O sages standing in God’s holy fire
As in the gold mosaic of a wall,
Come from the holy fire, perne in a gyre,
And be the singing-masters of my soul.
Consume my heart away; sick with desire
And fastened to a dying animal
It knows not what it is; and gather me
Into the artifice of eternity.
— William Butler Yeats
As the “Just for 2 Weeks” Year Wanes the Days Are Mist and the Nights Are Slate.
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Gerard Van der Leun
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On the eve of battle.
Probably not.
Probably.
I’m commenting too much. That last one was so poorly crafted, and what’s worse is it had great data points but, WTF. Maybe I need 2 cups of coffee before I enter the Hall of Van der Leun. I know just enough to know writing belongs to the writers.
Eve of battle. Look to your heroes. For a non-combat fuck, such as myself, it is best to listen to their stories.
Before there was blood, there was no story.
My dad rolled up to the wall of an Italian house, in the mountains and with snow on the ground. About this time of year, but 1945. It was his first night at the front. In the morning, outside the house and directly outside the thick wall where he’d laid, a shell crater had appeared. The germans had shelled the house but he slept right through it. That man had nerves of steel!
I know our gracious host here had an uncle whose fortitude packed a size 10 and he also had nerves of steel.
One day at a time, my friends.
Casey, thanks for your post and all the other posts as well. Great story about your Dad. My Dad was captured in Hue 1968, 5.5 years on a vitamin-free diet as a guest at the Hanoi Hilton. He made it back, did not talk about it much. One day at a time indeed.
Phil.
I started reading LotR this past week; it’s been probably 20 years since last I read it. It almost seems too on-the-nose right now, except that for most of us, we’re the people just living in the shadow of the darkness and trying to get along, with no ability even to fight much less have an effect on the outcome.
Just take each day as it comes. Give us THIS day…, and we are indeed grateful for every one. As to tomorrow, well, what will be, will be.
Even so, the waiting does suck.
Comment as much as you like , Casey, I’ve got as much room here as you need.
I’ve been following Vox Day’s running commentary for the last few weeks. I drop in at Anonymous Conservative, as well. Vox, and all the A/C, Q-anon guys have been expecting Trump to ride in on a white horse, and save the day. Truth to tell, I was hopeful, even though I didn’t believe it was going to happen. It didn’t. It ain’t gonna happen. I went to bed thinking I’m going to wake up, and see America stand, or slouch into the gray.
Slouch it is.
JWM
I’m feeling the slouch as well…not a good vibe across the land these days.
Over and over in my head I have considered where we are today in America and the events leading up to this sorry state of affairs. I have wanted to believe that Trump was going to pull a rabbit out the hat, but I don’t see it happening now.
Yet, on the other hand, I can not wrap my head around the idea of a President Joe Biden. The man is a low IQ buffoon and a life long fraud, and he didn’t even campaign let alone win the election.
Wait to election day, I said. Then, wait until January 6. Now it comes down to the wire and massive troop build-up in the streets of the nation’s capital and no real explanation why. Is this now another “new normal”?
And then I think how bad a Biden term as president could be and I remember Carter….but a Biden in the WH will not be a Carter in the WH. It will likely result in the economic stultification experienced during Carter, but in the current political climate, I’m feeling a Stalin-esque vibe in terms of domestic policy. It’s really creeping me out, because it truly feels like we are heading in that direction on an express train.
Doods! And doodettes! DO NOT ALLOW THE ASSWIPES TO DRAG YOU DOWN. You’re better’n that. Throw yourself into something, something you enjoy, or might enjoy. Be better tomorrow than you are today.
The scales have been removed from your eyes and now you know you live in a criminal country, just as I’ve been telling you for years. Do you want to put the scales back on and pretend the criminal state never existed and never will? Trump exposed the criminals that have been there all along in such a way that almost nobody can truthfully deny. You have learned a very powerful truth and you should be thankful for that knowledge for it will help in the days/weeks/months/years ahead.
The gov’t criminals have existed for a very long time, maybe since the beginning, but for some folks this is news. You, if you are peaceful, truthful, and freedom requiring and not a parasite, have been living in a criminal society that now treats you like a criminal and you are just starting to understand it. I have known I was a criminal for several decades and have almost been caught a few times. The more you understand this the greater the distance, in various ways, that you create between you and the criminals that intend to cage or kill you. Do you get it yet?
The goal is to thrive and move forward in spite of the obstacles. There is no instruction book. You have to figure most of it out on your own. Hopefully you realize that playing by the rules will only give advantage to the criminals that hunt you.
Your only advantage in this world now is that there are more of us than there are of them. They can’t watch all of us all the time. Your job is to be as invisible to them as possible. If you put your mind to it you will learn methods and degrees and manners in which to conduct your affairs while staying out of the radar sweep. In time you will realize that life goes on regardless of what transpires among the gov’t criminals, and you’ll just keep avoiding their obstacles while achieving your goals. Yes, I’m going to say it. Think positive, and believe in yourself, and tell everyone else to go straight to hell. Let this rotten assed gov’t collapse under it’s own weight. Onward!
Ghost, spot on. This has, indeed, been The Great Awakening. Both Z man and Severian have good essays on this whole mess. And that was some seriously fuckin’ sage advice. I’ve already been working on much of it just as a by-product of my oddball lifestyle. And I damn straight have better things to do with my remaining years than to whine about politics. Let the snowflakes have it; I think I got stuff to do.
JWM
Well said, Ghost; you are, of course, absolutely correct. We know now what we are up against, and for that we should indeed be grateful.
Remember when you were a mediocre athlete, say basketball or soccer?
Maybe not. I was. And while the first string was on the pitch and all eyes on the game, except me and my other mediorce teammates who were goofing and scheming, the coach calls my name, “Amy, get ready your going in as soon as the action stops.” Which he says while not taking his eye off the ball and has his hand up both drawing you up but keeping you in check.
That’s how Ive been feeling lately. Apparently the coach has more faith in my abilities than i have in me own self.
Nailed it,Ghost. The greatest gift of PDJT’s first term was his ability to lure the orcs out into the open and reveal their true nature. They did it to themselves,over and over,proudly. There is no going back to the “normal” way of living; we’ve learned too many of our “fellow Americans” are anything but.
As of today DC is an armed camp of 25-30,000 National Guardsmen.
The Potomac and Anacostia rivers are closed to civilians;the Coast Guard is patrolling both. They are also armed.
Our borders are closed,and federal prisons are on lockdown.
On Jan 18,2021,Chief Lamont Ruffin from DC District Court swore in 2,000 (yes two thousand) National Guard troops as Special Duty Deputy US Marshals.
Per 18 U.S.C. 3053 US Marshals and Deputies have the authority to arrest anyone WITHOUT a warrant for any offense against the United States.
Sure could round up a lotta communist beltway orcs with 2,000 specially deputized soldiers.
No need for PDJT to ride in on a white horse;he can fly in on AF1.
“The United States will never be a socialist country.”
“The best is yet to come.”
I was worse than mediocre, I was a poor athlete. Skipped the team sports (rather, never made the team), but did swimming and track in HS. The coaches loved me – not because I was fast, but because I was willing to do events other kids wouldn’t do, without complaining. Sometimes, they just needed a body on the field so we didn’t automatically forfeit something to the other team.
I couldn’t do much, but I could show up.