After scanning its face again and again,
I began to scale it, picking my holds
With intense caution. About half-way
To the top, I was suddenly brought to
A dead stop, with arms outspread
Clinging close to the face of the rock
Unable to move hand or foot
Either up or down. My doom
Appeared fixed. I MUST fall.
There would be a moment of
Bewilderment, and then,
A lifeless rumble down the cliff
To the glacier below.
My mind seemed to fill with a
Stifling smoke. This terrible eclipse
Lasted only a moment, when life blazed
Forth again with preternatural clearness.
I seemed suddenly to become possessed
Of a new sense. My trembling muscles
Became firm again, every rift and flaw in
The rock was seen as through a microscope,
My limbs moved with a positiveness and precision
With which I seemed to have
Nothing at all to do.
My head knocks against the stars.
My feet are on the hilltops.
My finger-tips are in the valleys and shores of
universal life.
Down in the sounding foam of primal things I
reach my hands and play with pebbles of
destiny.
I have been to hell and back many times.
I know all about heaven, for I have talked with God.
I dabble in the blood and guts of the terrible.
I know the passionate seizure of beauty
And the marvelous rebellion of man at all signs
reading “Keep Off.”
My name is Truth and I am the most elusive captive
in the universe.
Comments on this entry are closed.
I find the use of “patriotic speeches” in pursuit of commercial ends is cheap and tending toward jingoism.
But wrap it in the flag and you can sell anything.
Latest case in point: Black Rifle Coffee Co.
I understand but I’m not a purist and I’m not ready to condemn something because it has capitalist roots and aims. That, to an extent, was the point of America in the first place.
It’s your blog, Gerard. You put out what you like. I’m always grateful for the quality content.
I do agree with the central theme of the message in the add and to that end I wouldn’t condemn it either. I just tire of everyone portraying their brand as patriotic, because patriotism sells. People are in business to make money. There is nothing wrong with profit as motivation, but whoring out the flag strikes hollow with me.
Individuals in this country lost their freedom when they were chained to “we the people…”.
Ø
I had to go back and watch again after reading these comments. I am “elderly” with bad
vision so had to watch it several times before I picked out the word “wine”. In my mind I
saw it more in the line of a sort of public service announcement than an ad.
Can anyone tell me where the line is between “Patriotism /Pride of Country” and
“Jingoism”? After a couple of hours pondering about this comment it has occurred to
me that having been born in 1940, living through more good times than bad, and having
had the good fortune of every single dime made in agriculture, maybe “I” am a Jingoist —-
If I was a wine drinker I’d figure out who that was and go buy a bottle!
Perhaps the wine makers are cynically pandering to the remnant of traditional America. Maybe they just figure this will sell, and the rubes will buy their stuff. Maybe they have a different label and a different campaign targeting the woke and social justice mob: Mixed race, and lbxyz couples. A toast to equity!!! Some soi boi drinking champagne out a black trannie’s size 14 shoe.
Whatever they’re doing, they have no problem with alienating a serious chunk of the wine-drinking demographic. This ad will piss off the woke. It is a finger in the face, and screw you. If you don’t like it, don’t buy our booze. I don’t drink anyway. But I like these guys.
JWM
Corporations are becoming the spawns of Satan. Disney, Coke, NBC. GooBullle, Defacedbook, YooBoobTube.
If a company wants to embrace the flag, and Ronald Reagan, I am with them. Capitalism is not evil; Capitalism has brought millions of people out of poverty and given hope to the world. It is an economic system that is the blood-enemy of Marxism, and that’s all I need to know. If you’re in a barroom fight with bad guys, and your own are stinky, foul men of low repute, be very happy they are your cohort. Seek allies among the lowly, because it could be your salvation in a fight.
I’ll but their wine.
Reagan needs to come back from the dead. Seriously.
Kevin: “commercialism”? Really? A wine seller is a commercialist?? Boy, you’d better get your head straight and fast.
The left needs to feel the spirit of traditionalism, patriotism, conservatism, westernism, and most of all rebellion, all around them, threatening them.
Why? Because they have no fear.
In movies, books, posters, ads, speeches, signs, graffiti, flags, courses (“How to remove Commies”), businesses (“God, Family, Country, and Weapon Supply”). Not “news,” but “Here’s what’s coming..”
Not sporadic and limp reactions on talk radio and speeches by Rand Paul, to abuses and propaganda.
They have to know that they confront the weight of an implacable opponent—an enemy that they created–who is armed and already beyond reason, compromise, getting along, and bi-partisanship.
We have to go beyond being seen as dissidents, deplorables, “wingers,” “alt.”
And become mortal enemy. The Other they don’t want to meet at night.
We have to be this to them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wy-W-pYlds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv29DzgiXZA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRXLBNZFrwU different enemy but the same animus.
That’s how I see it, anyway.
“You don’t have to give money to people who hate you.”
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2021/08/08/fox-friends-lauds-we-the-people-wine-ceo-for-viral-ad-you-dont-have-to-give-money-to-people-who-hate-you-1115354/
As I pointed to this example: “Latest case in point: Black Rifle Coffee Co.”
This company got all kinds of folks that consider themselves to be “patriotic” to buy their coffee. They waved the flag, took the money and then, they spit in the face of all those patriotic customers. The Black Rifle coffee Co. sold their product using false patriotism to hook gullible consumers. It worked. Then, they essentially told all those gullible “patriots” that free speech is wrong, that if you support a kid who defended himself from multiple attackers (many of them with long criminal records, one of them a convicted child rapist) with a black rifle (funny that one), is some kind of bad person…..and in their minds “unpatriotic”.
Here’s my take on patriotism:
1- Patriotism is not a f*cking commercial!
2- Patriotism means more than waving the flag.
3- Patriotism is more than pulling the levers to vote every couple of years.
4- Patriotism is definitely not achieved through buying things.
This reminds me when Ralphie in ‘A Christmas Story’ got his decoder ring. I felt the same as Ralphie at the end.
Corporations are becoming the spawns of Satan. Disney, Coke, NBC. GooBulle, Defacedbook, YouBoobTube.
If a company wants to embrace the flag, and Ronald Reagan, I am with them. Capitalism is not evil; Capitalism has brought millions of people out of poverty and given hope to the world. It is an economic system that is the blood-enemy of Marxism, and that’s all I need to know. If you’re in a barroom fight with bad guys, and your own are stinky, foul men of low repute, be very happy they are your cohort. Seek allies among the lowly, because it could be your salvation in a fight.
I’ll but their wine.
Reagan needs to come back from the dead. Seriously.
Kevin: “commercialism”? Really? A wine seller is a commercialist?? Boy, you’d better get your head straight and fast.
I’m ordering some BRCC dark coffee soon.
This country is a Capitalist country. Learn it, Live it. Love it.
You’d better believe the corporatists who make their bed with the Socialists are not planning on losing market share or dollars in any way, shape of form. Perhaps their gulag hovels will have an extra layer of tar paper. Those fux.
I’ma buy some of that wine.
I’ma order some of that delicious BRCC coffee.
Casey, no disrespect meant. Buy your BBRC coffee knowing that by pandering to the peckerwoods at the New York Fish Wrap, they basically spit in the faces of their biggest consumer base.
I tend not to lump every company together based upon what another company did.
From We the People wine company “About Us” –
“WE THE PEOPLE is an American brand dedicated to Conservative values. Our wine is made for Americans by Americans. American exceptionalism, free markets, free people, free speech and limited government are what we stand for.
We want to reflect what we see as the exceptionally diverse identity of Conservatives across the country – diversity of thought, diversity of experiences and diversity of everything that makes up our society. We are proud of the values that our brand stands for because those values unite people across every walk of life.
WE THE PEOPLE takes things a step further – a portion of the profits from every sale goes directly to supporting causes that reflect the values our community stands for.
Every sip is another step towards freedom. Drink up!”
If that’s wrong, don’t buy it.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/07/americas-coffee-owner-popular-black-rifle-coffee-calls-customers-racists-worst-american-society-hate/
Amidst our sliceing and dicing of opinions and on what hill we plan to plant our flag, let us not forget that THEY are coming for US. If you have trouble with that one read Lenin’s WHO & WHOM speech. It is crystal clear.
If you are a man of the Right, I stand with you.
@Tim – While the “About” statement of the wine company starts off strong, in that second portion they toot their “diversity” horn four (4) times in staccato succession. This, to me anyway, is a red flag. Though America is made up of many individuals from many nationalities, and thus is indeed diverse in peoples, I fear the diversity horn they are tooting is of the type which gives license to the current ills America suffers from on a daily basis, the wine company is just missing the rainbow hair, at the moment, I think.
Dana Loesch interviewed BRCC execs and they either had to do the NYT interview and take some measure of dignity, or be smeared without recourse. It took courage, IMO.
The boy who defended himself in a riot with an AR was right to do it, and arguably a bit in front of the curve by showing up armed to a riot. But you can’t pin that event to a conservative company. Watch where that shit goes once you do. There will be Lib Gallows erected to rape and execute any exec at any number of companies that aren’t pure enough. BRCC, Grunt Style, The USDA inspectors, Timber companies…
The kinetics will begin soon enough. I’m not sure I want corporate America involved on any level. I already mistrust 200% of those swine.
The multiple posts are the screen bot, not me. Sorry.
Don’t you guys grow tired of the same ol Subject Matter Experts,,,,,,,weekly, on ALL the channels.
All sound like parrots on a pirates shoulders, exactly the same.
If you don’t know the truth by now, if you need more convincing, Watch people scurry to and from. Their frantic panicked focused response tells the truth.
Actually watched Mark Levin last night, we’ll for six minutes,,,,,,As proof of tyranny he brings Newt on!
All you need to know about your representatives is their VOTING Record! Nothing else.
The local news paper editor use to crew for me. We would drink beer argue politics. One night an especially big wind race, he asked me what I would have him do.
I said publish ALL the sitting Representatives voting record in the paper for all to see, two weeks before Election Day. Christ you would have thought I shot the Pope. That night he left my crew, never to return.
A good man, a wise man. He knew that simply publishing Each’s voting Record would take any and all of media’s power away.
Friends they only have power if you continue to read their nonsense,,, or watch their bullshit on tv. The paper here is about to go out of business, the only thing carrying it is, the store adds. Readerships wayyyyyy down.
VI
Ya know, I really don’t give a shit who sells what and under what pretense. It doesn’t matter. If I want something I get it. That simple.
I just don’t have the time nor resources to stand there and try to figure out or remember which asshole is which. But. I do have an overall game plan.
For quite some time I have been on a constant downhill curve to spend less and less and have less and less, of shit I don’t really need.
I have a lifetime of stuff around here that, in up to 50 years of hindsight, I just don’t want any more. Did people that didn’t deserve it make money off my ass? Yes indeedy.
But take note, they are making less and less all the time off me, and it might have to do with their morality or it may not. It’s not about them, and never was. It’s about me. After all, the world began the day I was born.
“Your hate is my fuel.”
–gs, 2099
And one more thing.
Notice how little things like wine and coffee gets people fighting among themselves.
What are you going to do when there’s no bread on the shelves?
Step back, take a breath, compose.