended abroad, sedition begins at home; and when men are freed from fighting for necessity, they quarrel through ambition. - Goethe

Let's not confuse stability of ideas with lack of change. A building can be remodeled on a strong foundation.

War is Ugly

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature, and has no chance of being free unless made or kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. - John Stuart Mill

People who oppose all war probably only read books with pretty covers.

Thanks to the Founders

I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. - John Adams

Thank you Mr. Adams.

Augmented Post

Sometimes I have more to say. Here's a post from the past - expanded.

Times Like These
In times like these, it helps to recall that there have always been times like these. - Paul Harvey





Only the details change.



It is natural for humans to slip into the practice of acting as though history began with the day they are born. The way history is taught does not help either. I am reminded of a physical chemistry class I took. We were learning about crystalline structures and the otherwise miserable professor told of Napoleon's army in the War of 1812. When they got to a very cold Russia their tin buttons changed to a crumbling gray dust. This may well be only a legend (some contend they had wood buttons) but the vision of those poor guys trying to load their muzzle loaders while holding up their pants made me not only remember, but caused me to want to learn more. Tin buttons may only be a minor detail in that war but it is a detail worth considering. If you have to go to war make sure your buttons will work as well as your blaster!