Pursuing, Obtaining, and Keeping Power

OF TWENTY THREE MILLION SYRIANS, four million have fled Syria, all because a tyrant refuses to relinquish power. A civil war lasting four years, with no end in sight, should surely be construed as a hint that the current regime ought to perhaps leave office. How would the situation be different now if Bashar Assad had called for an election four years ago, or stepped aside? Hundreds of thousands of people now dead would still be alive, and instead of Assad controlling twenty five percent of the country he purports to legitimately govern, a legitimate government would provide stability for the entire nation. Assad is not at all unusual. Tyrants almost never surrender power willingly, and those who seek power, seek to become tyrants, spare no effort in their pursuit of it. Power over other people is addictive, it seems. Every organism wants to be in control of its environment, a survival imperative. In the United States, one cannot fail to notice how desperately and persistently candidates for president pursue power. they spare no expense, no effort. The pursuit of power in America is often called "public service". Perhaps it should be called "self service". For tyrants, the bigger the environment, the greater the emotional satisfaction and sense of security. Every American president has been accused of being a tyrant. In some cases, notably Abraham Lincoln, the accusation has merit. It can be and has been argued that every American president has committed criminal acts. Noam Chomsky asserts that every American president since World War Two should have been hanged, or shot, as a war criminal. Thomas Jefferson said that the tree of liberty will, from time to time, require the nourishment of the blood of patriots and tyrants. We see this now in Syria, and, all too soon, we are likely to see it again, and again. As Einstein said, a long as there are people, there will be war. we can hope he was wrong. Jefferson also said that he liked a little rebellion now and again.