The Moral Principle and the Material Interest . . .

With this post I begin a series of posts to commemorate the immortal memory of Ambrose Bierce, one of America's great gifts to the world. People like to resolve themselves into gross sides, one or the other. Authors like Bierce slew members on either side, and established an uniquely American skepticism that while may be asphyxiating, is none-the-less alive today.

 The Moral Principle and the Material Interest . . .

A Moral Principle met a Material Interest on a bridge wide enough for but one.

“Down, you base thing!” thundered the Moral Principle, “and let me pass over you!”

The Material Interest merely looked in the other’s eyes without saying anything.

“Ah,” said the Moral Principle, hesitatingly, “let us draw lots to see which shall retire till the other has crossed.”

The Material Interest maintained an unbroken silence and an unwavering stare.

“In order to avoid a conflict,” the Moral Principle resumed, somewhat uneasily, “I shall myself lie down and let you walk over me.”

Then the Material Interest found a tongue, and by a strange coincidence it was its own tongue.  “I don’t think you are very good walking,” it said.  “I am a little particular about what I have underfoot.  Suppose you get off into the water.”

It occurred that way.

- 30 -

So, with the first verse in a much better bible than written by others, Ambrose Bierce wrote that magnificence. Plato had his shot. Shakespeare, too. God, I suppose, but if he/she/kgr (whatever the gender-ambiguous word is) I don't think this is understandable in some languages, but it's perfectly clear in English.

Pretty much all of Washington DC has revealed itself to be mindless knee-jerk unprincipled jackasses less worthy of consideration that Bevis and Butthead because they are uniformly less funny. Thing is, they won't care, because you will pay for their pensions that will pad their multi-million dollar savings ripped off of the public teat. National security? Hah! They're all administrators, going to conferences, playing the DC game with little (but some) regard for the pubic interest. Let's redirect more earnings to meaningless spending. 

It occurred that way.