Cindy Sheehan resigns as spokeswoman for peace movement

Sheehan’s statement is here.

This is a tragedy for this entire nation, not just for the peace movement. The lamp of Liberty itself is flickering. Cindy Sheehan is in many ways the archetypal American. In her willingness to sacrifice for her beliefs, she represents the best this country has to offer. For her to give up hope on the political system means that many others are reaching the conclusion that the system has failed.

Her story is a lesson in how Power destroys itself.

• Power inflicts devastating losses on people, often through war.
• The weaker of those are consumed by the tragedy. They give in and give up.
• The stronger fight so hard to stop the losses that they burn out.
• To hasten the burn-out, Power spreads hate and division.
• In the end, there are a few corrupt people at the top, many who are apathetic and withdrawn, and many others involved in enforcing orthodoxy or resisting. The society has no energy to create, build, or even defend itself.

Make no mistake. Societies like China are beginning to reach the level of organization and skill that they can replace the United States as hegemon, at least regionally. As the United States declines, they will replace us.

Evil is best understood as an absence of good. The more that our national energy is dissipated on petty ends like suppressing dissent, the less remains to serve higher goals.