For the poor, deceived, and self-deceived souls of the Left, it is always Year Zero, that is, the first year of the Revolution. All history and tradition are rejected with disgust, as is all knowledge and learning painfully accumulated over centuries. Current knowledge of the facts of reality is also rejected—we are, as one fuddle-headed politician repeatedly said recently, “unburdened by what has been.”
As soon as we abolish history, civilization, economics, and reality, Utopia descends from the clouds adorned as a bride for her wedding, and Eden is restored. Such is the delusion of the Progressive. The path to Progressive paradise is paved with skulls.
Old leaders are guillotined, law books and churches burned, kulak farmers starved to death, and intellectuals sent to toil and die on state-run communal farms without tools. Anyone with eyeglasses is killed. All monuments are torn down, all stained-glass windows smashed, all flags are burned, all crosses trampled.
The Revolution is freed from the past! The calendar restarts at Year Zero.
The Year Zero mentality is rooted in optimism, malingering, and the need for amnesia.
1984: War is Peace; Freedom is Slavery; Ignorance is Strength! Selling the lie is predicated on the elimination of free speech. The quote implies that the Party has deliberately weakened people’s memories so they can’t challenge its claims about the present. Does it sound familiar?
Bullet Points:
** (right) Exploring how women think…but not arriving at any conclusions.
** The Left is the heir of Marxist Hegelian Gnosticism. Namely, they are the eternal rebel and, at the same time, the eternal victim: they are always Satan, defying God as a heavenly tyrant in words of august Miltonian dignity. But, unlike the real devil, the fake devil of the Gnostics is destined to overthrow the fake God, that is, the Demiurge, who created the unjust world order that victimizes them. Without the Gnostics’ eternal rebellion, they cannot flatter themselves by claiming to be part of the eternal Marxist social evolution, which inevitably leads from Capitalism to Socialism to Communism.
** Ryan discusses cultural differences.
** CNN “reporter” Elle Reeve recently asked a boat-owning Trump supporter why he was so concerned about the economy. The clear inference was that he must be doing well himself, so why should he care? Amazing. This doesn’t speak well of her. The boat owner gave a pretty good answer, but he should have asked CNN’s ditz: “Gee, I don’t know, why do healthy people care about health care?” You can read about the exchange at the link…the guy didn’t own a boat. He had to sell it because of the economy.
**While appearing in a grocery store recently, Donald Trump handed a woman $100 to help pay for her groceries. This drove liberals nuts, as most things do. They characterized his act of kindness as attempting to buy a vote. One person? Democrats try to bribe everybody to vote for them through various promises and programs! With other people’s money!
** The titular—and ever-tired—president of the United States, Joe Biden, recently asked his unelected wife, Jill, to take over a cabinet meeting for him. The mainstream media mainly were OK with this. Can you imagine what they would have said if Pres. Trump asked Melania to handle a cabinet meeting for him.
** Students at several Toronto area middle schools were made to participate in a “field trip” cum protest recently. They were also forced to wear blue shirts to mark them as “settlers” and “colonizers.” At this point, why not just have them commit ritual suicide? (“Harakiri” if the colonizers would rather appropriate a Japanese term.)
** For LSP—In a historic step, the Vatican is working toward “full communion” with conservative Anglicans by recognizing Anglican holy orders and churches without requiring “amalgamation or conversion.” That may be the sermonette of the day.
** Arresting people for saying that the American elections were rigged is a great way to convince them that they were not.
Do Americans want another Shadow Government?
I don’t know who has been running the Executive Branch of Government for the past four years. I know neither Pedo Joe nor Kamala was entrusted with nuclear launch codes. Some speculate that Barack and his husband were calling the shots from behind the curtain. Harris, running for president now, is widely believed by the Permanent Washington Establishment to be one of the dumbest people in DC – somewhere behind Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) and Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) on the IQ scale – truly frightening. You’ll recall that Rep. Johnson feared that Guam would capsize if we sent another battalion of US Marines. Harris’ time as a side piece to various negro entertainers and politicians led to her appointment to various political positions where intellect was not required. Being a woman of color (WOC) led to her selection as Pedo Joe’s Veep when he was installed in 2020. If Americans elect Harris fairly, who will run the country? It won’t be her or the oafish (not-a-command sergeant major) and cowardly Walz.
Identify the Aircraft
1
2
Some say the airplane was gutless.
3
You know the designation, but which model? There were several.
4
Identify the Feature Film
A
I will attack you intermittently and without warning whenever and wherever it is
least inspected. In this way, I will keep you vigilant and alert. Agreed?
B
I no longer follow the Academy Awards and rarely see films because they’re not worth the time and money. Here is the plot of a RECENT Best Picture of the year. Can you name it without looking it up? Full disclosure: I hadn’t heard of the movie before today. It was that profound. The movie grossed $3.7 million in the United States and Canada. Be glad you weren’t an investor.
In 2011, Fern lost her job after the US Gypsum plant in Empire, Nevada, shut down; she had worked there for years along with her husband, who recently died. Fern sold most of her belongings, purchased a van to live in, and traveled the country searching for work. She took a seasonal job at an Amazon fulfillment center through the winter.
Linda, a friend and co-worker, invites Fern to visit a desert rendezvous in Arizona. The rendezvous provides a support system and community for fellow nomads. Fern initially declines but changes her mind as the weather turns cold, and she struggles to find work in the area.
C
It looks as if they’re on the side of an extinct volcano…
D
It’s a recent release and a massive box-office flop. A list actors and good cinematography didn’t compensate for substandard writing.
Part 1 went to video quickly. Parts 2 and 3 have yet to be released. Moviegoers rated Part 1 a solid 3 out of 10.
Parting Shot
End
4 is Lockheed XFV experimental aircraft that they made just one of.
A is Peter Sellers in one of the Pink Panther movies. Strangely have never seen any except for snippets.
For extra credit: (reference A) what is “Pink Panther” – and no, not a cartoon with a pink panther.
The object of the thief: a diamond.
Yes, but it came from something else, see below.
Movie- Watched the trailer on Prime as their newest headliner… Nomadland (had to look it up it was that far back in the year). I’m not into painfully sad or strained movies so immediately gave it a pass…got only partway through the trailer, looked depressing to me. But IMDb reviews were very…artsy glowing, save for a few “You could run the movie in reverse, it wouldn’t make that much difference, such is its neutral tone and low affect throughout.” That was the kindest way of saying, “It’s sucks”. Yeah, no. And American audiences showed that with their cash. People want uplifting fun movies, not a dirge.
***
Last panel: Exactly. Okay to be weird but the rest of us don’t have to buy into your personal angst or protest…or hire you for that matter to make a social justice statement that has nothing to do with core business. American businesses need to reset their priorities, like making stuff people want and doing it to earn a profit so people don’t become “houseless” and buy a van (at $120k a pop) and drive around the USA posting videos for their YT channel. We’re not in High school folks, time to grow up. (I can hear dad in my head)
You nailed the best picture of the year, PaulM.
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There are a lot of legacy corporations that went woke because in part, they were largely funded by taxpayer dollars and produced government cheese. Corporations don’t last forever even if they’re well known if they can’t deliver – does anyone recall Sears?
Thought back on watching that trailer, instantly said “Nope, who would watch that?” Re-looking hasn’t changed my thinking. (I do like “That your accomplice in the woodchipper?” McDormand as an actress, but even 3 Billboards was similarly “rough”, altho decided to watch it one night to see what all the IndyFilm fuss was about. Took a shower after and vowed to never again watch what the Lib’s say is a great film.)
***
Time to eliminate ALL lobbying and lobbyists, who tend to be lawyers and politicians feathering their own nests (while insider trading on their own actions). That would fix a lot while reducing government and political power over We The People.
— Yup, totally naive of me…but a man can dream.
“IMDb reviews … glowing”
Yeah. Well. Robert Anton Wilson had a line in one of his “Schrodinger’s Cat” novels that went something like (paraphrased; I read it maybe 40y ago): the novel [a novel by a character in RAW’s novel] was about the struggles of a weirdo and loser. Most critics being themselves weirdos and losers, the critics praised the novel as “moving, hard hitting, and bravely true to life!”
—
I don’t know if critics are weirdos and losers, but I’d note that many seem to be from the same stock as the people who are disproportionately represented among script writers, executives, and other Hollywood movers and shakers. Not saying it’s an actual planned conspiracy, because it may just be convergence of shared values and experiences, but the effect is AS IF it’s a conspiracy.
—
Like “regulatory capture” where there’s a conveyer belt between financial regulators and Goldman-Sachs, or between Big Pharma and FDA, there’s a similar convergence between the creators of pop culture and mainstream (professional) critics. And this is one of the reasons that outsider critics such as Gary Buechler (“Nerdrotic”) and Wil Jordan (“The Critical Drinker”) are viewed as such threats by the self-annointed Better People in entertainment and popular culture. Oh, and as Elon Musk famously said, “Bob (Iger), go fuck your self.”
Musk, Trump, and a few others, have enough eff you money they can effect some level of realignment (why I believe Trump is doing this, because he doesn’t have to but feels compelled to “help America”, his largest most effective “development” to date). Overcoming the WEF et al. obstacles is clearly a massive undertaking. Wait until Musk puts the Woke cell carriers out of business with his forward thinking…they rest on what others built and their cozying up to politicians, Musk does his stuff outside their influence…the old fashioned way like some guy tinkering in his basement shop to come up with something…say…like the intermittent wiper…that GM stole despite legals documents having been signed upfront.
___
Read this [Swedish] young man’s backstory (notes under video)…many of us have been there ourselves for a while: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtiaSn5iCg8
Well, that movie sounds like it isn’t worth a watch.
On the bright side, it was at least an original story instead of some sort of awful remake.
*
– Kle.
Identify the Aircraft:
1. Douglas A-3 Skywarrior
2. Vought XF7U-1 Cutlass
3. Douglas A-20H-10-DO Havoc
4. Lockheed XFV
Identify the Feature Film:
A. The Pink Panther
B. Nomadland. Yes, never heard of it until now.
C. Sands of Iwo Jima
D. Horizon: An American Saga
Well done, Surly.
And the answer to the question, What is Pink Panther? It was a “brand” of cocaine being smuggled into France, and for some reason unknown to me, it had a pink hue. Thus, the Suerte and Insp. Clouseau were on the trail of the smuggling ring. From the age of the French Connection when opium was smuggled into France from their possessions in Southeast Asia and then refined in clandestine laboratories into #1 Heroin (China White). Most heroin from Mexico was #3 Heroin – black tar. Surly is right, it was a pink diamond in the film.
Funny how certain “benign” things always tie back to some criminal activity…never knew that it was cocaine and not a diamond, but that’s the naive world in which I live (and prefer to some degree).
The bulk of these clandestine laboratories were in Marseille and its environs. The trafficking and refining were the province of the Union Corse, commonly known as the Corsican Mafia. There were Corsican gangsters in Saigon in the mid-1960s, not many, but they were still there.
Shameless Plug Inserted: White Powder: A Novel of the CIA and the Secret War in Laos – https://www.amazon.com/White-Powder-novel-Secret-Laos/dp/1449975852/ref=sr_1_1
Need to read that one…thx for the reminder.
Catch up!
White powder was a great read… a movie would be great..
*
MikeW… thanks for the tidbit on the Corsican gangsters… goes with LL’s book… and your book .. . There is still so much to know… Saigon was a crazy place.
The movie Sands of Iwo Jima was shot in a number of places to include the Marine Corps Base at Camp Pendleton, Leo Carrillo State Beach, Santa Catalina Island, Channel Islands, Janss Conejo Ranch, Thousand Oaks, Republic Studios and Universal Studios. Actual combat footage from the Pacific War was also used in the film. I’ve read that John Wayne,”Marion Robert Morrison” was mad and even depressed that Hollywood would not allow him to enlist due to his age (34 at the time of Pearl Harbor) and family status (classified as 3-A – family deferment). Wayne repeatedly wrote to John Ford saying he wanted to enlist, on one occasion inquiring whether he could get into Ford’s military unit. Although Wayne was reclassified as 1-A (draft eligible), Republic Studios was reluctant to lose him because he was their only A-list actor.
IDA-
3. This A-20H demonstrated tracked gear for rough landing strips, I wonder how well that worked out?
-STA Dangerous
Steve,
Track landing gear. I so appreciate being educated here at V.M. H/T L.L. Today was my first view of this system. Often I dig deeper to learn a little more. Here’s a good link on the track landing gear, it’s development and problems on various aircraft.
https://www.afmc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1919691/history-of-aircraft-track-landing-gear/
Thanks for the info.
Sidebar: Just saw this from Conor McGregor:
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“As President I hold the power to summon the Dáil as well as dissolve it. So as I said before, I would have all the answers the people of Ireland seek from these thieves of the working man, these disrupters of the family unit, these destructors of small businesses, and on and on and on! These charlatans in their positions of power would be summoned to answer to the people of Ireland and I would have it done by day end. Or I would be left with no choice but to dissolve the Dáil entirely. Stop the train until. The people of Ireland deserve the answers they see. Point blank. This would be my power as President, I know very well. Ireland needs an active President employed wholly by the people of Ireland. It is me. I am the only logical choice. @025 is upcoming…”
—
Yeah, that. Sounds like Trump only even more direct. We The People, America, and Our [unassailable] Constitution hang in the balance.
BTW, that’s the point of “Free Speech”…something those who [supposedly] work for We The People are working hard to eliminate.
Free Speech to America’s Elite means that you have the right to say what pleases them and flatters them.
The last film I watched that was Oscar nominated was Hell Or High Water, which actually was a pretty good film with some fine performances. Naturally it lost to Moonlight a film about “A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.” Figures.
Hell or High Water was an excellent film.
Although we Westerners generally call it harakiri, the Japanese more commonly call it seppuku. Same thing by a different name. In either case, it was historically reserved as a way out for the warrior class (Samurai) only. As a note, the most trusted subordinate, or best friend, would stand by with his sword. Once the warrior had done the cutting of his belly to a sufficient degree to ensure he would bleed out, the second would behead him to rapidly end the process. Honor would be satisfied on the part of both. Grisly details for a Sunday morning to be sure.
Wouldn’t blobfish be more appropriate?
Last film I paid money to see was The Revenant, for the express purpose of watching the bear gnaw on Di Caprio’s smarmy little liberal ass. It was glorious.
If only it happened in real life and not as part of a film.
Friend of mine was on Camp Pendleton during filming of The Sands of Iwo Jima. He ended up as one of the many extras in the film and, he said, you could pick him out once if you knew where to look. He ended up serving under Chesty Puller, going ashore at Inchon, and being evacuated from Chosin with multiple purple hearts. He eventually had five, once he finished with Vietnam. He didn’t talk about the movie much. I watched him talking to recruits more than once. Once he established who and what he was, they looked at him like he was Moses down from the mount.
Newbie movie comment – Most Great films don’t come from this generation. They just keep re-churning n burning out the same old great ones with no originality.. Except now the Main characters don’t know how to shave. Maybe too much gun violence in some of the great old movies for the liberal organic non-GMO popcorn eaters. John Wayne (Rooster Cogburn) riding at a full gallop towards the camera on horseback shooting double-barreled with the reins in his teeth and an eye patch could be scary enough to make the liberal patron soil their skinny jeans.
X2
“Year Zero”
Didn’t the French try that around 1790 or so?
Exactomundo.
Nomadland. Sounded interesting. I think I lasted 5 minutes past the credits. Uck.
Movies, ah, movies. Wife and I follow the “If the Critics hate it, it’s worth a watch” rule. And, yeah, it works. Like “Renfield,” the critics hated it. We loved it. Nicolas Cage is probably one of the best vampires on film ever. Seriously, his take on Bela Lugosi’s Dracula, and then fleshed out further, is awesome. And everything else in the movie is fun and over the top and the final Boss fight is just, well, it’s worth a watch.
Critics also hated “Star Wars.” (the original, of course, which was awesome especially in comparison to most of the movies around that time.)
I remember when the original Star Wars was released, and the lines were INSANE. Critics said one thing and moviegoers said something else. Then the critics, assailed by numbers, decided that they loved the film. Then Disney got a hold of the franchise and began to twist things.