tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19129587.post1312904512691674555..comments2024-01-13T08:49:14.041-08:00Comments on Myrhaf: Here and ThereMyrhafhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340507405537605164noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19129587.post-59589101976489417722008-09-06T00:02:00.000-07:002008-09-06T00:02:00.000-07:00Good point. Nihilism isn't something I associate w...Good point. Nihilism isn't something I associate with ancient Athens.<BR/><BR/>Still, regardless of their faith in their gods, they had to know that without their generals they would lose the Aegean.Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06652128324921504753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19129587.post-46128843990610834512008-09-05T18:17:00.000-07:002008-09-05T18:17:00.000-07:00I would disagree about Athens deliberately betrayi...I would disagree about Athens deliberately betraying itself during the Peloponnesian War. Its true that their religious irrationality caused their defeat but they were religious because they believed being so would benefit Athens. Today's liberals do not want to benefit America. They want to destroy America. None of their ideas are motivated by a desire to benefit America. Which begs the question: are they psychotic? Post modern philosophy may be inducing suicidal desires on a mass cultural scale. As crazy as Ancient Greece could be, I don't know if they were ever that bad.madmaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14375140131881725965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19129587.post-6185954825359932912008-09-05T18:11:00.000-07:002008-09-05T18:11:00.000-07:00I believe "meme" comes from Richard Dawkins. I thi...I believe "meme" comes from Richard Dawkins. I think it was his idea that a "meme" was to ideas what evolution is to living things. An idea can be created under certain circumstances and for certain reasons and then survive past its usefulness to the point where it does serious damage. This is what Dawkins thinks religion is.madmaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14375140131881725965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19129587.post-52835563187050226382008-09-05T17:27:00.000-07:002008-09-05T17:27:00.000-07:00Yes, my hits have doubled too - all searches for P...Yes, my hits have doubled too - all searches for Palin stuff. My most popular post: "The dirt on Palin."<BR/><BR/>Meme is an ugly word. Lots of Web neologisms (even "blog") are hideous but they're useful.Jouberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04970872086435575755noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19129587.post-25302882412120895582008-09-05T15:58:00.000-07:002008-09-05T15:58:00.000-07:00One meme I've heard a lot lately in regards to Sar...One meme I've heard a lot lately in regards to Sarah Palin is "energizing the base". Apparently the base was out of energy, but she energized the damn thing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19129587.post-16296204265173698902008-09-05T12:38:00.000-07:002008-09-05T12:38:00.000-07:00Yes, I would say, Rachel. Killing the strategoi mu...Yes, I would say, Rachel. Killing the strategoi must have had a bad effect on Athens's military preparedness. Who would want to fight for a system that could kill you on a whim?Myrhafhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16340507405537605164noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19129587.post-18335285242117225962008-09-05T12:03:00.000-07:002008-09-05T12:03:00.000-07:00True, they didn't actually claim to want to lose t...True, they didn't actually claim to want to lose to Sparta, but listen to this:<BR/>(I just couldn't let it lie, so I dug into it and found what I was remembering. Gary Hull's "The Brilliance of Ancient Greece" (c) 1999 Second Renaissance Inc., speech given at OCON, second tape, early on side one. Also, I did some digging for spelling, etc., and found info on Wikipedia.)<BR/><BR/>During the second Peloponnesian war, the Battle of Arginusae was an Athenian victory - they annihilated the Spartan army (sic). In the aftermath, however, the strategoi (generals/admirals) did not follow through with the rescue of 25 sunken Athenian triremes (due to a storm) and many sailor's drowned without being recovered. This was regarded as a moral failure by the Athenians, who believed that the souls of the lost would now be doomed to wander for eternity. Consequently, six of the eight strategoi were executed for this "crime". (Apparently, Athens repented of this later and sought death for those who were instrumental in the killing of the strategoi.)<BR/><BR/>Hull uses this as a practical example of Rand's contention that even a little irrationality in one's philosophy is lethal. I see this as an answer to your question. I don't know the particular factions in the Athenian democracy at that time, but those who pushed for the punishment of the strategoi could not have failed to know that their generals were the key to the control of the Aegean. (In fact, Sparta went on to defeat the Athenian navy, and successfully blockaded them. The Athenian control of the Aegean was necessary for grain because they could only produce a quarter of what they needed.) I'd say this qualifies as a major party working for the destruction of its own country (by placing piety to the gods above trust in successful military leadership). And it's telling, too. It's comparable to our own current rules of engagement (read: hamstringing our own forces).<BR/><BR/>Wouldn't you say?Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06652128324921504753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19129587.post-47231446424727367182008-09-04T23:30:00.000-07:002008-09-04T23:30:00.000-07:00I'm in California, and I guess I'm a regular.I'm in California, and I guess I'm a regular.Kyle Haighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14608497826478356055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19129587.post-83106287570558927872008-09-04T22:11:00.000-07:002008-09-04T22:11:00.000-07:00Oh come on, I can't be your only California regula...Oh come on, I can't be your only California regular... ;)<BR/><BR/>Regarding the traffic bump, I don't mean to rain on the parade, but election season is a tide that lifts all blogs, so to speak. That being said, you,ve been posting some really good stuff, so you'll likely keep some of that after the election is over.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19129587.post-8968854442018896332008-09-04T20:46:00.000-07:002008-09-04T20:46:00.000-07:00Rachel, thanks. Athenian democracy had a lot of pr...Rachel, thanks. Athenian democracy had a lot of problems, but I'm not certain that any faction actually hoped their military would lose a war.<BR/><BR/>Daniel, I get a LOT of hits from Texas. Gus van Horn used to live in Houston, and Dismuke is in Dallas. I loved Texas when I was stationed there in the USAF.<BR/><BR/>Mike 18xx, you're right, the protestors in the streets in 1968 now run the Democrat Party.<BR/><BR/>Jeff, I thought you must be on some kind of feed, as Mercer Island is one of the places that shows up when I put up a new post. Feeds are still a mystery to me.<BR/><BR/>David, sit down.Myrhafhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16340507405537605164noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19129587.post-11806507897079265432008-09-04T20:34:00.000-07:002008-09-04T20:34:00.000-07:00Montana REPRESENTS!*raises clenched fist*Montana REPRESENTS!<BR/><BR/>*raises clenched fist*davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09102807342521013650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19129587.post-62032986562473888982008-09-04T19:56:00.000-07:002008-09-04T19:56:00.000-07:00I must be your reader from Mercer Island, Washingt...I must be your reader from Mercer Island, Washington. (My stats might stand out a bit more because I read it from an RSS reader on my computer which hits the server every hour.)<BR/><BR/>Been reading it for around two years now, and it's my most-followed Objectivist blog. Keep up the good work!Jeff Tyrrillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18057278447013737341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19129587.post-82045308108569413162008-09-04T19:08:00.000-07:002008-09-04T19:08:00.000-07:00Myrhaf, the Democrats have been behaving like that...Myrhaf, the Democrats have been behaving like that since the end of the Johnson administration.<BR/><BR/>Re: <BR/>"Hey, hey, L-B-J!<BR/>How many kids did you kill today?!?"<BR/><BR/>They <I>are</I> this country's communist party now. (I say: It's absolutely no coincidence whatsoever that its last two nominees have had past associations with Soviet front-groups and/or 60-70's terrorist cells.)Bezzlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12752975251705231877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19129587.post-57805040891590267262008-09-04T19:02:00.000-07:002008-09-04T19:02:00.000-07:00Don't forget your loyal reader in Texas. I read yo...Don't forget your loyal reader in Texas. I read your posts via rss, so I might not show up on sitemeter.Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16960212499388254798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19129587.post-72878277100437666432008-09-04T18:55:00.000-07:002008-09-04T18:55:00.000-07:00"How can such a depraved party [Democrat] thrive i...<I>"How can such a depraved party [Democrat] thrive in the long run? Their only chance is if government schooling dumbs down America so much that the average voter cannot add 2+2. Otherwise, people will figure the Democrats out and jump off that sinking ship.</I><BR/><BR/>Well . . . I've always assumed that the entire purpose of wresting and maintaining control and/or dominance of school boards around the country by members of that depraved party was to do just that. Whatever the case, the requisite "dumbing-down" has been going on for quite some time now, and its trees are finally begining to bear very ripe fruit indeed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19129587.post-9507228839543410852008-09-04T18:14:00.000-07:002008-09-04T18:14:00.000-07:00To answer your first question (assuming neither wa...To answer your first question (assuming neither was rhetorical): Republican Greece. From what I've heard (not being a scholar), they did all sorts of things, including betray and criminalize their own generals/admirals.<BR/><BR/>As for your second, I don't know about your optimism. I'm a pessimist by nature, so I must take care when offering it (so as not to offer it out of mere habit), but the Greeks were pretty darn educated. Maybe you are right, but I don't think America will disavow the Dems simply because of smarts. If we do, it'll be because of something that goes beyond mere intelligence: morality and the desire to live. After our failure to rise to the challenge of 9/11 (a la Pearl Harbor), I just don't know anymore.<BR/><BR/>Rachel in SpokaneRachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06652128324921504753noreply@blogger.com