The Enemy of My Enemy Is not My Friend

The demons quarrel. They argue amongst themselves, how best to effect the damnation of a soul. Or at least, so it would seem, for evil never presents a consistent face. We feed on power: the power to destroy, the power of life and death, whether it be held over a foreigner, a child, a Jew, a Christian, a criminal suspect, this is what nourishes us; this is what poisons us. In one sentence you may earn my respect by denouncing the needless deaths of women and children killed by remote control, and in the next you tell me that a woman has power of life and death over her child. You say the government has no business sticking its nose into healthcare, or taxing private citizens (directly or, through inflation, indirectly) to bail out large corporations, but you will accept those same taxes as long as the revenue is paid out to large corporations that make implements of destruction in order that the government that took your money may bomb some weddings and birthday parties on the other side of the world.

Yes, indeed, throw rocks at the nest and see if you are not stung. But never mind, they're brown, they're Muslim, they haven't been born yet, they're a future drain on society and the environment, hence they are not worthy of life.

The enemy of my enemy is very often my enemy. We denounce the crimes of those who hold power over us, then we are given the Gift of power, and the wrongs we mean to right are forgotten for the wrongs we mean to do.

A Helpless Dancer

"When you dance with the devil, the devil don't change. The devil changes you." - 8 MM

I hear all this talk about finding common ground. When you stare evil in the face, don't you dare dance with it. No, you stare evil in the face and you stare hard, and you don't give up your ground. Don't ever think you can make a deal. Call evil evil, and fight it to its face. To paraphrase Hunter Thompson, You can turn your back on a person, but don't you ever turn your back on a devil.

Of course, the Notre Dame speech is just one example. It is the one in the front of my mind. It is the one that inspired this post, even though I've taken so long to get around to writing it (besides, 40 Days for Life is a fitting time to reintroduce it). Remember, when the devil offeres his hand and whispers sweetly in your ear, "Just one dance," you stop dancing. The title of the post? That's what you'll be if you take his hand. Say goodbye, as you dance with the devil tonight, don't you dare look at him in the eye...

Ab hoste maligno defende me.