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Maybe so, but you're not having the rest of my bottle...

When I say "believe in," I actually mean "believe in the legitimacy of." Apologies for my sloppy framing. And please don't take that as a criticism or a sleight; but it is, I suppose, an assumption based on our past conversations so forgive me if I've misjudged. I can say that I will believe in the first government that places as its highest objective and actively protects the sanctity, safety, and freedom of every human life above all other considerations. That government I will be as big a pain in the arse supporting as I am denouncing all the rest.

As for the existence of government, I can only partially agree. In the abstract, it certainly exists in people's minds and on paper, in its pomp and circumstance but, just like a religion or a stage play, it's ultimately just made of people like you and me - no better but, sadly, often far worse. And getting worser all the time. It's the power we give them that corrupts, that allows them to murder and plunder in our name and with our backing, because of some mythical phantom called government, which is neither here nor there, neither one thing or the other, but used to justify the legitimacy of literally anything. So yes, government exists but it's an illusion - it exists in the same way that reflections exist. It's there but you can't touch it, it looks real but it isn't.

Rulers once were gods, until the ruled began to wonder why gods couldn't work miracles as a matter of course. Then rulers claimed to be children or descendants of gods, until the ruled began to wonder why lesser gods couldn't work lesser miracles as a matter of course. The final claim was to be chosen by God somehow, perhaps through winning a battle or being born correctly, until the ruled realised there was no way to actually verify this supposed Divine Contract. So now the rulers are chosen by the people, but they're just as inhumane as ever, so what's the argument against elected rulers? As of this moment, maybe did you vote to support and facilitate genocide?* might be a pertinent beginning.

I see no difference between left wing or right wing, they both keep the same raptor of control flying. One side uses the carrot, the other side uses the stick. That's the global Punch & Judy Show, everyone cheering their team on while the puppeteers' paymasters laugh all the way to the bank - or the ethnically cleansed territory ripe for luxury beachfront developments. I should imagine the democrats are supporting Israel in a much more gentle way, urging it to calm down a bit before things get out of hand, but supporting it nonetheless. There are plenty of democrats on that Pro-Israel Support list.

I don't think the true nature of this monstrous illusion we call government has been more apparent in my lifetime. How many of us, hand on heart, can truly swear that all those dead children are worth it? I certainly can't. When I see a report that the RAF, my RAF, has flown 200 spy missions over Gaza for Israel my anger boils. How dare they? In my name? I denounced the cult of government long ago but it still considers itself my master. I would be willing slave to a good system but not this monstrosity.

Earlier tonight I was watching ++WARNING++TLAV++GRAPHIC CONTENT++, something most of you will dismiss as "conspiracy bollocks," and saw a video out of Gaza of a father trying to tend to his young son in a hospital. The man couldn't even touch his son to comfort him because of the burns on his body. So much horror unfolding right before our eyes; all being obfuscated, misrepresented, supported, excused. In my f*cking name? No. Not ever. I am against these horrors, not only in Gaza but Yemen and all over the world; I am against them with every instinct and formulation, with every breath and every heartbeat, and with every ounce of hyperbolic rhetoric I can muster.

That's my handful of sand. That's how I help to stop it.

What can one soul do in the face of such evil machinations? We can each throw a handful of sand into the gears. This is my handful - annoying you lot. Throw your own handfuls out there. Condemn the genocide. Explain that Judaism is a 3,000 year old religion whereas Zionism is a 150 year old political movement. Understand that many Jews around the world are against Zionism and that not all Zionists are Jews. Shout and moan and bitch and complain to anyone who'll listen: STOP IT! Even if we buy everything about October 7th, we are way beyond self-defence and have been since October 8th. And where, pray, was the Palestinian's right to self-defence for the last seventy five f*cking years? Hidden by our monstrous illusions, that's where.

TL;DR: Yes. About half a bottle so far...


*This is not for one microsecond to suggest that anyone here voluntarily supports the horrendous activities of our own and allied governments throughout the world. The point is that your elected representatives do, and innocents are being slaughtered because of it. One must, in every case, separate the government (or any other prevailing religion of a country) from the people. The one is never synonymous with the other.

When I say "you," I of course mean the Royal you - not any specific you. The interrogative you, not the accusatory you.

I always have a bottle of oil-of-cloves on hand whenever I feel a twinge coming on. Also, chewing raw garlic gets rid of infections but is as uncomfortable as Hell. Alcohol can also be a boon during such trying times :-D

I find that a rather depressing attitude, even though I largely share it.

To me, such things lend weight to my argument that the current global systems are unfit for purpose. These people are supposed to be the best leaders money can buy electoral systems can come up with - and here they are using the power lent to them by the people to threaten not only a respected international body but also its employees and their families. This is an abuse of power and an insult to democracy and law. Furthermore, according to opensecrets.org, all but one of the signatories of the above letter receive or have received donations from the Pro-Israel lobby -

Tom Cotton: $237,077
Marsha Blackburn: $427,355
Ted Budd: $159,053
Ted Cruz: $1,509,359
Pete Ricketts: $161,229
Rick Scott: $371,255
Mitch McConnell: $1,953,910
Katie Boyd Britt: $102,550
Kevin Cramer: $397,440
Bill Hagerty: -
Marco Rubio: $1,013,563
Tim Scott: $378,896

(Not a signatory but interesting - Joe Biden: $4,261,010)

This, to my simplistic mind, is a species of treason; invoking the power of one's own government to aid a foreign nation in avoiding accountability for money. And while these people grub for dollars, the entire population of Gaza faces imminent and actual extermination. This is why government must go, or at least be stripped of its power to command.

But for people who believe in government, how can this not be shocking? Is this how the best leaders you can find are expected to behave? Is it normal, now, for leaders to threaten and bully and bullshit their way around the world for money and influence, with no regard for international law or the mangled corpses strewn in their wake? Believe in government, yes, by all means - but is this as good as it gets? Don't you want it to be better? They're using your power, after all, so is this how you want them to use it? Defending monsters?

I wonder if you could hire or buy a pet bat?

How's your tooth situation? Improving, I hope.

How can we not be angered by these people? They write "laws" to bind us and ignore any that bind them. Disgusting.

Fortunately, the ICC doesn't seem to be in any hurry to back down,

I guess it's a financial and/or procedural thing. Something needed doing recently and some IT bod was employed to do it, and probably their contract indemnified them against the loss of Sharky's ability to annoy the neighbours with his seemingly infinite collection of Sharkworld Avatars (soon to be collected into a kind of multiversal Top Trumps card game*) or the loss of the Active Topics page. So the job was done, the fee was paid and any "minor niggles" would be sorted out next time. Splundigs, Tharg, and thanks for all the groats. Or maybe the IT's all in-house and there just isn't time to listen to us whining nonscrots complaining about piffling avatars when numerous Twoothy characters are in such dire and imminent peril, requiring The Mighty One's undivided attention.  "The forum? Pfa! They will come anyway. Their reverence for my mighty organ far outweighs their trifling annoyances. Ignore them and concentrate on trying to bond vodka molecules with polystyrene..."

From what little I know of you, Funt, you seem capable of rectifying these trifling annoyances and potentially even capable of invoking the much prayed for Holy Like Button with nary more than a dozen keystrokes and a moderately strong drink. If not you, then I bet someone here can do it. Donate (insert ill-informed short unit of time here) or two to helping TMO service his loyal Squaxx so that He doesn't have to take His mighty eye off those miserable creator droids for a moment. But I guess "the insurance" strangles such ideas at birth.

We can only entreat The Mighty One to take a moment from his lofty concerns to address the minor quibbles of us, His lowly servants. Pray, sacrifice a thrill sucker (or a Barry Manilow cd), kneel facing Betelgeuse and repeat after me...

Our Thriller who art in Oxford,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy thrillage come.

Thy will be done

in Progs as it is in the Meg.

Give us this week our weekly comic,

and forgive us our criticisms,

as we forgive those who criticise against us,

and lead us not into Marvel,

but deliver us from Dark Horse.

For thine is the thrill and the power, and the story,

forever and ever.

Amen.

P.S. Please can you fix the website and give us a "like" button. Ta muchly.

Amen, Amen.

*No it isn't.

Okay, so this is Jared Bernstein. He is the chair of the United States Council of Economic Advisers and a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. His advice carries great weight. Hear him...

Call me a cynic, but he seems to me a tad overqualified for the job - he is, after all, trying to make sense of the senseless. He'll probably be fired soon because making sense of things isn't his job. It is, after all, hard to make sense of a con without calling it a con, but kudos to him for trying.

I didn't think so.

Ancient Death stands in a draught
His black-flamed candle flickers
As beneath his threadbare midnight robes
He hides a crafty Snickers

Are there any other characters that don't age (or get younger) in Dredd? Hershey was allowed to age. PJ Maybe didn't stay a kid forever.

Captain Kidd from Robo-Hunter got radically younger while Sam only got significantly younger, does that count?

Destroyer of Twirls, surely?

Writer gets invited to pagan festival... I think this might mean even more royalties for Stephen King.

"Vacuum Bag" - the new superhero from Viz.