A life in words

  • Another Late Post

    I just found that there are support sites on the Internet for people who are afraid of flying! That’s been one of my main concerns about going to Spain: the extremely long flight there and back. The hour and a half from here to Washington can be bad enough (or it can be extremely pleasant,…

  • An Introduction to Secret Combinations

    Thousands of years ago somewhere in Central America thrived two opposing civilizations, the Nephites and the Lamanites. Throughout their history, political intrigues plagued the Nephite civilization while the Lamanites sought to gain military mastery over them. About 50 B.C., the leader of the Nephites, named Pahoran, died. One of his sons—also named Pahoran—succeeded him, and…

  • On the War

    [Note: this article is a reposting of something I wrote for my family-only blog. It seems to be appropriate for general circulation, though, and I now present it with only the slightest editing.] I sort of think fighting over politics is like Bible bashing: totally unproductive. Why fight over the Good News? Why start a…

Of a commonwealth, whose subjects are but hindered by terror from taking arms, it should rather be said, that it is free from war, than that it has peace. For peace is not mere absence of war, but is a virtue that springs from force of character….Baruch Spinoza, Tractatus Theologico-Politicus V.4, 1670, trans. A. H. Gosset 1883