a description of the amazing and exciting adventures i have here in baltimore--- and other lies.

 
If it is Wednesday, it must be blog day. (As opposed to Prince spaghetti day, but that is another story.)

Before we begin today's lecture, please read the following: Case For the Empire.
When I was in high school, one of my friends was this fella, Tom Smith. Big, ungainly, really nerdy, he and I shared a passion for Weird Al Yankovich, and a perverse, black humour. He was the only one of my friends to truly appreciate Monty Python. Sadly, he and I parted ways, because of politics. He was (and is, I suspect) a rabid Republican, and therefore truly evil. But I digress. One day, as a treat, our biology prof eschewed class to show us Empire Strikes Back. He and I thought it would be a great goof to make signs saying "GO EMPIRE!" and "DIE REBEL SCUM!", in pennant style. We waved them around, and waved any chance of getting a date that year goodbye.

But, I have always had a secret admiration for the Empire. I guess it is because the Empire, in its most ideal state, was more than a hodge-podge of factions and rules. It was a unified system, without the complex, byzantine (and I use this word carefully) terms under which the Old Republic lumbered. I am happy that the Empire cleaned house! I am glad the "last remnants of the Old Republic have been swept away!"

I'm glad that there was one, Imperial Armed Forces to take care of business, and to police space and hunt down smugglers. Sorry, Han Solo, but you were doing illegal activites. I'm glad it was a meritocracy, not an elite boys/girls club of Jedi. Anyone with good fencing skills could have operated a light sabre, and I don't understand why there could not have been a police force, perhaps composed of those "lesser" mortals not so gifted with force skills?

And, really, what did the Rebel Alliance have to offer? When we do go to the expanded universe, we find nothing but chaos, disorder, warlords, Huts ravaging what they can, and a whole host of other pestlititude including former Empire remnants (and even the clone of the Emperor himself)vying for power and influence. The American Revolution, while it suffered through a few years of impotence, got it together pretty quick--- and they still had a plan of action in the Articles of Confederation that was reasonably thought out. The south had a real Confederate Government in place, one that seemed to fit their political needs, and, de-centralized though it may have been, was able to rally an army that kicked the Army of the Patomic around for three years, or most of the war. The French Revolution got it together REAL fast, so too did the Russian and Chinese Revolutions. Hell, after the Romans kicked out Tarquinus and abolished the monarchy, they had a solid plan in place. But these Rebel Alliance idiots? I mean, come on, they are supposed to be planetary leaders already, shouldn't they have had at least some idea what they wanted to do once the Empire was
dissolved? What were they thinking? I could come up with a more unified plan sitting on the can after a long night of drinking!

So, while the Empire was problematic in some respects, I ask how the New Republic does better. Will there be as tight a controll on the security of liberties, now that they are restored? I argue that we must be ever vigilant of our rights, but as equally ready to do our duty, suck it up if we have to, and to guard both against that which would deny us liberty for the sake of security, and the liberty security offers.

And, as a parting note, I ALWAYS thought Star Destroyers are bad mofo ships! Ahhh, to be captain of such a mighty vessel!
A ship, an isle, a sickle moon,
With few but with how splendid stars
The mirrors of the sea are strewn
Between their silver bars! -Flecker, 1913


posted by gregorio at 9:45 PM