Rant & Roll

Open Thread - 12-06-24 - The Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse

The Fifth Horseman

Certainly we all have heard of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse prediction from The Book of Revelations contained in the Bible. First, The White Horseman, thought to be Jesus himself or possibly the anti-Christ, depending on interpretations. Second, the Red Horseman, thought to represent war. Third, the Black Horseman, thought to represent famine. And fourth, the pale Horseman, thought to represent death.

Notice the similarities that runs through the Book of Revelations' narrative of fear? It's the same leitmotif that runs through the course of The Bible, and most religions, if not all of them. Like the other four Horses, the Fifth Horse of the Apocalypse isn't a physical entity, in my humble opinion, it's a psychological construct.

Just as the underlying teachings of the Bible use the elemental emotion of fear as it's prime mover (pun intended), the same motivation is driving the current societal control mechanisms. For the same reasons.

Corruption is out of control in this country, and hand in hand with that corruption is our government, which is also out of control. It's no longer hidden, in fact, it's flaunted in our faces. The executive branch of our government has wrested too much power. The president, by diktat in the form of executive privilege and executive orders, simply waves his signing hand and so it is done. Is there a better example than the recent presidential pardoning of his son and the rumored preemptive pardoning of his partners in crime? Biden might as well pardon the whole government as corrupt as it currently is.

How do the government and the politicians get away with it? In times past the public would be in the streets with torches and pitchforks, seeking retribution for their grievances. The least that could be expected was a good tar and feathering followed by a good running out on a rail. Today, it's shrugged off as business as usual. The body politic has become accustomed to the corruption and unwilling to make any waves. But, why?

Fear.

The results of years of fear are evident. Lock downs, genocide, wars, lawfare, WWIII, cancellations, de-platforming, crime, IRS audit, threats of martial law, talk of civil war, talk of nuclear war, surveillance, troops in the street, climate change, policrisis, pandemics, poison food, murders on the street openly shown on the internet, and I'm sure I'm missing many more. Step out of line and you'll pay the price. It's been non stop for years and it's taking it's toll. We, the body politic have been socially engineered to acquiesce, to not make waves, out of fear of retribution and lives destroyed.

Fear is the Trojan Horse used to enter one's mind as an insidious manipulation of one's core emotion. Make an individual fearful enough and they will bend to the will of the manipulator. It works the same for a society as well. There's plenty of examples from the past to support this supposition. Today, we've been witnessing the largest and most potent psychological operation in all of history, on steroids, and in real time.

If fear is the Trojan Horse and the Fifth Horse of the Apocalypse, then who may be the rider? And to what end?

The Orange Horse
The Fifth Horse of the Apocalypse
TrojanHorse1.jpg
Attribution: Wikimedia Commons
(Orange tint added by JtC)

Open Thread - 11-22-24 - The Battle of Evermore

It's been a little over two weeks since the election. Things are moving at a breakneck pace. We're in the midst of one of the most dangerous periods in this nation's history, both on the geopolitical and national political fronts.

I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that a sitting president would sabotage an incoming president-elect. A president that was too feeble to run for a second term because of his cognitive impairment, yet is competent enough to start world war III by allowing Ukraine to launch long range missiles into Russia. He's gambling with everyone's lives, for what? This has got to be one of the most despicable presidencies in a long line of despicable presidents.

We hear nary a word from congress about stopping him, or whomever is in charge. Then again if congress were to take action and impeach him that would mean that Kamala Harris would become the president. What's that old maxim, something about vice presidents being picked as an insurance policy to dissuade congress from impeaching sitting presidents?

Hmmmm.

Anyway, nice precedent you've established mr. president (I purposely use lower case). Is the new normal laying booby traps for the incoming president now? That ought to be quite fun in the future, if we have one.

I'm seeing a pattern. Trump's most controversial cabinet picks aren't going to be approved. If they aren't picked off by public opinion then they'll be picked off by the senate who won't approve them. I hate to tell the Trump fans but they've been played. All the chest thumping, back slapping, shading the opposition and rose colored futuristics has all been for naught. I'll be surprised if Tulsi Gabbard and RFK, Jr. get approved as well.

It will be the same old same old. Oh, Ukraine may disengage from Russia and come to an end, but then reengage through Iran. I doubt much of Trump's agenda will be realized, just like his first term. There's a good chance it may be even worse. There's so many things that can go sideways in the next four years. We're going to need some luck.

In retrospect I'm glad I didn't vote for either one of them.

bohica.jpg
Attribution: imgflip