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Author: Day BrownDay Brown Date: May 9, 2008 10:37
Napoleon listened to a promotion candidate's virtues, talents, &
accomplishments, but then:"I dont care about all that. Is he lucky?"
The United States certainly has been lucky. One historian noted how the
world's first great democratic empire made nations marvel, that whether
their means were adequate or not, they succeeded. Their leader was
notorious for hanging out with call girls, but his statecraft is still
admired, and how he knew how to use just the right amount of force to
unseat a tyrant.
But then, his successor, from a prominent well connected family, got
them engaged in a needless distant and costly war trying to spread
democracy, wanting to make a name for himself in history. Like his
predecessor, Pericles, and indeed, many do know who Alcibiades was.
But the disaster proved the luck had run out. Vassals and allies were no
longer willing to put up with the corruption. The oligarchs who'd been
running things with him as a front man, dispensed with the charade that
they still had a functional democracy.
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Author: Sir FrederickSir Frederick Date: May 9, 2008 11:10
On Fri, 09 May 2008 12:37:14 -0500, Day Brown hughes.net> wrote:
>Napoleon listened to a promotion candidate's virtues, talents, &
>accomplishments, but then:"I dont care about all that. Is he lucky?"
>
>The United States certainly has been lucky. One historian noted...
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Author: Day BrownDay Brown Date: May 9, 2008 20:43
Sir Frederick wrote:
> For the liberal the very word and concept of "character" does
> not exist, for the conservative "character" is too tied up in
> historical rules and cliches. Neither understand the actual
> nature of humanity and human beings, thus operation by fantasy
> is common.
> Within that misperception and with the promulgation of "modern"
> tools, both of "peace" and "war", the times they are a changing.
> "Luck" still occurs, it is just spread out more.
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Author: ImmortalistImmortalist Date: May 9, 2008 23:55
On May 9, 8:43 pm, Day Brown hughes.net> wrote:> Sir Frederick wrote:
>> For the liberal the very word and concept of "character" does
>> not exist, for the conservative "character" is too tied up in
>> historical rules and cliches. Neither understand the actual
>> nature of humanity and human beings, thus operation by fantasy
>> is common.
>> Within that misperception and with the promulgation of "modern"
>> tools, both of "peace" and "war", the times they are a changing.
>> "Luck" still occurs, it is just spread out more.
>
> Reasonable. I think there is a growing understanding of why we have this
> epidemic of neuroses, this "American Malaise".
>
> http://discovermagazine.com/2008/may/25-how-much-do-chemicals-affect-...
> discusses more severe conditions, but does mention how it is manifest in
> a general decline in the level of rationality. Dietary contamination and
> deficiency, raising kids on sugar cereals, junkfood, and soda, does not
> result in maximal mental development.
> ...
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Author: ZerkonXZerkonX Date: May 10, 2008 06:37
On Fri, 09 May 2008 12:37:14 -0500, Day Brown wrote:
> But then, his successor, from a prominent well connected family, got
> them engaged in ...trying to spread democracy
Until one understands the absolute lie in this statement, luck will never
be a friend other than in imagination.
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Author: Day BrownDay Brown Date: May 11, 2008 17:49
Beg pardon if this is a repeat. got server trouble..
Eat the rich wrote:
> If you have a good infrastructure and a good economic base, you can
> survive the occasional bad leader.
That is the question. How high can oil prices go before the schitt hits
the fan?
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