“On the other hand, we denounce with righteous indignation and dislike men who are so beguiled and demoralized by the charms of pleasure of the moment, so blinded by desire, that they cannot foresee the pain and trouble that are bound to ensue; and equal blame belongs to those who fail in their duty through weakness of will, which is the same as saying through shrinking from toil and pain. These cases are perfectly simple and easy to distinguish. In a free hour, when our power of choice is untrammeled and when nothing prevents our being able to do what we like best, every pleasure is to be welcomed and every pain avoided. But in certain circumstances and owing to the claims of duty or the obligations of business it will frequently occur that pleasures have to be repudiated and annoyances accepted. The wise man therefore always holds in these matters to this principle of selection: he rejects pleasures to secure other greater pleasures, or else he endures pains to avoid worse pains.” ~ Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 – 46 BC)
Canada is an unmitigated embarrassment; a spoiled little prom queen preening and posturing about her greatness … or worse yet, an uppity little hobbit taking pride in being better than the neighbour, when in reality there are some things Canadian that should be a source of national embarrassment.
I speak of course, about Canada’s national effort in things military. I don’t speak of course, about the men and women in uniform who are as courageous as any who have ever worn the maple leaf and who are as capable as any of their peers the world over.
… keep reading.
Update: Further reading on GDP and military economics, and historical perspective @ Unambiguously Ambidextrous.
Posted by: favill>
Good comments. I do however have one small issue with you statement –
“…….AND define what Canadian culture is all about………”
This unfortunately was the same line of stalling the issue that the British and Dutch took through the 90’s – “We need to define what it is to be British”.
Look at them now! Instead of addressing the issue head on and calling for the immediate end to the obvious debasement of their culture, they stagnated themselves with arguing what “British-ness” means. Today they are the whipping dogs of Muslim radicals that decide policies in their countries under the threat of violence.
The fruits of opportunity to avoid this fate in Canada have an unknown shelf life, and it already smells bad. We are quickly following Europe’s Liberal leadership to our cultural and eventual economic demise.
thefly – thank-you for the truly terrifying link but it is better to know what our elected officials are up to than give them full rein and wonder why ‘nobody did anything’ before it is too late. Lord M. is a very brave man. I can think of no reason for him to lie about something so awful.
Cicero was a senator before Rome had an Emperor, Black Mamba; he knew Julius Caesar (Augustus Caesar’s uncle) very well, they attended the same school.
BTW, the first attempt to takeover Rome was a triumvirate affair (reminiscent of the recent failed attempt here in Canada by the liberanos/dippers/blocheads, ); the 3 victorious generals who defeated the Gauls decided to takeover the job of the weak, corrupt senators 13, I think, with the exception of Cicero and Cicero’s father in law, who were not weak or corrupt. Pompey, Cassius and Julius Caesar. The in fighting commenced almost at once and Julius got rid of the other two; but Caesar had enemies too, ‘et tu’ Brutus and some other senators did in J. Caesar. Then those Octavius (J. Caesar’s nephew and the other ‘heir apparent’, Marc Antony and followers of Brutus and other fractions commenced another Civil war – Rome drifted into chaos and decline and a succession of incompetent, corrupt Emperors propped up by a weak, shallow populace dragged the great Empire down; it fell with barely a whimper.
Jema54 and Ken (Kulak) – I think the mix-up is to do with my thinking “Last Days of Rome” = barbarian invasions in around the 4th and 5th centuries AD, while you take it to mean the End of the Republic, which of course was centuries earlier. That’s where the wires crossed, I reckon.
Jema54 – I’ll check out the Cauldwell book.
I think that you will like it Black mamba. I understand the mix up.