Michael Novak: on Spartan, Athens and the U.S.

Michael Novak's latest article (Dec 22) on America as aSpartan Athens is a disturbing example of cognitive dissonance. Honestly, Athens needs a bit of Sparta in order to prevent democracy from becoming mushy? That's utterly disingenous; distuirbing even. Novak comes across a Southern European intellectual of the 1920-30s who advocated a similar martial spirit to innoculate the population against succumbing to 'weakness' 'softness', 'rootlessness' that democracies foster. While not fascist in tone; Novak's article certainly smacks of the discredited corporatism that Southern European and Latin American countries succumbed to during the 30s-40s

Why? Let's remember what Sparta represented. It wasn't a totalitarian state as some pundits have analogize but it was certainly was far more collectivist, militarized, regimented society than the other Greek city states of its time. The population was compelled to eat their suppers collectively, the public authouriries rand the schools and Spartan males were inducted into the military in childhood. There as also a slave population the helots who were mistreated far worse than those at other Grek city states.

Further, even back then, the ancient Greek philosophers were unimpressed by Sparta. It was a relatively underdevloped economically speaking, traditional and not especially creative society. The only thing that Sparta had of value was its army. Sparta was the Greek war machine par excellence and when it unleashed itself against other Greeks, the result was the carnage of the Pennopolesian war.

The Spartans won that war but it was a pyrric victory as they couldn't stop the Roman legions a few centuries later; nor did the former contribute anything to the common Greek cultural heritage. Indeed, other than Thermopolyae, the Spartan military really hasn't had the impact of the Roman legions on Western military development, ethos and organization. I doubt very much that the American military, or any Western military had been influenced by Sparta and for good reason, it represents the antithesis of the civic militarism that Athens and Rome developped, nutured and passed on to the rest of the west. Which exposes another defect of Sparta: it cultural poverty.

What did the Spartans contribute to Western civilization? Once its military was broken it simply faded from history like Assyria.

Novak needs to re-read his history because American military might, ironically enough, originated from the 'soft' democracies of Athens and Rome; not from the militarized societies like Sparta.

El terramotol en Iran

Aquest demat?, escoltava les not?cies de CNN, quan anunciaren que en Iran hi hagu? un terramotol de 6,3 de l'escala Richter a Bam. Segons els periodistes en Iran, hi ha entre 2000-3000 morts per? l'autoritats temen que el balan? final podr?a pujar fins a 20 000 morts. Quina trag?dia. Tanmateix, California ha subida un terramotol de la mateixa intensitat i nom?s 3 persones moriran. Papa remarc? que es la dif?rencia entre un pa?s ric que pren el terramotol en seri?s i un pa?s menys ric que mai ha pr?s en seri?s el fenomenon fisic. Segons la video presa de Bam, el terramotol ha compeltament arrasat el poble. Sembla m?s alguns pobles iraqis en aquest moment de la postguerra que un irani?. Espero que el balan? sigui molt menys que la predicci?.

L'annulation de vols Air-France ? Los Angel?s: une tentative de reconciliation?

Les nouvelles ont rapport? que Air-France avait annul?s les vols en destination de Paris-Los Angel?s lorsque les Am?ricain l'avait demand?e. Il para?t que les Am?ricains ont obtenu des renseignements credible que Al Qu'ida tenterait de sequestrer plusieurs avions pour les ?craser ? la ville marianne. Les autorit?s ont m?me interrog?s 7 suspects mais elle les liber?rent plus tard. Entre-temps, les autorit?s fran?aises scrutent minutuesement de nouveau les listes de passager pusiqu'il aurait certains qui ne seront pas pr?sent?s lors de l'embarcation pour quelle que soit la raision. Compte tenu de la d?cision des responsable de l'Air-France ? se conformer ? la demande des Am?ricaines et d'apr?s coop?rer avec eux, me soul?ve une question: s'agit-il d'une tentative de r?concilation par les deux parties? En tout cas, j'?spere que oui.   ¶ 11:07

 

Iraq and Christmas: a correction is in order

Today, I read the comics in th English newspaper. I came across one called Stone soup and today's strip had one sister wishing the Iraqis a merry Christmas. The other sister replied that Iraqi kids don't celebrate Christmas. Actually that's incorrect. Approximately some 800 000 Iraqis do celebrate Christmas. There are the Chaldeans- the Eastern rite Catholics- and the Assyrian church of the East- historically called either the Nestorian or Jacobite church.
It's important to clarify the matter. Not all Arab countries are monolitically Moselm in religion though they may be in culture.  ¶ 11:26