On Thu, 6 Jan 2000 13:19:10 +0000
Charlie Stross <charlie@antipope.org>, writes:>
>Axioms of Viridianism (as I understand it):
>*Cops and soldiers are our friends. Terrorists are not.
Sure, but which is which, and for how long.
George Washington was a terrorist. And Menachem Begin. Nelson Mandela.
John Brown. Abe Lincoln.
Der Fuerer was Germany's savior,...for a while.
Good guys and bad guys alike appreciate a spiffy uniform (lots of gold
braid and crisp creases and leather accessories); so that won't help you
tell the two apart. Historians, when they're not singing the praises of
the winner (which ain't very often) are too late to help.
You know, this problem is so old--so very, very old--that you'd think by
now there'd be some solid guidelines--some standard method--for sorting
these things out ahead of time. A checklist or something. I must be
suffering some kind of mental block, because I can't think of what it is.
Guess I'll just feel dumb when y'all tell me.
I don't know why, but something from Shakespeare comes to mind:
"When devils will the blackest sins put on,
they do suggest at first with heavenly shows,..."
Hmmm. Oh, well.
Best, Jeff Davis
"Everything's hard till you know how to do it."
Ray Charles
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