David And Goliath (Death Star, Five.)

A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him.

Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.” On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.

Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul’s time he was very old. Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war: The firstborn was Eliab; the second, Abinadab; and the third, Shammah. David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul, but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.

Now Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance from them. They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.”

Early in the morning David left the flock in the care of a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry.  Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and asked his brothers how they were. As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear.

Now the Israelites had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his family from taxes in Israel.”

David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, “This is what will be done for the man who kills him.”

When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”

“Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?” He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before. What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him.

David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”

Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”

But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”

Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them.

“I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.

41 Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. 42 He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.

So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword. ~1 Samuel 17:4-51

I saw this on Saturday night.

Apparently, these fucking Trump people tried to do some kind of backdoor annexation of Canada using a "Trade deal."

Seriously, I used to be a conservative Republican. Who the fuck thinks you can dictate *Checks Notes* another country's culture, defense, language or trade??

You just don't do this bullshit!

Other countries are other countries, they get to make their own choices, and we might get to have an opinion about that (or we might not) but fundamentally it's not up to us.

Also have these fucking idiots even heard the story of David and Goliath??

How would *Checks Notes Again* these same fucking people react if China or the EU tried to dictate Gun Control to the United States??

Or Israel, for that matter, since Israel seems to be trying to dictate everything to just about everybody lately...and if you haven't noticed the whole damn world is turning against them even faster than they are against us.

Naturally, Canada's collective response was "Eh, No."

The reason Canada is bilingual has to do with our own history too. This is not myths and legends.

[As the four newly-revealed Cylons aboard Galactica struggle to deal with the information, the call to action stations sounds]

Lieutenant Felix Gaeta: [over the loudspeaker] ...Inbound Cylon fleet! I repeat: action stations, action stations. Set Condition One throughout the ship. This is not a drill.

Tory Foster: Oh gods... what're we going to do?

Saul Tigh: The ship is under attack. We do our jobs. Report to your stations!

Chief Galen Tyrol: Report to stations?

Saul Tigh: My name is Saul Tigh. I am an officer in the Colonial Fleet. Whatever else I am, whatever else it means, that's the man I want to be. And if I die today, that's the man I'll be. ~From Battlestar Galactica (2003) S3.E20 "Crossroads, Part 2."

And the precedent has been set for somebody else to pull that shit on us. 

Israel will probably be the one to do it, and I have no doubt what they demand will be a bridge too far for most Americans.

Just like most Americans outside of the Republican Party and Democratic leadership have had it up to *Here* with Israel and their genocidal leadership. No, they aren't concerned for their own people, they're trying to see what they can get away with and they think Trump will protect them.

You know who hasn't pissed away all their missiles and precision-guided munitions in a bullshit war that doesn't even have any clear objectives??? Countries like Canada, or Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan and Turkiye for that matter. I'm a veteran. Logistics is the Lord Of War.

At this point, Republicans mouths are writing checks American bodies (let alone wallets) can't cash.

That's what happens when you let criminal ass-clowns who live on credit, lies and scamming run your shit.

These idiots start a war with Canada? We'll lose that one too!

[Luke's X-wing is in the trench, and Darth Vader is having trouble getting a lock]

Darth Vader: [Gets a lock] I have you now. [Suddenly, one of Vader's escorts is destroyed.] What?!

Han Solo: YEAH-HOO!!! [The Millennium Falcon arrives on the scene.]

Vader's Escort: Look out! [Vader's surviving escort panics and crashes into the trench, and Vader's TIE Advanced is flung out into space]

Han: You're all clear, kid! Now let's blow this thing and go home! [Luke shoots at the exhaust port and with the help of the Force scores two direct hits.]

Imperial Officer: Stand by.

[The Rebels and the Millennium Falcon fly back to Yavin 4]

Officer: Stand by.

[Just as the Death Star is about to fire, it explodes]

Han: Great shot, kid! That was one in a million!

Obi-Wan Kenobi: Remember... the Force will be with you, always.

~From Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope.

They run it into the ground, every time somebody runs the damn experiment.

And I get it, some people will give some jackoff their last nickel for hate, and then have the balls to wonder why they can't afford to eat.

But I was taught that shit was wrong and to avoid people who were like that.

Seems like most of the rest of the civilized world at least tries to clamp down on this kind of bullshit, and does not include hatred of other people or the incitement of such in freedom of speech (or for that matter, social tolerance.) 

There's still some of it around, even a lot in some places, but most of the world doesn't consider that shit to be a good thing.

And I'm honestly sick of it.

Other people are Other People. This is America. Nobody has to obey your shitty interpretation of Christianity in which there are only three real "commandments" these being; Don't be LGBT, Don't have an Abortion, and Vote Republican, with a huge but mostly unspoken in mixed company Fourth command being "Hate Black People." 

None of that has a damn thing to do with the Bible.

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

And these fucking idiots are all on a power trip when the truth is, they have nothing to back it up and 70% of us are sick and tired of this fucking garbage.

They seem to think that Congress and the Media and various corporate liars are somehow the same as how the general population acts. 

Never mind that current media, upper management, and way too much of our government is populated by rich fail-sons who are basically there as an audition for a podcast or some shit, to be determined later, and honestly that kind of attention-economy crap is becoming the only way to really make it in today's world.

And the only way to succeed there is to bicker and backbite and do ever more outrageous bullshit like high school morons trapped in some kind of escalating Idiocracy loop.

Oww, my balls!

Here's the thing, though, nobody...and I mean this, nobody with even one functioning braincell considers "Internet Content" to be authoritative at this point.

Turning government into content honestly undermines the entire concept.

The United States currently has all the gravitas of one of the minor off-season WWE specials.

We're basically the United States Of Summer Slam, with the current shitty roster. And these Muggs be acting like it's the good old days of Andre The Giant and Hulkamania.

Never mind that all the serious wrestling fans I know switched to AEW as soon as that became a thing. 

Also never mind how MAGA Hulk Hogan turned out, and via the Princess Bride, Andre is still a cultural icon.

Inigo: That Vizzini, he can fuss.

Fezzik: Fuss, fuss...I think he like to scream at us.

Inigo: Probably, he means no harm.

Fezzik: He's really very short on charm.

Inigo: You have a great gift for rhyme.

Fezzik: Yes, yes, some of the time.

Vizzini: Enough of that!

Inigo: Fezzik, are there rocks ahead?

Fezzik: If there are, we all be dead.

Vizzini: No more rhymes now, I mean it!

Fezzik: [pauses] Anybody want a peanut? [holding up a peanut]

Vizzini: GAAAAHHH!

~From the film The Princess Bride.

There's a lesson there, I think.

And we've pissed away all of our soft power in two years and most of our firepower in less than six months, while these Trump administration Jabronis go around making all type of demands like they think they built the Death Star already.

Yeah, how'd that work out for the Empire??

Fun fact and look not only at Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope but also most of the in-universe commentary about the events therein and you'll find that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, the writers of the original West End Games Star Wars RPG was based rather explicitly on stories like *Wait For It* David And Goliath!

See, These Fucking People have it all wrong. Knowledge is Power. Knowledge can be Narrative.

Bullshit falls apart the second one guy reads what you were hoping they wouldn't...which was literally what happened with this Canada thing.

You either believe in Freedom or you don't.

And if you don't believe everybody should have it, what you believe in ain't Freedom.

Remember this.

It's going to be on the test.

This will come down to a fight.

Soon.

Слава Україна!

You don’t understand what it was like. The town was on its last legs. It started after we got news of the Death Star blowing up. The second one, that is. [flashes back to one particular night at the Mos Pelgo Cantina] The Empire was pullin’ outta Tattooine. There was blaster fire over Mos Eisley. The occupation was over. We didn’t even have time to celebrate. That very night, the Mining Collective moved in. Power hates a vacuum and Mos Pelgo became a slave camp overnight. I lit out. Took what I could from the invaders. Grabbed a camtono. I had no idea it was full of silicax crystals. I guess every once in a while, both suns shine on a womp rat’s tail. I wandered for days. No food, no water. [image of Vanth being rescued by the Jawas] And then... I was saved. [Inside Sandcrawler] The Jawas wanted the crystals. They offered their finest in exchange. [remembers pointing to what is actually Boba Fett's armor] And my treasure bought me more than a full water-skin. It bought my freedom. 

~Cobb Vanth, from The Mandalorian S2.E1 "The Marshal."

Four

During the past eleven days here in the Muslim world, I have eaten from the same plate, drunk from the same glass, and slept in the same bed (or on the same rug) -- while praying to the same God -- with fellow Muslims, whose eyes were the bluest of blue, whose hair was the blondest of blond, and whose skin was the whitest of white. And in the words and in the actions and in the deeds of the "white" Muslims, I felt the same sincerity that I felt among the black African Muslims of Nigeria, Sudan, and Ghana. We were truly all the same (brothers) -- because their belief in one God had removed the "white" from their minds, the 'white' from their behavior, and the 'white' from their attitude. I could see from this, that perhaps if white Americans could accept the Oneness of God, then perhaps, too, they could accept in reality the Oneness of Man -- and cease to measure, and hinder, and harm others in terms of their "differences" in color.

With racism plaguing America like an incurable cancer, the so-called "Christian" white American heart should be more receptive to a proven solution to such a destructive problem. Perhaps it could be in time to save America from imminent disaster -- the same destruction brought upon Germany by racism that eventually destroyed the Germans themselves.

They asked me what about the Hajj had impressed me the most. . . . I said, "The brotherhood! The people of all races, color, from all over the world coming together as one! It has proved to me the power of the One God. . . . All ate as one, and slept as one. Everything about the pilgrimage atmosphere accented the Oneness of Man under One God. 

~Malcolm X, Letter following the Hajj.

A Mari Usque Ad Mare

~Canadian National Motto

"From Sea To Sea."