When I was a boy no book made more of an impression on me than did William Golding's Lord of the Flies.
And no scene was more horrifying than the one when the gentle Simon comes across the Lord of the Flies himself, a pig's head on a stake.
And as the other boys rampage across the island, with their sharpened spears and painted faces, is made to understand that we are The Beast.
Shortly before he is murdered.
So welcome to my nightmare.
Or welcome to the madness of the Land of the Trump Beast.
Where even as the traumatized teenage survivors of the Parkland school massacre board buses, to go and lobby legislators to work for gun control.
The right-wing hate machine accuses them of being pawns trying to exploit a tragedy.
In these baseless accounts, which by Tuesday had spread rapidly on social media, the students are described as “crisis actors,” who travel to the sites of shootings to instigate fury against guns. Or they are called F.B.I. plants, defending the bureau for its failure to catch the shooter. They have been portrayed as puppets being coached and manipulated by the Democratic Party, gun control activists, the so-called antifa movement and the left-wing billionaire George Soros.
Or of being too young to know what they are doing.
And the alt-Right Cons dance around the bonfire like the born again savages in Lord of the Flies.
Even as the students prepare to bury their dead.
Or remember their fallen heroes.
Like Aaron Feis, who sacrificed his life so others might live.
One of the first victims identified among the 17 people killed was Aaron Feis, an assistant football coach and security guard. Feis was shot after reportedly throwing himself in front of students during the rampage.
Or 15-year-old Peter Wang who was killed helping others to escape.
But did have his dream of making it to West Point come true anyway.
And when I think of him and all the others who died, and I think of how the right-wing hate machine is going after the survivors.
Or how their poison is leaking across the border...
As the depraved Cons, and other toxic Trudeau haters, threaten to destroy everything good and decent about this country.
It's hard not to feel first angry, and then depressed.
But then I remember how when I was a young teenager, I too came face to face with the Lord of the Flies...
And I had to decide whether to fight the bullies or flee for my life.
I chose to fight, and I am absolutely confident that the young people of America will do the same.
This will be the beginning of something big...
The madness of The Beast cannot continue.
A new generation is rising to destroy the Cons.
They will be destroyed.
And we will change the world...
27 comments:
The same people who said 13 or 14 is old enough to date Roy Moore are now saying that 17 or 18 is too young to have an opinion on guns.
“The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.” -- George Orwell, Animal Farm
Love the byte size logic. We need more of it as anything more complicated than 140 characters is lost.
RT
I heard Rush making the same argument yesterday. Better give them guns than reefer.
I hope the utes can stick with it. History would say not a chance. However thanks to Trump maybe this time is different. Trump is making all the morons look in the mirror and say I am tired of being played. When Clinton, GWB, Obama played the part, no one dared say the things they can easily say because Trump is such a boffo.
The same people
Who said smoking is good for you
Who say climate change is wrong
Who say electic cars pollute more than ICE
Who say the only way to stop a bad man with a gun, is a good man with a gun
Who say we have to fight them over there, or fight them here
Who say the Russians colluded
Who say the Russian curler doped so he could sweep better.
These are the enemy of civilization and Trump is there undoing.
I sincerely hope the RCMP is taking a very active view of that target on Trudeau, for is that not supporting hate and assassination? When Dumont hits the prison door I will do my celebrating for one problem gone.
Unfortunately Simon, we have seen this play out countless times before, protests and lies about the reasons for protest, character assassination by alt media and the spread of misinformation by a corrupt media, fake news treated as truth, and truth as lies, platitudes and apologies and hand wringing by elected officials, death threats to protestors, with perhaps some carried out, messages designed to energize the least stable of NRA supporters.
We already see the claim that if only teachers were armed, or they had armed guards in schools, or that better weapons were made more available (like flame throwers, missiles, nukes), then we would all be safer; yet still nothing ever really changes, the defenders of the right to kill citizens appears stronger than the right to happiness, to life, to liberty, to stop strangers killing others. We now have the joy of fences, armed guards, restricted access, searches on students and teachers. We are creating a life long prison sentence for the young, and making that the normal, leading to a pattern that is just as restrictive as that of N Korea, built on lies of US exceptionalism, of US power, of US economic might, their status as a valued ally and international partner. Few sees that if the present trend continues the American citizen will be less free and more restrained than ever.. and the World itself will be sadder and poorer for that.
The reasons by the NRA and gun owners to have free access to weapons, does not make a lot of sense either- militia has little chance to win against a modern army. It is all lies designed to gain support for greater and greater fascism, and the people are lulled into a stupor by social media pics of cats, tweets on food, and fast and quick news cycles aand culture trends. Researchers find that our concentration is diminished and our intelligence and wisdom decline, as we are told what we should think and do it will be harder and harder to discern lies from facts, and they will eventually blend into a jumble of sound bytes.
Those claiming to be arming for a government takeover do not understand that each instance of mass shooting means a little freedom lost, and more privacy invaded. They will be one of the reasons for the collapse of the US into total fascism.
Simon, I thought you should see this Alternet article that I came across last night linked from another blog.
https://www.alternet.org/election-03918/forget-russia-domestic-gop-led-cyber-warfare-here-and-targeting-opponents-right-wing
You're undoubtedly familiar with the "robo-calls" scandal in Canada during the Harper regime. Well, the "robo-calls" have since adapted to the 21st century, the equivalent being Facebook and Twitter. In my country, it's the GOP pushing this toxic garbage onto an unwitting populace (while refusing to do anything about the Russian meddling, because of course it benefits them -- not to mention the Russians have their hooks in the sacrosanct NRA too). In your country, it's Hamish Marshall and Ezra Levant muddying the waters, and elevating, radicalizing, or simply looking the other way on dangerous far-right lunatics like Alexandre Bissonnette and that Glen Dumont there, who made a meme graphic of Justin Trudeau in the crosshairs. But it's also sunk to the level of attacking kids -- Emma Gonzalez and her classmates, Colton Boushie and his family, even Justin Trudeau's own children and the Obama girls too. As you're preparing that post on this domestic propaganda warfare campaign, you might want to look into this. It's utter madness and it's out of control. Did I mention the NRA now has their own "NRA-TV" propaganda channel too? Where they've actually called for shooting liberals as "traitors"!
I hope Canada never sinks to the level of letting the NRA death cult get their hooks into your country. As far as I'm concerned, they should be banned as an organization in Canada (and everywhere, if I could wave a magic wand and make them go away). Charlton Heston has a lot of blood on his cold, dead hands, and so does everyone who's ever taken money from that well-financed corporate terrorist organization. Here, read also this article from the New York Review of Books, printed in 2012 after Sandy Hook, that the American actor/activist John Cusack has been sharing via his Twitter account (and what got the rabid chipmunk Sean Hannity to actually pen an angry screed and take to Twitter spoiling for an old-fashioned Irish street fight with him). Hannity's incoherent celebrity-stalker manifesto notwithstanding, the NYRB essay by author Garry Wills is short and to the point, but a poignant gut punch nonetheless. It's about guns themselves as "Our Moloch," our demon god of child sacrifice, our Lord of the Flies.
http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2012/12/15/our-moloch/
The Republicans are like the dinosaurs who thought they would rule the world forever. They don't seem to realize that so much of their success depended on their aging demographic. The next election will be the first one where the millennials will be the biggest voting group. Annoy them now, pay for it later.
Speaking of clever fiction, the Mueller indictments read by a video game voice actor.
https://twitter.com/4pauleiding/status/966258093322465281
People such as this Glen Dumont, a coward who hides behind a keyboard, is the epitome of the alt-right. He is an absolute piece of trash and should be hunted down by the authorities for sending out that threatening, repugnant post.
I'm guessing the image, much like all things alt-right will have a rebel connection to it.
JD
Selfish interests fueled by dark money has turned social media into a wild beast where amplified fake news, faulty logic and manipulated emotions easily drown out the voices of reason. Left unchecked and able to morph and spread like a virus it could end in an animal farm. As we have seen in other parts of the world when social media madness strikes (for good or bad)there is usually a coup/military intervention that either stabilizes or exacerbates the situation. We are certainly not there yet but its time to tame the beast preferably without government intervention so that free speech and alternative points of view can flourish in a constructive manner. Seems difficult but not really ... one person one voice persuading other voices without all of the technical fakery and amplification.
The youth have the power to tame the beast, rather than waste it on Trump, all they have to do is put the social media sites on notice. A level playing field with no more amplified Hannity, NRA, extreme propaganda messages flooding peoples thoughts and drowning out voices for safer gun laws. If you do not fix this we will stop using your service. It would only take a day to get their capitalistic driven attention. #Tamethebeast
Like spam it can be filtered classified and delivered, it just cannot be allowed to swamp you inbox to the point it masks out everything else.
RT
Social media bots pushing deadly mind candy to our youth as well as everyone else. All for an extra dollar! https://www.wired.com/story/youtube-facebook-trending-tools-parkland-conspiracy/
RT
CNN Town Hall
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZaLh74eXTDo
Shine
https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2018/02/22/stoneman-douglas-school-shooting-survivors-perform-song-shine-town-hall.cnn
Students don’t like idea of arming teachers
https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2018/02/21/lead-students-parkland-shooting-stand-up-live.cnn
Trump meets students and parents
https://youtube.com/watch?v=6GVISsXd9mU
But it IS true that Oprah gave the students 500 grand, and George Clooney the same amount. Spielberg contributed as well but don’t know the amount. Mentioned on Vice News.
Rachel Maddow’s rule.... it’s not what Trump says, it’s what Trump DOES:
Americans rally for gun safety with Trump, GOP the only obstacle
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/americans-rally-for-gun-safety-with-trump-gop-the-only-obstacle-1167141955804
hi anon@9:12 AM...nicely said. Young people are always being put down or patronized. And their idealism is always being mocked. But the young have always been the ones at the forefront of every social change. And I'm hoping that the Parkland kids will inspire other Americans to rise up against Trump...
hi RT...True, we can lament that fact. And I certainly do, because my posts are always too long. But if you want to cut through the clutter of modern life, you have to keep your message short and powerful. I'm working on it... ;)
Hi Steve...Rush Limbaugh is the last person on earth to lecture anyone about drugs, that sodden old junkie. But I would caution you not to listen to anything he says, for I truly believe that too much exposure to his nonsense is bad for the brain... ;)
hi anon@9:45 AM...yes, I remember thinking about that line, when Stephen Harper and his Cons won their majority, and started walking on their hind legs. And of course Hog Trump makes the best Napoleon ever...
hi Steve...I think the Parkland kids are at the right point in history to have a real impact. Not only are all the things you mention becoming too obvious to ignore any longer. They are also part of a demographic bulge that will have the power to effect real change. So it was in the sixties, and so it will be now...
hi Filcher...as you know, I have been sounding the alarm about the violent threats aimed at Justin Trudeau and other leaders like Rachel Notley for quite a while. I monitor them closely, I have never seen anything like it, and all Canadians should be deeply concerned for it's a dagger aimed at the heart of our democracy. As for the plague of guns that infests the U.S., and this country to a lesser degree,I totally reject the paranoid arguments of the gun lobby. Whenever I have argued against the selling of assault rifles, or argued in favour of more control on all other kinds of weapons, I am always accused of trying to steal their precious guns and/or their Bibles. Which is not true. And it seems obvious to me, a society that puts its guns before its children is a very sick society indeed. And all the threats or abuse in the world will never make me change my mind...
hi Jackie...thanks for those links. As you know I'm deeply concerned about what I see as the beginning of a similar cyber warfare campaign in this country. And the Garry Wills essay does pack a powerful punch. I hope I'll get some time on the weekend to take a look at what I see is the first real evidence of a Rebel/Con fake news campaign. But first I think I must write about Twitter's purge of Russian bots, for it has the alt-right scum wailing like babies. Now if only Facebook would drain its ghastly swamp...
hi anon@3:36... I like that image of the Cons as dinosaurs. It helps explain why they can't change, and keep falling off the same cliff again and again. And yes, I'm hoping that the anger and idealism of the Parkland kids will light a fire under the progressive movement, and help lead them to victory...
hi Steve...I don't play video games anymore, but I have to admit that Mueller Vs Trump would be a good one. As long as it's not TOO violent... ;)
hi JD...yes Dumont is a nasty piece of work. The comment about the children should be enough to have him locked up in a small cage for the rest of his life. The RCMP have just charged another Con freak in Alberta for threatening to kill Justin Trudeau. And I can only hope they are also preparing to arrest Dumont as soon as possible. All those threats are disgusting, and un-Canadian, and they have to be stopped by whatever means necessary...
Hi RT...you make a good point. Unless this epidemic of fake news is stopped, efforts to cutdown on it could lead to fascism. I'm happy to see that Twitter is trying to fumigate at least some of the bots that infest its sites. But more needs to be done, and Facebook needs to take the fake news problem seriously. And thanks for on passing the same link Jackie sent me. It's a good one, and clearly proves that great minds think alike... ;)
Filcher: it’s true the American militia makes little sense: logos—ethos=mythos. Real strategy has to be realistic. Militias assuage their fear by tactical exercises on a fantasy battlefield of their primitive minds, going way back to a primal narrative of limitless frontier into which losers can escape and brag about their imaginary “victory.”
Guns are simply a voodoo-object key that frightened-white racists use to enter this fantasy world of guns and Bibles. But the phenomenon is real: New England Puritans, Utah Mormons, Montana & Idaho Redoubters, and many other circled wagon-lagers serve as this magic circle scratched in the sand. It’s quasi-strategy in the ‘concentration of force’ sense, in the ‘high ground’ sense, but without sufficient weight to defend or defeat a regular force, it mistakes tactical deployment as a grand strategy which, of course, presumes victory. It’s from inside these magic redoubts that the converted are convinced the police outside who want to parlee with their leaders are actually heinous demons who will give no quarter from rape and murder (which is why women and children absolutely must be corralled into this death trap—to bait the minds of the redoubters, to steele their resolve in simple, visceral terms). Think Waco, Texas. Think Jonestown. Then project it onto the larger screen that Trump and modern media have made for it, the biggest its ever had, and you get the perverse notion that because whites are forecast to make up “only” 49.9% of the American population in 22 years from now they are besieged and beset—and justified in protecting themselves. It is obviously fantasy, but a very deadly one.
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