A no-budget (but not completely terrible) video presentation of F. Paul Wilson’s old short story “Lipidleggin’,” a story with a message very close to my heart.
Thanks for posting that, Claire!
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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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Ignoring for a moment the allegory, the old man who was next door neighbor for most of my childhood, did pretty much what the fishing tackle guy in the video did.
“Harry” (not his real name) had been employed as a shepherd, and lived on an outlying farm, he kept a few house cows and a few hens and his wife made butter…
During both World Wars, food was strictly rationed in Britain, that rationing continued with a short break well into the 1950s (the British government would not allow food to be imported as it was struggling to raise the money to pay war debts to the US – it even defaulted at one point- so food rationing stayed in place, such were the costs at home of insisting on “unconditional surrender” and half of Europe being given to Stalin).
“Harry” and his wife had a nice little earner, selling eggs and butter on the “black” market. somehow, I don’t know how – “Harry” died over 20 years ago, so I can’t ask him, he got caught.
“profiteering” in the food “black” market was a very serious “offense” with potential penalties up to and including the death penalty.
“Harry” had an easy ride, either by luck or design, all of the local magistrates either already were customers, or very soon became his customers.