PART TWO OF MACHIAVELLI BY KENNETH SCOT STREMSKY This page has information from http://www.geocities.com/kstremsky/page18.html After some of the excerpts, I comment on the excerpts. The excerpts from The Prince come from the Portable Machiavelli translated by Peter Bondanella and Mark Musa. The following excerpt comes from page 80 of The Portable Machiavelli. "But it is the new principality that causes difficulties. In the first place, if it is not completely new but instead an acquisition (so that the two parts together may be called mixed), its difficulties derive from one natural problem inherent in all new principalities: men gladly change their masters, thinking to better master themselves; and this belief causes them to take arms against their ruler; but they fool themselves in this, since with experience they see that things have become worse. This stems from another natural and ordinary necessity, which is that a new prince must always offend his new subjects with both his soldiers and other countless injuries that accompany his new conquest; thus, you have made enemies of all those you injured in occupying the principality and you are unable to maintain as friends those who helped you rise to power, since you cannot satisfy them in the way that they had supposed, nor can you use strong measures against them, for you are in their debt; because, although one may have the most powerful of armies, he always needs the support of the inhabitants to seize a province." MY COMMENTS A candidate is more likely to have a mandate and is more likely to accomplish reforms as an elected official if the candidate discusses many issues, many reforms, and the candidates faults before primary election day. Most people who hold elective office including Presidents of the United States of America do not accomplish much of anything useful and long lasting because they did not provide the type of leadership they should have provided before primary election day. A reformer should know how to work with friends and opponents and be willing to work against friends and opponents. A candidate who is known to be usually truthful and usually ethical is more likely to accomplish great deeds in elected office as well outside of elected office. Smart people respect individuals that can not be bought. Smart people do not respect puppets of corporations, unions, and other special interests. A candidate who is controlled by special interest groups are not likely to consider reforms and are not likely to care more about the people than they do the special interests that contributed to their campaigns. People should be wary of reformers who will not tell the voters many of the reforms they want to accomplish. People should be wary of reformers who are unwilling to discuss some of their faults and some of their ethical lapses in judgement. Con artists are often elected to Congress. Some con artists have been elected President of the United States of America. Many con artists have been elected to Congress because the media is more interested in discussing the family lives and sex lives of candidates than the issues. The following excerpt is from page 82 of The Portable Machiavelli. "But when dominions are acquired in a province that is not similar in language, customs, and laws, it is here that difficulties arise; and it is here that one needs much good fortune and much diligence to hold on to them." MY COMMENTS Our country's economy would grow faster, our living standards would increase, and are civil liberties would be better protected if we taught the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the United States Constitution in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and other languages in our school especially before our students graduate from junior high school. Our country should make bilingual and trilingual education a priority. Our country should do its best to make sure that all students in the United States of America are fluent in English and Spanish before they graduate from junior high school. Our country will be better able to help the economies of Mexico, Central America, and South America grow if many more Americans know Spanish and Portuguese. Portuguese is the main language spoken in Brazil and I think Brazil will someday have one of the highest living standards in the world because of its rain forests and the creativity of its people. The more fair trade we do with Mexico, Cental America, and South America the more good paying jobs will be created on in our country and their countries. We should help Mexico, Central America, and South America clean their water, improve their sanitation systems, improve their health care systems, improve their educational systems, clean up polluted environments, and improve their public transportation systems. I think our Federal Government should spend at least 5 billion dollars on non military aid to Mexico, Central America, and South America. Congress should decide how the aid money is spent. I believe that their economies will grow faster if we do this and many high paying jobs will be created in our country and their countries. Illegal immigration may also decrease significantly if we do this. Our country should seriously consider not supporting dictators in Mexico, Central America, and South America. I hope the United States of America will never again be led by a President of the United States of America who does not care about the humans rights of people of Mexico, Central America, and South America. Foreign aid to Venezuela may help the country increase oil imports to our country. Foreign aid to Colombian farmers may decrease illegal drug shipments from Colombia and help Colombia end the Civil War that is now taking place. The following excerpt is from page 83 of The Portable Machiavelli. "Moreover, anyone who is in a province that is unlike his own in the ways mentioned above should make himself the leader and defender of the less powerful neighbors and do all he can to weaken those who are more powerful, and he should be careful that, for whatever reason, no foreigner equal to himself in strength enter there." MY COMMENTS I believe a leader should only weaken those who deserve to be weakened. A real leader wants to help others do good. A real leader wants to build relationships with friends and opponents that bring about much common good. A real leader discusses many of the leaders faults and many of the leaders ethical lapses in judgement before discussing many of the faults and many of the ethical lapses in judgement because a leader who does not discuss himself/herself first should not be respected and should not be trusted because the person is a con artist. The following excerpt is from pages 84 and 85 of The Portable Machiavelli. "For the Romans did in these instances what all wise princes should do: these princes have not only to watch out for present problems but also for those in the future, and try diligently to avoid them; for once problems are recognized ahead of time, they can easily be cured; but if you wait for them to present themselves, the medicine will be too late, for the disease will have become incurable. And what physicians say about disease is applicable here: that at the beginning a disease is easy to cure but difficult to diagnose; but as time passes, not having been recognized or treated at the outset, it becomes easy to diagnose but difficult to cure. The same thing occurs in affairs of state; for by recognizing from afar the diseases that are spreading in the state (which is a gift given only to the prudent ruler), they can be cured quickly; but when, not having been recognized, they are left to grow to the extent that everyone recognizes them, there is no longer any cure." MY COMMENTS The attack on our country on September 11, 2001 is a perfect example of the previous excerpt. Our country was attacked at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 because information was not shared with the people who needed to know the information. Significant risk analysis was not done. Anyone with an IQ above 50 should have realized that an attack on Pearl Harbor was possible especially because the Japanese Navy was led by Admiral Yamamoto who obtained a fine education from Harvard University. President Eisenhower's Administration removed Mossadegh from power in Iran and replaced him with the Shah of Iran because Mossadegh nationalized Iran's oil fields. The fact that the government of the United States of America has nationalized industries in peace time and war time did not matter to him. Our country supported the Shah of Iran for decades when we should have known he was a murderer of Irans's people. Iran's people have a right to hate the United States of America because of the evil acts our government did to Iran. I do hope our country and Iran will someday be friends and trading partners. During the 1970s, planes were hijacked on a regular basis. Before 1980, I thought someday a hijacker would hijack a plane in Europe or Africa and turn it into a bomb. I did not think this would happen in our country because I did not think we were led by morons. I did think before 1980 that a bomb would someday be used in a subway system in the United States of America. I also believe before 1980 that a terrorist group would spread a deadly disease via the subway system in a city located in the United States of America. Our country helped kick the Russians out of Afghanistan and allowed a power vacuum to occur when our government stupidly abandoned Afghanistan and allowed the Taliban to take power Our citizens were taken hostage in Iran and our military response was pathetic. We should have told Iran that if our citizens were not released we would drop bombs on Iran's cities until they were released. If the hostages had been killed, we should have laid waste to many of Iran's cities. In the early 1980s, our Marines were murdered in Lebanon and our government ran from Lebanon with its tail between its legs. Our government should have punished severely all the groups and countries that supported terrorist acts against our country and our citizens. Our modern war with terrorists began when our Marines were murdered and the cowardice of our government leaders contributed to the attack on September 11. The security of government installations including Embassies was supposed to be increased significantly. President Reagan's Adminstration thought Iran Contra was a great idea. Secret governments weaken Republics and sometimes end Republics. I would probably not be running for elective office now if President Reagan and the other idiots involved with Iran Contra had read The Art of War by Sun Tzu and had enough common sense to know that helping a country which took your citizens hostage and still hates you is a dumb idea. If President Reagan's administration had wanted to help the Contras, they should have changed public opinion in this country and other countries with public opinion campaigns. Pan Am 103 was blown up over Scotland more than a decade ago. Airport security and airplane security was supposed to be increased significantly. Our country should have eliminated Sadaam Hussein from power by any means necessary during the Persian Gulf War. We should have not ruled out the usage of nuclear weapons. Sadaam Hussein has biological and chemical weapons. He wants nuclear weapons. In the 1990s, some of our embassies were attacked. Our country had the opportunity to eliminate Osama Bin Laden and it did not because we were led by fools during the 1990s. Our country still has not learned the lessons of history because our country uses our military to support the current government of Saudi Arabia which has funded terrorist groups that hate the United States of America. We should pull our troops out of Saudi Arabia if the people of Saudi Arabia do not elect leaders who are friends of the United States of America. Our country is not prepared for biological warfare at this time. Our country should be well prepared for biological warfare. Biological warfare is more likely to kill off most of our citizens than nuclear war is. If our country is hit with biological weapons, our country should consider using nuclear weapons against Iran, Iraq, and other countries. The most surprising thing for me about September 11 was the fact that the Pentagon was hit. I thought the Pentagon had anti-aircraft capabilities including surface to air missiles. A Professor I knew from the University of New Hampshire was murdered by the terrorists. If the terrorists had picked September 12 instead of September 11, my mother might have been on a plane that was hijacked because she was supposed to fly out of Boston on September 12. We need to hunt terrorists down and execute them wherever they may be because they decided to go after our civilians. We should do whatever is necessary to defend our country and our citizens including breaking the laws of other nations and international laws. If countries abandon us in our time of need, they should not be surprised if we abandon them in their time of need. Our country is more likely to be victorious if our leaders read The Art of War by Sun Tzu translated by Samuel B. Griffith. A Department of Homeland Security will not be of much use if President Bush and top people at the Department of Homeland Security do not read The Art of War by Sun Tzu. The following excerpt is from page 86 of The Portable Machiavelli. "The desire to acquire is truly a very natural and normal thing; and when men who can do so, they will always be praised and not condemned; but when they cannot and wish to do so at any cost, herein lies the error and the blame." The following excerpt is from page 87 of The Portable Machiavelli. "And if someone were to say: King Louis relinquished Romagna to Alexander and the Kingdom of Naples to Spain in order to avoid a war, I would reply with the arguments given above: that one should never allow chaos to develop in order to avoid going to war, because one does not avoid a war but instead puts it off to his disadvantage." The following excerpt is from page 91 of The Portable Machiavelli. "As I have said, when those states that are acquired are used to living by their own laws and in freedom, there are three methods of holding on to them: the first is to destroy them; the second is to go there in person to live; the third is to allow them to live with their own laws, forcing them to pay a tribute and creating therein a government made up of a few people who will keep the state friendly toward you. For such a government, having been created by that prince, knows that it cannot last without his friendship and his power, and it must do everything possible to maintain them; and a city used to living in freedom is more easily maintained through the means of its own citizens than in any other way, if you decide to preserve it." The following excerpt is from page 92 of The Portable Machiavelli. "But in republics there is greater vitality, greater hatred, greater desire for revenge; the memory of ancient liberty does not and cannot allow them to rest, so that the most secure way is either to destroy them or to go there to live." The following excerpt is from pages 92 and 93 of The Portable Machiavelli. "No one should marvel, if in speaking of principalities that are totally new as to their prince and organization, I use the most illustrious examples; since men almost always tread the paths made by others and proceed in their affairs by imitation, although they are not completely able to stay on the path of others nor reach the skill of those they imitate, a prudent man should always enter those paths taken by great men and imitate those who have been most excellent, so that if one's own skill does not match theirs, at least it will have the smell of it; and he should proceed like those archers who, aware of the strength of their bow when the target they are aiming at seems too distant, set their sights, much higher than the designated target, not in order to reach such a height with their arrow but rather to be able, with the aid of such a high aim, to strike their target. I say, therefore, that in completely new principalities, where there is a new prince, one finds in maintaining them more or less difficulty according to the greater or lesser skill of the one who acquires them. And because this act of transition from private citizen to prince presupposes either ingenuity or Fortune, it appears that either the one or the other of these two things should, in part, mitigate many of the problems; nevertheless, he who has relied upon Fortune less has maintained his position best." The following excerpt is from pages 94 and 95 of The Portable Machiavelli. "Like these men, those who become princes through their skill acquire the principality with difficulty, but they hold on to it easily; and the difficulties they encounter in acquiring the principality grow, in part, out of the new institutions and methods they are obliged to introduce in order to found their state and their security. And one should bear in mind that there is nothing more difficult to execute, nor more dubious of success, nor more dangerous to administer than to introduce a new system of things: for he who introduces it has all those who profit from the old system as his enemies, and he has only lukewarm allies in all those who might profit from the new system. This lukewarmness partly stems from fear of their adversaries, who have the law on their side, and partly from the skepticism of men who do not truly believe in new things unless they have actually had personal experience of them. Therefore, it happens that whenever those who are enemies have the chance to attack, they do so in a partisan manner, and those others defend hesistantly, so that they, together with the prince, are in danger. It is necessary, however, if we desire to examine this subject thoroughly, to note whether these innovators act on their own or are dependent on others: that is, if they are forced to beg or are able to use power in conducting their affairs. In the first case, they always end up badly and never accomplish anything; but when they lean on their own resources and can use power, then only seldom do they find themselves in peril. From this comes the fact that all armed prophets were victorious and the unarmed came to ruin. Besides what has been said, people are fickle by nature; and it is simple to convince them of something but difficult to hold them in that conviction; and, therefore, affairs should be managed in such a way that when they no longer believe, they can be made to believe by force. Moses, Cyrus, Theseus, and Romulus could not have made their institutions long respected if they had been unarmed; as in our times it befell Brother Girolamo Savonarola, who was ruined by his new institutions when the populace began no longer to believe in them; and he had no way of holding steady those who had believed nor of making the disbelievers believe. Therefore, such men have great problems in getting ahead, and they meet all their dangers as they proceed, and they must overcome them with their skill; but once they have overcome them and have begun to be respected, having removed those who were envious of their merits, they remain powerful, secure, honored, and happy. To such noble examples I should like to add a minor one; but it will have some relation to the others, and I should like it to suffice for all similar cases: and this is Hiero of Syracuse. From a private citizen, this man became the prince of Syracuse; he did not receive anything from Fortune except the opportunity, for since the citizens of Syracuse were oppressed, they elected him as their leader; and from that he earned the right to be their prince. And he was so skillful that while still a private citizen someone who wrote about him said "that he lacked nothing save a kingdon to reign." He abolished the old militia and established a new one; he left behind old friendships and made new ones; and since he had allies and soldiers that depended on him, he was able to construct whatever building he wished on such a foundation; so that this required of him great effort to acquire but little to maintain." MY COMMENTS The previous excerpt says why it is important to discuss issues in great detail before primary election day if the person want to do as many great things for our country as I want to do. The more negative information I provide about myself the less harm can be done by my opponents when they use negative attacks against me. When a person is known as usually truthful and usually ethical, the person is better able to survive attacks and fickle public opinion. A person who discusses many issues in great detail may be able to shape public opinion for many generations to come. I am trying to shape public opinion for many generations to come. A leader who admits the leader has had many ethical lapses in judgement is more likely to be trusted than a person who says the person has never made any ethical lapses in judgement. A person who is willing to discuss the major events in the person's life and how those events have shaped the person is more likely to be respected and listened to than a person who does not provide much biographical information. If a leader wants to create a new order while strengthening the existing order as I do, I believe the leader needs to discuss the issues as much as I do, a large number of the leader's strategies, and some of the great works written by others that have shaped the leader's opinions dealing with leadership. Sometimes a country needs to retaliate massively when the country is hit with a minor attack. Sometimes a country should respond with a minor attack when the country is hit by a minor attack. A while ago, I read or heard the following. When a Russian was taken hostage, a group of Russians kidnapped the family member of a person related to a hostage taker and sent a part of that person's body to the hostage taker. The Russian hostage was released and hostage takers thought it was a very bad idea to take a Russian hostage. When people fear you, they think twice about harming you. Machiavelli discusses this fact a great deal in The Prince as well as The Discourses. The Art of War by Sun Tzu also discusses this. I do not think torture is a cruel and unusual punishment when national security is at stake. I believe that torture is often not a reliable tool of obtaining information. I also believe that torture often makes the allies of the person you tortured hate you even more. I realize Amendment Eight of the United States Constitution says "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted." I do not consider the death penalty to be a cruel and unusual punishment when the crime deserves the death penalty. I believe that many innocent people have been executed in our country. If I am elected President of the United States of America, I may order the executions of enemies of the United States of America. I think it is usually a better idea to kill the leaders of a country that hates you than to send massive numbers of troops into battle. I think the American people are more likely to support sending massive numbers of troops into battle when a President of the United States of America's battle plans are based on common sense. I do not think our country should ever again have a Draft because I do not believe any country should have the power to force its citizens to fight and die for it. I believe no government should be able to away a person's Liberty in this way. I realize Article One, Section Eight of the United States Constitution says Congress has the power "To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrection and repel Invasions." I do not think a Draft should take place to "execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions." If I am the President of the United States of America and Congress decides to call "forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrection and repel Invasions:, I will probably not veto this decision. If Congress decides to have a Draft to force people to fight outside of the United States of America, I might veto this Draft decision. I discuss many of the things I think our country should do to improve our military and increase the probability that people will want to join the military and stay in the military for a long period of time on my website. If my health had been better when I was a teenager, I would have probably applied to West Point or enlisted in the Army or the Air Force. I would have not enlisted in the Navy because I would have probably gotten seasick if I had been at sea too often. I decided while I was in college that I could do more for our soldiers as a candidate for elective office who discusses military issues than I could ever do for them in combat. One of the main reasons I want to be President of the United States of America is because I want to improve the living standards of soldiers and Veterans significantly. I also want our soldiers to be allowed to win when they are sent into combat. The following excerpt is from page 96 of The Portable Machiavelli. "Those private citizens who become princes through Fortune alone do so with little effort, but they maintain their position only with a great deal; they meet no obstacles along their way since they fly to success, but all of their problems arise when they have arrived. And these are the men who are granted a state either because they have money or because they enjoy the favor of him who grants it: this occurred to many in Greece in the cities of Ionia and the Hellespont, where Darius created princes in order that he might hold these cities for his security and glory; in like manner were set up those emperors who from private citizens came to power by bribing the soldiers. Such men depend solely upon two very uncertain and unstable things: the will and the fortune of him who granted them the state; they do not know how and are not able to maintain their position. They do not how, since if men are not of great intelligence and ingenuity, it is not reasonable that they know how to rule, having always lived as private citizens; they are not able to, since they do not have forces that are friendly and faithful. Besides, states that rise quickly, just as all the other things of nature that are born and grow rapidly, cannot have roots and ramifications; the first bad weather kills them, unless these men who have suddenly become princes, as I have noted, are of such ability that they know how to prepare themselves quickly and to preserve what Fortune has put in their laps, and to construct afterward those foundations that others have built before becoming princes." MY COMMENTS I have tried to prepare myself well to be a United States Senator and President of the United States of America. I first became interested in politics when my grandmother who was a liberal Democrat and fan of Ted Kennedy discussed with me the importance of Social Security and Medicare when I was a child. I also learned to love war movies and art because of her. The Iranian hostage crisis greatly angered me and speeded up my interest in politics significantly. Before Iran Contra happened, I had decided to never run for elective office and only discuss issues important to the country in letters and issue related advertisements because I was very introverted at that time. Iran Contra made me break that vow and made me decide to run for elective office in the future. In my opinion Iran Contra, endangered our Republic far more than Watergate because Iran Contra reminded of the type of things that happened during the Roman Empire when Emperors were often killed by people who were supposed to protect the emperor. Secret governments that do not have to answer to Congress and the American people are more dangerous to our Republic than Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan were to us during World War Two. The following excerpt is from page 103 of The Portable Machiavelli. "But because there are yet two more ways one can from an ordinary citizen become prince, which cannot completely be attributed to either Fortune or skill, I believe they should not be left unmentioned, although one of them will be discussed at greater length in a treatise on republics. These two are: when one becomes prince through some wicked and nefarious means or when a private citizen becomes prince of his native city through the favor of his fellow citizens." The following excerpt is from pages 106 and 107 of The Portable Machiavelli. "I believe that this depends on whether the cruelty be well or badly used. Well used are those cruelties (if it is permitted to speak well of evil) that are carried out in a single stroke, done out of necessity to protect oneself, and are not continued but are instead converted into the greatest possible benefits for the subjects. Badly used are those cruelties which, although being few at the outset, grow with the passing of time instead of disappearing. Those who follow the first method can remedy their condition with God and with men as Agathocles did; the others cannot possibly survive. Wherefore it is to be noted that in taking a state its conqueror should weigh all the harmful things he must do and do them all at once so as not to have to repeat them every day, and in not repeating them to be able to make men feel secure and to win them over with the benefits he bestows upon them. Anyone who does otherwise, either out of timidity or because of poor advice, is always obliged to keep his knife in his hand; nor can he ever count upon his subjects, who, because of their fresh and continuous injuries, cannot feel secure with him. Injuries, therefore, should be inflicted all at the same time, for the less they are tasted, the less they offend; and benefits should be distributed a bit at a time in order that they may be savored fully. And a prince should, above all, live with his subjects in such a way that no unforeseen event, either good or bad, may make him alter his course; for when emergencies arise in adverse conditions, you are not in time to resort to cruelty, and that good you do will help you little, since it will be judged a forced measure and you will earn from it no thanks whatsover." MY COMMENTS The previous excerpt is why I discuss many of the things I want to happen to prescription drug companies and other businesses. Some of my policies harm prescription drug companies and other businesses. Some of my policies help prescription drug companies and other businesses. I may come up with other punishments and benefits for prescription drug companies and other businesses in the future. I may of course come up with other punishments and benefits for prescription drug companies and other types of businesses if I am elected to the United States Senate. I may come up with other punishments and benefits for prescription drug companies and other businesses if I am elected President of the United States of America. The following excerpt is from pages 107, 108, 109, and 110 of The Portable Machiavelli. "But coming to the second instance, when a private citizen, not through wickedness or any other intolerable violence, but with the favor of his fellow citizens, becomes prince of his native city (this can be called a civil principality, the acquisition of which neither depends completely upon skill nor upon Fortune, but instead upon a mixture of shrewdness and luck) I maintain that once reaches this princedom either with the favor of the common people or with that of the nobility. For these two different humors are found in every body politic; and they arise from the fact that the people do not wish to be commanded or oppressed by the nobles, and the nobles desire to command and to oppress the people; and from these two opposed appetites these arises one of three effects: either a principality or liberty or anarchy. A principality is brought about either by the common people or by the nobility, depending on which one of the two parties has the opportunity. For when the nobles see that they cannot resist the populace, they begin to support one among them and make him prince in order to be able, under his shadow, to satisfy their appetites. The common people as well, seeing that they cannot resist the nobility, give their support to one man and make him prince in order to have the protection of his authority. He who attains the principality with the aid of the nobility maintains it with more difficulty than he who becomes prince with the assistance of the common people, for he finds himself a prince amidst many who feel themselves to be his equals, and because of this he can neither govern nor manage them as he might wish. But he who attains the principality because of popular favor finds himself alone and has around him either no one or very few who are not ready to obey him. Moreover, one cannot honestly satisfy the nobles without harming others, but the common people can surely be satisfied: their desire is more honest than that of the nobles - the former wishing not to be oppressed and the latter wishing to oppress. Moreover, a prince can never make himself secure when the people are his enemy because they are so many; he can make himself secure against the nobles because they are so few. The worst that a prince can expect from a hostile people is to be abandoned by them; but with a hostile nobility not only does he have to fear being abandoned but also that they will unite against him; for, being more perceptive and shrewder, they always have time to save themselves, to seek the favors of the side they believe will win. Furthermore, a prince must always live with the same common people; but can can easily do without the same nobles, having the power to create them and to destroy them from day to day and to take away and give back their reputation as he sees fit. And in order to clarify this point better, I say that the nobles should be considered chiefly in two ways: either they govern themselves in such a way that they commit themselves completely to your fortunes or they do not. Those who commit themselves and are not greedy should be honored and loved; those who do not are to be examined in two ways. They act in this manner out of fear and a natural lack of courage, and then you make use of them, especially those who are wise advisers, since in prosperous times they will gain you honor and in adverse times you need not fear them. But when, deliberately, and influenced by ambition, they refrain from committing themselves to you; this is a sign that they think more of themselves than of you; and the prince should be wary of such men and fear them as if they were open enemies, because they will always, in adverse times, help to ruin him. However, one who becomes prince with the support of the common people must keep them as his friends; this is easy for him, since the only thing they ask of him is that they not be oppressed. But one who, against the will of the common people, becomes prince with the assistance of the nobility must, before all else, seek to win the people's support, which should be easy if he takes them under his protection. And because men, when they are well treated by those from whom they expected harm, are more obliged to their benefactor, the common people quickly become better desposed toward him than if he had become prince with their support. And a prince can gain their favor in various ways, but because they vary according to the situation no fixed rules can be given for them, and therefore I shall not talk about them. I shall conclude by saying only that a prince must have the friendship of the common people; otherwise, he will have no support in times of adversity. Nabis, prince of the Spartans, withstood the attacks of all of Greece and of one of Rome's most victorious armies, and he defended his city and his state against them; and when danger was near he needed only to protect himself from a few of his subjects; but if he had had the common people against him, this would not have been sufficient. And let no one dispute my opinion by citing that trite proverb: "He who builds upon the people builds upon the mud" because that is true when a private citizen lays his foundations and allows himself to believe that the common people will free him if he is oppressed by enemies or by the public officials (in this case a man might often find himself fooled, like the Gracchi of Rome or like Messer Giorgio Scali of Florence); but when the prince who builds his foundations on the people is one who is able to command and is a man of spirit, not confused by adversities, and does not lack other necessities, and through his courage and his institutions keeps up the spirits of the populace, he will never find himself deceived by the common people, and he will discover that he has laid sound foundations. Principalities of this type usually are endangered when they are about to change from a republic to an absolute form of government. For these princes either rule by themselves or by means of public officials; in the latter case their position is weaker and more dangerous since they depend entirely upon the will of those citizens who are appointed to hold the offices; these men, especially in adverse times, can very easily seize the state either by open opposition or by disobedience. And in such times of danger the prince has no time for taking absolute control, for the citizens and subjects who are used to receiving their orders from public officials are, in these crises, not willing to obey his orders; and in doubtful times he will always find a scarcity of men he can trust. Such a prince cannot rely upon what he sees during periods of calm, when the citizens need his rule, because then everyone comes running, makes promises, and each one is willing to die for him - since death is unlikely; but in times of adversity, when the state needs its citizens, then few are to be found. And this experiment is so much the more dangerous in that it cannot be made but once. And, therefore, a wise prince should think of a method by which his citizens, at all times and in every circumstance, will need the assistance of the state and of himself; and then they will always be loyal to him." The following excerpt is from page 111 of The Portable Machiavelli. "In analyzing the qualities of these principalities, another consideration must be discussed; that is, whether the prince has so much power that he can, if necessary, stand on his own, or whether he always needs the protection of others. And in order to clarify this section, I say that I judge those princes self-sufficient who, either through abundance of troops or money, are able to gather together a suitable army and fight a good battle against whoever should attack them; and I consider those who always need the protection of others to be those who cannot meet their enemy in the field, but must seek refuge behind their city walls and defend them. The first case has already been treated, and later on I shall say whatever else is necessary on the subject. Nothing more can be added to the second instance than to encourage such princes to fortify and provision their cities and not to concern themselves with the surrounding countryside. And anyone who has well fortified his city and has well managed his affairs with his subjects in the manner I detailed above (and discuss below) will be besieged only with great caution; for men are always enemies of undertakings that reveal their difficulties, and it cannot seem easy to attack someone who city is well fortified and who is not despised by his people." MY COMMENTS Machiavelli talks about the importance of valuing your country's troops. Our country did not value our troops when we did not get payback for our Marines being murdered in Lebanon in the early 1980s. During Vietnam, our country had a Draft and we forced people to fight and die for our country. We did not allow our troops to win when we sent them into battle. We called our soldiers baby killers when they were fighting in Vietnam. We called our troops baby killers when they came back from Vietnam. We did not care that many of our soldiers were being held prisoners of war in Asia. We did not care that many of our soldiers ended up homeless with mental problems caused by nightmares dealing with fighting a guerilla war in Vietnam where soldiers could not tell who their friends and enemies were the way that soldiers could during World War Two. Women and children were often used as weapons by the Vietnamese. Our government often thinks cutting back our Veteran's health benefits and other benefits are a great idea. Our country does not value our Veterans and our soldiers who protect our freedoms and our Liberty. Our people may lose their freedoms if they do not value our Veterans and soldiers a lot more than they do now. The following excerpt is from page 112 of The Portable Machiavelli. "Therefore, a prince who has a strong city and who does not make himself hated cannot be attacked; and even if he were to be attacked, the enemy would have to depart in shame, for human affairs are so changeable that it is almost impossible that one maintain a siege for a year with his troops idle. And to anyone who might answer me: if the people have their possessions outside the city and see them destroyed, they will lose patience, and the long siege and self-interest will cause them to forget their prince, I reply that a powerful and spirited prince will always overcome all such difficulties, inspiring his subjects now with the hope that the evil will not last long, now with the fear of the enemy's cruelty, now by protecting himself with clever maneuvers against those who seem too outspoken. Besides this, the enemy will naturally burn and waste the surrounding county on arrival, just when the spirits of the defenders are still ardent and determined on the city's defense; and thus the prince needs to fear so much the less, because after a few days, when their spirits have cooled down a bit, the damage has already been inflicted and the evils suffered, and there is no means of correcting the matter; and now the people will rally around their prince even more, for it would appear that he is bound to them by obligations, since their homes were burned and their possessions wasted in his defense. And the nature of men is such that they find themselves obligated as much for the benefits they confer as for those they receive. Thus, if everything is taken into consideration, it will not be difficult for a prudent prince to keep high the spirits of his citizens from the beginning to the conclusion of the siege, so long as he does not lack enough food and the means for his defense." MY COMMENTS The recent leader who is most similar to the leader discussed in the previous excerpt is Winston Churchill. He kept Britain in World War Two when the Nazis were pulverizing Britain with bombs. He kept the spirits of citizens of Britain up. I realize after the war ended the people of Britain abandoned him for a time. Winston Churchill's exile from British political life after World War One especially after the Gallipoli disaster strengthened the man. In my opinion, the exile helped him overcome the great depressions he often had. I also think his artistic ability helped him come up with his great motivational speeches. I have tried to usually be the type of person that Rudyard Kipling discusses in the poem IF since I read it in college. I believe the type of person described in the poem IF is the kind of leader our country needs to lead us. I hope our country will have many more leaders similar to the leader discussed in the poem IF. The following is the poem IF by Rudyard Kipling. IF If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you But make allowance for their doubting too, If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don't deal in lies, Or being hated, don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise: If you can dream -- and not make dreams your master, If you can think -- and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two imposters just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build' em up with worn-out tools: If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it all on one turn of pitch - and - toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breath a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!" If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with kings -- nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; If all men count with you, but none too much, If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And -- which is more--you'll be a Man, my son! Rudyard Kipling The following excerpt comes from pages 115 and pages 116 of The Portable Machiavelli. "We have said above that a prince must have laid firm foundations; otherwise he will of necessity come to grief. And the principal foundations of all states, the new as well as the old or mixed, are good laws and good armies. And since there cannot exist good laws where there are no good armies, and where there are good armies there must be good laws, I shall leave aside the treatment of laws and discuss the armed forces. Let me say, therefore, that the armies with which a prince defends his state are made up of either his own people or of mercenaries, either auxilary or mixed troops. The mercenaries and the auxiliaries are useless and dangerous. And if a prince holds on to his state by means of mercenary armies, he will never be stable or secure; for they are disunited, ambitious, without discipline, disloyal; they are brave among friends; among enemies they are cowards; they have no fear of God and no faith in men; and your downfall is deferred; and in peace you are plundered by them, in war by your enemies. The reason for this is that they have no other love nor other motive to keep them in the field than a meager wage, which is not enough to make them want to die for you. They love being your soldiers when you are not making war, but when war comes they either desert or depart." The following quote is from pages 116 and 117 of The Portable Machiavelli. "I wish to demonstrate more fully the sorry nature of such armies. Mercenary captains are either excellent soldiers or they are not; if they are, you cannot trust them, since they will always aspire to their own greatness either by oppressing you, who are their master, or by oppressing others against your intent; but if the captain is without skill, he usually ruins you. And if someone were to reply that anyone who bears arms will act in this manner, mercenary or not, I would answer that armies have to be commanded either by a prince or by a republic: the prince must go in person and perform the duties of a captain himself; the republic must send its own citizens; and when they send one who does not turn out to be an able man, they must replace him; and if he is capable, they ought restrain him with laws so that he does not go beyond his authority. And we see from experience that only princes and armed republics make very great advances, and that mercenaries do nothing but harm; and a republic armed with its own citizens is less likely to come under the rule of one of its citizens than a city armed with foreign soldiers." The following quote excerpt comes from pages 120 and 121 of The Portable Machiavelli. "Auxiliary troops, the other kind of worthless armies, are those that arrive when you call a powerful man to bring his forces to your aid and defense, as was done in recent days by Pope Julius, who, having witnessed in the campaign of Ferrara the sorry test of his mercenary soldiers, turned to his auxiliary soldiers and made an agreement with Ferdinard, King of Spain, that he assist him with his troops and his armies. These soldiers can be useful and good in themselves, but for the man who summons them they are almost always harmful; for, if they lose you remain defeated; if they win you remain their prisoner. And although ancient histories are full of such instances, nevertheless I am unwilling to leave unexamined this recent example of Pope Julius II, whose policy could not have been more poorly considered, for, in wanting to take Ferrara, he threw himself completely into the hands of a foreigner. But his good fortune brought about a third development so that he did not gather the fruit of his poor decision: for after his auxiliaries were routed at Ravenna, the Swiss rose up and, to the consternation of Pope Julius as well as everyone else, chased out the victors. Thus, he was neither taken prisoner by his enemies, since they had fled, nor by his auxiliaries, since he triumphed with arms other than theirs." The following excerpt is from page 121 of The Portable Machiavelli. "Anyone, therefore, who does not wish to conquer should make use of these soldiers, for they are much more dangerous than mercenary troops. Because with them defeat is certain: they are completely united and all under the command of others; but the mercenaries need more time and a great opportunity if they are to harm you after they have been victorious, for they are not a united body and are hired and salaried by you; a third party whom you make their leader cannot immediately seize enough authority to harm you. And so, with mercenaries the greatest danger is their cowardice, with auxiliaries their courage. A wise prince has always rejected these soldiers and has relied upon his own men; and he has chosen to lose with his own troops rather than to conquer with those of others, judging no true victory one gained by means of foreign armies." The following excerpt is from pages 123 and 124 of The Portable Machiavelli. "But the shortsightedness in human nature will begin a policy that seems good at the outset but does not notice the poison that is underneath, as I said earlier in connection with consumptive fevers. And thus anyone who does not diagnose the ills when they arise in a principality is not really wise; and this skill is given to few men. And if the primary cause of the downfall of the Roman Empire is examined, one will find it to be only when the Goths began to be hired as mercenaries; because from that beginning the strength of the Roman Empire began to be weakended, and all that strength was drained from it and was given to the Goths. I conclude, therefore, that without having one's own soldiers, no principality is safe; on the contrary, it is completely subject to Fortune, not having the power and the loyalty to defend it in times of adversity. And it was always the opinion and belief of wise men that "nothing is so unhealthy or unstable as the reputation for power that is not based upon one's own power." And one's own troops are those which are composed either of subjects or of citizens or your dependents; all others are either merceraies or auxiliaries. And the means to organize a citizen army are easily discovered if the methods followed by those four men I have cited above are examined, and if one observes how Philip, father of Alexander the Great, and many republics and princes have armed and organized themselves: in such methods I have confidence." The following excerpt is from page 124. "A prince, therefore, must not have any other object nor any other thought, nor must he take anything as his profession but war, its institutions, and its discipline; because that is the only profession which befits one who commands; and it is of such importance that not only does it maintain those who were born princes, but many times it enables men of private station to rise to that position; and, on the other hand, it is evident that when princes have given more thought to personal luxuries than to arms, they have lost their state. And the first way to lose it is to neglect this art; and the way to acquire it is to be well versed in this art." MY COMMENTS The main responsibilities of the President of the United States of America and Congress are maintaining law, order, and national security. As I have said previuosly, more than one President of the United States of America and more than one Congress have not fulfilled their responsibilities. Everything done by the President of the United States of America and by Congress should be discussed in way that it examines whether the thing provides for national security and maintains Liberty. Sometimes, national security has to take precedence over Liberty. Bioterrorism is one of the things I can think of that has national security being more important than Liberty. Our Federal Government may have to quarantine people in the future who have smallpox, anthrax, and/or Ebola. Article One, Section Eight of the United States Constitution has the power "To constitute Tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court;" "To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offenses against the Law of Nations;" "To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;" "To raise and support Armies, but np Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be longer Term than two Years;" "To provide and maintain a Navy;" "To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;" "To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;" "To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress." Article Two, Section Two of the United States Constitution says "The President of the United States shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several states, when called into the actual Service of the United States." Congress often gives the President of the United States of America more power than the President of the United States of America is supposed to have on military matters and other matters. One of the main reasons Vietnam was a disaster for our country is because Congress did not fulfill its responsibilities during the Vietnam Conflict. Vietnam was a conflict and not a war because Congress did not declare War. Military tribunals are created by Congress and not by the President of the United States of America. Congress may use Letters of Marque and Reprisal to help a President of the United States of America win a war. Congress may use Letters of Marque and Reprisal when Congress thinks a President of the United States of America is incompetent. The President of the United States of America does not have the power to decide what happens to enemy combatants, terrorists, and others. Only Congress has the power to make "Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water." Only Congress has the power "to define and punish Piracies and Felonies." The President of the United States of America on military matters only has as much power as Congress decides to give the President of the United States of America because of the ability of Congress to "make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces" and the ability of Congress to "provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining" members of the United States military. Congress also the power to raise and support Armies. Congress has the power to cut off funding for military campaigns whenever Congress wants. Too many Americans, treat the President of the United States of America as an emperor on military matters. I realize that our country needs a President of the United States of America who is a competent Commander In Chief who is willing to work with Congress to make sure that our troops win when they are sent into battle. A President of the United States of America sometimes has to launch a major attack on an opponent after our country is attacked. The launching of a nuclear missile heading towards our country is an example of this. I discuss Machiavelli more on Part Three of Machiavelli.