One Day On Blues

Having a national holiday on a Thursday is always a mixed bag.  I am grateful for the day off work, but coming back on a Friday is a bit of a problem.  Now, I realize that this is a first world problem, but there you have it, I am voicing discontent at having to drag my ass out of bed and getting to work.

Spent a good deal of the day yesterday at the Waterfront Blues Festival listening to some damn fine music.  Baking in the sun and listening to blues is an excellent way of spending a day off.  Most of the day was at the Front Porch Stage, listening to local bands competing to go to Memphis for the next step in their career.  All of them were worthy.  Listened to the big stages, but I actually enjoyed the small stages more.

Today's Screed

Ahh, having the UK do our bidding, seizing a mega tanker at Gibraltar with Spain looking over your shoulder and wondering who is in the wrong.  So, Iran is selling oil to Syria.  Who fucking cares, at this point the whole deal smells of a bunch of petulant children who are pouting after not winning.   We tried to boost Assad because he wouldn't do our bidding and he was mean to Lebanon after they rolled over to Israel and the fucking Saudis. 

Well, that didn't work, did it?

We are doing our best to pick a fight with Iran.  I sure as fuck can't figure out why.  I can't see how they threaten the United States in any way.  Now, they do threaten the profits of the energy companies and they do hold an impressive amount of energy reserves, but I am certain that has nothing to do with it.

We have to get out of the Mideast.  We are going to get out of the Mideast, but right now we are trying out all of the worst possible methods.  We feel that we should control the flow of oil and energy to reward our friends and punish those who aren't.  We want to control the energy so that the industrial economy that we are so proud of can squeeze a couple more miles of arrogance out of a near empty tank.

Iran is playing a pretty sophisticated game of "rope-a-dope".  We keep pushing at them, they keep sliding away from our attempts.  They are playing Lao Tzu's game, the one that Mao taught and Giap learned. 

LeGuin

 

Using mystery

The expert in warfare says:

Rather than dare make the attack

I’d take the attack;

rather than dare advance an inch

I’d retreat a foot.

It’s called marching without marching,

rolling up your sleeves without flexing your muscles,

being armed without weapons,

giving the attacker no opponent.

Nothing’s worse than attacking what yields.

To attack what yields is to throw away the prize.

So, when matched armies meet,

the one who comes to grief

is the true victor.

 

Legge

 

A master of the art of war has said, 'I do not dare to commence the war; I prefer to to act on the defensive. I do not dare to advance an inch; I prefer to retire a foot.' This is called marshaling the ranks where there are no ranks; baring the arms where there are no arms to bare; grasping the weapon where there is no weapon to grasp; advancing against the enemy where there is no enemy.

There is no calamity greater than lightly engaging in war. To do that is near losing the gentleness which is so precious. Thus it is that when opposing weapons are crossed, he who deplores the situation conquers.