hey, Michael, I don't know what jogged my thoughts in your post ... maybe it was the image of the Roman commander looking down on Carthage and saying, "burn down all the buildings, then plow the fields under with salt".
so, in that vein, read an interesting post on David Tice's website earlier ...
btw, for those who find the Senate trial and vote disturbing and troubling, as I do, by coincidence in my morning devotional yesterday I came across a couple of verses that hauntingly echo what's happening now in our polity (1 Sam 8:7, 1 Sam 8:18)
Peter
prudentbear.com
Clinton Acquittal - A Faustian Deal
Posted By: Thinking Bear <gotech@mindspring.com>
Date: Friday, 2/12/99, at 4:33 p.m.
In a recent Gallup poll, nearly 80% of US Citizens agreed President
Clinton is guilty of perjury. Yet only 33% believed he should be removed from office. Most believe he has committed a felony, yet most believe he should remain in office. This dichotomy is best explained by the state of the US economy. Most people have jobs and low interest rates mean that many Americans can afford nice homes. The stock market has made impressive gains and this has added to the overall feeling of well-being and affluence.
Faust was an old philosopher who sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for knowledge and power. It is though US citizens have made a similar bargain in which they have sacrificed moral principle for short-term wealth and comfort. In any Faustian deal, the Devil always takes his due. If I were the Devil, I would make US investors pay dearly for this bargain. I would start by inflicting heavy losses on the stock market and follow that with steeper and steeper losses. I would punish each bounce with an even steeper decline. I would entice Bulls to buy rallies only to turn on them like a
cobra snake. When stocks started paying decent dividends again and even Bears started bargain hunting, I would punish the market yet again. I would not quit until each investor was brought to his/her knees. I would not quit until each investor swore he/she would never own another share again. And on January 20, 2001, when the sun finally set on the Clinton Administration, I would have each citizen of this Republic rue the day the US Senate failed to convict President Clinton. If I were the devil, that's how I would get my due. What do you think the real devil will do?
Thinking Bear |
