Thus Spoke Zoroaster

The Yazidi are on everyone's radar at the moment. I was struck by the mention of their religion as being "Zoroasterian-like." The "real" Zoroasterians, founded by Zoroaster (cf. Zarathustra of Nietzschean fame) were known to early Christians as the Magi -- see for example the 13th century story of The Fire Worshipers first related by Marco Polo.

The Sunnis of ISIS (or ISIL depending on what the meaning of IS is) despise the Yazidi, mostly because they identify their most venerated angel as Shaitan. Shaitan is a species of Jinn (associated with Barbara Eden in American culture) but despised by ISIS zealots for denying Eve's lineage. Go figure.

How Did Everyone Else Miss This?

Richard "Duke" Wagner

The Duke explains what happened here in a chirbit:

Check this out on Chirbit

 h/t: Ron at Ambiance

Another Parable of a Madman

THE MADMAN----Have you not heard of that madman who logged into Blogger in the bright morning hours, clicked over to Lem's, and cried incessantly: "I seek GOP! I seek GOP!"---As many of those who believed in GOP were hanging around just then, he provoked much laughter. Has GOP gotten lost? wrote one. Has he fallen ill without insurance? snarked another. Or is he cowering in Washington, D.C.? Is he afraid of us? Has he gone on a Cruz? immigrated?---Thus they snarked and laughed...