Secret Things

Dear Folk,

June 21st the first full day of Summer. We are nicely in a gray blanket of fog right now keeping us in the mid-70s. Happy Summer.

Today in 1306 Philip IV ("the fair") King of France gave William de Nogaret a secret commission to scope out some things for him. Exactly a month later, Phil IV acted on the information and seized all the goods and money of every Jew in France. How fair was that? You might well ask. I think Phil was just good-looking, not necessarily a nice guy. You may also recall that it was this self-same Phil who on Friday October 13th, 1307, ordered the arrest of the Templars in France. This ultimately led to the torture and execution of many Templars including Jacques de Molay, their Master.

Phil was in hock up to his fetlocks to the Jews and Templars. This king had sponsored quite a few wars and even bought a pope, Clement, after having Clem's predecessors murdered. Phil had promised aid to William Wallace (Braveheart) in his war against Edward II and then reneged. Best way to have all that debt forgotten? Hey, it was good to be the king! All of this sounds pretty harsh. It is told that Jacques de Molay when led to the stake invited both Phil and Clem (the paid-for pope) to stand with him in front of God. Both Phil and Clem within a month or two did, indeed, join Jacques in death. Funny how things work out.

Speaking of stakes, on this date in 1633 Galileo Galilei was forced by the Inquisition to "abjure, curse, and detest" his Copernican heliocentric views. Hey, Galileo was not the first one to say that the earth was not the center of everything. Copernicus was in there. For that matter, a monk named Bruno also taught that. Bruno was executed for his views by the same Roman Catholic church. I think it was last year, 1999, that the RC folks apologized for that. Okay, most of us had kind of gotten over it. Most of us astrologers are still using earth centered stuff anyway.

What have we learned from all or any of this? Convictions make convicts? Might may seem to make right? What goes around (the sun) comes around? It is never too late to say you are sorry? I would like to believe that my thoughts are free. Duke and dictators have a limited amount of sway, especially if I am prepared to die for what I believe.

Bright Blessings to all you Sea-Monkey fanciers out there.

I wonder what is on television tonight and where are my Air Jordans?
Ellsworth