Thursday, February 17, 2005

[1653 - Arcangelo Corelli, violinist, composer, born in Fusignano, Italy]

[1801 - Thomas Jefferson is selected as President (House breaks electoral college tie)]

[1979 - China invades Vietnam and is repulsed]

[1982 - Lee Strasberg, director, founder of method school of drama, dies]

Death Rattle

The President and his Yes People have been doing an awful lot of saber rattling lately. This kind of bullying and posturing is of questionable value under the best of circumstances. When one cannot walk the walk after talking the talk, it can be downright counterproductive. The threatening words of the President, Vice President, and Secretaries of State & Defense when directed to Iran, North Korea, and assorted other nations ring a bit hollow when one stops to notice that our army is stressed to the breaking point just trying to cope with the mess in Iraq. Surely the Axis of Evil members are taking note of the institution of emergency measures like stop-loss orders to maintain US troop levels in Iraq, and they can no doubt read the newspapers and learn that the Army, National Guard, and Reserves are having serious difficulty meeting their reenlistment and recruiting quotas.

Having worn a reasonable facsimile of a saber on several formal occasions, william can report that when properly fitted in a scabbard a sword does not rattle at all. The ones carried by modern day military officers do not even have an edge. I cannot imagine any saber rattling, unless it was way too small for its scabbard or missing part of its blade.

William's Whimsical Words:

When it comes to your saber, size matters.

to Almanack Main Page

BACK to Winter 2004 - 2005