As I said in my last column, The Outlaw Josey Wales is a great movie. It contains great dialogue and memorable quotes. For those of us of the libertarian persuasion, the scene in which Josey meets Comanche chief Ten Bears, is especially relevant.

 

 

 

Sort of reminds you of the situation in the Middle East, doesn't it? As usual, the problems spring from man attempting to control man. Sure, religious and cultural differences may play a part in tensions, but the idea that a YouTube movie has thrown the entire region into chaos ignores some very important and inconvenient facts.

Whether Muslim, Christian, Jew, or Hindu; whether black, white, hispanic, or oriental, ninety-five percent of the folks out there want pretty much one thing: a better life. I say this speaking not out of naivete, but from traveling around the world. The problem is not the ninety-five percent who just want to be left alone, but the five percent who won't leave us alone--the sociopaths who populate governments (and, in some cases, those who seek to control society through organized religion).

 

Ten Bears makes a poignant observation when he says, "it is sad that governments are chiefed by the double-tongues." More than sad, it is a tragedy that we are witnessing play out before our very eyes in the cradle of civilization.