Migration or Invasion?

Through out history there has been a number of migrations, at times forced, and invasions that result in either new nations being created or loss of territory. Many times it’s not just a transfer of control of territory but an influx of a new culture displacing the prevous one. We find this situation with Alexander the Great. The Macedonians had adopted Greek culture and language. Eventually they were the point of the Greek spear into Asia Minor. Alexander comes to the throne after his father’s death and puts in place his father’s plan to defeat the Persians. To make a long story short, history tells us that as Alexander was defeating the Egyptians, the Phoenicians, and eventually all of Persia he dragged the Hellenistic culture with him. By doing this he changed the culture in that part of the world for a millennia and made Greek the international language for centuries.

Other times the invaders adopted the culture of the vanquished. Again we can turn to Greek history to the times of the Minoans. There is some scholarly difference of opinion as to the actual mechanism of the Minoans falling to the Mycenaean but after a few centuries the Minoans fell. The interesting aspect is that the Mycenaean adopted the Minoans, but when they came to power the Mycenaean operated the society as the Minoans did.

There are those instances where migration and a mixing of cultures over borders happens during the course of decades or possibly over a century or two. There are a number of examples of this scenario. Probably the one that is most likely known from high school but usually misunderstood is the Barbarian invasions into the Roman Empire. The over all impression left from a high school class is the barbarians, sometimes actually referred to as Germanic tribes, invaded the empire and sacked Rome. In some enriched classes in accredited high schools they may entertain concepts such as the Huns invasion into Europe and the use of German tribes as mercenary troops.

Scholars in the past generally agreed that various Germanic tribes caroused around Europe fighting each other or entangling themselves in battles with the Celts living in the area. Germans and Romans eventually clash in CE 9 with the decimation of the Roman troops. From that time onward the Romans made few large scale probes into German territory. Over time some Germans migrated in to Roman territory as farmers and even slaves and eventually a sort of parity developed between the two. The Huns changed this situation when they invaded Europe. They swallowed up eastern Germanic tribes outside the empire and drove others into the arms of the Romans. The Romans who were finding defense difficult against the Huns drafted individual Germans and in some cases whole tribes into the military. The Visigoths were one such tribe that was drafted into the Roman military. As the Huns dwindled after Attila’s death the Germans continued to infiltrate and defeat Roman legions with the Visigoths eventually sacking Rome.

Modern scholarship points to a little different situation. True the groups of people labeled Germans were tribal and yes they did defeat Roman Legions in CE 9, but there was ea balance between the Romans and the Germans. Dr. Norman Etherington in his American Historical Review[1] points to recent scholarship that the Germans were not some “fur-clad invaders from far away”[2] but they were groups and in some cases villages outside the borders of the empire. Over time Germans migrated into the empire peacefully. The Visigoths came into the empire as Roman troops and because of mistreatment went to war and sacked Rome in CE 410.

By the time the Huns (CE 451) came into the picture, the ‘German’ populations were not just along the borders but were numerous in parts of the interior. The Huns put pressure on groups outside of the empire and drove those already inside deeper into Roman territory. The Romans and Germans held a line against the Huns but the pushed migration of Germans into the empire changed the demographics in such a way that eventually the empire in the west collapsed. There were internal battles and starting in CE 527 some re-conquering of territory by the Byzantines under Justinian. With the short lived victories Western Europe fell into various tribal governments. The aspect of this event to take note of is that the Germans didn’t so much invade, as heavily migrate into better territory and over time became the majority culture.

In our modern world we find similar problems. The situation with Kosovo and the Serbians has the same overtones. Kosovo since antiquity was seen as a part of the Serbian homeland. Kosovo today is an enclave of ethnic Albanians and a minority of ethnic Serbians that is a recognized international state. Its beginnings however are tied much closer to Serbia. In fact Kosovo is remembered by many as Old Serbia and since the 1100s as the homeland of the Serbian people. In the 1400s the Ottoman Turks controlled the region and with the end of World War One the region was coalesced into what would in modern history be called Yugoslavia. With the Tito and the communist era Kosovo was seen as a semi-autonomous region of Yugoslavia. With the 1990s, Serbian irredentist feelings gave rise to its claims over Kosovo. Its arguments included the history of the area and the ties to it as their homeland. The new residents were appeased and on June 16, 2008 with the backing of the United States, Kosovo was recognized with full international status.[3]

We now look at the US southwest. One has to wonder if the US will support a similar situation there as it did with Kosovo. We have seen from the history of the past two centuries how the US treated its indigenous populations and how Indian land was reallocated. In fact most of the west including California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas was all part of Mexico. The population was a mix of Indians, Spanish Europeans, mestizos (Spanish-Indian), and Criollos (European descent born in America). However, through the conquest of the US government and their imperial notion of Manifest Destiny these groups of people were either expelled or subjugated by the new government administering the area. This situation has persisted with border travesties occurring and within the last 30 years increasing. The demographic differences in the southwest are now detectable because of migration. Peoples who were divorced from their ancestral homes are migrating back and not paying attention to borders. They’re not invading, but moving to an area that is economically better. As of 2008 13 million illegal immigrants were living in the US. The immigration pattern isn’t that different from what was going on with the Germans into Roman territory, or Albanians into Kosovo. The situation of immigrants moving to an area that has superior economic advantages will eventually change the demographics with the foreign (new) culture becoming the majority culture.

Looking at this situation it seems if things continue the southwest of the US will eventually become culturally Mexican and predominantly Spanish speaking. Judging from history it would not be impossible if the southwest was reunited to Mexico or as with Kosovo, made independent. There are a number of reasons for this. The territory was originally Mexican so there are national and political irredentist aspects involved. Additionally, the Mexican population in the US southwest is climbing and in some areas becoming the majority. What would the US response be if a majority of the UN Security-Council called for a demilitarization of the Southwest border of the US or as in the case of Kosovo, just determine it to be a separate entity? Would the US government be as supportive of the geopolitical change in the US southwest as they were with Kosovo, or for that matter as with Croatia and Slovenia? Would the US government still think what is good for the goose is good for the gander? If it occurs will it be seen as a migration or an invasion? Probably what is written will depend on who writes it, the immigrant or the government.

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[1] Etherington, Norman. 2011. Barbarians Ancient and Modern. The American Historical Association 116 (1):31-57.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Jansen, G. Richard. Albanians and Serbs in Kosovo: An Abbreviated History, an Opening for the Islamic Jihad in Europe, Colorado State University, July 22, 2008 April 25, 1999 (accessed Dec 20, 2009) http://lamar.colostate.edu/~grjan/kosovohistory.html.

Cultures Still Clashing, Indigenous vs. Transnational

Sorry for not posting since earlier this year. A number of different circumstances have kept me from posting but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been noticing things.

Once again the people of the ‘Land Where the Partridge Drums’ are being pressured and squeezed by the majority cultures that surround them. Most would think I would be talking about the government but it’s actually found in the fourth estate too. Recently reading something from the Irish Times I was surprised by how Akwesasne was described. The author of the article, Lorraine Mallinder, states that,“the Mohawk reservation has no living, beating heart, just a series of potholed roads featuring scattered shops with names such as ““Another Damn Cigarette Store,” a glitzy redbrick casino rising surreally from a vast expanse of wasteland and no shortage of mangy stray dogs. Outside law and order are clearly not welcome, judging by a roadside sign proclaiming the border patrol, state police, FBI and others to be “terrorists.””[1] To be fair she does point out the peace and quiet and beauty of the location. However she does spin the wonderful fishing with reeling in AK-47s and cartons of cigarettes.[2] Yes, there are problems on the reservation with drugs and some violence as there is in almost every community in the US to one degree or another. Overall Akwesasne is more peaceful and safer than a number of cities I have stayed at and I doubt it has anything like the murder or robbery rate of any of the major cities, such as New York, Detroit, Miami or the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex. It is the above portrayal of the Akwesasne area as a no law, shootem’ up wild-west that colors all of the conversation about the area and ends up hurting the area financially, physically and in a way spiritually. It scares investors away and keeps entrepreneurial endeavors bottled up.

Most will say that smuggling is the problem. That all the ills of this Native society are the cross-border trade of contra-band such as cigarettes, marijuana, and supposed illegal immigrants. First, as for the illegal contraband, I do not know of anybody in or outside of Indian tribal government (traditional or modern) that supports the sale, distribution, or transportation of illegal drugs, or individuals that are deemed dangerous or involved in terrorism in the US or Canada. As for legal products and Native people crossing the imaginary border, strictly speaking, the Mohawks aren’t smuggling at all. The two international states that claim geographic sovereignty over the area refuse to understand the historic and long-term truth. They took the land from Akwesasne, the current reservation and a considerable amount of land outside of the reservation, was originally Mohawk land. There was no border it was their land and they could go wherever they wanted. It wasn’t until after the War of 1812 this all changed. The Euro-Americans had made provisions for property deeds so that their possessions were intact, however, when it came to the Mohawks, they were determined to be “citizens” of the territory they found themselves in. So to the Mohawks the idea of smuggling is imposed upon them.

In fact in an article, entitled “Life on the 45^th Parallel,” there was a rebuttal article to the original. Charles Kader, the author states the Mohawks’ view of events clearly. Mohawks “do not consider themselves citizens of either the US or Canada, but as free, sovereign people. These are the same people who once were described by British monarch Queen Anne as “the queen’s special forces” due to their prowess and specialized skill set. Recognition does not require subjugation.”[3]

In fact he writes how Mallinder’s article completely misses the uniqueness of the people, the culture, and the surrounding area. In correcting her view of Akwesasne he writes concerning the sovereignty of the nation and what would seem a viable solution, “to break free of both Canada and the US and function as a sovereign border state, à la Grand Duchy of Luxembourg or Swiss Confederation.”[4] It is doubtful that the either the US or Canada would allow such a construct. I could not foresee either of them wanting a Chinese embassy in Hogansburg, NY. However, there could be some form of semi-autonomous entity that would be possible but even that is doubtful considering the present climate.

Akwesasne is plagued by not only the governments that surround and strangle it but the sensationalizing of those who want to write about an area they know little about.

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[1] Mallinder, Lorraine. Smuggling trails make for a bustling nightlife on the reservation, Irish Times 2011 [cited April 23, Available from http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2011/0423/1224295311021.html.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Kader, Charles. Life on the 45th Parallel. Irish Times 2011 [cited April 29. Available from http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/letters/2011/0429/1224295671499.html.

[4] Ibid.

Revolutions

People in the capital were at their wits end with the government. They were sick of being kept down and poor with no real rights, and an autocratic ruler. Over successive days the crowd started to grow. Soon civilian militias started taking on the government troops and in some places the soldiers agreed with the plight of the people. The military even started to fight along side them. Revolution fervor was contagious and it started to spread to other countries linking the area’s classical liberal movements. Each revolution was unique but the central theme was to increase representation and have a fairer society. In some places there was even talk of women’s rights. What I am describing isn’t the revolutions of today, but the Revolutions of 1848.

During the last month we have seen the burning torch of revolution and freedom blazing across North Africa and parts of the Middle East. Starting in Tunisia, moving to Egypt, Yemen and then Bahrain and now we see freedom fighters in Libya going up against a determined dictator. Some of the revolutions have been successful and in some cases have actually set up new governments. However, time will tell if they are successful

The Revolutions of 1848 didn’t end too well. In France the working class and the bourgeoisie liberal class were growing tired of the policies of King Louis Philippe and his minister Francois Guizot. Political banquets were being held around the country agitating for protests against the King. Louis Philippe sent troops to break up the banquet in Paris. Shots were fired and the people once again, as in 1789, went to the barricades. The Nations Guard, which had become politically disenfranchised, went over to the radical’s side and on February 24, 1848 King Louis Philippe was deposed. Alphonse Lamartine formed a provisional government that promoted the right to vote, to free speech, to property, and to a secular education. This became a problem for the conservative monarchist and the bourgeoisie liberal class. They were concerned that the workers would take over and feared a return to the dark days of the Revolution of 1789. The provisional government set up a social democracy with social programs and national workshops to provide work for the unemployed. This caused a flight of the plutocratic wealth and a crash of the stock market. Taxes were increased against the working class and this created more financial trouble. The stances between the bourgeoisie liberal class and the new social democrat working class grew uneasy because of a number of differences in the nature of work, the right to unionize and to pay levels. Further, there were disagreements over the rights of citizens and laissez-faire capitalism.[1]

In April the elections for a permanent government resulted in a very conservative majority in the National Assembly. Debates began over the various social programs and by June the national workshops were closed. Class tensions rose, worker groups rose up in rebellion. They said the government had betrayed the revolution and they wanted a redistribution of wealth. A bourgeoisie and conservative coalition formed against the workers. The workers revolted trying to force their agenda. Eventually, General Louis-Eugène Cavaignac assumes powers and puts down the rebellion with 10,000 dead and a decided victory for the conservatives. In November of 1848 a new constitution was put in place with an elected president and a one-house legislature. During the December elections Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte was elected as the first president of the second French Republic. The nephew and heir of Napoléon Bonaparte was the law and order candidate and defeated Cavaignac with 75% of the votes. The bourgeoisie opinion had moved to the right and under this atmosphere the new president, Bonaparte, purged the government of liberals and replaced them with monarchist and ultra-conservatives. Representing himself as the man of the people Bonaparte disbanded the National Assembly and held new elections. His use of force against anyone who disagreed or dissented was widely known.[2]

During the third year of his presidency and with a four-year term limit looming, he asked the National Assembly for an amendment to the constitution. The monarchists in the assembly refused having designs of reinstituting the monarchy from the House of Bourbon or of Orléans. In a calculated risk and putting his hopes on the lower classes and the backing of the military, Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte declared himself Napoléon III ruler of the Second French Empire. A plebiscite was held and his absolute rule was confirmed by the masses.[3]

Here we see an example of a popular revolution with the backing of the common people going through a familiar scenario of rights and services being delivered to the poor. In some cases there is even a redistribution of land. However, over time the plutocratic wealth of the country will, in this case through conservatives and the wealthy bourgeoisie, revamp society. The new regime that comes to power will have more power than the original purported autocracy that was deposed. The common worker will at best stay at status quo but in most cases society is financially ratcheted down with a great majority just holding on. Through it all the taste of freedom still remains on the lips of the common worker.

The scenario may be different sometimes but the outcome seems to be the same. In some cases the rulers of the country gave deference to the working and common poor. In Prussia representative government was, against all odds allowed to flourish by Frederick Wilhelm IV. He permitted an assembly and held the military in check. Across Germany revolts broke out and the movement toward a united Kingdom of Germany was almost realized. The Frankfort assembly formulated a government and even offered the crown eventually to the King of Prussia, Frederick Wilhelm IV. However, in a turn of events the system was repudiated the Prussian army crushed the revolution. Germany didn’t unite until 1870 through, as Bismarck said “Blut und Eisner” (Blood & Iron), the Franco-Prussian War.[4]

In other cases the regime will use the superior firepower and outside allies, to attack and destroy the rebels. Hungary in 1848 wanted to devolve itself from the Austrian Empire. The Austrian forces struck back and attacked the Hungarian forces with the help of Czar Nicholas I of Russia and 140,00 soldiers.[5] Hungary would have to wait until 1867 to have its own parliament. It will be interesting to see what the outcome will be in Libya.

Most other examples people like to draw on eventually lead to the same end. The French Revolutions ended with Napoléon I. The Russian Revolution and reorganization of society ended under Stalin and the 30 million dead left in his wake. Some will ask what about the American Revolution? In the classical sense it wasn’t a revolution but a colonial war, with the colony winning its independence. Unlike the typical revolution where the ruler is deposed and killed (Czar & Louis XVI), King George III lived to 1820 and was still on the throne while Napoléon I was in prison on St. Helena.

It will be interesting to see how the new governments in Tunisia, Egypt, and the revolutions in Bahrain, Yemen, and Libya end. If we can use 1848 as a guide the prospects for freedom in all of them seem slim. The question is, what type of government will come to the forefront and take over? What type of government will serve the plutocrats best?

[1] Dr. Ernest R. Rugenstein, “Revolutions of 1848” (lecture, Hudson Valley Community College, Troy, NY, March 8. 2011).

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.

Did you see that quote?

For my last blog post of 2010 I thought I would examine different quotes I found on social networking. I have a blog, a couple of twitter accounts, a facebook page, and follow a few blogs and facebook groups. Additionally, I have a linkedin account and between them all I am in contact with a large number of people (500). As I have been viewing and reading the various pages and blogs I see a number of different quotes popping up. Sometimes they are on a facebook status or in a comment area. Other times the quote is in a blog or in the online writings of others. There are two things that I have noticed about these quotations. First, some of the quotes are at times from people who would, at the very least be seen as counter-cultural or even possibly anti-social. Second, in a strange way the quotes are applicable to the times we are living in today. So here are some quotes I have found in the last year on the net. I am not going to disclose the people posting the quote, just the quote itself.

Here are the quotes in no particular order:

Without law and order our nation cannot survive. ~ Adolf Hitler

“No one is more hopelessly enslaved than the person who falsely believes he is free.” ~ Johann Goethe

"I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations, which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength and bid defiance to the laws of our country." ~ Thomas Jefferson

The great foe of democracy now and in the near future is plutocracy. Every year that passes brings out this antagonism more distinctly. It is to be the social war of the twentieth century. In that war militarism, expansion and imperialism will all favor plutocracy. In the first place, war and expansion will favor jobbery, both in the dependencies and at home. In the second place, they will take away the attention of the people from what the plutocrats are doing. In the third place, they will cause large expenditures of the people’s money, the return for which will not go into the treasury, but into the hands of a few schemers. In the fourth place, they will call for a large public debt and taxes, and these things especially tend to make men unequal, because any social burdens bear more heavily on the weak than on the strong, and so make the weak weaker and the strong stronger. Therefore expansion and imperialism are a grand onslaught on democracy. ~William Graham Summer

Terrorism is the best political weapon for nothing drives people harder than a fear of sudden death. ~Adolf Hitler

We're not a democracy. It's a terrible misunderstanding and a slander to the idea of democracy to call us that. In reality, we're a plutocracy: a government by the wealthy." ~ Ramsey Clark, former U.S. Attorney General

‎"Of all forms of tyranny the least attractive and the most vulgar is the tyranny of mere wealth, the tyranny of plutocracy" ~ John Pierpont Morgan

It is enough that the people know there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything. ~ Joseph Stalin

"I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations, which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength and bid defiance to the laws of our country." ~ Thomas Jefferson

“. . .it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” ~ Herman Goering

Anyone who'd sell out a whole town wouldn't hesitate to double-cross one man ~ Arnold Rothstein

"If you pray for rain long enough, it eventually does fall. If you pray for floodwaters to abate, they eventually do. However, the same happens in the absence of prayers." ~ Steve Allen

All great movements are popular movements. They are the volcanic eruptions of human passions and emotions, stirred into activity by the ruthless Goddess of Distress or by the torch of the spoken word cast into the midst of the people.

~ Adolf Hitler

"Blind faith is an ironic gift to return to the Creator of human intelligence." ~Anonymous

Through clever and constant application of propaganda, people can be made to see paradise as hell, and also the other way round, to consider the most wretched sort of life as paradise. ~ Adolf Hitler

‎"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires." ~ Susan B. Anthony

What good fortune for governments that the people do not think. ~ Adolf Hitler

"Man is a marvelous curiosity ... he thinks he is the Creator's pet ... he even believes the Creator loves him; has a passion for him; sits up nights to admire him; yes, and watch over him and keep him out of trouble. He prays to him and thinks He listens. Isn't that a quaint idea?" ~ Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)

"But a short time elapsed after the death of the great reformer of the Jewish religion, before his principles were departed from by those who professed to be his special servants, and perverted into an engine for enslaving mankind, and aggrandizing their oppressors in Church and State." ~ Thomas Jefferson

The great masses of the people will more easily fall victims to a big lie than to a small one. ~ Adolf Hitler

"Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burned, tortured, fined, and imprisoned, yet we have not advanced one inch toward uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half of the world fools, and the other half hypocrites." ~ Thomas Jefferson

"Please do not whitewash your inherent faults with your acquired virtues. I would have the faults; they are like mine own." ~ Kahlil Gibran

With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things, but, for good people to do evil things, that takes religion. ~ Steven Weinberg

"The foolish reject what they see and not what they think; the wise reject what they think and not what they see."

~ Huang Po

What God lacks, is convictions and stability of character. He ought to make a decision and either be a Presbyterian or a Catholic or something...and not try to be everything. ~ Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)

If God is willing to prevent evil, but unable, then he is not omnipotent. If God is able, but not willing, then he is malevolent. If God is both able and willing, then whence cometh evil? If God is neither able nor willing...then why call him God? ~ Epicurus

"If I really believed that the Jews killed God . . . I’d worship the Jews." ~ Bill Hicks

The great foe of democracy now and in the near future is plutocracy. Every year that passes brings out this antagonism more distinctly. It is to be the social war of the twentieth century. In that war militarism, expansion and imperialism w...ill all favor plutocracy. In the first place, war and expansion will favor jobbery, both in the dependencies and at home. In the second place, they will take away the attention of the people from what the plutocrats are doing. In the third place, they will cause large expenditures of the people’s money, the return for which will not go into the treasury, but into the hands of a few schemers. In the fourth place, they will call for a large public debt and taxes, and these things especially tend to make men unequal, because any social burdens bear more heavily on the weak than on the strong, and so make the weak weaker and the strong stronger. Therefore expansion and imperialism are a grand onslaught on democracy. ~William Graham Summer

"There’s a phrase we live by in America: “In God We Trust”. And it’s right there where Jesus would want it...on our money." ~ Bill Maher

The time to buy is when the blood is running in the streets. ~ Nathan Rothschild

The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one. ~ George Bernard Shaw

It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept, which I cannot take seriously. I also cannot imagine some will or goal outside the human sphere. Science has been charged with undermining morality, but the charge is unjust. A man’s ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death. ~ Albert Einstein

"The government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." ~ John Adams

"O Lord our God, help us tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble ...homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with their little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it..." ~ Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)

If a man is dumb, someone is going to get the best of him, so why not you? If you don't, you're as dumb as he is. ~ Arnold Rothstein

He who controls the money supply of a nation controls the nation. ~ James A. Garfield

Give me control of a nation's money, and I care not who makes the laws." ~ Mayer Amschel Rothschild

A brave man is a man who dares to look the Devil in the face and tell him he is a Devil. ~ James A. Garfield

We moralize among ruins. ~ Benjamin Disrael

We live in an age when to be young and to be indifferent can be no longer synonymous. We must prepare for the coming hour. The claims of the future are represented by suffering millions; and the youth of a nation are the trustees of Posterity. ~ Benjamin Disraeli

It makes no difference if I burn my bridges behind me - I never retreat.

~ Fiorello LaGuardia

Leadership is particularly necessary to ensure ready acceptance of the unfamiliar and that, which is contrary to tradition. ~ Cyril Falls

Because my love for you is beyond words, I decided to shut up. ~ Nizar Qabbani

The policeman isn't there to create disorder; the policeman is there to preserve disorder. ~ Mayor Richard J. Daley (Chicago)

Me, I'm dishonest, and you can always trust a dishonest man to be dishonest. Honestly, it's the honest ones you have to watch out for. ~Johnny Depp

Arbitrary power is most easily established on the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness. ~ George Washington

Kings may be judges of the earth, but wise men are the judges of kings. ~Solomon Ibn Gabirol

I've had a few arguments with people, but I never carry a grudge. You know why? While you're carrying a grudge, they're out dancing ~Buddy Hackett

You can't tell a millionaire's son from a billionaire's. ~ Vance Packard

The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success.~ Bruce Feirstein

When all you own is a hammer, every problem starts looking like a nail. ~Abraham Maslow

Everything depends on circumstances. ~ Leon Trotsky

Success is the sole earthly judge of right and wrong. ~Adolf Hitler

“The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly - it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over” ~ Joseph Goebbels

Every collectivist revolution rides in on a Trojan horse of 'emergency'. It was the tactic of Lenin, Hitler, and Mussolini. In the collectivist sweep over a dozen minor countries of Europe, it was the cry of men striving to get on horseback. And 'emergency' became the justification of the subsequent steps. This technique of creating emergency is the greatest achievement that demagoguery attains. ~ Herbert Hoover

All great movements are popular movements. They are the volcanic eruptions of human passions and emotions, stirred into activity by the ruthless Goddess of Distress or by the torch of the spoken word cast into the midst of the people.

~ Adolf Hitler

Through clever and constant application of propaganda, people can be made to see paradise as hell, and also the other way round, to consider the most wretched sort of life as paradise. ~ Adolf Hitler

What good fortune for governments that the people do not think. ~ Adolf Hitler

As I read them through these quotes I found that most of them, even though the quotes in some cases are 40 or 50 years old, dealt with some aspect of how people feel about society, culture, or the government or some aspect of each today. There is definitely a dark side proffered here, a side of distrust and maybe a little fear. I’ll be interested in the type of quotes I’ll read in the coming year. Be back in 2011. . . .