INWAR, REVENGE EQUALS DESTRUCTION
Fake money and forever wars go together, like road kill and maggots. And then, when Ben Bernanke cranked up his money-printing machine, the specters clutched their bellies and howled again... what fun! “How did that work out for – ... “And they cited a long list of countries... ending now with Venezuela... and waited for a roar of laughter after each one. They’d seen fake money and debt ruin cities, countries, and whole empires. Never had they seen one, not a single one, made rich by them. But wait... America was “exceptional.” It was “indispensable.” This was a New Era, after all. Ha, ha, ha, ha... Sparta – the ultimate warrior kingdom – formed its own empire. What happened to it? The shades laughed again. They recalled an old Sicilian proverb: When you go looking for revenge, take two caskets. They knew what happened to Sparta. It was what always happened. Sparta kept fighting until it lost the battle of Leuctra against the Thebians. Then, its women were ravished. Its men and children were enslaved. And who could name a major Spartan leader of today? Who bought Spartan wine... Spartan cheese... or a Spartan-made automobile? Ha, ha, ha...
Would stocks go up? What industry would new technology disrupt? Who would win the next election? They didn’t know any more than we did. But when nations sought revenge on one another? When empires launched forever wars? When people spent money they didn’t have... and printed up pieces of paper to cover their deficits? These were their favorite songs. The dead knew every verse. And chuckled every time. The Akkadians? Ha, ha, ha. The Sumerians? Ha, ha, ha. The Hittites? Ha, ha, ha. On and on... from the Mongol Empire to the Thousand-Year Reich... ha, ha, ha... “Where are they now?” the shades ask each other. Didn’t the Greeks burn the Persian city of Sardis? And didn’t Darius the Great invade Greece to get revenge on them? And then, didn’t Xerxes invade again to get revenge for the humiliation at Marathon? The spooks laughed after each question. “Hit back ten times as hard... “ one quoted America’s president. Ha, ha, ha. And now they knew: they were soon going to add America to the list! WARRIOR KINGDOMS The ghosts knew that each attempt at revenge led to a further disaster. In Greece itself,
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February 2020
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