The Leopard Muses on His Spots

I cannot change them,
I am told by you people
who apply the rule of leopards
to the two-legged ape
who fancies himself better
than those who go about on four.

Why would I wish to change them,
though they do little to blend
me to the gray walls of my cage?
I am not gifted to ask
myself or others what a spot is
or what a spot is not.
We are given what we have
and left with what we’ve got.

-- "The Leopard Muses on His Spots" by Paul Ruffin

The Natural World

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Pope Francis

This seems like a terrible omen, but whether for the world or the pope, or possibly both, I do not know.

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In a final gesture at the Vatican's annual "Caravan of Peace," Pope Francis watched with a wide smile as two children at his side released a pair of white doves from the window of the Apostolic Palace as a sign of peace.

Unfortunately, a sea gull and a large black crow had others ideas, sweeping down on the hapless doves as tens of thousands of people jammed into St. Peter's Square looked on Sunday.

One dove managed to break free from the sea gull, losing a few feathers in the brawl. The crow had a better grip on the other dove, pecking the bird repeatedly.

In the end, both doves got away, although the extent of their injuries wasn't immediately clear.

-- Doug Stanglin at USA Today

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Three Journal

I am ready to give my Three Journal a test run. The first entries are stuffed in my reading folder. I do have 249 entries in that journal. We’ll see if it makes for good reading, reading a couple of entries here, reading a couple of entries there, a little something to infuse the odd moment with a quick spiritual lift.

Abraham Lincoln

We have a letter from Abraham Lincoln to General Hooker in the midst of the Civil War.

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Executive Mansion
Washington, January 26, 1863

Major-General Hooker:
General.

I have placed you at the head of the Army of the Potomac. Of course I have done this upon what appear to me to be sufficient reasons. And yet I think it best for you to know that there are some things in regard to which, I am not quite satisfied with you. I believe you to be a brave and a skillful soldier, which, of course, I like. I also believe you do not mix politics with your profession, in which you are right. You have confidence in yourself, which is a valuable, if not an indispensable quality. You are ambitious, which, within reasonable bounds, does good rather than harm. But I think that during Gen. Burnside’s command of the Army, you have taken counsel of your ambition, and thwarted him as much as you could, in which you did a great wrong to the country, and to a most meritorious and honorable brother officer. I have heard, in such way as to believe it, of your recently saying that both the Army and the Government needed a Dictator. Of course it was not for this, but in spite of it, that I have given you the command. Only those generals who gain successes, can set up dictators. What I now ask of you is military success, and I will risk the dictatorship. The government will support you to utmost of it’s ability, which is neither more nor less than it has done and will do for all commanders. I much fear that the spirit which you have aided to infuse into the Army, of criticising their Commander, and withholding confidence from him, will now turn upon you. I shall assist you as far as I can, to put it down. Neither you, nor Napoleon, if he were alive again, could get any good out of an army, while such a spirit prevails in it.

And now, beware of rashness. Beware of rashness, but with energy, and sleepless vigilance, go forward and give us victories.

Yours very truly
A. Lincoln

{Source: Dead Presidents}

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