November 20

I opted out of the entire political process more than thirty years ago. I have been presented, on numerous occasions, with the question “Why, are you lazy or just irresponsible?” A reasonable question I suppose and my answer is really rather simple: I choose to not participate in what I see is, at best, an empty, futile gesture designed more to placate the teeming rabble than to offer an opportunity to participate in the government of a nation. I find the prospect of voting as being akin to repeatedly slamming my head in to a wall because it feels so good when I stop. I offer the following as just one illustration of how I believe that politics works in real life. On the 20th in 1407, John, Duke of Berry brokered a truce between John, Duke of Burgundy and Louis of Valois, Duke of Orleans. It seems that John and Louis had been at odds for quite some time, both attempting to fill a power vacuum, which had developed because King Charles VI was clearly out of his mind. The two never learned how pleasant it could be to share and neither was able to simply shake hands and make nice. Three days after entering into this solemn truce, the Duke of Berry (pictured) had Louis assassinated.