Oftentimes, I draw political lessons from one of my favorite movies, Mel Gibson’s “Braveheart.” In one particularly poignant scene, the protagonist, Scottish hero William Wallace, is exhausted from fighting the forces of England’s brutal monarch, Edward the Longshanks, which continue to occupy and oppress Scotland. Wallace has distinguished himself time and again on the battlefield as fearless, honorable and zealous for the cause of freedom, and he is ready to deploy with his men for another attack, this time against the northern English city of York. He is talking to the Scottish nobles, who are trying to convince him to compromise with their enemy.
