The Mark(ings) of Zorro
"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."
H.L. Mencken

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On Bullshit


 
What's the Matter with Kansas?

Thursday, January 16, 2003

by El Zorro Viejo (aka; Jim)

Hey, Mr. President, Read Any Good Books Lately?
 
OK, that's a set-up question because I have a book for you to read; Sun Tzu's The Art of War. I have a new version that I'm going through right now. This has a lot of background information which the original version I have read and re-read for lo these many years does not have. Anyhow, as we teeter on the edge of war with Iraq and God Knows Who Else, I found a few of Sun Tzu's thoughts from the first couple chapters appropriate for your consideration.
 
Sun Tzu said:
"In general, the method for employing the military is this: Preserving the [enemy's] state capital is best, destroying their state capital second-best....For this reason attaining one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the pinnacle of excellence. Subjugating the enemy's army without fighting(emphasis added) is the true pinnacle of excellence."
And,
"...The state is impoverished by the army when it transports provisions far off. When provisions are transported far off, the hundred surnames are impoverished." (read "taxpayers" for "hundred surnames")
And again,
"When employing them in battle, a victory that is long in coming will blunt their weapons and dampen their ardor. If you attack cities, their strength will be exhausted. If you expose the army to a prolonged campaign [ie. a prolonged occupation of Iraq], the state's resources will be inadequate."

I could go on and on, but I will restrain myself. The long and short of it, Mr. President, is that, before you go charging off to Iraq you should read Sun-Tzu. It is not a long book if you skip the historical background material--you should be able to get through it in a week or two...

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. ©El Zorro Viejo 2002-2005

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