The Stiff And Unbending Is The Disciple Of Death

Seventy-six

A man is born gentle and weak.
At his death he is hard and stiff.
Green plants are tender and filled with sap.
At their death they are withered and dry.

Therefore the stiff and unbending is the disciple of death.
The gentle and yielding is the disciple of life.

Thus an army without flexibility never wins a battle.
A tree that is unbending is easily broken.

The hard and strong will fall.
The soft and weak will overcome.

- Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

Our president's continuing rigidity is pathetic if not psychopathological. His pseudo-macho attempts to act "strong" are like watching a troubled child on the playground. His administration's lies and deceit have rendered him mute. I can't listen to his voice. Unfortunately he is still The Decider, apparently, and even though the democrats have made some encouraging moves, the troop "surge", war with Iran, and who-knows-what with Syria are surely already set in motion.

A 56 year-old teacher at my school (Army Reserve) was just called up and leaves Monday. He says he knows a 58 year-old infantryman who is on the ground in Bagdad. A couple of my at-risk students have been sporting US Marine t-shirts, lately. They're trying like hell to graduate so they can join, be strong, belong.