"Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so.
How do I know? For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar.
--Julius Caesar


Just got a random, blast-from-the-past call late last night from an old boyfriend. We met in kung fu class. He'd been there three years; I'd been there three months. There was a lite romance that lasted about a year and a few months--and then things fell apart. Our kung fu studio closed, we drifted apart--that drift aided by another redheaded girl--and I said goodbye.

Don't get me wrong, I liked the other girl, she was nice, and I didn't resent her. But she had a lot of problems, and so did he, so being around them was kind of this icky mess after a while. They went on to have a real relationship, which was fine with me, since I didn't have much in common with him anyway.

He's now joined the army, after their brief relationship crashed and burned. They're shipping the kid out to Germany in a week or two.

Men and boys of the United States: GETTING SHOT AT AND POSSIBLY DYING WHILE SERVING IN THE ARMY IS NOT A WAY TO GET OVER A RELATIONSHIP.

Sheesh.