In my opinion, the most dangerous person in the world is a prison warden. Think about it, this single person controls the most dangerous people in the world, the people with nothing to lose and everything to gain, most of which speak of loyalty in terms of absolutes and absolutely nots. The power trickles down- that is, a warden has not much of a chance of controlling thousands of criminals, so he has the guards. The guards are assigned these segments, or separate designated areas to oversee. If a warden were so inclined, he could turn these criminals loose upon the world. Within that single confinement resides the poorest people of the world, those who have nothing to lose and criminal connections that reach small corners, and, opposite him, corporate mercernaries, high Wall-street bankers, those who could financially break the world or eliminate entire social classes if collaborated with others in similar situations.
Has anybody made this into a movie yet? What a badass idea.
Recently (VERY recently, within the past few days), Viktor Bout was captured in Thailand. At first, I didn't recognize this name (like so many others), until I read his nickname: Merchant of Death. An astounding thing, this man was extraordinary, on a first name basis with dictators, presidents, sadistic rulers throughout the world for decades, even enough to have a movie made about him (Lord Of War). It also brings up an interesting dilemma: is one who assists or participates in a necessary evil made evil by association? War is inevitable, without it, there's no peace, so would one rather have no war and not know the meaning of peace? or would one rather know peace, but have others who do not and are plagued by it's opposite? Personally, I prefer the last. Nobody has a perfect life, and it seems that conflict is one thing that sort of has a 'pass the buck' attitude towards it. It's the simplest way I can put it. One can know peace without experiencing war, but I don't think anyone can really appreciate peace until they've gone without for a time, or had to fight to regain it.
But back to the story. Viktor Bout. Like Hitler, I can't help but respect the guy. Sure, they're sadists with no conscience or morals (or some sort of twisted set of morals), but these men dedicated themselves towards their craft, towards becoming the best, and if you defined them by their potentials and dedication, would they not be the same as anyone from the opposing side of the spectrum? They say that mortal enemies contain the closest similarities, and I think it's true in these cases.
