First, let us review the topic:

Thou most Dread and Awful –

Fellow Operative BG’s list of successful, tax-cutting, budget-balancing governors reminds me of an old saw that seems to have gone dull from misuse: “You have never read a fairy tale that says, ‘Taxes were high, and thus the people were happy and prosperous.’ ” I might add, neither are the people happy when their King meddles in their everyday lives – and that also goes for their self-styled Lord Mayors, and their Presidential sea-lowering, telemprompted squanderers of other people’s largess.

People used to understand that governments lived only upon the sweat and toil of their citizens – that they were freeborn people and not subjects. I recall the great psychedelic pop tune, “Ball of Confusion,” with the mighty Temptations singing scornfully: “The politicians say ‘More taxes will solve everything’ – and the band played on.” I heard a remake of the song (artist unknown) where that line was specifically omitted. That’s the sort of thing that worries me most: it’s a growing hunk of the citizenry who simply want stuff paid for by others. A goodly hunk of that hunk are the college-educated, who presumably ought to know better than that – unless of course they are being taught how to avoid knowing anything, the better to ignore the consequences of that knowledge. They’re also too darned nice (just ask them!) to be outright thieves, that leaves letting the gummint be the muscle.

The vote is important, but the culture is as well. The gatekeepers of popular culture can’t stop everything, and that’s why the noise is getting cranked up recently – the chanting litany of “Racist, Bigot, Hater, Idiot, Evildoer.” That’s the thing we’ve got to break through as well. People don’t particularly like being called names, even if they agree with the name-callers on certain topics. That’s when people start asking questions and that’s when our voices will tell, more than just our votes.

Yours,
Nightfly

Thanks as always, Nightfly, for your ever-keen perspectives. We have two thoughts.

First, a lot of the degredation of popular culture rests solely with the Boomers. Sorry, but there it is. The whole Hippie thing. Then Disco. New Age religions. Yuppie consumerism. Then, as they matured into the record industry, music went to hell. They took over television and movies. Guess what happened there? Fashion…which is why today’s kids dress like they’re from a 1977 Sears catalog. Even the unkempt hair.

Boomers are fading fast, and the had-enough-of-cleaning-up-the-mess Gen Xers are taking over those roles. You are seeing a subtle shift toward conservativism in popular culture. Wait! Did you miss it? It just shot by. Check out the inherent right-wingness of the Marvel movies. Or the slow shift to normalcy of maturing singers like Katy Perry (okay, she is not our cup of tea, but we understand she is fighting to make her music less stupid…and good for her) and a large portion of the American Idol alumni.

This will take time, but it is indeed just beginning. And the more money it makes, the more the reformation of pop culture will snowball.

Second, you are correct: the ratcheting of hate-filled invective, death threats, and horribly cruel tweets by dimwit C-list celebrities is a reflection of the panic. It must be cathartic, because none of these jackasses seriously thinks that tweeting an obscenity about Mrs. Paul Ryan will make an undecided voter say “Wow! I might be all backwards on this entitlement reform issue.” It isn’t even taking the ball and going home: it’s simply the dork kid standing on the foul line calling everybody an obscenity because he got fanned in three pitches.

At this point, it is pathetic noise: you are either voting for Mitt Romney, or you are voting for Barack Obama, or you have not quite made up your mind—in any of these three cases, you are not to be swayed by a 20-something on Facebook typing in capital letters that Gore won Bush lied Cheney rigged Kerry’s defeat Bush wrecked the economy McConnell lied Boehner lied Ryan lied Romney lied!!!!eleventy!!!&1.

No, it is like the guy stranded on a desert island who screams at the sea, knowing full well nothing will come of it, but he has to scream his rage at something. Seems a lot easier than doing something about it.

The Czar of Muscovy

Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.