There’s an old parable; I want to say it’s Russian, since it sounds like it’s part of the Russian character. I don’t know.
But it’s a good parable. There once was a swamp full of frogs. The frogs in a swamp were happy; plenty of slime to jump through, plenty of bugs to eat.
But something was missing. So they asked “why can’t we have a king?”
And presently, a king was sent to them; a stork.
Storks, of course, eat frogs.
The moral: be careful what you wish for.
Along those lines, a longtime friend of the blog writes:
I have a friend here at work who for years has said our problem is that we elect politicians. Well, now he belly-aches because he thinks a Trump presidency is a bad idea. Unless there is a serious change, soon, he’s going to get exactly what he said he wanted, originally — in nominee-form, anyway.
Jesse Ventura II
I like to think that’s why Minnesota bucked the Trump wave last night; we’ve been through this before.
The parable was inspired by 1 Samuel 8.
10 Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle[c] and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
I have a friend here at work who for years has said our problem is that we elect politicians. Well, now he belly-aches because he thinks a Trump presidency is a bad idea
This is a load of shit.
So because we say we’re sick of hamburgers, we have to settle for whatever shows up on our plate?
Trump has proved a man sporting a full sack can run successfully. Now all we need is someone with a full skull to go with it and we’re golden.
Point swiftee👍
I do not think it is Russian. Sounds more German, like something from Brothers Grimm. And likely inspired by Samuel as DMA said.
swift, sTrumpet is indeed a rotting, stinking dead fish presented as a delectable main course on a platter with a gold-leaf edging.
Interesting hypothesis put forward in WP. Trump winning open primaries while Cruz, closed – TX not withstanding, but that is Cruz’s home state so could be an outlier. Operation Chaos in reverse? Numbers of people voting Reps vs Dumbocrats somewhat supports that hypothesis. It will be interesting to see results from this weekend’s voting – all closed.
I think the white working class voters are heading to the polls again after a long absence. These are the men and women who grew up singing Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is your Land” in elementary school. It don’t feel like their land anymore. It feels like it belongs to DC bureaucrats, Wall Street billionaires, and immigrants. The political world abhors a vacuum.
I just got back from three weeks in the hell hole we call Southern California.
Every citizen should visit The hell hole called Southern California, because it illustrates the fact that we have been invaded.
I grew up in Cali, grew up with Americans of Mexican heritage speak fairly fluent Spanish. I happen to like Americans of Mexican heritage; I think they make great Americans.
I also like Mexicans, and Mexico. I especially like Mexicans in Mexico. But Southern California is now Mexico del Norte. I went for days, hearing and reading nothing but Spanish. A lot of the stores don’t even bother posting stuff in English and Spanish; it’s just Spanish.
Southern California is what happens when you have an open border. The American citizens are now soundly out numbered by people that are there illegally.
They do not share American values; they brought their values with them and have bent society to meet them.
They are not bad people, they are just not Americans, and right now, it looks like they never will be. They don’t have to; Southern California is Mexico.
Ironically if its Trump vs. Clinton Jesse said hed get in, I believe him. Ventura 2016 if its those two. Because why the fuck not.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/02/29/jesse-ventura-i-ll-run-for-president-if-bernie-loses.html
California politician: “Hey! Jose! How do you like it here?”
Jose: “This is heaven compared to Michoacán!”
California politician: “Hey! Joe! How do you like it here!”
Joe: “Are you kidding? It sucks! I’m a born and raised Californian and these are hard times! I’m making less money now than I was twenty years ago! You’ve turned a state of great natural wealth into a jumped up Michoacán!”
California politician:”I don’t like your attitude, Joe. I think that you are some kind of racist. I don’t care if you were born here and I moved here from Philadelphia in 2002! Me and Jose are the real Californians! Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out, you racist!”
If a Republican wins in November the Democrats will suddenly realize that they got nobody important in elected office. Not the prez, minority in the house and senate, minority in state houses and governorships.
But they will own the federal bureaucracies and the fedral judiciary.
At that point they will realize that democracy is crap. The people will elect Hitler if you give them a chance!
And so they will rule by administrative fiat, disguised as ‘civil rights.’ Since civil rights legislation guarantees equal pay for equal work, why, they feds will simply order that every business pay people based on a scale approved by credentialed economists on their payroll. Like your truck? Sorry, new EPA regs say it spews too much pollution. Get a Prius. Want to move somewhere with good schools? Feds will tell you that new civil rights rules require your child be assigned a school based on the best social science research.
Never have Samuel Johnson’s words rung more true:
“Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.”
Guess who said, this, eTASS: “Every man has a right to utter what he thinks truth, and every other man has a right to knock him down for it.” Although in your case it is mostly lies and obfuscations and misdirection.
Oh, and count me in as one of the biggest scoundrels, you borderless, utopian and at the same type dystopian, amoral excuse for a human being.
Bento, none of Mitch’s California readers will understand unless you translate that into Spanish, ese’.
More Johnson on patriotism:
“A patriot is he whose publick conduct is regulated by one single motive, the love of his country; who, as an agent in parliament, has, for himself, neither hope nor fear, neither kindness nor resentment, but refers every thing to the common interest.”
I’ve noticed that the aphorism Emery repeats has historically been used by scoundrels to disparage the patriotism of others.
eTASS-type narrative and reaction: “There were 10 people killed by guns last week. Ban all guns!”
Context: There were 10 perps killed by law-abiding permit holders to defend their lives. 300,000,000 other people went along their merry way without any incidents. (Numbers are for illustration only)
It is all about context. For eTASS, it is all about lies, obfuscation and misdirection. And, I am willing to bet he did not know about the context BZ provided.
Hippie stands on street corner holding a burning Stars and Stripes, shouting anti-American slogans through a bullhorn.
Regular American: “Hey stop burning that flag!”
Hippie: “What? DON”T YOU KNOW THAT PATRIOTISM IS THE LAST REFUGE OF A SCOUNDREL!”