Although this thread has always been more or less apolitical, as the bonfires begin to kindle up, I cannot help taking notice of this 402nd anniversary of old Guy Fawkes being caught red-handed in the basement of the British Parliament. He was attempting to carry out the now infamous "Gunpowder Plot", principally against James I who had come to the throne by default on the death of Elizabeth I.
What strikes me most after reading some wry comments on this thread regarding the unfortunate Mr. Fawkes is how so many view our governments of today that may be so different from the way folks did during the BoB and the entire Second World War for that matter.
Back then, with Axis bombs whizzing down and bullets zipping past their pink little ears, I think most people felt they were in it up to their necks right along with their caring government. Today with politicians spending much of their valuable time defending themselves just to keep their jobs and to make the bags of cash required to be re-elected, with governments seemingly unable to meet the needs of the people in a timely fashion, with legislative gridlock, pork barrel politics and one official after another going to prison or being run out of office by a scandal, it seems we have developed a rather more "Us and Them" mentality even with the threat of terrorism hanging like a sword over our heads.
It has not passed my notice that after 9/11 we in the US have been increasingly challenged to give up many of our personal freedoms in the name of national safety and that strengthening our borders not only serves to keep out the riff-raff it can also, at some point in the future, also serve to keep people in. The FCC is attempting to pass legislation that would allow Mr. Murdock and a few others to more or less take control of most of our media thus allowing just a few media barons to determine the information that is made available to an information starved public. Is this good?
Where did it all go so very wrong?
OK, enough of that. No one with any wisdom whatsoever should or will pay any attention to my rambling, ill informed opinions or observations anyway.
Time to set Old Fawkes a light. Pass me that bucket of kerosene Dux and kindly strike this match for me, I see two of everything now and my hand is shaking.
Originally Registered January,2001 Member Number 3044
"Blessed are they who expect nothing, for they shall not be disappointed" - Edmond Gwenn, "The Trouble With Harry"
CELEBRATING EIGHTEEN YEARS and over 20 MILLION VIEWS on SNAFU's HWH thread- April 2019
