I would also suggest Barbara Tuchman's "March of Folly"; Chapter Three-The Renaissance Popes Provoke the Protestant Secessioin: 1470-1530! cleve
Posted by cleve at August 30, 2007 11:00 AMVery nice!
Posted by Marie at August 30, 2007 12:16 PMAs we're currently constituted, humans are a cancer slowly killing the planet, always needing more -- more food, more room, more power. Unless nature works a miracle and evolves us into reasoning, constructive beings able to nurture our fragile habitat, Machiavelli will merely have been one step in our merry march to oblivion.
Posted by dalloway at August 30, 2007 01:07 PM"The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him."
Niccolo Machiavelli
"It is necessary for him who lays out a state and arranges laws for it to presuppose that all men are evil and that they are always going to act according to the wickedness of their spirits whenever they have free scope."
Niccolo Machiavelli
love that old quote Tiki. I have amended that to say "smart rulers want dumber subordinates so as to feel superior, dumb rulers want smart subordinates to help him make correct decisions, really dumb rulers get dumb subordinates but think they are smart". I think you can guess which version we currently have.
Posted by T2 at August 30, 2007 02:26 PMYea, and if you wan't to look thin....hang out with a bunch of fat people!
Rodney Dangerfield
Good post. I go back and forth on this issue with the Dems simingly ineffectual actions... and it made me think.. if your opponent is a killer - and killing is wrong - then do you prepare yourself to kill them instead of be killed or show them another way??.. i think the Dems think killing is wrong, but have bought into the defensive mode without taking a strong position as an offensive one. They seem to be so afraid to be wrong about not being afraid that they aren't forceful enough for people to be willing to stand behind them.
Posted by Steve Talbert at August 30, 2007 07:55 PM