Note from webperson: If you are having trouble reading this, it is posted at

http://tomsager.org/Peaceletters/peaceletter101519.html

“The Lord said, ‘Sinnerman, the sea will be a-boilin’,
All on that day.” —traditional (Sinnerman)

“The sun turns black, earth sinks in the sea,
The hot stars down from heaven are whirled;
Fierce grows the steam and the life-feeding flame,
Till fire leaps high about heaven itself.”
—Voluspo:57 (translated by Henry Adams Bellows)

“Now do I see the earth anew
Rise all green from the waves again;
The cataracts fall, and the eagle flies,
And fish he catches beneath the cliffs.”
—Voluspo:59 (translated by Henry Adams Bellows)

“The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft a-gley.” —Robert Burns

I think there are powerful forces in Washington wanting to teach Turkey a lesson for pursuing an independent foreign policy and buying a Russian missile defense system. I think these same forces are looking at Donald Trump as a liability and wish to be rid of him. So what better way to accomplish both objectives than to get Trump to declare “neutrality” and withdraw from Northern Syria, leaving our Kurdish allies to face the Turkish invasion alone. So while Turkey walks into a trap, Donald Trump takes the rap. But don't mind me. I'm just an old conspiracy theorist.

“Assuredly the creation of the heavens and the earth is a greater (matter) than the creation of men: Yet most men understand not.” — The Holy Qur'an 40:57

“A human being is a part of the whole, called by us the ‘Universe,’ a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” —Albert Einstein

Shortly after God created mankind, all the parts of the human body got together to choose which part should hold dominion over the others.

“I should have dominion over the rest of you,” said the brain, “because I run all the body's systems, so without me nothing would happen.”

“I should have dominion over the rest of you,” said the blood , “because I circulate oxygen all over so without me you'd all waste away.”

“I should have dominion over the rest of you,” said the stomach , “because I process food and give all of you energy.”

“I should have dominion over the rest of you,” said the legs , “because I carry the body wherever it needs to go.”

“I should have dominion over the rest of you,” said the eyes, “Because I allow the body to see where it goes.”

And so it went, until finally the asshole said, “I should have dominion over the rest of you, because I'm responsible for waste disposal.”

All the other body parts laughed at the asshole and insulted him. In a fit of anger, the asshole threw a temper tantrum and shut down tight.

Within a few days, the brain had a terrible headache, the stomach was bloated, the legs got wobbly, the eyes got watery, and the blood got toxic. The following day all the body parts agreed: The asshole would have dominion over all the parts of the body.

Conclusion: Only an asshole can succeed in holding dominion over others.