"Not talking about it will not make it go away. It will grow and grow while you ignore it - because you ignore it - and one day it will swallow you whole...."
So spoke a nobleman during the time of King John and as right as he was then, so too is he still correct for our times.
As I was reading yesterday about England during the reign of King John, the similarity between then and now, right here in America, came to me in a not very welcome burst of understanding. Almost a thousand years of human history, of developing government thinking and the rights of man, and yet here we are - again.
First, a capsule summary of English history at the time. Ever since the death of Henry I, England was engaged in a civil war as to whose head belonged with the crown. The country was riven by civil war, drowning in the blood of its people, both the nobles who were the knights and the people who were the backbone of the armies. Mercenaries had a heyday as their services were sought and well paid for. As for the rights of the ruled - well, not so much there at all.
We were lucky here in our country in that we have had peaceful transfers of power, a clearly delineated line of succession, if you will, and our streets have not run with blood after the Civil War for the most part, though there has been blood spilled. Too much. Unfortunately, we are now at a point where that statement might turn out to be a time limited one as the tension within our country, even within our smaller political entities, is rising and there often seems to be no good way out, no solution in sight.
So the armies of the various sides roamed the country and that of France as well and vice versa as France and Prince Louis actually invaded England at the invitation of highborn Englishmen deep in despair at how to get rid of the anointed King, John, and his corrupt and murderous regime.
And us, here, almost a thousand years later? Well, the reign we have here in the Village is certainly comparable in a sense. We have a ruler who fiddles with the rules, by passes the laws or makes new ones with the aide of his sycophants, his servile co-operators in the oppression of his fiefdom - CVWPB. He throws his supporters under the bus just as John did, only he did it with exile and death. The rules are remade to accord with the benefit and selfish wishes of 'King David' and around us the lives of the people deteriorate. Water is defiled, the environment deteriorates and is covered up with superficial decoration even as the true infrastructure in the ground deteriorates. Selfish and insane deals are made with the land of the people, decisions are made secretly and are often incestuous as in the hiring of a 'firm' to oversee the new Atlantic project - an offshoot of CSI who has already benefitted hugely financially speaking , the mercenaries of the Village, all in bed together, our "John", our 'courtiers' who turn on the people, and our mercenaries. Those who oppose are stifled, or at least attempts have been made, some more and others less successful, but the fight will go on and the time of our own Magna Carta will arrive.
And speaking nation wide? Well! Our own leaders have invited in our traditional enemy, Russia, and allowed them to invade us in a sense, hacking our elections and the time to deny the proof of that is long over. At least 21 states in the last election and now in DEFCON, a hacking convention, within 90 minutes machines were hacked!! Our country has now been tainted, openly, with no deniability possible, our mercenaries have been paid well, though with the exact cost still unknown. We even have 21st century mercenaries, companies which provide soldiers at great cost to the taxpayers.
Just as John was mentally off balance, cruel and even vicious, so too is our ostensible "King" of the country and even our smaller leader here in CV. The mental balance of all are severely disturbed, with anger issues becoming ever more prominent, with officials being swapped out left and right, or even being retreaded in a painful cycle, and all the while the citizens of the country are suffering.
Force is a tool that is used or threatened to be used. Here, once again 'King David' threatens to instate or enforce a law which states that the PBSO can be called in to eject an opponent of a decision, shutting mouths down. This is not the first time as the last time he even brought in armed centurions from the PBSO to stand there with their armament and threaten the people. So where is there any difference between John and David or Donald, the maniacal presumed "king" of our country.
We too have hired mercenaries. We too have our freedoms being caught within an ever tightening circle. Donald tells the police to hurt the prisoners, treat them roughly. What? Are we going back to the Middle Ages or back to last century where roughing up a suspect was okay? Why does he think we are still in that mode? Even as the police forcefully deny that behavior, we have the Border policeman who encouraged a 16 year old kid to drink the liquid meth he was trying to smuggle in and he died two hours later in great pain. What the hell!!!! Yes, he should have been arrested and incarcerated or shipped back out, but death? At the hands of the law? Nazi guards are not so far away, are they?
And in the meanwhile, even as his plans are stymied, thanks to the courage of some, candidates out there are vying for his favor as the seeds of power, the benefits of power tempt them to sell their souls and work with the Devil!! Meanwhile, transgender people are denied medical coverage or possibly being denied this in the armed services due to "cost", well, the cost of protecting this upstart know - nothing but very dangerous king is rising astronomically. $6.6 million dollars at Mar A Logo so far even as our Coast Guard struggles to do its real and true job of protecting our coastlines and waterways, our safety, and even rescues of people at sea. No money for that, but money for Donald as he continues to live his posh life - at our expense. Shame on us that we allow this!!!
John and David and Donald. All blame their problems on others. All blame outside sources as well, just as the rulers of 1984 did, all to keep the people down and confused, powerless and frightened. So as tyrants do - "Demands are made and made again. Promises are broken. Enough is enough." We need to stand up for ourselves and against tyranny. The Magna Carta of John's time was not the be all and end all of then or even for the future, but it was a start and we need to make sure that we do not lose all that we have gained, all that we have fought for. Enough is enough indeed!!
"And much of Madness, and more of Sin,
And Horror the soul of the plot."
Edgar Allen Poe - "The Conqueror Worm"
So which is it to be? Which way indeed lies madness. Do we succumb to our baser instincts, the desire for power, over things and people, for the power of evil, or do we fight as they did then and as humanity has been doing for centuries. Who are we is truly the question that needs answering. Woe upon us if we do not answer correctly. Blood in the streets as has happened before or do we stop that in its tracks and do the right thing the right way. The law does provide a path - we just have to find it and use it. Or G-d help us.
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