W. Hugh Arscott Quotes
Canada is divided by great mountains, great prairies, Great Lakes, and eleven governments that really grate.
W. Hugh Arscott, Canadian Humourist, Quoted in John Robert Columbo, Famous Lasting Words
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
The custom during the civil war was that dead soldiers would be buried in groups by the state they came from. The chaplain, after a particularly bloody battle, has asked if he should separate the bodies by state.
Not only did the people in Afghanistan have very little experience with central government, but they had little history of government of any sort. There were loose tribes somewhat unified by culture, but there was little or no tribal government. The same with clans. Each Afghanistan male was his own ruler over his wives and children in a family centric society. While virtually all were Muslim, there was no hierarchy or structure of the clergy in that society.
There was huge pressure on the central government to decentralize as they held all the power in Indonesian society. However, if they devolved power to the Provinces (States), many of them could be large enough and independent enough to secede and become an independent country as East Timor had done. So the Indonesian power structure bypassed the Provincial governments and devolved power directly to the local governments, none of which was independent enough to go it alone. The desired objective was met—no more secessions. However, there was no one to worry about regional and national issues and problems as the politicians who had power were all local. The country was becoming non-functional in many ways.
