Slogging Through the Pages

James Madison

A while back (late 2012) I mentioned getting a bunch of stuff from Amazon.com including "The Federalist Papers." For those who don't know, these were papers written by three of the founders of America (John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison) which tried to convince Americans to support the ratification of the United States Constitution by enumerating the reasons why it would be better for the states to all stay together instead of splintering off into either all separate entities or into a handful of confederacies. I've been wanting to read this for a very long time and I finally started reading it maybe a month ago. It isn't particularly long. There are 85 papers spanning 256 pages, and none of the papers are particularly long (the longest was maybe six pages thus far). Unfortunately, me be the slow reading, easily distracted person that I am, I haven't gotten very far. I've been reading for a few weeks but I'm only on number fourteen, page 36.

Don't get me wrong, it is a good read. The language soars a bit at times, but it's manageable (unlike "Common Sense" which was a bit out of my league linguistically speaking). It also mentions things that we don't often think about in terms of how the country we know has prospered over the last 237 years. It also makes you wonder about what may have happened if some people had gotten their wish and the Constitution had not been ratified, causing the States to separate into multiple entities.

Another reason I'm going rather slowly is a bit more practical. As I'm reading, I'm also highlighting the particularly important passages pretty much the same way I did back in my school days. I'm not just reading this to read it, I'm also trying to understand what is being said as I go along.

I'm setting the goal of finishing this book in the next two weeks, starting when I click "Publish" on this blog post.

Note to self: spend less time on social media and more time doing stuff that actually matters.

"Words Are Wind"

At some point since I last wrote about books, I finished A Feast For Crows and I'm currently a third of the way through A Dance With Dragons (volumes 4 and 5 of A Song of Ice & Fire respectively). These books are a bit different than the first three volumes of the series. First, as the first three volumes were linear from one to the next, four and five take place at the same time, both picking up where volume three ended. Each book follows a different set of characters (but they come back together towards the end of book 5). According to the author, it was supposed to be one book but it got so long that he had to break it up. Second, there are a lot of new characters being followed and new places we see. Those differences took a little getting used to, especially since I didn't see maps of some of the places until I bought book five.

All of that said, I'm still enjoying the series a lot. Lots of twists and turns, unexpected people popping up. Some people we thought were dead end up alive. New deceptions, new plans. Great drama. If the show lasts long enough to get to this point (and I hope it does, I have no idea how they will address the timeline issue.

This was a quick post as I just took a little reading break. Now, back to my book.

P.S. When I bought A Dance With Dragons a few weeks ago, I also bought a book that had a compilation of Thomas Paine's works including Rights of Man and Common Sense. If you've never heard of Common Sense, it was an instrumental document that helped to drive colonial public opinion towards independence in the 1770's. It SHOULD be required reading in American schools.

Friday the Thirteenth

Ever wonder why Friday the 13th is considered to be so unlucky? Well, I was watching The History Channel some years back and they were talking about the Knights Templar and the show gave me an answer to that question (though this quote isn't from The History Channel, it still rings true):

The whole superstition regarding the unluckiness of Friday the thirteenth arose when, on Friday, October 13, 1307, King Philip IV of France ordered the simultaneous arrest and imprisonment of all the available Knights Templar, and the confiscation of all their worldly goods. Because of this unwarranted persecution of the Knights Templar, all down the ages, Friday the thirteenth has been considered an unlucky day ever since.

Many, many Knights Templar were tortured into confessing such misdeeds as heresy, treason, worshiping an idol; all capital offenses. 

Many executions were carried out: many Knights Templar were burnt at the stake, including the elderly leader of the Order, Grand Master Jacques de Molay. As he was burnt at the stake, he faced the Notre Dame Cathedral, his hands folded in prayer. He said:

"God knows who has sinned. Soon a calamity will occur to those who have condemned us to death."

Pope Clement, who was instrumental in disbanding the Knights Templar, died only a month later, and King Philip, who ordered the capture, persecution and death of the Knights Templar, died mysteriously in a hunting accident before the end of the year.

How did this come about, that these Knights Templar, these proud knights in armour, responsible for guarding pilgrims to the Holy Land and the most respected knights in the land, with their vows of poverty, chastity and obedience rigorously adhered to and their sacred mission of protecting the pilgrims in the most holy of all places on earth--how did these perfect, gentle knights manage to offend not only their sovereign king but the pope, as well? And to the degree that the infamous persecution has its own unlucky aura surrounding that day, or indeed any Friday the thirteenth, for the next 700 years?

Even though the original vows included a vow of poverty, and the individual knights adhered to the rule as far as personal expenditures, they, as an organization, had become extremely wealthy over time, forming the first international banking system of any kind, and accruing wealth and estates through pious gifts of landowners wishing to finance the Crusades. King Philip was deeply in debt to the Knights Templar:proper name, the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon ...

And Pope Clement owed his position to King Philip's influence, primarily.

That's one way to cancel the debt--kill all the persons you are indebted to and confiscate their wealth.

So, happy "Sucks to be a Templar Day" to all!!!