Wednesday, June 29, 2005

The Effect of War on Human Behavior

In The History of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides describes for us the situation in the city of Corcyra. Some in Corcyra favored Athenian democracy and others favored the oligarchy of Lacedaemonia. A civil war broke out and allies of the opposing parties were called in. The Athenian ships that arrived intimidated the the Spartans and inspired the democrats in Corcyra.
Thucydides writes, "Civil war brought many hardships to the cities... In peace and prosperity, cities and private individuals alike are better minded because they are not plunged into the necessity of doing anything against their will; but WAR IS A VIOLENT TEACHER; it gives most people impules that are as bad as their situation when it takes away the easy supply of what they need for daily life."

When individuals control their own property and have the liberty to trade goods and services with eachother they can, through their hard work, create an "easy supply of what they need for daily life." As law-makers encroach upon our natural, God-given rights the bad side of human nature will show itself more and more.

Thucydides continues, ""Civil war ran through the cities; those it struck later heard what the first cities had done and far exceede them in inventing artful means for attack and bizarre forms of revenge. And they reversed the usual way of using words to evaluate activies. Ill-considered boldnes was counted as loyal manliness; prudent hesitation was held to be cowardice in disguise, and moderation merely the cloak of an unmanly nature. A mind that could grasp the good of the whole was considered wholly lazy. Sudden fury was accepted as part of manly valor... A man who started a quarrel was always to be trusted, while one who opposed him was under suspicion. A man who made a plot was intelligent if it happened to succeed, while one who could smell out a plot was deemed even more clever. Anyone who took precautions, however, so as not to need to do either one, had been frightened by the other side (they would say) into subverting his own political party. In brief, a man was praised if he could commit some evil action before anyone else did, or if he could cheer on another person who had never meant to do such a thing.
"Family ties were not so close as those of the political parties, because their members would readily dare to do anything on the slightest pretext. These parties, you see, were not formed under existing laws for the good, but for avarice in violation of established law. And the oaths they swore to each other had their authority not so much by divine law, as by their being partners in breaking the law. And if their opponents gave a good speech, if they were the stronger party, they did not receive it in a generous spirit, but with an eye to prevent its taking effect."

Many aspects of human nature during war that Thucydides describes can be seen today among us. The world is at war and liberty is under attack, hence, individuals can be expected to act more and more selfish, avaricious, and evil.

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

The Real American Dollar

From Plan for Establishing Uniformity in the Coinage, Weights, and Measures of the United States COMMUNICATED TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, JULY 13, 1790

"Let the money unit, or dollar, contain eleventh-twelfths of an ounce of pure silver. This will be 376 troy grains, (or more exactly, 375.989343 troy grains,) ....This, with the twelfth of alloy already established, will make the dollar or unit, of the weight of an ounce, or of a cubic inch of rain water, exactly."

The dollar was clearly a fixed amount of silver. Since this is no longer the case, saving and planning for the average American is difficult (and for some, undesirable). With each new Federal Reserve Note that is issued,the value of each existing note is decreased. In this manner the power holders take wealth from those that earned it and funnel it somewhere where it can serve their purpose.

Monday, June 27, 2005

Thomas Jefferson on government in his first inaugural address

Still one thing more, fellow-citizens. A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicities.