Line by Line - Verse 23, Lines 9-10

and those who are making the manifestation of its course their object agree with him in that;
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

He who is virtuous
Experiences Virtue.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Those who follow virtue are with virtue
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

If you're ready to succeed, you can live with success.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

John Lennon sort of paraphrased this line with the song, Instant Karma.

Instant Karma's gonna get you
Gonna knock you right on the head
You better get yourself together
Pretty soon you're gonna be dead
What in the world you thinking of
Laughing in the face of love
What on earth you tryin' to do
It's up to you, yeah you

What goes around, comes around. If you lead a life of integrity, it defines everything about you.

To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.

The Problem with Sidestepping

After the horrific shootings in Tucson, there was a great deal of discussion about the dangers of violent rhetoric. Unfortunately, Americans tend to suffer from collective Attention Deficit Disorder and so, after about 2 weeks, the whole discussion was quickly forgotten as we moved on to the next debate.

But when we don't deal with this kind of rhetoric head-on, it has a tendency to continue to pop up. To wit,

An audience member at a town hall hosted by Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) on Tuesday asked the Tea Party congressman who was going to shoot President Barack Obama.

The unidentified town hall attendee's question got a big laugh from the audience, reports Blake Aued of the Athens Banner-Herald.

But Broun didn't exactly condemn the remark, according to the newspaper report.

"The thing is, I know there's a lot of frustration with this president. We're going to have an election next year," Broun said in response to the question. "Hopefully, we'll elect somebody that's going to be a conservative, limited-government president that will take a smaller, who will sign a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare."

The very fact that someone had the audacity to ask this question at a public meeting is alarming. It suggests that there still are a lot of people out there who, if they don't like a politician and/or their policies, believe the use of violence to get what they desire is acceptable.

Even worse, Broun chose not to deal directly with the sentiment behind the question. By providing a mealy-mouthed response, I'm sure that some people in the audience (as well as across the country) will believe that he is not necessarily opposed to the use of violence in the manner suggested.

Because this incident has generated some very negative publicity, Broun probably will issue some kind of statement that he does not support the use of violence against political leaders he and his supporters despise. Unfortunately, that won't cut it. Most people will realize his apology is nothing more than a way to put him in a better light.

It is sort of like when a parent forces their child to make an insincere apology. The child will mumble the words, but everyone involved knows it doesn't really come from the heart. The child merely is trying to escape the worst consequences for his/her actions.

By not dealing with the remark at the appropriate time, Broun has provided some people with the idea that there are folks in this country who would be pleased and supportive of the violence that was suggested. When some members of our society come to believe that inappropriate means of dissent hold a measure of legitimization, our democratic ideals are in deep trouble.

Chapter 6, Part 12 - Chuang Tzu

Yen Hui said to Confucius, "When Meng-sun Ts'ai's mother died, he wailed without shedding any tears, he did not grieve in his heart, and he conducted the funeral without any look of sorrow. He fell down on these three counts, and yet he is known all over the state of Lu for the excellent way he managed the funeral. Is it really possible to gain such a reputation when there are no facts to support it? I find it very peculiar indeed!"

Confucius said, "Meng-sun did all there was to do. He was advanced beyond ordinary understanding and he would have simplified things even more, but that wasn't practical. However, there is still a lot that he simplified. Meng-sun doesn't know why he lives and doesn't know why he dies. He doesn't know why he should go ahead; he doesn't know why he should fall behind.

"In the process of change, he has become a thing [among other things], and he is merely waiting for some other change that he doesn't yet know about. Moreover, when he is changing, how does he know that he is really changing? And when he is not changing, how does he know that he hasn't already changed? You and I, now - we are dreaming and haven't waked up yet. But in his case, though something may startle his body, it won't injure his mind; though something may alarm the house [his spirit lives in], his emotions will suffer no death. Meng-sun alone has waked up. Men wail and so he wails, too - that's the reason he acts like this.

"What's more, we go around telling each other, I do this, I do that - but how do we know that this `I' we talk about has any `I' to it? You dream you're a bird and soar up into the sky; you dream you're a fish and dive down in the pool. But now when you tell me about it, I don't know whether you are awake or whether you are dreaming. Running around accusing others is not as good as laughing, and enjoying a good laugh is not as good as going along with things. Be content to go along and forget about change and then you can enter the mysterious oneness of Heaven."
~ Burton Watson translation via Terebess Asia Online ~

Go here to read the introductory post to the chapters of the Book of Chuang Tzu.

Chirp

Chirp
by Scott Bradley

“But human speech...You take it to be different than the chirping of baby birds. But is there really any difference between them?”
~ Zhuangzi, Chap. 2; Brook Zyporyn, translation ~

We are able to look upon Nature as we perceive it around us and accept it as it is without the imposition of the judgment of right and wrong. To do likewise with regard to the human experience is to accord with Nature fully and to be liberated from this obstruction which limits our experience of Reality. To discriminate between right and wrong is to separate ourselves from Nature and ourselves. For most, this is largely a positive value, but for those who would experience harmony with Reality in its totality, this dualistic belief can only stand in the way.

Whatever the implications of self-awareness and free-will, they do not in any way transcend the fundamental unity of Reality. All that humanity does is as much an expression of Reality as the chirping of baby birds. To realize this is to be freed from the tyranny of guilt and blame that necessarily separates us from others and even our own selves. Understanding that our lives are, as they are, an expression of Reality, we can let go in trust into the up-welling of the life we are beyond all cognitive control. Letting life live itself, free of the of the blockage of discrimination, we discover that life itself fulfills our conflicted hunger for ‘betterment’ more surely than anything we could ever have managed.

You can check out Scott's writings on Zhuangzi here.

Tao Bible - Psalm 28:4-5

Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert. Because they regard not the works of the LORD, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up.
~ King James version ~

Tao destroys no one.
~ possible Taoist alternative ~

In a recurrent theme expressed throughout the Old Testament, the writer states that God destroys those who do not bow down to him.

As I have stated several times before throughout this series, Tao is available and part of everything. Tao is not interested in who does or does not worship the Way. Like the air, Tao can be breathed by each person and what we do with each breath decides what kind of person we shall be.

If you're interested in reading more from this experimental series, go to the Tao Bible Index page.

Chapter 6, Part 11C - Chuang Tzu

Tzu-kung said, "Well then, Master, what is this `realm' that you stick to?"

Confucius said, "I am one of those men punished by Heaven. Nevertheless, I will share with you what I have."

"Then may I ask about the realm?" said Tzu-kung.

Confucius said, "Fish thrive in water, man thrives in the Way. For those that thrive in water, dig a pond and they will find nourishment enough. For those that thrive in the Way, don't bother about them and their lives will be secure. So it is said, the fish forget each other in the rivers and lakes, and men forget each other in the arts of the Way."

Tzu-kung said, "May I ask about the singular man?"

"The singular man is singular in comparison to other men, but a companion of Heaven. So it is said, the petty man of Heaven is a gentleman among men; the gentleman among men is the petty man of Heaven."
~ Burton Watson translation via Terebess Asia Online ~

Go here to read the introductory post to the chapters of the Book of Chuang Tzu.

One Hundred Percent

Accepting Gov. Walker' s assertions as fact, and failing to check, created the impression that somehow the workers are getting something extra, a gift from taxpayers. They are not.

Out of every dollar that funds Wisconsin' s pension and health insurance plans for state workers, 100 cents comes from the state workers.

How can that be? Because the "contributions" consist of money that employees chose to take as deferred wages – as pensions when they retire – rather than take immediately in cash. The same is true with the health care plan. If this were not so, a serious crime would be taking place, the gift of public funds rather than payment for services.

Thus, state workers are not being asked to simply "contribute more" to Wisconsin' s retirement system (or as the argument goes, "pay their fair share" of retirement costs as do employees in Wisconsin' s private sector who still have pensions and health insurance). They are being asked to accept a cut in their salaries so that the state of Wisconsin can use the money to fill the hole left by tax cuts and reduced audits of corporations in Wisconsin.
~ from The Media Isn't Telling You That Wisconsin Public Workers Pay for 100% of Their Pensions and Health-Care by David Cay Johnston ~

Chapter 6, Part 11B - Chuang Tzu

Tzu-kung returned and reported to Confucius what had happened. "What sort of men are they anyway?" he asked. "They pay no attention to proper behavior, disregard their personal appearance and, without so much as changing the expression on their faces, sing in the very presence of the corpse! I can think of no name for them! What sort of men are they?"

"Such men as they," said Confucius, "wander beyond the realm; men like me wander within it. Beyond and within can never meet. It was stupid of me to send you to offer condolences. Even now they have joined with the Creator as men to wander in the single breath of heaven and earth. They look upon life as a swelling tumor, a protruding wen, and upon death as the draining of a sore or the bursting of a boil.

"To men such as these, how could there be any question of putting life first or death last? They borrow the forms of different creatures and house them in the same body. They forget liver and gall, cast aside ears and eyes, turning and revolving, ending and beginning again, unaware of where they start or finish. Idly they roam beyond the dust and dirt; they wander free and easy in the service of inaction. Why should they fret and fuss about the ceremonies of the vulgar world and make a display for the ears and eyes of the common herd?"
~ Burton Watson translation via Terebess Asia Online ~

Go here to read the introductory post to the chapters of the Book of Chuang Tzu.

Line by Line - Verse 23, Lines 7-8

Therefore when one is making the Tao his business, those who are also pursuing it, agree with him in it,
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

He who follows the Tao
Is at one with the Tao.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Thus those who follow the Tao are with the Tao
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

If you're ready for Tao, you can live with Tao.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

While each of the four translations/renditions above say much the same thing, I like the way Jonathan Star views these lines:

One who lives in accordance with the Truth becomes the embodiment of Tao.

OK, but what does it all mean?

Those who pursue the Way are natural. Natural means free from success and hence free from failure. Such people don't succeed and don't fail but simply go along with the successes and failures of the age. Or if the do succeed or fail, their minds are not affected.
~ Chiao Hung quoted by Red Pine ~

To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.

The Fix Is In

Last night as the snow fell and my wife decided to stay over at work, I was tasked with spending more quality time with our animal brood. Since Della tends to commandeer the TV after 7:00 p.m., I usually leave the night duty to her. After building a hot fire in the fireplace, I sat down with my brood to watch a little mindless television.

I happened on a channel I rarely watch -- CNBC. The show is called American Greed and last night's episode centered on a man named Scott Rothstein who duped investors out of more than $1 billion as the result of an elaborate ponzi scheme.

In perusing the episode guide, this story seemed par for the course. Most of the villains appear to be hucksters who trick rich people out of a portion of their largess. There seems to be an inherent lesson of the show's aim: if you scam the wealthy, you gonna be in big doo doo.

I'm sure this program appeals to viewers because, let's face it, we like to see the "bad guys" get their comeuppance. It probably is even more appealing to the average Jane and Joe because the scam artist gets to live a life they can only dream of...until they are caught. Once caught and convicted, the perpetrator is sent off to jail and their fall causes the average proletarian to jump up and down with glee.

But there is a real danger to shows of this ilk. By focusing on individual scam artists and con men, it diverts the attention of the working class from the rampant scams perpetrated on the American populace as part of the everyday business of global capitalism. While viewers get to sneer at the Scott Rothsteins of this world, the local phone company, cable provider or Wall Street tycoon is ripping them off left and right with impunity and next to no fear that they will ever have to pay for their "crimes".

Why the lack of fear? Because our corrupt system has made these "crimes" legal.

Chapter 6, Part 11A - Chuang Tzu

Master Sang-hu, Meng-tzu Fan, and Master Chin-chang, three friends, said to each other, "Who can join with others without joining with others? Who can do with others without doing with others? Who can climb up to heaven and wander in the mists, roam the infinite, and forget life forever and forever?" The three men looked at each other and smiled. There was no disagreement in their hearts and so they became friends.

After some time had passed without event, Master Sang-hu died. He had not yet been buried when Confucius, hearing of his death, sent Tzu-kung to assist at the funeral. When Tzu-kung arrived, he found one of the dead man's friends weaving frames for silkworms, while the other strummed a lute. Joining their voices, they sang this song:

Ah, Sang-hu!

Ah, Sang-hu!

You have gone back to your true form

While we remain as men, O!

Tzu-kung hastened forward and said, "May I be so bold as to ask what sort of ceremony this is - singing in the very presence of the corpse?"

The two men looked at each other and laughed. "What does this man know of the meaning of ceremony?" they said.
~ Burton Watson translation via Terebess Asia Online ~

Go here to read the introductory post to the chapters of the Book of Chuang Tzu.

Get a Life?

Get a Life? Or Let Life Get You?
by Scott Bradley

The expression “Get a life”, largely intended as an insult, implies that life is empty unless we fill it. And how does one do that? By being active, seen and esteemed. In short, we must possess life and ‘be someone’.

Zhuangzi would certainly agree that life is empty, only his response is radically different. “The vital energy (qi, life force) is an emptiness awaiting the presence of beings,” he wrote. Like Tao, of which it is an expression, there is nothing it is not and nothing it is. Or, as Guo Xiang has it, “There is nothing it is not being, but it is not being whatever it is; it is everywhere present but only as an absence.”

And though it would seem a natural response to try and full this emptiness with a ‘someone’, being one of these awaited ‘beings’ in a substantial and permanent way, we know in our hearts that the emptiness always remains. Zhuangzi therefore suggests an alternative: Rather than trying to have a life, let life have you. Take this emptiness as an invitation to ride along with life itself, one with the ever-transforming flow. Here, fullness arises naturally, and fear finds no home; for having no life, we have no life to lose.

Thomas Merton’s adaptation of Zhuangzi says it so well:

Who can free himself from achievement
And from fame, descend and be lost
Amid the masses of men?
He will flow like Tao, unseen,
He will go about like Life itself
With no name and no home.

You can check out Scott's writings on Zhuangzi here.

Tao Bible - Psalm 26:5

I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.
~ King James version ~

What is a good man?
A teacher of a bad man.
What is a bad man?
A good man's charge.
~ Taoist alternative from TTC, Verse 27 ~

In trying to find favor in the sight of the Lord, the author states that he stays away from the wicked.

Lao Tzu advises that we should not shun the wicked; instead we should try to teach them by modeling life according to the Way.

If you're interested in reading more from this experimental series, go to the Tao Bible Index page.

Chapter 6, Part 10B - Chuang Tzu

Suddenly Master Lai grew ill. Gasping and wheezing, he lay at the point of death. His wife and children gathered round in a circle and began to cry. Master Li, who had come to ask how he was, said, "Shoo! Get back! Don't disturb the process of change!"

Then he leaned against the doorway and talked to Master Lai. "How marvelous the Creator is! What is he going to make of you next? Where is he going to send you? Will he make you into a rat's liver? Will he make you into a bug's arm?"

Master Lai said, "A child, obeying his father and mother, goes wherever he is told, east or west, south or north. And the yin and yang - how much more are they to a man than father or mother! Now that they have brought me to the verge of death, if I should refuse to obey them, how perverse I would be! What fault is it of theirs? The Great Clod burdens me with form, labors me with life, eases me in old age, and rests me in death. So if I think well of my life, for the same reason I must think well of my death. When a skilled smith is casting metal, if the metal should leap up and say, `I insist upon being made into a Mo-yeh!' he would surely regard it as very inauspicious metal indeed.

"Now, having had the audacity to take on human form once, if I should say, `I don't want to be anything but a man! Nothing but a man!', the Creator would surely regard me as a most inauspicious sort of person. So now I think of heaven and earth as a great furnace, and the Creator as a skilled smith. Where could he send me that would not be all right? I will go off to sleep peacefully, and then with a start I will wake up."
~ Burton Watson translation via Terebess Asia Online ~

Go here to read the introductory post to the chapters of the Book of Chuang Tzu.

Snow, White

We are under a winter storm warning and the snow is coming down in buckets. Internet service has been a bit dicey today -- it's already gone down twice. So, if I miss a regularly scheduled post or two in the next day or so, this probably is why.

Hopefully, if my dsl goes down again, it won't be out for too long...but you never know about these sorts of things. ;-)

Book Review: Young Men and Fire

Norman Maclean only published two books in 87 years: A River Runs Through It (made into a successful film starring Craig Sheffer, Brad Pitt and Tom Skerritt) and Young Men and Fire. In many ways, this is such a shame as there was something lyrical about how Maclean put pen to paper.

While his first book won wide acclaim, Young Men and Fire has received mixed reviews. It seems to be the kind of book a person either loves or hates. I definitely fall into the former category!!

The book, published posthumously from an unfinished manuscript, details Maclean's 40+ year obsession with the Mann Gulch [Forest] Fire in north-central Montana. On that searingly hot day in August 1949, 12 smoke jumpers plus one forest ranger lost their lives when a fair sized fire became a blowup.

Maclean takes us back to the fateful day and thoroughly discusses all the known particulars that led to these 13 deaths. Relying on testimony from the 3 survivors plus a trove of US Forest Service photos and reports, Maclean retraces their steps one-by-one. He even teamed up with several US Forest Service employees in the 1980s to make 3 trips to Mann Gulch to try to understand the science of what caused the fire to sweep over most of the crew as it did.

At this juncture, I should interject that one of the chief reasons this story is so meaningful to me is that I spent the Summer of 1979 on a US Forest Service hotshot crew. While I never experienced a blowup, I fought on many fires in the remotest of areas, including near Hell's Canyon and the Eagle Cap Wilderness in dry eastern Oregon. Consequently, reading this book brought back many memories of similar -- though not congruent -- situations.

The one aspect of the book that may not appeal to every reader is that Maclean spends a good deal of time philosophizing. He tries to put himself in the shoes of the 13 who lost their lives and to try to figure out -- however imperfectly -- what they were thinking as the flames overtook them. Needless to say, as a philosophizer myself, this is one of the aspects of the book that I enjoyed the most.

Young Men and Fire is definitely going on a bookshelf in my bedroom. It is one of those books that I will re-read more than once. It's a beautiful story about a terrible tragedy as it pays homage to the 13 young men who never made it out of Mann Gulch alive.

Chapter 6, Part 10A - Chuang Tzu

All at once Master Yu fell ill. Master Ssu went to ask how he was. "Amazing" said Master Yu. "The Creator is making me all crookedy like this! My back sticks up like a hunchback and my vital organs are on top of me. My chin is hidden in my navel, my shoulders are up above my head, and my pigtail points at the sky. It must be some dislocation of the yin and yang!"

Yet he seemed calm at heart and unconcerned. Dragging himself haltingly to the well, he looked at his reflection and said, "My, my! So the Creator is making me all crookedy like this!"

"Do you resent it?" asked Master Ssu.

"Why no, what would I resent? If the process continues, perhaps in time he'll transform my left arm into a rooster. In that case I'll keep watch on the night. Or perhaps in time he'll transform my right arm into a crossbow pellet and I'll shoot down an owl for roasting. Or perhaps in time he'll transform my buttocks into cartwheels. Then, with my spirit for a horse, I'll climb up and go for a ride. What need will I ever have for a carriage again?

"I received life because the time had come; I will lose it because the order of things passes on. Be content with this time and dwell in this order and then neither sorrow nor joy can touch you. In ancient times this was called the `freeing of the bound.' There are those who cannot free themselves, because they are bound by things. But nothing can ever win against Heaven - that's the way it's always been. What would I have to resent?"
~ Burton Watson translation via Terebess Asia Online ~

Go here to read the introductory post to the chapters of the Book of Chuang Tzu.

One Starts to Wonder

Anyone who has watched, listened to or read about Glenn Beck recently knows the demagogic media pundit has gone off the deep end. Every day he seems to come up with a newer and downright wackier conspiracy theory. Liberals have derided his nonsense for quite some time; now even some of his fellow conservatives are not only criticizing him but distancing themselves from all is cockamamie theories.

It has been pointed out by some commentators that Beck's seeming derangement might be part of an orchestrated strategy to make less wild conservatives to appear to be more moderate. If this is true, then it might pave the way for them to sell many of their draconian policy initiatives under the radar while liberals focus on Beck's wild machinations.

This got me to thinking about what is playing out now in the State of Wisconsin and is gathering steam in a few other states too. The possibility exists that the so-called drive to eliminate collective bargaining rights for public sector unions might be nothing more than a red herring. Conservatives might be trotting this idea out as a way to divert unions (and their supporters) from their true objective: exacting significant wage and benefit reductions.

The unions in Wisconsin have been all over the media stating that they are willing to accept the wage and benefit reductions without a fight so long as the collective bargaining language is stripped from the legislation. Would they have been so quick to cede this turf if the collective bargaining elimination was not included in the language of the bill?

Me thinks not. That is where the battle lines would have been drawn. However, with a greater perceived threat married to the proposed reductions, the union easily capitulated on the economic portion.

I will easily grant that this may not be the case at all. Gov. Walker may indeed be gunning for an end to public sector collective bargaining rights. Still, one starts to wonder.

Line by Line - Verse 23, Lines 5-6

If Heaven and Earth cannot make such (spasmodic) actings last long, how much less can man!
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

If heaven and Earth cannot make things eternal,
How is it possible for man?
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Even Heaven and Earth cannot make it last
How can humans?
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

If nature knows enough to give it a rest sometimes, so should you.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

We humans like to be in control or, at least, think we are in control of as many aspects of our lives as possible. Yet, no matter how powerful any person may be, none of us will escape death. Not one.

And it's not only death either. Every single day we face circumstances and situations of which we have little or no control over. Most are trivial, but some can be major life-altering events.

This merely is part of the package deal that comes with having a body and a self.

To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.

It Is Getting Ugly

It should go without saying that political opinions can be very passionate. It really is the nature of the beast. It is not uncommon for people on different sides of the political aisle to disparage those who disagree with them. This is as true for conservatives as it is for liberals, right as much as left, and proletarian as well as bourgeois.

In the olden days, snide references tended to be made under the breath, in back rooms or among confidants who shared a particular political viewpoint. Subject to the dawn of the radio and television era, sometimes a stray microphone picked up a comment not meant for public consumption and there might be hell to pay for the individual uttering the not-so-nice-or-proper aside.

Now, with the advent of the internet, off-handed remarks quickly can go viral and, once made public, it can be next too impossible to take back the poorly worded missive. An immortal record is created that will live on long after the offender has disappeared over the final horizon.

One medium that seems to get public figures in trouble again and again is the tweet. Though limited to a meager 140 characters, it is amazing how these short and often emotional abbreviated statements can create a firestorm almost instantaneously. The individual may quickly regret the emotional outburst they just shot into virtual world, but by then, it almost always is far too late. Somebody, somewhere has taken a snapshot of the offending comment and the brouhaha is on.

Such an occurrence took place this past weekend.

On Saturday night, when Mother Jones staffers tweeted a report that riot police might soon sweep demonstrators out of the Wisconsin capitol building — something that didn't end up happening — one Twitter user sent out a chilling public response: "Use live ammunition."

From my own Twitter account, I confronted the user, JCCentCom. He tweeted back that the demonstrators were "political enemies" and "thugs" who were "physically threatening legally elected officials." In response to such behavior, he said, "You're damned right I advocate deadly force." He later called me a "typical leftist," adding, "liberals hate police."

Only later did we realize that JCCentCom was a deputy attorney general for the state of Indiana...

Of course, a tweet of this nature from a deputy attorney general is problematic. The attorney general and his or her deputies of each state are the top law enforcement officers and lawyers for the government. So, this statement by Jeff Cox amounts to an endorsement of using deadly force on people exercising their constitutional rights of free speech and free assembly.

Even more troubling is that Cox sounds like he endorses the same strategy being currently employed in Libya, Bahrain and other Middle Eastern nations who are experiencing massive civil unrest. It would be bad enough if Cox was some yahoo out in the boondocks spouting off anonymously, but, when you consider is current position, such statements are entirely irresponsible.

The worst part about his tweet is that it has the potential to provide a modicum of legitimization to the idea that it might be patriotic for someone with violent mental health issues to go down to the Wisconsin state capitol to carry out the use of "live ammunition" on peaceful protesters. While, after the shootings in Tucson, Sara Palin received a healthy dose of criticism for her use of cross hairs over select congressional district, Cox's declaration is ten times more direct and blatant.

It will be interesting to see how (or if) Cox tries to backpedal from his inflammatory tweet. It will also be interesting to see if he keeps his day job serving the citizens of Indiana.

UPDATE: Cox lost his job and rather quickly too.