Oh look! An abyss!

Reading about Haditha, its comparisons to My Lai, and now reports that it was not an isolated incident have me even more gravely concerned about what we are doing in Iraq. Being a bit of a quotation junkie, I was immediately reminded of this comment.

He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.

- Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900), Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 146

As I said, I’m a quote junkie so I skimmed through all the quotes including the keyword ‘monster.’ What follows are some quotes that leapt out at me.

To conclude, all other living creatures live orderly and well, after their own kind: we see them flock and gather together, and ready to make head and stand against all others of a contrary kind: the lions as fell and savage as they be, fight not with one another: serpents sting not serpents, nor bite one another with their venomous teeth: nay the very monsters and huge fishes of the sea, war not amongst themselves in their own kind: but believe me, man at man's hand receiveth most harm and mischief.
- Pliny The Elder (23 AD - 79 AD)

Man’s cruelty to man is hardly a new phenomenon.

Adversity makes men, and prosperity makes monsters.
- Victor Marie Hugo

How can seven words say so much?

America does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own.
- John Quincy Adams (1767 - 1848)

Oh well. It’s been a long time since JQA was around, and this country is changed. We not only go abroad in search of monsters we actively create them when there aren’t any readily available. What else would you expect from a country with a foreign policy dictated by the military-industrial complex?

The Stretch: It Could Have Been Worse

The Tigers finished this year’s schedule stretch from hell on Sunday. They ended the 16 game run against the Indians, Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox, and Blue Jays with an unimpressive 7-9 record. Most disappointing was that the Tiger lost each series against the three playoff teams from last year. The Tigers won only three of the ten games against the Yankees, Red Sox, and White Sox. Tiger pitching was a bit of a mixed bag. The starters faired well, but the bullpen repeatedly had difficulty holding leads and keeping games close. The Tiger hitters fell short in critical situations. They repeatedly failed to drive in runners in scoring position, but that is to be expected against better teams and pitchers.

Luckily, the White Sox also chose that stretch of games to stumble. The net result was the Tigers were left still clinging to 1.5 game lead in the Central Division and possessing the best record in the Major Leagues. They also still have the best team ERA in the MLB.

My impression is that the Tigers are close to being an elite team, but they haven’t yet made the mental leap necessary to get there. They didn’t look like they believed that they could win a series against the big three elite teams. The Tigers have the necessary talent. They are close. The playoffs are still a real possibility, but I don’t see them making a run at the World Series…yet.

El Fanfarron

The title translates to “the braggart.” My thanks go to Myke Gettle for his PhotoShop efforts. You can see the original poster here.

Happy Day of the Beast!

Happy day of the Beast: 06/06/06

Other than 666 one of the most often used symbols of the beast is the inverted pentagram.



That symbol is, of course, an inverted symbol of mankind.



Many of our nation's founding fathers were Freemasons and were well versed in this kind of symbology. Therefore, the stars on the US flag are the stars of man (with the point on top).



They considered the star-of-man pentagram so important that they even incorporated it into the layout of Washington DC with the White House placed at the apex.



Point on the top = man. Point on the bottom = the beast = Satan = evil.



Not a pretty picture, is it?

Now consider the stars on the symbol of the Republican Party.



Can you read the message in the stars? ;^)

Stalin's America

Regardless of your political preference, we all have to admit that the Florida 2000 recount was dubious. Bush was handed the victory in what was a statistical tie. As time went on, it looked more and more like the Supreme Court may have made the wrong call. As the New York Times reported on November 12, 2001, “An approach Mr. Gore and his lawyers rejected as impractical — a statewide recount — could have produced enough votes to tilt the election his way, no matter what standard was chosen to judge voter intent.” The study the Times quoted only concerned itself with votes that were actually cast. It doesn't even address all the people in heavily democratic areas who were simply not allowed to vote. Face the facts: Florida was stolen, and by extension Bush stole the 2000 election.

Fast forward to Bush vs. Kerry. Ohio 2004 was clearly broken, and now Robert F. Kennedy Jr's article in Rolling Stone magazine spells out GOP malfeasance in excruciating detail.

Voter fraud is nothing new in US history, but never before has it been so systematic and so extensive. The scary thing is that effectively nothing is being done to fix our voting system. It's just as broken now as it was in 2004. Before Democrats get too happy about Bush's terrible poll numbers and the prospects of the election this November they need to remember the words of Josef Stalin: "It's not who votes that counts. It's who counts the votes." It's become clear to anyone who makes the effort to look that we no longer have free and fair elections in this country. Everyone who claims to love this country should be outraged.

"My side won. What do I care?" What side is that, exactly? Aren't you on the side of democracy? Isn't that (allegedly) why we are in Iraq... to promote democracy? Isn’t the health of our republic more important than being able to say you rooted for the winner?

No, I am not wearing a tinfoil hat, but I'm not wearing blinders either. I am afraid for our Republic. Thomas Paine pointed out that voting, "is the right upon which all other rights depend." When your vote only counts if you choose the party in power, just how free are you?

ELECTION PREDICTION: The Republican Party will not only maintain control of both houses of Congress, they will expand their edge in the 2006 election.

Unless something dramatic changes, I'll be back in November to pick up my Nostradamus Award (or gladly eat crow).