[mburbank]

Okay, but is that desperation significant? If it had resulted in a mass realization of the need for unity as opposed to a round robin of retribution killings, I might get on the 'Last Throes' bus, but

A.) It seems to have worked failry well as a tactic

and

B.) Religous fanatics are always happy to subdivide into multiple groups who find each other every bit as guilty of heresy and offensive to God as all the other heretic abominations.

If desperation was a sign that any of the factions were closer to loosing than before they were desperate, that would be swell.