Don't Tread On Me (Not Legends, Not Myths, Facts. Ten.)

Red Army General : I carried out my orders. I sent in all of my boys. But the Germans engulfed us. They have artillery, aircraft, tanks. And me, what did I have?!

Khrushchev: A sacred duty to resist! I have to report to the Boss. [puts a pistol on the table] Perhaps you'd prefer to avoid the red tape.

[Khrushchev walks out of the room to address political officers. There is a gunshot, then he begins.]

Krushchev: My name... is Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev. I've come to takes things in hand here. This city... is not Kursk, nor is it Kiev, nor Minsk. This city... is Stalingrad. Stalin-grad! The city bears the name of the Boss. It's more than a city, it's a symbol. If the Germans capture this city, the entire country will collapse. Now, I want our boys to raise their heads. I want them to act like they have BALLS! I want them to stop SHITTING THEIR PANTS! [briefly pauses] That's your job. As political officers, I'm counting on you. [stops at one] You, what's your suggestion?

Officer #1: Shoot all the other generals who have retreated. And their chiefs of staff, too.

[Khruschev looks at another.]

Officer #2: [terrified, stuttering] M-make s-some examples. D-d-d-d-d-de-port the families of the d-d-deserters...

Khrushchev: [bored] Yes, yes, that's all been done.

Danilov: Give them hope!

[Kruschev walks over and looks at the officer standing in the front, who motions with his eyes toward Danilov.]

Danilov: Here the men's only choice is between German bullets and ours. But there's another way, the way of courage, the way of love of the Motherland. We must publish the army newspaper again. We must tell magnificent stories, stories that extol sacrifice, bravery. We must give them hope, pride, a desire to fight. We must make them believe in the victory. Yes, we need to make examples; but examples to follow. What we need... are heroes.

Khrushchev: [looks around, wryly] Do you know any heroes around here?

Danilov: Yes, Comrade. I know one.

~From the film Enemy At The Gates.

...

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

I saw this yesterday.

Apparently, Republicans believe there's some kind of dastardly "Antifa" or "Communist" or "Leftist" plot ongoing to *Checks Notes* clean the pool?? The fact that these guys think you have to brew up pool cleaner in a lab (as opposed to buying it at Walmart?) that looks oddly enough like the corner of a decent level of chemical closet...and either don't know the difference themselves or don't think anybody else will...is just hilarious to me. But let's say there was...

Why not? These idiots won't clean it up. It's like they all decided if "The Boss" wants a nasty, unsanitary mess, that's exactly what they're going to have, for no reason other than that. And nobody really seems to give a shit about anything other than keeping their place in the Magical City, no matter how gross it gets. See also: Republicans.

Sorry, but Trump is turning our nation's capital into a shithole, and I think he's doing it deliberately at this point. I mean, sure, it's incompetence, but it's weaponized incompetence. And they'd rather arrest people than fix it.

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 mean, damn, what's next??

Oh, right.

Giving some idiot trainee massage therapist a whole bunch of money because she harassed a couple of Muslim women in the grocery store. Deus Hoc Vult, motherfuckers! Or something. If this is "God's" will, I think even I'm comfortable saying there ain't no such thing. Or it ain't worth following if it does exist.

Come on, seriously. Have you fucking Republicans looked at yourselves in the mirror, lately? I'd say "It's Got Electrolytes" but that would be insulting to Idiocracy.

I mean, sure, the people in that movie were dumb as hell, but they were nowhere near this intentionally malevolent. Or stupid, for that matter.

I don't give a fuck what the circumstances are, or if somebody loses their job or every other damn thing. People should not be allowed to do this type of bullshit and get money for it. There shouldn't need to be laws about it either. People should not tolerate this crap. Bring back the ass whuppin.

Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.

Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.

And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.

Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;

Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

~Isaiah 1:13-17 (KJV)

When is enough going to be enough with this shit??

And I'm sorry, but a lot of the blame here does fall on the media and political classes, and on a population that (at least on the Right) has literally become too dumb and intellectually incurious to bother with calling out this shit and holding these people to account until it gets way too damned bad.

It's like all these Russians that are screaming "OH MY GOD WHAT THE FUCK?!?!" Now that the Ukrainians are bombing Moscow...they haven't cared a whit that Russia has been bombing Kyiv since February of 2022. 

The Empire was cool when you thought it didn't affect you. I see how it is. 

Well, it does. And it was always going to.

Shit like this is exactly why conservatives and Christians of my generation were distrustful of the Power of the State and sought to limit such.

And it was countries like Russia or as it was then, the Soviet Union, where the State ran your life...that we knew were the bad guys, too.

Now Republicans are pretty much like "YES! Run my life Mr. Trump!" And they want to mythologize the man because the Truth fucking sucks.

It's fucking stupid.

And now Republicans and former Republicans including guys like Tea Party Joe Walsh are talking about and on the Republican side at least, seem afraid of, a Democratic equivalent to the Tea Party movement rising up.

Well, guess what??

Don't Tread On Me, Motherfuckers.

I may not agree with a lot of these people, from what I'm seeing so far.

But at least they don't want most other people to die so that we can be replaced with AI and robots and shit. There ain't no Democrats talking shit about doing things that hurt my partner or my kid.

Not legends, not myths, facts. Acting in your own interests. Giving a shit about the people you love. This isn't hard.

The Right's whole M.O. is literally anything but "Love Thy Neighbor."

Maybe us taking back the goddamn Gadsden Flag will be what it takes to shut down this garbage. Fuck, I don't know, anything is better than this shit.

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

Nine

Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows. ~George Orwell, 1984.