“I heartily accept the motto — “That government is best which governs least”: and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which I also believe — “That government is best which governs not at all”: and when men are really ready for it, that is the kind of government that they will have.” — Henry David Thoreau

A just lament from a pastoral patriot, one who carried a more pure vision of what the founding fathers were trying to achieve for their ancestors (us) than can be found in today’s society. Today’s government is too busy attempting to legislate morality to stop and consider the truism, as vocalized by Will Rogers, “The people never suffer as much as when Congress is in session.” It’s too late to change it now, however; we missed our chance already.  Our beloved ruling class has too much invested in the way things are to ever entertain the faintest notion that things would get better, or be better, if they’d just stop trying to regulate everyone’s behavior to suit some outdated, discriminatory Judeo-Christian notion of propriety. Besides, there’s no money in it, and we all know that is priority number one for politicians.

“It’s said that ‘power corrupts’, but actually it’s  more true  that power attracts the corruptible.  The sane are usually attracted by other things than power.  When  they do  act,  they  think of it as service, which has limits. The tyrant, though, seeks mastery, for which he is  insatiable, implacable.” — David Brin, The Postman
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“What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance?  Let them take arms!”” — Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), Letter to Colonel W. S. Smith, 1787

I am serving notice here, to all and sundry who would abridge my freedoms for the sake of security, expediency, or any other reason: I will resist you unto death, yours or mine, it matters not at all to me.

“Joyous distrust is a sign of health. Everything absolute belongs to pathology.” — Nietzsche

So, what he’s saying here is that Doubting Thomas was correct, and that is heartening; for those having chosen to tread the path of reason, doubt is one of the most formidable tools available. In order to reason, first one must admit to being ignorant; only then will the mind learn how to walk toward the light of knowledge. Doubt is especially potent when used to examine the outrageous assertions made by public figures, and should be applied liberally in the special case of political pundits. Every word that leaves their mouths must be examined for veracity, because it is a proven fact that they will lie at the smallest opportunity. One of my favorite bumper stickers was originally stated by someone who understood this principle; it says “Question Authority”. It doesn’t mean deride authority, or challenge authority, or any other adverbial direction; it just means to apply one’s natural tendency to doubt to those who are in authority. It’s an unfortunate fact that, given the opportunity, those in authority will abuse the privileges that accompany Duty, and they always require close observation to prevent them from falling prey to temptation.  Doubt is the liberator of truth from the clutches of evil, and is worthy of our respect for that…..
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“The fundamental idea of good is that it consists in preserving life, in favoring it, in wanting to bring it to its highest value, and evil consist in destroying life, doing it injury, hindering its development.” — Albert Schweitzer

When I look back at the twentieth century, only one name comes to my mind when I think of a “saint”, and that name is Albert Schweitzer. Some folks will ask, “what about Mother Teresa”. Well, in my mind, she doesn’t qualify, because it always seemed to me that she got something out of being kind to the poor, and it wasn’t a sense of fulfillment. I think she enjoyed it because she could always assume the higher ground, spiritually speaking, and got a feeling of power from it. In the last days of her life, some of this inner vitriol against others began to show in her public utterances, indicating her lack of respect for others, her sense of entitlement, as it were. It seemed to me as if she had begun to believe all the crap everyone wrote about her, and lost whatever hold on reality she had.

Albert Schweitzer, on the other hand, apparently lived his life strictly according to the principles he outlined in this statement. It’s a pretty clear statement, and indicates to me that he had an intimate knowledge of human nature, as well as an insightful appreciation of human frailty in moral terms. If given the chance, humans will often fail to take the moral high road; if there is some sort of payoff, they’ll throw morality out like it was a baby in the bath water. He clearly saw the flaws in his fellow man, and still reacted with love to their imprecations. He dedicated the greater part of his adult life in service to others, never losing his optimism, or his faith in the inner goodness of each person he met. As far as I’m concerned, he deserves the label of saint, as no one else in that century does……
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“I don’t use drugs; my dreams are frightening enough.” — M. C. Escher

Well, there you have it, another fait accompli, one of 122 in a row. Not bad for an old fart with flat feet and excessive flatulence, eh? I hope you like the new artwork…..Let us go now, and greet the day….. y’all take care out there…..