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They say that Louis XIV had the inscription Ultima Ratio Regum cast into all the cannon of the French Army. It means "The Ultimate Argument of Kings," and that always struck me as one of the most honest and up-front things any ruler or would-be ruler ever said. "We can dress it up prettier than this, but when it comes down to the unvarnished truth this is what it's about: You'll do as I say or I'll send my goons to kill you."
I thought about that for a long time. If there's an ultimate argument, it seems only logical that there must be an ultimate answer. For years I thought the ultimate answer must be the bullets in my rifle, but it never seemed quite right. I've got bullets - he's got frigging Cannon Balls. I mean, if there were three hundred million rifles throwing bullets at him, then maybe. But we all know that's not going to happen. So if there's an ultimate answer to his ultimate argument, it sure as hell ain't bullets.
It finally came to me - and that's when I left the city, abandoned a goodly percentage of my goods, and gave all that was behind me a good, stiff Randian Shrug.
The ultimate answer to kings is not a bullet, but a belly laugh.
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Blogroll
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Previous OPSEC Violations
Shameless Plug!
Do you suffer from a lonely, unfulfilled, angst-driven existence? Do you often wish you could do something meaningful with your life, like end death or war or taxes, or maybe just read a really good book?
Then you need to buy the following novels immediately!
The Scroll of Jeremiah
The Last Faithful Man
Walt’s Gulch
Songs of Bad Men and Good
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Category Archives: Uncategorized
Wimpy joins an AK build party, survives.
I Built this AK-47. It’s Legal and Totally Untraceable. Among those ready to get going at this “build party” (none of whom wanted their names used) are a father-son duo getting in some bonding time and a well-bellied sixtysomething with … Continue reading
QoD – “Can’t really argue with your logic, there, Kurt” edition
Here’s the thing. A law that has to be broken in order to save the life of a child–to prevent him from being torn apart by vicious dogs–is very likely an evil law. And a “justice” system that punishes a … Continue reading
Your idea of ‘freedom’ may be different from mine, but…
Look, everybody’s got his own shibboleth. Different people concentrate on different things, their own interests, and they won’t ‘feel free’ until they’re left alone to enjoy their own thing. There are weed people, gun people, gay people. People who worry … Continue reading
The Conspiracy Gnome Theory, explained
1. Something bad happens. 2. Alex Jones says something silly about how the government caused it. 3. Profit! H/T to Sipsey Street.
My Tornado Alley story…
Everybody who lives in Tornado Alley for any length of time has at least one story about the big one that almost got him. Here’s mine. I lived in a little town in the Texas panhandle, and to make matters … Continue reading
Ah, admirable California. You never fail to deliver the stupid.
By way of Guffaw… Gun control: Cartridge ID law to take effect A hotly contested gun-control law that was passed in 2007 is finally ready to be implemented, Attorney General Kamala Harris said Friday: a requirement that every new semiautomatic … Continue reading
“I know exactly what happened, Dear.”
My neighbors told me about seeing this clip on the news last night. “This is life in the big city.” I love this old lady’s attitude.
Why there was no morning blog post: A parable
Once upon a time, a man and his wife decided to build a new house. It was a very large house, and it was made out of straw. They didn’t fear the Big Bad Wolf, though, because it was made … Continue reading
Grump.
It’s not like it was even a busy weekend, fer cryin’ out loud. Ian was busy with his folks, so we didn’t work on the water system. I did a little digging with Landlady, getting ready to harden the fence … Continue reading
I have seen the future…
…and it blows. It might be a good idea to make friends with a doctor, if possible…
We have evenings like this…
Dharma the puppy has been visiting. Since Thursday. She’s a sweety, but she’s also a jumping, pushy, “gotta love me” kinda baby and sometimes you’d like to take her out somewhere and quietly drown her. Even LB finds her a … Continue reading
I’m just saying, kids. Twenty years from now you’re going to find old photos of this kerfuffle. And you are going to truly regret that hair.
I dunno if the Keene Robin Hoods are really picking on the heroic meter maids of Keene, New Hampshire. one of them says he has suffered heart palpitations and is thinking about quitting his job. That sounds really bad, and … Continue reading
Not quite like unto a teenager’s bedroom, but…
…it still needs a going over. We’re having guests for the weekend, and since they’re Ian’s progenitors we’ve been going around and trying to put a good face on things without getting fanatical or duplicitous about it. I look around … Continue reading
Into the nothin’
Ian came up yesterday. Today we finished our various chores for the day early and decided it was time to take our lives in our hands and give his Jeep a thorough shake-down. I was too busy hanging on to … Continue reading
Funny, immigration hawks never seem to mention this…
…or when they do, they act as if it’s a good thing. E-Verify = E-Total State Section 3101 of S.744, “Unlawful Employment of Unauthorized Aliens, contains a mandatory “Identity Authentication Mechanism” that mandates a biometric ID database for almost every … Continue reading
Today I can almost feel sorry for him.
Eric Holder Just Doesn’t Know. This is why show prep is so important, Eric. Just what Obama needed, only halfway through his very, very bad week, is for you to go full Sergeant Schultz while testifying for the cameras. But … Continue reading
So the ladies seem to like their new home…
Oh, they were dubious. They’re dubious about every innovation, especially if I’m involved. Which is ironic, given that I’m the only benevolent influence in their lives and also that I plan to betray their (nonexistent) trust at some point and … Continue reading
Ian goes to a gun buy-back
This surprised me. Ian’s got opinions on the gun issue, obviously, but he’s just not a political creature. I swear almost daily to stop being one, but can’t keep my mouth shut. Ian rarely offers an opinion; he just goes … Continue reading
A proper coop at last…
Neighbor J came over this morning to help me move the new coop into place. Quite a lot of sweating and grunting, backing and filling, “Nope, sorry, we have to undo this because I needed to do that first,” but … Continue reading







