The Czar, as usual, picked up a lot of interesting mail over the weekend.

Mark Spahn, he of West Seneca, New York, submitted a clever idea about using text-to-speech applications as an inexpensive and highly effective way to proofread materials prior to publication based on the writer’s ability to hear mistakes read by an unfamiliar voice. This seems like a great idea. By the way, you can always have GorT read our posts by clicking on the link below each, but the effect is not the same. Particularly when GorT gets angry.

Island Dweller asks a couple of questions:

Your majesty:
I note at least one major news website has described the latest school shooter in Colorado as a “Socialist,” who was upset with economic inequality in this country. This is one of the basic tenets of many of the minions of the current regime in Washington. Are we now to look askance at everyone in this country who espouses the doctrine of equality of outcome, as well as equality of opportunity?

How long do you think we will have to wait before the MSM begins to report this aspect of the perp’s mental makeup and motivators – and to what depth?

ID

The media has been generally pretty honest about noting his communist leanings, but have not spent any time exploring, decrying, or extrapolating his communist beliefs in the same way they would have he had a fistful of Ron Paul flyers.

Of course, communism is a form of Leftism—itself a form of totalitarianism. There is no secret anymore that many liberals feel sympathetic to many forms of communism, and are no doubt embarrassed by the connection. Unlike the other shootings, this one will probably just disappear.

Indeed, the Czar suspects, had they known this was just a botched murder attempt, and not a mass school shooting that would have prompted further failed calls for gun control, this story would be dismissed as local news and left buried on page 30.

Also, Island Dweller adds:

Your majesty

It is my sad duty to inform you an antecedent to the 13th Imam, Val Kilmer, has ascended to his apotheosis. I refer to Tom Laughlin.

Besides the well-known Billy Jack series (where I believe he competes well with Steven Seagal in re: martial arts skills), he also made appearances in South Pacific as the Bouncing Belch PBY pilot, and in one of your humble subject’s favorite films, Lafayette Escadrille.

Of note is that he married Delores Taylor in 1954 and remained married to her the balance of his life. The name may be familiar as she was his romantic interest in the two Billy Jack films.

I am disregarding his checkered political past in this posting to honor one of the first “Badass” actors in modern media history.

ID

Among the first, certainly, but not the first: a lot of early silent film actors were, in real life, fairly tough guys. The Inscrutable Mandarin notified the Czar of Mr. Laughlin’s passing fairly early after news broke, and rest assured that Mr. Laughlin’s Billy Jack work was well known to us, including even the rarely seen fourth Billy Jack picture in which Laughlin completely crosses over into fantasy and makes Bill Jack a national candidate for politics based on the sole issue of a national referendum. Alas, although we can forgive him his stultifying liberal beliefs, it must be said in all candor that Mr. Laughlin slipped into a condition that blurred his understanding of fantasy and reality. In short, while Billy was based on Laughlin’s own prowess with a bare foot, unfortunately Tom Laughlin became based on Billy Jack. He spent his last few years maintaining a little-read website that was riddled with conspiracies against him.

Even so, the movies—as bad as they can be—are entertaining as heck. He was a legitimately colorful character and frankly, Steven Seagal probably ranks nowhere close to Tom Laughlin in personality and background. Requiescat in pace.

Finally for today, Retired Spook, MSgt USAF, takes legitimate issue with the Czar’s regard for Speaker of the House Boehner:

I’m afraid that I must disagree with Your Immenseness about John Boehner. I think he is neither decent, nor honorable. I think he’d tie his grandmother to a hot stove if it would get him re-elected, and he’s not smart enough to remember the first rule of politics: The toes you step on today may be connected to the ass you have to kiss tomorrow. Further, he fails the first test of an honest politician, this being defined as one who stays bought.

Better choices? My six year old granddaughter would have been a better choice, at least she understands that she can’t buy bubblegum unless she has the money in her hand. (This does not apply if grandpa is around, though.)

Merry Christmas!

Retired Spook
MSgt, USAF (Ret.)

Merry Christmas, Sergeant! Please write in again.

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.