As IF Times

link: https://cbsaustin.com/news/nation-world/uk-authorities-threaten-extradition-jail-to-us-citizens-for-online-posts-stoking-riots-social-media-elon-musk-x-stabbing-taylor-swift-themed-event-children-dead-prime-minister-police-laws-free-speech

In many cultures in which there is a rich written history, one will find writings which are allegorical in nature. For example in Chinese, Japanese and Indian literature, we find stories and fables which at first pass are amusing but with deeper inspection, one will find plenty of hidden, often thinly veiled political references. Why was this?  Well for one thing, many ancient cultures had rather repressive regimes and any overt criticism of the rulers would likely lead to being disappeared from society.  These rulers imagined themselves to be kings of the world, or at least those parts that mattered, thus any negativity against them was frowned upon. One could not just paint ‘the king sucks’ on the side of a castle.

Thus, it was often through the use of allegory and fables in which artists made their points but it had to be framed in such a way that it could be excused as just entertainment without being linked directly to state criticism.  Of course, you had to expect that the autocrats wouldn’t be bright enough to figure it out. Many of the fables in Aesop’s Fables give timeless lessons and wisdom on human nature, desires and morality but often with hidden political meaning.  Western writers also contributed to this style of narrative.

Certainly some of the most notable works in this genre are by George Orwell and Ayn Rand.  Animal Farm, 1984 and Atlas Shrugged are timeless works on the proclivities of man and governments which seem all the more pertinent today.

This tradition is also evident in the west by activist music artists as they sneak messages of protest and complaint in the lyrics of their compositions.  Most don’t even know the theme of the songs until they delve into the specific lines.  An example would be “The End of The Innocence” by the Eagles in the 1980’s, an oblique critique against the Reagan years.

Over time, these types of ‘protest art’ have enriched all societies with their timeless messages and artistry.  As the world became less dominated by autocratic rulers who chafed at every imagined slight against them, criticisms of government became less oblique and in fact quite direct and pointed….at least in the West. It’s not uncommon to find images and representations of un-popular leaders depicted as all kinds of unflattering animals. Everyone in the public space was fair game.

But recently, we’ve seen a distinct thinning of the skin of those in charge (no doubt because of climate change). Increasingly, those in charge are taking umbrage at any criticism of their edicts and narratives and begin to take action or threatening to take action against any who would dare question the official narrative. The very most recent example is a functionary from Great Britain, a police commissioner named Rowley, who has threatened to reach across the oceans and prosecute and imprison anyone daring to criticize their narratives.  Though not a king, this man imagines himself to be Lord of his imaginary realm. Comically, this from the land of Monty Python which is now not only not Great, but also becoming less Britain.  It’s the equivalent of ‘I’ll cut you man!”

We can understand the frustration of those in charge since their hold on the compliant mass media has collapsed.  While there are still adherents to legacy media outlets, other sources, notably the X platform, Truth Social and Gab are now sources of real, unfiltered information without the attendant gas-lighting built into all state media.  Thanks to brave people such as Elon Musk, Tucker Carlson and recently freed Julian Assange, the real truth is exposed for all to see.

This is a sea change for information and media as the Barney Fifes of the media world flail away trying to preserve their once powerful hold over people’s views. I can imagine they’ll come up with all kinds of ridiculous methods to censor people such as charging for the use of the alphabet.  Orwell was correct.  There’s always going to be the big scale tyrant wanna-be’s but it’s the little tyrants  and bootlickers that cause the most daily grief. They seem to multiply like cold sores at an orgy and are just as hard to be rid of.

link:  https://tribune.com.pk/story/2481940/tulsi-gabbard-gives-stark-warning-on-kamala-harris

It’s beyond ironic that the political party that has the word ‘democracy’ implied in its name has always pursued the most undemocratic of tactics to gain and retain office. Only truly deranged and diabolical minds could create the machinations surrounding the tragic saga of the Joe Biden presidency.  I’m reasonably certain that historians will refer to his tenure as the “Joe Izuzu” administration for the outright knee slappers they’ve foisted on the public as being facts.

We’re not casting aspersions on Joe’s qualifications since he has spent all of his adult life in political office and debated with Abe Lincoln as well as fought tough gang members such as Corn Pop.  Most famously, he was against blacks before he was for them, including “that black guy” serving as is his defense secretary.

Recall that the Democrats foisted Joe as their standard bearer for the 2020 election and lo and behold, over 80 million voters apparently agreed with this choice and by some miraculous 13^th or 14^th hour vote tabulation, he was our guy!  We still don’t know the exact count, because they’re still tabulating them 4 years later…just in case.  His preferred Vice Presidential running mate was someone that finished 6^th out of 8 candidates during the debates….by Democratic party voters, so their own party didn’t think much of her.

With Joe’s “sudden” decision to withdraw from the next election campaign, this 6^th choice is bizarrely in a position to lead the United States.   And….nobody voted for her! I wonder if 80 million voters are collectively upset?  It’s as if you ordered something off the menu at The French Laundry; were told that only soup was available and eventually got served a Big Mac from the kid’s menu. You can’t complain because, you know, racist and sexist.

I’ve spoken about this topic before, of how the public is realistically removed from the ‘democratic’ voting process.  As we’ve seen in numerous elections recently, in France, in Canada and most conspicuously now in the U.S., a very miniscule part of the population determines who gets to rule over the vast number of hapless citizens.  It’s comical to hear the on-going bleats about the importance of voting when in reality, the choices and winners are pre-determined. George Carlin was correct.  If voting worked, they wouldn’t allow it.