Ah, May 6th, a day which will live in blahness. Blah. Blah blah blah.
What? Beans? Out of Bean Juice?
Nope. Not at all.
See, some time around 1775 we uppity Colonials got our arses uppity about being treated like a tax farm for our good Kraut King's ever-war with France. Seriously. Taxed onerously to pay for wars we weren't mostly involved in. Shots were involved, bodies hit the floor and the Government at that time treated us uppity Colonials like, well, white neo-nationalist terrorists.
Sound familiar?
And in 1776 we uppity Colonials sent a very polite series of letters to said Kraut King asking him nicely to quit over-taxing us for to pay for his ever-war with France. At which he said "Nein!" and "Saugt es auf, ihr hochnäsigen Peons!"* So we told him to pee up a length of hemp cordage.
Comes the Revolution, with the aid of the France that our now-ex Kraut King was in ever-war with, we actually managed to pull off the big win and say to the now-ex Kraut King, "How's your stream there, Herr Konig?"
At which time we uppity no-longer Colonials struggled for years to determine what type of government we were going to have. Comes September 1787 and it's a Republic! Which person meant that every non-slave person was now a citizen. Whoo!
So what's a citizen? Supposedly a citizen is equal to every other person, higher or lower according to the other person's feelings, in this whole wretched world. Got that? The lowest dirt farmer or hobo or actual bum, as long as he/she/it was a citizen, was equal to the highest of the high, like the aforementioned Kraut King, or whomever is on whatever country's high seat anywhere and everwhere.
This is why we don't bow, why we look each other in the eyes, we don't kneel except to God, and, thanks to a stubborn American athlete in an Olympics, him being of Irish origins, our Flag dips for no earthly potentate. (seriously, true story, one AmeriMick didn't wanna dip our flag to an English king and therefore Legends are Born! And I wholeheartedly agree with him, God bless him!)
So, Beans, what's the point?
We-uns are Americans. We don't, or shouldn't, care one thing or another about a foreigner's rank except as a descriptor. Like color of skin, or hairstyle, or what car they drive or ride in.
I believe to the depths of my soul that this is true. So much so that when LL over at Virtual Mirage tried to pin the moniker "Lord High Exectutioner Beans" on me I pointed out to him and all over there that I'm a citizen, therefore there are no titles (yet) here in these United States, therefore ditch the "Lord" and stick with "High Executioner Beans." (Which came out due to my feelings about how to handle corruption in the federal government. 'High' in this case being able to whack the head off or tie the rope around even the most esteemed citizen or visitor of this wonderful country.)
So on this royally screwed up day, I don't give a sugared fig's worth over the pseudo-leaders of a foreign country.
Woooo.
Do I have any respect for foreign royalty? Yes, if they have done anything respectable to earn my respect. The previous Monarch of England? She had my respect. Tough lady, who was the living example of 'noblesse oblige.' Various other world leaders royal or otherwise? Yes, I respect them. I respected the previous two popes, too, because they were Godly folk. Current one, not so much, what has he done to earn my respect? Not much, but he's done a lot to earn my disrespect.
Have I ever played at nobility? Yep. In the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) and it was playing. I had respect for people for what they achieved and what they did. And acknowledged as such, with fake titles of fake nobility in a fake world dealing with fake stuff. Fakery.
So enjoy being a citizen of this country (for however long that will be.)
Watch the coronation, or don't watch. Guess what? It's your right as a citizen to watch whatever the heck you wish to (contrary to what lots of nags and woke-scolds say.)
I may or may not watch it to check out the pagentry. Or to laugh at the subjects prostrating themselves in front of a weak man rather than standing as equals and acknowledging the position.
And, yes, I am a proud decendant of uppity Colonials. Along with a proud descendant of some uppity communists, but that's another story for another day.
* "Suck it up, you uppity Peons!"
So, in celebration of today, whatever this day may be, have a great day!
Excellent post Beans, one thing about today's festivities is that his reign won't be as long as his mothers. Around the world how many places had royalty? Not very many like the US of A however.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth II was quite a person. Charles, not so much. His shorter reign will probably be a good thing.
DeleteAnd, yes, so far, we have partially avoided the royalty trap. Though it's getting worse and the continued push for neo-feudalism by the Left is quite disturbing.
Good on ya Beans! This fascination with the "royals" is as mysterious to me as watching soap operas or caring what some twit in the media "thinks" (usually "feels") about anything.
ReplyDeleteAs for your " title"; you and I are of a mind, a set of gallows on the National Mall would function quite well as a "Government Repair Kit" as Matt Bracken puts it. If we were in a hurry, there are lamp posts on Independence and Constitution Avenues that could possibly serve.
As a proud descendant of an uppity colonial, how can I do less or risk less than he did?
Boat Guy
It's fascinating from a social science viewpoint. How can a person be imbued with uber-powers just by being born into a family, or marry into a family? And to watch it work or not depending on the person or the country.
DeleteSadly, we here in the formerly free United States have created our own royalty. People who are supposed to serve the average citizen now consider themselves better than the average Joe or Jane and rule through family and perceived power. The interconnection between many politicians and the used-to-be, supposedly free press and major businesses is scary, almost Hapsburgian in its interbreeding (but without the facial deformities of said Hapsburgs...)
And the reason there aren't full gibbets, runs on hot tar and feathers, and bodies hanging from government buildings is that those on the right are very cognizant of the horror and destruction that going full rebellion would cause. But the Left and the Globalists and the self-appointed leaders and rulers keep pushing and pushing and the edge comes ever closer.
Sigh.
Uber powers? What, pray, are these Uber powers? He has no
Deletepower over Government. He could object, rant and lie on Twitter (but he doesn’t and wouldn’t). He’s a symbol of my nation. The Government is not a symbol of my nation, but a symbol of disparate individuals who don’t know what they’re really voting for half the time - Judas h half of them would vote for a donkey if it had their colour rosette pinned to it .
Yup. But people still give them power for some reason. Some more so than others. Like the people here who believe in the power of the Sainted family of Kennedys, no matter how much proof that that family was full of jackals, panderers, losers, mental midgets and asshats. There are parts of the US that if you have any of that blood running in your veins you can literally get away with murder. It's happened at least 4 times now.
DeleteChucky's mum had some perceived power. Then again, she wasn't a pinheaded idiot and did stuff that seemed to back up her supposed power.
But, since I'm not a royalist nor live, yet, in a nation that has an acknowledged and legal aristocracy (again, I say yet) I may not have a very good view of the situation.
And, yes, we have people here, supposedly highly intelligent people here (like my mom) who won't vote for anything that the head of donkeys tells her not to vote for. Given all the proof of how good the previous president was, they'd still vote for the previous previous occupant, and thinks the current occupant is doing a great job.
Sorry my name wasn’t attached to my anon comments. I’m Geoff Cadman aka Hogday, a follower of NepLex since 2008 and a defender of my dear Uncle Sam whenever he and his kin are abused and accused by those who don’t see past a sound bite or headline. I just wanted to make it clear that the British Monarchy has no power whatsoever, over the governing of the UK. The King alone is consulted but it is a courtesy only , albeit that having a ‘;constant’ sovereign over decades means that some ‘;here to day gone tomorrow’ political Prime Minister sometimes needs a wiser, longer term perspective and every one of them has valued there chat with the Monarch. King Charles has, I guarantee it, been to more deprived areas and into more homes of ordinary citizens than any Prime Minister or politico I could name. His ‘Prince’s Trust’ scheme to assist young people and small businesses become the best that they can be, as well as supporting the deprived has been a remarkable gift. What never makes news are the countless ways that his real power does real good where he wants it done - in communities across the land and the Commonwealth. Incidentally, members of the Commonwealth are not shackled to a ‘colonial past’, they can break the chains anytime they want to. King Charles wears a paratroopers wings on his now ceremonial military uniforms, but he earned them on the Regiment’s infamous ‘P’ Company selection regime - ask a NepLex member, friend and ex US paratrooper vet I can name who did the same course in October ‘86 and he will tell you what that’s like. Power from his wealth cannot be compared to the Kennedy’s. Yes, our late Queen had to dip into the family vaults to pay off the activities of the King’s odious brother - and I say ‘odious’ from personal experiences as well as those headlined - but slippery and slimy as he was, he was ultimately taken to task. The King had a tragic first marriage, something else that millions can empathise with, including me, so who am I to get holier than thou in judging him for that? I’m always happy to give a steer on such matters that doubtless seem odd and even unthinkable to people of the US. As you’ve said, ‘watch the coronation or don’t watch’ I hope those that did saw some superb military drill from full time British and Commonwealth military who, after the parade, were back in their army camps, ships and air force bases, back doing regular Sh1t! What they would have seen was a thousand years worth of tradition, delivered for a 21st Century Nation and a pledge to serve his people from an apolitical Head of State who has no power to govern but an abundance of influence. God Bless America and God Save The King.
DeleteExcuse typo’s.
DeleteWell said, Geoff. Thank you.
DeleteBeans, the one thing a coronation may offer (likely I will not be watching it, so I am theorizing here) is a sense of continuity and tradition. For me at least, the pageantry can serve as a backdrop for a ceremony that has been going on (more or less) since the mid to late 9th Century. At best, the US has a ceremony (of sorts) going back a little under 250 years and is nothing remarkable (the "fun", as it were, comes after - and the idea of stars effectively doing concerts at Inaugural Balls is about as dignified as a rugby game breaking out at a formal classical concert).
ReplyDeleteThere is something about ceremony and dignity that, at least for me, I feel we have lost - and are the poorer for it.
Yes, it offers those countries that have it a sense of tradition. We have our own, maybe not steeped in as long in years, but special in their own ways. The Walk of the newly sworn in President is not supposed to be one of a triumphal victor, but one of humbling as the man walks before his peers, that would be the common man.
DeleteAs to the inaugural balls, we have always enjoyed parties and shindigs. But more and more, the elite wall themselves away from the Common Man and more and more consider themselves better than us.
We have lots of ceremony and lots of dignity that have been debased in the last 100 years, and, yes, we are poorer for it. Once we were a nation of learned discourse and lively discourse, where debate and free speech were revered, reviled sometimes but always revered. Where the lowest common man could climb to the highest positions of business, scholarship, military service or public service. But no more. No Lincoln could exist today (the good Lincoln, not the uber-Federalist Lincoln, though his plans for conciliation after the War would have healed a large scar that existed for years because yet another democrat with a gun went wacko...)
We have pageantry here. Or used to. But more and more, what little pageantry and greatness we had, like communal Independence Day celebrations, or Constitution Day celebrations (I remember those, do you?) or Columbus Day or Washington's Birthday (with the corresponding plays in school) and the reverence for God and true equality have slipped away, destroyed by parasites and turncoats.
You nailed it. The ‘pageant’ says more about my Nation than some here today, gone tomorrow, politico in a suit ever will. The King doesn’t rule, the government does.
DeleteI remember when Inaugural Day was, no matter who got voted in, a day that people on both sides of the aisle thought was 'special.' Now it's a day that one side can literally set fire to cities while blaming the other side for it.
DeleteWe used to have some pageantry here in the US. Play some Souza, shoot off fireworks, eat until bloated, drink to excess and be happy. Nowadays not so much. There are places, like where I live, that actively do not celebrate Independence day. No decorations, no fireworks, no nothing.
For shame.
It's like... the old Catholic Church. Lots of pageantry, lots of Mystery. Now it's just modern blah. It's flat. Hey, let's do a Christmas service and spend 15 minutes berating the congregation because they're not putting enough money into the 5th offering and the congregation doesn't support the current leftist agenda of the Church (the last time, literally the last time I stepped into a church for mass was a Christmas mass, where, yes, 15 minutes of political bullscattery and begging for money for Catholic Charities so they can fund more illegals coming into the US of A. That was 5 years ago. I miss my church, the one that had mysteries and no politics. The current church left me.)
And, no, ecumenical interpretive dance is NOT pageantry.
"It's like... the old Catholic Church. Lots of pageantry, lots of Mystery. Now it's just modern blah."
DeleteOf the reasons I didn't go back to it. And now those who want to bring back that majesty and pageantry, actually Dignity and Liturgy, are put on terrorist watch lists. I hate to think what the feds would do if Orthodoxy ever came up on their radar.
In this country we don't honor being that inbred, it is generally considered unhealthy. Here's a capella viking song that I liked https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI8hPSSZSL4.
ReplyDeleteSadly, yes we do. Honor Inbreds that is. Look at the multi-generational families that control media and political groups, trace who is married to whom, who in media or business sleeps and breeds with those in politics, and where their spawn end up. Seriously, how can a child of a political family get a $500k job working for media just because she has a last name of some politiciain?
DeleteThen there's the son of some politician who gets away with murder and then is considered to be the Lion of the Senate even though he's a filthy disgusting person and yet more women throw themselves at him because of who he is and who his brothers were.
Our inbreeding hasn't, yet, quite reached the aforementioned Hapsburg Chin level, but there are signs. Seriously, how many career politicians born of career politicians have butt-ugly children that look like other career politicians? There are signs.
Good song. Though I wonder what the real Scandinavian songs, before Christianity took over in the 1000's, really sounded like. Ah, to have a time machine and invisibility cloak to find out.
Wardruna and Danheim and Skald make quite an effort to be authentic, I enjoy their stuff. Heilung does pagan European stuff too, their lyrics are from various artifacts of the time.
DeleteHow thin has the Kennedy and Bush blood gotten?
FDR married his close cousin. Not a lot of people remember that.
DeleteGreat post, Monsieur Beans!
ReplyDeleteBien, merci!
DeleteAnd I hope grand time is healing all wounds moral and psychological. And heals your muse's wounds, too.
DeleteIt is, very much so.
DeleteI'm glad your moral wounds are healing, but I meant 'mortal.' Some days me fingers have a mind of their own.
DeleteLike it or not, most of our traditions and practice have roots in England.
ReplyDeleteWe have our own versions of prostrating ourselves before our own nobility. But we don't have nobility, you say? It's called Congress. How often do seats get overturned? We have octogenarians who have spent virtually all their working adult lives treading those "Hallowed Halls.". They have accrued to themselves the trappings and privileges of nobility and royalty.
One thing that struck me as I watched was that most of the people in that cathedral had not been alive at the last coronation, but most will likely be around for the next one.
Yes, we inherited or brought over lots of traditions from Jolly Olde. But that's the key, we, well, our ancestors, brought them over and we, well, our ancestors, decided what to keep and what to toss away.
DeleteAnd we do have our own ignobility. Pedo-Joe Xiden said before the election to a factory workers "I don't work for you, you work for me." That right there sums up what most of the elected feel like. That they are large and in charge and we serve them. Here in Gainesville, FL, the main source of money for the municipality was the yearly transfer payment from the city-owned utility. At one time our utility was the best in the nation, had the highest bond rating of any utility in the nation, was on the forefront of publicly owned utilities. And then our jackwagon city commission (who seemingly rotated between the same 15 people and families) decided that they could use the transfer money for their own good. Like literally millions are missing and unaccounted for. The Florida Legislature (who, for the most part don't act like entitled rulers) has voted to strip the city commission's power over the utility away.
Self-entitled brats and neo-feudalists. They all have their little power bases and wield said power as if they were feudal lords. Hates them all.
Good comment on the ages of the people. Good question is, will England last till another one, or will the wheels come off before William (great name, by the way, much better track record than 'Charles.' though I was hoping for a 'Richard' like in the lines of III and not I) has a chance to ascend. Hope that someone is protecting William's back and working hard to keep Harry far away.
Yeah, Beijing Biden is a real work, isn't he? We had the Divine Ms. Di (Feinstein) funneling government contracts to her husbands Chinese backed company for decades (along with having a Chinese spy for a driver), Babs "I'm too important to be called Ma"am" Boxer getting her son's company a government contract to restore wetlands in Sonoma and Marin counties, Crazy Nancy procuring subsidies for her relatives "green" energy compaines.
DeleteI'd almost rather have an honestly open nobility than these grifters and snake oil charlatans pretending to be "jest ord'nary folk."
Huzzah for Beans' commentary.
ReplyDeleteOur problem is that we have many in the political/governance game who fantasize that they actually are royalty of some sort, with status, entitlements, and powers to match, and refuse to acknowledge the limitations imposed on them by our founding documents. Consent of the governed is not a one time vote, but something to be renewed daily.
John Blackshoe
It is quite the problem. We now have in this country and worldwide a push by the 'elites' for either in the countries or worldwide a new neo-feudalism. Nobody needs to travel more than 15 minutes from where they live. Nobody needs gas appliances. Nobody needs their own vehicles. Nobody needs more powerplants to charge their electric vehicles or heat their houses and water and cook their food with electric appliances that are now mandated. Nobody needs (and this just happened this week) refrigeration that works and actually cools (yes, the vaunted EPA just banned most modern refrigerants and has banned the sale of any appliance that uses said refrigerants, all to be replaced by new refrigerants that don't exist, all within a year and a half. Tell me that isn't aimed directly at creating a new peonage of people.)
DeleteAnd you know what I say is the answer to the neo-feudalists? I won't say, but gibbets and lengths of rope and hot tar do seem to come to mind. Or, in one of David Drake's books, tie a bunch of people together and hook them up to a generator, a very large generator. But that's all fantasy and I don't actually, for those fedbois out there looking over what I write, what I actually believe in.
Yeah, funny, we threaten the neofeudalists' interpretations of the Constitution and it's treason. They actually violate the Constitution and it's all good, because the Constitution is a living document and must be reinterpreted to fit their meaning.
Bah! Humbug!
On Hoyt's blog, she had an interesting thought. Those now in power understand first order consequences. Banning or requiring something achieves them. They do not think about or comprehend second (or higher order) order consequences. As an example, dictating a switch to electric vehicles requires a massive increase in electric power generation and transmission. At the same time, demanding electric power be generated by renewables ignores that capacity is not there, and cannot be put in place within the timeline (if ever).
DeleteI disagree. Most of those in power know the 2nd order consequences. It's just that they'll not be the ones affected by them. They'll have all the power they need or want, they'll have oil powered cars and planes, they'll have heaters and refrigerators and every modern convenience possible.
DeleteIt's the peons, the 'lesser' people who won't have anything.
Mrs. Hoyt should know. Those in power in socialist Portugal had cars, electricity, all the food they wanted, all the modern conveniences they wanted. It was the little people who didn't have diddly squat.
Like in Communist Cuba or Venezuela.
This is why I call what is happening and what the powers-that-be want to happen 'Neo-Feudalism' as those on top have everything and those below serve the ones on top and they have nothing that isn't granted to them by the powers-that-be. Just like medieval feudalism.
Spot on, Beans! Those people who say "But the power grid won't support these things!' are under the delusion that the " elites" will allow them to live even as they do now. That is NOT the "object of the exercise" ; it is exactly that we will become serfs.
DeleteThe crucial difference is that those they would enslave still possess "the ultimate answer to kings and tyrants" which terrifies them -as it should.
Boat Guy
this is the version of the Star Spangled Banner I like...by Madison Rising...
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA5joAr-R9U
crank up the volume
Quick note from management: Personally I like the British royals, have liked Charles since I was a kid.
ReplyDelete