"There were two 'Reigns of Terror', if we could but remember and consider it; the one wrought murder in hot passions, the other in heartless cold blood; the one lasted mere months, the other had lasted a thousand years; the one inflicted death upon a thousand persons, the other upon a hundred million; but our shudders are all for the horrors of the... momentary Terror, so to speak; whereas, what is the horror of swift death by the axe compared with lifelong death from hunger, cold, insult, cruelty and heartbreak? A city cemetery could contain the coffins filled by that brief terror that we have all been so diligently taught to shiver at and mourn over; but all France could hardly contain the coffins filled by that older and real Terror - that unspeakable bitter and awful Terror which none of us has been taught to see in its vastness or pity as it deserves."

Mark Twain, writing about the French Revolution,
in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

This Guy Is So Cool

Boys and girls (Do any girls read this blog? If so, comment in the replies and assert your feminine identity, because I'm really curious. Additionally, does anyone read this blog?), I would like to introduce you to Ken Silverstein, Washington Editor for Harper's magazine and blogger for Harpers online. Here is his comment on Barack Obama's recent decision to delay his meeting with the Dali Lama in order to curry favor with the Chinese government.

"Mind you, I think the Dalai Lama is an overrated gasbag who’s never accomplished much of anything, and that many Western supporters of the Holy Lord, Gentle Glory, Compassionate, Defender of the Faith, Ocean of Wisdom are dippy pretend Buddhists. Still, he does represent the people of Tibet and it’s sad that Obama appears to have even less courage than George W. Bush when it comes to accommodating the Chinese government."

An article cited by Silverstein points out that this will be the first time since 1991 that the Dali Lama will visit the United States and NOT meet with the president. Additionally, George W. Bush, of all people, was apparently the first sitting president to meet publicly with the Dali Lama. This isn't quite as shocking as it may seem, after a little reflection, when you take into account his vociferous hatred of those (i.e. China) who "hate democracy." (i.e. Him) Still, on the surface level, he is making Obama look bad by comparison, something I never conceived to be possible. Pretty disheartening.