Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Tuesday July 22, 2008

As I was browsing through a book this morning I came across a statement by Arthur Wellesley, better known as the Duke of Wellington. At a meeting in Vienna shortly after the Battle of Waterloo, French officers snubbed him by turning their backs to him. A woman commented on this and Wellington replied,

"I have seen their backs before, Madame."

In many previous articles I have admitted to a very limited education, having scorned the idea of other taxpayers being robbed of the fruit of their labor in order for me to gain a pompous degree with which to learn to rob evermore taxpayers to provide the know how to rob even more taxpayers of the fruits of their labor.

Wellington's remark reminded me of the anecdote making the rounds concerning an older man, a gallant member of the "The Greatest Generation" going through customs at the airport in Paris, France. He had trouble locating his visa and thus was having a tough time with an arrogant official and finally told the ninny, "The last time I was in France, I did not have to show any papers." The pompous official proudly asked, "Well, when did you last visit France?" Our man replied, "June 6, 1944, and there wasn't a Frenchmen to be found to ask for my papers." I personally feel absolutely no sense of shame because I do not speak French. Were it not for brave men and women who spoke only a poor example of English, often with a mountain induced twang, or a ghetto mandated form of the King's language, all of Europe would speak German, while giving the Hitler Salute.

Furthermore, I harbor no sense of shame because I detest the idea of paying ever higher taxes to subsidize laziness, propagating the idea that the indolent have some mythical right to enjoy the fruits of the sweat from the brow of hardworking frugal men and women. I do not feel the least pang of guilt because the man who picks up the trash does not have the financial ability to live in a house the size of the one in which a coal baron abides, who provided thousands of jobs over decades thus enhancing the prosperity of our community. (The coal barren of whom I am thinking paid/pays union wages).

For many years I have admired the Roman statesman, Cicero, for his near biblical idea of a fair society. He fiercely fought against the concept of an "August" Caesar writing:

"Out of an ungoverned populace, one is usually chosen as leader, someone bold and unscrupulous, who curries favor with the people by giving them other men's property. He surrounds himself with an armed guard, and emerges as a tyrant over the very people who raised him to power."

You would think that with such ancient warnings and the experience of Americans of late that no warning concerning current conditions would be necessary. HA.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2008 Use with credit.

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