Signs Of The Times (American Reformation I, Eight.)

Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other.

~Ronald Reagan

...

 [Han arrives at Docking Bay 94 and sees a familiar face, and his ship surrounded.]

Jabba the Hutt: [in Huttese] Solo! Come out of there, Solo! Solo!

Han Solo: Right here, Jabba. [Jabba and his henchmen turn around to see Han and Chewbacca] I've been waiting for you.

Jabba: Have you now.

Han: You didn't think I was gonna run, did you?

Jabba: Han, my boy, you disappoint me. Why haven't you paid me? And why did you fry poor Greedo?

Han: Look, Jabba, next time you wanna talk to me, come see me yourself. Don't send one of these twerps.

Jabba: Han, I can't make exceptions. What if everyone who smuggled for me dropped their cargo at the first sign of an Imperial starship? It's not good for business.

Han: Look, Jabba, even I get boarded sometimes. [accidentally steps on Jabba's tail, causing Jabba to yelp in pain] Did you think I had a choice? But I got a nice easy charter now; I'll pay you back, plus a little extra. I just need a little more time.

Jabba: Han, my boy, you're the best smuggler I ever hired. So, for an extra 20%...

Han: Fifteen, Jabba, and don't push it.

Jabba: Okay, 15%. But if you fail me again, I'll put a price on your head so big, you won't be able to go near a civilized system.

Han: Jabba, you're a wonderful human being.

Jabba: [orders his minions] Come on! [Jabba's gang leaves with bounty hunter Boba Fett following behind.]

~From Star Wars: Episode IV, A New Hope

...

When men stop believing in God, it isn't that they then believe in nothing: they believe in everything. ~Umberto Eco

Goddamn, but ya know, lately I just can't help but notice that Republicans seem to suddenly think they've conquered the world, and they're madder than a god damn motherfucker that everybody isn't bowing down and worshiping them and their Devils and Idols of Gold like they thought we would. 

Well, that and I sure can't square what I was taught for most of my life with these assholes having a sudden hankering for Totalitarian State Power and Unlimited Government.

Look at these fucking people, though!

When did every single goddamn Republican turn into either a fucking creeper that looks like Jabba The Hutt or some ugly Mar-A-Lago-Faced wannabe courtesan that looks like an alien from Jabba's Palace in Return Of The Jedi??

And what's with that stupid dog-mask party shit the other day? Are These Fucking People trying to piss the rest of us off with their gaudy stupidity while pretty much everybody else is either struggling or forced into helping somebody who is??

Good Lord, at least have the sense to keep your ridiculous opulent parties to yourselves like rich people used to!

The rest of the world, hell, the rest of the country is not obligated to put up with your bullshit.

And then these fucking people, after one of their guys literally killed somebody on camera (Something for which most of us would be put under the jail) have the nerve to act all nose-out-of-joint because the people in the city are fighting back??

Fighting back is what people do in these situations.

Republicans, your ideology might be your "God" but nobody else has to follow it. And I say that as a former Republican that got pushed out cuz I wasn't like this.

And I'm gonna remind people yet again, that the rest of the world has been doing all this shit for a lot longer.

Pretty much everybody is tired of this shit at this point, even a lot of Republicans.

The last couple days I went over to my Mom's house to help with projects and there's a stretch on the west end of one of the main roads on the route that used to be entirely bedecked with Trump signs, probably 90% of the houses for several miles had one, call it a couple dozen overall. 

I counted when I went that way both ways this week, there's two houses left with Trump signs or swag, One still has multiple items, on the other one the flag is worn and needs to be replaced but hasn't

Signs of the times, eh?

Whether true or false, my opinion is that in the world of knowledge the idea of good appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort; and, when seen, is also inferred to be the universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light and of the lord of light in this visible world, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual; and that this is the power upon which he who would act rationally either in public or private life must have his eye fixed. ~From the Allegory Of The Cave, Plato's Republic.

When is enough, enough?

I think we're gonna find that out soon.

And just like all this shit in Minneapolis, I don't think it's gonna go the way Republicans think it's gonna go. Like, if you're an arrogant narcissist who's incapable of planning for failure, loss of good order and discipline or panic, find somebody who isn't a narcissist and can plan for things going pear-shaped to be your Operations Officer. 

Why is this hard??

Well, except for the fact that Trump's executive branch is stocked with pretty much every damned Republican that couldn't get elected somewhere from the last two decades or so, and it's loaded with campaign donors, kiss-asses and toadies that have no useful skills in any areas to which they've been assigned (and damned few skills other than kissing Trump's ass, period.)

It's Republican DEI, and Republicans are proving their own argument against...but only on themselves.

The rest of the world aside from Third World shitholes like Russia seems to still want some degree of competence in government. Assume that carries over to military leadership and other things.

We've got to take the neighborhood back. We've got to go in there. Just forget telling your child to go to the Peace Corps. It's right around the corner. It's standing on the corner. It can't speak English. It doesn't want to speak English. I can't even talk the way these people talk. "Why you ain't where you is go." I don't know who these people are. And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk. Then I heard the father talk. This is all in the house. You used to talk a certain way on the corner and you got into the house and switched to English. Everybody knows it's important to speak English except these knuckleheads. You can't land a plane with "why you ain't…". You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth. There is no Bible that has that kind of language. Where did these people get the idea that they're moving ahead on this? Well, they know they're not, they're just hanging out in the same place, five or six generations sitting in the projects when you're just supposed to stay there long enough to get a job and move out. ~Bill Cosby, the "Pound Cake" speech.

Meanwhile our leadership brags about not washing their hands. Again, I can't even talk the way these people talk.

And the truth is most of these idiots don't really wanna do anything but enjoy themselves in the kind of ways that'd land most of us under the jail.

And honestly I think it's reached the point where they're mocking not only the rest of us, but the Lord, too.

An American Reformation, starting with the abolition of the Evangelical religion, America's equivalent to China's spiritually empty government-controlled Three Self Patriotic Church where they replace the Cross with pictures of Mao Zedong, may well be necessary simply to stave off God's Wrath.

Somewhere along the way these ass-clowns convinced themselves that Jesus was a rich White Republican who will indulge or at least tolerate their perversions.

This despite everything to the opposite that the Bible itself says.

So yeah, stop and think about that.

The time where you're gonna have to make your choice is coming soon, America.

You either believe in freedom or you don't.

Слава Україна!

And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.

And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she said in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judges her.

And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. ~Revelation 18:1-10

Seven

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. The only way they can inherit the freedom we have known is if we fight for it, protect it, defend it, and then hand it to them with the well fought lessons of how they in their lifetime must do the same. And if you and I don't do this, then you and I may well spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it once was like in America when men were free. ~Ronald Reagan

No (American Reformation I, Seven.)

 [Han arrives at Docking Bay 94 and sees a familiar face, and his ship surrounded.]

Jabba the Hutt: [in Huttese] Solo! Come out of there, Solo! Solo!

Han Solo: Right here, Jabba. [Jabba and his henchmen turn around to see Han and Chewbacca] I've been waiting for you.

Jabba: Have you now.

Han: You didn't think I was gonna run, did you?

Jabba: Han, my boy, you disappoint me. Why haven't you paid me? And why did you fry poor Greedo?

Han: Look, Jabba, next time you wanna talk to me, come see me yourself. Don't send one of these twerps.

Jabba: Han, I can't make exceptions. What if everyone who smuggled for me dropped their cargo at the first sign of an Imperial starship? It's not good for business.

Han: Look, Jabba, even I get boarded sometimes. [accidentally steps on Jabba's tail, causing Jabba to yelp in pain] Did you think I had a choice? But I got a nice easy charter now; I'll pay you back, plus a little extra. I just need a little more time.

Jabba: Han, my boy, you're the best smuggler I ever hired. So, for an extra 20%...

Han: Fifteen, Jabba, and don't push it.

Jabba: Okay, 15%. But if you fail me again, I'll put a price on your head so big, you won't be able to go near a civilized system.

Han: Jabba, you're a wonderful human being.

Jabba: [orders his minions] Come on! [Jabba's gang leaves with bounty hunter Boba Fett following behind.]

~From Star Wars: Episode IV, A New Hope

...

And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.

And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.

How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she said in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judges her.

And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. ~Revelation 18:1-10

...

We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace. General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev...Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!
~Ronald Reagan

So apparently, Representative Randy Fine (R-Tatooine) is trying to propose a bill making Greenland a state.

Never mind that Denmark and Greenland both said NO to this fucking bullshit.

For all the relation to reality that has, he might as well try to annex Mars on behalf of Elon Musk, or declare intent to pass a resolution demanding the FBI investigate Jabba the Hutt, To whom he is apparently related. (His ideas fit that profile, too!)

Look, I don't generally make fun of fat people, my ex-wife was big, my late best friend was a big guy, my partner is a thicker body type. Hell, I like bigger ladies, always have.

Fuck, before I lost all that weight last summer I was a goddamn fat guy.

But goddamn, dude, really?

Does Randy want Greenland so he can eat it??

It'd get rid of most Congressional Republicans and a lot of the Executive Branch at this point, but can we at least pass laws requiring people in government to have a little self-respect and at least look like they're trying to take care of themselves.

Or at least, ya know? Look like they give a shit, maybe??

Aren't these the same fucking people who blew a gasket a couple years ago about John Fetterman wearing a Hoodie at work in the Senate??

All that's before the fact that These Fucking People are trying to enable Trump's bullshit, which would throw us into a war with basically the whole rest of the fuckin' civilized world at this point (Commonwealth countries, the European Union, NATO/major NATO Allies and anybody needing or preferring to do business with the same rather than only with the USA.

And I'll remind you many of these countries have been in the business of War a hell of a lot longer than we have, and they currently retain a level of seriousness of conduct that we currently lack.

Further, don't be surprised if China and/or Russia opportunistically jumps on that bandwagon because we always were their main target.

Fuck, don't be surprised if Putin at least pretends to give up on Ukraine to get at us faster and either gets them on board or the EU does so.

And entices Israel to let Gaza be, to enlist them against us. Seriously if you think the Israelis wouldn't shank us, I implore you to look up what happened to the USS Liberty sometime. They've done it before.

None of these idiots are thinking about that. They're all trying to curry favor with Trump as if they think he'll give them a cookie or something.

Sweet Jesus I'm tired of this bullshit!

Especially when the plain Truth is that a lot of these nuts would far rather declare war on Minnesota than Denmark.

I'm quite serious.

We've got to take the neighborhood back. We've got to go in there. Just forget telling your child to go to the Peace Corps. It's right around the corner. It's standing on the corner. It can't speak English. It doesn't want to speak English. I can't even talk the way these people talk. "Why you ain't where you is go." I don't know who these people are. And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk. Then I heard the father talk. This is all in the house. You used to talk a certain way on the corner and you got into the house and switched to English. Everybody knows it's important to speak English except these knuckleheads. You can't land a plane with "why you ain't…". You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth. There is no Bible that has that kind of language. Where did these people get the idea that they're moving ahead on this? Well, they know they're not, they're just hanging out in the same place, five or six generations sitting in the projects when you're just supposed to stay there long enough to get a job and move out. ~Bill Cosby, the "Pound Cake" speech.

To most Republicans the rest of the world doesn't really exist, unless it's somehow out to get them. Now? They seem determined to make that shit a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Like I keep saying, I can't even talk the way these people talk anymore.

And at this point there's no idea so absurd or evil that Republicans won't entertain it if it at least pretends to be "Right-Wing" or did so.

Hitler for example was very into the Occult, the Nazis oppressed Christians and told them how and what to worship before they ever started on the Jews and the Nazis practiced Black Magic. Hitler was Antichrist. This is known, for fuck's sake there was a whole movie franchise that played on this! I mean, goddamn, I have probably owned or at least read dozens of "Christian" books by people who were pretty much their day's version of guys like Joel Webbon that still said as their authors also 'got' that Nazis were, in fact, bad. Until just recently this wasn't even a goddamned argument.

Indiana Jones: Half the German Army's on our tail, and you want me to go to Berlin? Into the Lion's den?

Henry Jones, Sr.: Yes! The only thing that matters, is the Grail.

Indiana Jones, Sr.: What about Marcus?

Henry Jones, Sr.: Marcus would agree with me!

Indiana Jones: Two selfless martyrs. Jesus Christ- [Henry Sr. slaps Indy]

Henry Jones, Sr.: That's for blasphemy! The quest for the Grail is not archaeology; it's a race against evil! If it is captured by the Nazis, the armies of darkness will march all over the face of the Earth! Do you understand me?

Indiana Jones: This is an obsession, Dad! I never understood it. Never! Neither did Mom.

Henry Jones, Sr.: Oh yes she did. Only too well. Unfortunately, she kept her illness from me. Until all I could do was mourn her. ~From Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Europe already played this game once, I rather suspect they had quite enough the first time.

Even Russia claims thus, almost certainly dishonestly, but they claim it. And they did shed pretty much more blood than anybody else fighting the Nazis in WWII.

And honestly I don't think a third of America rapidly descending into actual Nazi bullshit helps them either.

Except to give the rest of the world a good goddamned reason to slap us down and remove a system that's become so corrupt and incestuous it gave Trump the power to fuck up basically everything for basically everybody. Dude is a narcissist, America obviously has a Narcissism problem. If we don't address it ourselves the rest of the world is gonna start doing it for us one way or the other.

And given that the military (obviously) doesn't wanna do Greenland, which the rest of NATO is now reinforcing with troops and warships (and likely, aircraft, although I haven't seen anything specific on that) and ICE got itself routed badly by unarmed protestors in Minneapolis last night to the point of abandoning gear, plans, vehicles and weapons and running away on foot. The Air Force Staff Sergeant in me is appalled by this. Yet I am also not even surprised that they could not keep even basic ass discipline.) 

If I had to guess, it won't even be that hard for the rest of the world to defeat us.

Even ten years ago, I think such a thing would have been impossible. 20 or 25 years ago we could've taken on the world.

Now?? LMAO.

We can't even get along with ourselves.

And worse, we don't want to, too many Americans have basically become Drama-Queen teenagers and High School mean girls and worse, hell, they get mad or they wilt when people leave and they don't have anybody to fight with.

If that's how we are the rest of the world will beat our ass and we'll deserve it.

If we won't fix this shit, the rest of the world will. I guarantee you a hell of a lot of Americans ain't gonna like how that goes.

For fuck's sake, an American Reformation imposed by even Evangelicals and Pentecostals from other countries (who aren't sozzled on American privilege and racism) will make the average White American wish such a thing had been led by John Shelby Spong.

Or perhaps Those Fucking People really would turn to the worship of Devils and Idols of Gold rather than learn the Lord's Word from a Black British Anglican or Congolese Catholic Priest or a Ugandan Pentecostal preacher with skin as dark as a night in the jungle...not even if he was preaching the same thing they heard every Sunday previously.

And that right there is the heart of the problem.

That's something other people will not be afraid to face, and just rip the hell off and let what passes for current American "culture" bleed out, if it's up to them.

But, I bet if we're being honest way too many of the "Conservative" voters who caused this will be too busy taking advantage of new EU-style welfare state and liberalized drug laws, sitting on the couch smoking Weed all day or some shit, to do much.

A lot of White American "Culture" has devolved to simply taking advantage and doing so with a childish mentality and no internal morality, these idiots will simply do whatever is permitted.

Perhaps a lot of them will figure out just how much and for how long they've been lied to.

Granted I think a lot of them are finding that out already.

And the truth is that the people who actually try to fight against the rebuilding of this country into something other than a fiefdom for billionaires and illiterate religious fanatics will, in fact, make the (illiterate religious fanatic drug-runner) Taliban look like Garibaldi's Redshirts or the French Resistance during WWII by comparison.

And whether America is ended by Civil War, Soviet-style collapse or The Rest Of The World takes us out? Yeah, at this point I don't think the rest of the world is gonna miss us all that much when America is gone.

Not after this last year, I don't.

This Greenland thing showed our ass...particularly that of US right-wingers...way too much.

All that over basically a worthless giant ice cube that, sure, has a lot of resources but #1 The climate sucks and #2 It'd take decades and at least many billions of dollars to actually turn a profit.

But if course this crap isn't about money or any of that, it's about one man's vainglory.

And it's about the fact that a third of America would rather hate than eat, and would rather kill and steal than simply live.

If we don't start dealing with that and treating it like the threat to all of us that it is, we're fucked.

If you have to simply pull a gun and tell these assholes "NO" you do that, and you mean it.

Either you believe in freedom or you don't, and this shouldn't be that hard.

You cannot reason with people who don't think Other People have a right to exist.

But you can fight them.

It really is that simple.

Слава Україна!

Every one of the thousands at the airport, about to leave for Jeddah, was dressed this way. You could be a king or a peasant and no one would know. Some powerful personages, who were discreetly pointed out to me, had on the same thing I had on. Once thus dressed, we all had begun calling out "Labbayka! (Allahumma) Labbayka!" (Here I come, O Lord!) Packed in the plane were white, black, brown, red, and yellow people, blue eyes and blond hair, and my kinky red hair -- all together, brothers! All honoring the same God, all in turn giving equal honor to each other.

That is when I first began to reappraise the "white man." It was when I first began to perceive that "white man," as commonly used, means complexion only secondarily; primarily it described attitudes and actions. 

In America,"white man" meant specific attitudes and actions toward the black man, and toward all other non-white men. But in the Muslim world, I had seen that men with white complexions were more genuinely brotherly than anyone else had ever been. That morning was the start of a radical alteration in my whole outlook about "white" men. 

~Malcolm X, letter written following the Hajj.

Six

When men stop believing in God, it isn't that they then believe in nothing: they believe in everything. ~Umberto Eco

For Want Of A Nail (American Reformation I, Six.)

 [Luthen receives Dedra at his antiquities store, where she presents him with something familiar - the N-S9 Starpath he was looking for in Ferrix]

Dedra Meero: A vintage Imperial Starpath unit. What do you think? A little damaged, perhaps... But I'd say it's held its value. [Luthen breathes deeply] I have dreamt of this. Too many versions to remember. And here you were... all that time, hiding in the shelter of Imperial peace and quiet.

Luthen Rael: And I've known you all along. Hardly seems fair.

Dedra: You disgust me. Do you want to know why?

Luthen: Everything you stand for. Freedom scares you.

Dedra: "Freedom"? You don't want freedom. You want chaos, chaos for everyone but you. Ruin the galaxy and then run back to your ridiculous wig and little workshop.

Luthen: How confident you are.

Dedra: We're done here.

Luthen: Confident and terrified.

Dedra: The building is surrounded. You're finished.

Luthen: And you're too late. The rebellion isn't here anymore. It's flown away. It's everywhere now. There's a whole galaxy out there waiting to disgust you.

~From the Star Wars series Andor, S2.E10 "Make It Stop."

...

We've got to take the neighborhood back. We've got to go in there. Just forget telling your child to go to the Peace Corps. It's right around the corner. It's standing on the corner. It can't speak English. It doesn't want to speak English. I can't even talk the way these people talk. "Why you ain't where you is go." I don't know who these people are. And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk. Then I heard the father talk. This is all in the house. You used to talk a certain way on the corner and you got into the house and switched to English. Everybody knows it's important to speak English except these knuckleheads. You can't land a plane with "why you ain't…". You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth. There is no Bible that has that kind of language. Where did these people get the idea that they're moving ahead on this? Well, they know they're not, they're just hanging out in the same place, five or six generations sitting in the projects when you're just supposed to stay there long enough to get a job and move out. ~Bill Cosby, the "Pound Cake" speech.

I keep seeing this bullshit all the sudden.

ICE Agents acting like 'cause they shot one lesbian, everybody else should just bow down, or something.

None of this works like that, it's human nature to resist, among other things.

And somehow "Organized Gangs of Wine Moms" became some kind of a bullshit talking point?

I mean come on, what the fuck?? Read that again and think about how ridiculous it sounds, conservatives.

Not for the first time, it sounds like these fucking people are trying to use Magic Words And Phrases, spell components or some shit, trying to use magic to cheat the Universe while shouting "Unga Bunga!"

That's half the fucking problem, basically half the country is illiterate or nearly so, and doesn't want to think.

And they want you to be afraid of everything. I can't do that, yo. I was in the military, I've been taught better than this.

I've also been shot at, by people who as evil as they clearly were seemed at least marginally competent. ICE and MAGA, Putin and Trump don't scare me. In fact, I think America needs better enemies.

The truth is these idiots think any dissent or protesting is "Crime" or "Disorder" or "Insurrection" or "Violence" it doesn't matter what's actually happening. Movement "Conservatism" functionally thinks itself God no less than Soviet Communism did.

They don't see a difference of belief or opinion or even a lack of interest in their crap as what it is, they see it as heresy and think what they "Believe" is pretty much the One True Everything. Increasingly these CHUDS see the very existence of Other People or even of those who might be a little or even a lot like them but have some difference from the rest of the Hive as a Crime against themselves.

Everything is some kind of Khmer Rouge-style Year Zero bullshit.

These Fucking People's idea of the Future is the Killing Fields, but with a mall.

They have no idea how to get there, but they feel themselves entitled to it anyway.

This crap is basically Nazi shit, and it's actively trying to become something else even worse.

But, naturally, it's both entitled and squeamish in that uniquely American sort of way, like that "Enhanced Interrogation" bullshit from the Bush 43 years. They pretty much expect that just by saying this shit they should be able to get what they want, now.

Like, my dudes, the vast majority of your opposition out here in the World ain't gonna be Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries.

And it's not just that These Fucking People have no idea how anything works, it's that they don't care, either.

When men stop believing in God, it isn't that they then believe in nothing: they believe in everything. ~Umberto Eco

When is enough, enough?

Every one of the thousands at the airport, about to leave for Jeddah, was dressed this way. You could be a king or a peasant and no one would know. Some powerful personages, who were discreetly pointed out to me, had on the same thing I had on. Once thus dressed, we all had begun calling out "Labbayka! (Allahumma) Labbayka!" (Here I come, O Lord!) Packed in the plane were white, black, brown, red, and yellow people, blue eyes and blond hair, and my kinky red hair -- all together, brothers! All honoring the same God, all in turn giving equal honor to each other.

That is when I first began to reappraise the "white man." It was when I first began to perceive that "white man," as commonly used, means complexion only secondarily; primarily it described attitudes and actions. 

In America,"white man" meant specific attitudes and actions toward the black man, and toward all other non-white men. But in the Muslim world, I had seen that men with white complexions were more genuinely brotherly than anyone else had ever been. That morning was the start of a radical alteration in my whole outlook about "white" men. 

~Malcolm X, letter written following the Hajj.

American "Conservatism" and the Republican Party has basically come down to illiterate thuggery.

Reagan Wept.

Sorry, but I literally was raised, taught, trained to have actual opinions and thoughts on things that were something other than grunting and cultic devotion to somebody like Donald Trump. I mean for fuck's sake I was by inclination and philosophy a conservative, theologically educated as a Christian, and I've watched every step of the way that idiotic American "Pop Culture" and creepy-ass ungodly "Reality TV" bullshit dismantled all of that over the last 25 years and that's what got us here. Worse I saw too many "Christians" embrace every step down the ladder of this shit and I'm fucking sick of it!

Like I said yesterday these people have stripped themselves of any basis for being in any of the positions that they're in, and they wonder why the tide is turning against them and why people aren't content to wait for the next election anymore??

For Want Of A Nail the horse was lost, etc.

These fucking people wanted hate and raw Power to be their own (and only) justifications, like Russia.

It frankly disgusts me that the "Conservatives" were the ones who became so enamored of Russia and the memory of the Soviet Union anyway.

But America isn't Russia and doesn't work that way despite these fucking people having spent like six out of the last ten years trying to sell the American public on the idea of being Russian Peasants. I do think I know when I first saw something like this coming, though. It was just after the 2000 election when I saw that first blue and red map of which areas voted Democrat or Republican, I remember in fact being pissed off that Red was the color chosen for the Republican side because it literally made me think of the Soviet Union and shit. I was like "What the fuck??"

Most people quickly seem to have embraced that way of looking at the world, though

We've been gradually ground down by elite malfeasance and divisiveness and media manipulation  and the totalistic marketing of bullheaded religiosity and purposeless hate until we're not so much one nation anymore, but a collection of competing tribes and special interests.

Which is exactly why I see America collapsing like the Soviet Union did, likely within the next year or so if We The People can't get our shit together fast enough.

I do think the tide is turning against all this bullshit, whether it's doing so fast enough to save the whole unified country or simply enough to hem this bullshit down into a small-ass Banana Republic or two remains to be seen. Personally, I think it'll be the latter.

And I think that simply because there's a plurality of "Conservatives" who've simply decided that they don't want to live with anybody else, and I thought that before the Trump cultism and they were already starting to be that way before he showed up.

Even so, there's going to be a point in our near future where if you want to be free, you're going to have to fight for it.

Like I have said, we need an American Reformation because too much of American Christianity is simply a propaganda tool for the Republican Party and/or MAGA and seems to like it that way, never mind the Devils and the Idols of Gold.

You either believe in freedom or you don't.

Слава Україна!

We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace. General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev...Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!
~Ronald Reagan

Five

Whether true or false, my opinion is that in the world of knowledge the idea of good appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort; and, when seen, is also inferred to be the universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light and of the lord of light in this visible world, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual; and that this is the power upon which he who would act rationally either in public or private life must have his eye fixed. ~From the Allegory Of The Cave, Plato's Republic.