C. S. Lewis: On Hatred, and the Blinding Power of Extremism

“Now that I come to think of it, I remember Christian teachers telling me long ago that I must hate a bad man's actions, but not hate the bad man: or, as they would say, hate the sin but not the sinner.

For a long time I used to think this a silly, straw-splitting distinction: how could you hate what a man did and not hate the man? But years later it occurred to me that there was one man to whom I had been doing this all my life—namely myself.

However much I might dislike my own cowardice or conceit or greed, I went on loving myself. There had never been the slightest difficulty about it. In fact the very reason why I hated the things was that I loved the man. Just because I loved myself, I was sorry to find that I was the sort of man who did those things.

Consequently, Christianity does not want us to reduce by one atom the hatred we feel for cruelty and treachery. We ought to hate them. Not one word of what we have said about them needs to be unsaid.

But it does want us to hate them in the same way in which we hate things in ourselves: being sorry that the man should have done such things, and hoping, if it is anyway possible, that somehow, sometime, somewhere, he can be cured and made human again.

The real test is this. Suppose one reads a story of filthy atrocities in the paper. Then suppose that something turns up suggesting that the story might not be quite true, or not quite so bad as it was made out.

Is one's first feeling, 'Thank God, even they aren't quite so bad as that,' or is it a feeling of disappointment, and even a determination to cling to the first story for the sheer pleasure of thinking your enemies are as bad as possible?

If it is the second then it is, I am afraid, the first step in a process which, if followed to the end, will make us into devils.

You see, one is beginning to wish that black was a little blacker. If we give that wish its head, later on we shall wish to see grey as black, and then to see white itself as black.

Finally we shall insist on seeing everything -- God and our friends and ourselves included -- as bad, and not be able to stop doing it: we shall be fixed for ever in a universe of pure hatred.”

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Gold Daily and Silver Weekly Charts - 'Why the American People Hate Congress'

The metals had a nice run higher, but gold was capped below 1700 and silver at 31.

Aside from the phony fiscal cliff, nothing has changed.

I am sure Chris Christie speaks for quite a few Americans as he slammed the Republican leadership of the House for their irresponsible inaction and duplicity.

I wondered if Governor Christie, and the people of his state and of New York, were being spanked for his walking the devastated cities and beaches with Obama in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. No one likes to be Katrina'd. If so, Speaker Boehner and Leader Cantor are even lower than I had imagined. I prefer to think that they are not malicious, just arrogant and detached from the common people whom they serve.

"It is why the American people hate the Congress."

I don't think anyone should 'hate' anyone else. Perhaps it would be better to say that this is why the Congress has historically low approval ratings of around ten percent. And they don't seem to care while they are getting paid by serving wealthy benefactors.

Does the government of Greece care what the people think? Egypt? Ireland? Spain? Join the club.

Some of the Congress should be encouraged to find productive employment elsewhere. And the method by which they are paid and funded needs serious reform.

SP 500 and NDX Futures Daily Charts - Gapped and Overbought

Non-Farm Payrolls on Friday.

The fiscal cliff was a phony crisis.

Nothing has changed.

Be careful about overextending your positions though especially on the short side. This market is thoroughly artificial. It really is a shame, but not the only one.

House Republicans Leaders Refuse to Bring Hurricane Sandy Relief Bill to a Vote

For comparison, $64 billion was allocated for Katrina in 10 days.

Shame.

House Leaders Draw Ire for Dropping Sandy Relief Package

House Republicans have reversed their pledge to take up an emergency aid bill this week for states devastated by Superstorm Sandy. The move potentially leaves the $60 billion aid package to die at the end of the legislative session Thursday.

The House was expected to consider the bill today but dropped it following lengthy talks on the "fiscal cliff." The decision drew harsh condemnation from both sides of the aisle.

Republican Rep. Michael Grimm of Staten Island — one of the areas hardest hit by Superstorm Sandy — said, "It is with an extremely heavy heart that I stand here almost in disbelief and somewhat ashamed." Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York blasted his colleagues for failing to take urgent action.

"Hurricane Sandy struck on October 29th, eight, nine weeks ago. It’s unprecedented that it should take so long. I can understand — I would not sympathize, but I can understand — with members who might say the amount requested is too much, we should change it, we should quibble with it, we should debate it.

Fine. But to ignore it, to ignore the plight of millions of American citizens? Unprecedented, disgusting, unworthy of the leadership of this House. They should reconsider, or they should hang their heads in shame, Mr. Speaker."