Fiddling While Rome Burns

Was watching the movie Quo Vadis on TCM today. The movie is a historical fiction that takes place amidst the backdrop of the great fire of Rome under the emperor Nero. So I got to reading up on the actual events.

For those unfamiliar with the history, the historian Tacitus, who was but a boy at the time of the fire, tells us the great fire was covertly set by Nero.

His reason? The Roman Senate refused to let him tear down a large portion of Rome to construct what Nero believed would be his enduring monument, a complex to be called Neropolis.

As Tacitus told it, Nero not only made zero effort to stop the flames… he actually watched and played an instrument while Rome burned. Violent gangs of thugs prevented many citizens from escaping to safety. Many died.

Whether Nero really authorized the fire is not proven fact, but it is known that he immediately set forth building his long-wanted but until then denied complex atop the ruins where the inferno had ravaged the city.

That said Tacitus tells us that in the wake of the fire, the people blamed Nero. Clearly Nero needed someone besides himself to be blamed, so he blamed it on a growing but unpopular religious sect known as Christians.

He commenced to have them publicly crucified, slaughtered in the arena by lions, used as torches to light his feasts, and generally exterminated. It was during this hysteria the disciple Peter and the apostle Paul were arrested and executed.

There is of course no reason to believe the thousands he had tortured and killed had anything whatsoever to do with the flames. But hey, they were unpopular, they bucked the prevalent idiology. They were different. Religious zealots. Bottom line, very convenient scapegoats.

Besides, Nero was suddenly generously spending Rome’s money giving wine and grain to the Roman public, and the Christians were not.

I’m not going to try to draw your conclusions for you. I’m just going to point out once again that those who are ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it, and the tactics and strategies of tyrants don’t necessarily change much with time.

Be careful out there.

I’m Rob Jones… and I approved this message.

SUBWAY’s Corporate Face

It’s long been a practice for companies to associate their brand with inspirational champions. Growing up, the most memorable example was seeing popular sports figures on a box of Wheaties, the “breakfast of champions”.

Obviously those chosen to appear would be those figures potential customers might admire and aspire to emulate. That’s the entire reason for product endorsements; to further the brand and sell product.

Of course, in most of America, the target market of a sandwich shop is not heavy with people who aspire to be a self-important man-hating gay athlete with purple hair and a record of public disrespect for the national anthem and the US flag.

My degree isn’t in advertising, but I DO know it’s probably not a good idea use someone that hates most of your customers (and vice versa) as the national face of your company.

Not saying there are not some that find Megan Rapinoe inspiring, just saying on a national basis, though she ticks off the “woke” box the corporate ad kiddies love, in most places where Subway has franchises she also ticks off most prospective clients.

She may play on the coasts, but is not “national spokesperson” material.

As seen in the attached, the “North American Association of Subway Franchisees expressed displeasure with the parent company following a discussion on the group’s online message board last month.” Rapinoe is at best “a polarizing figure.”

See: https://www.bizpacreview.com/2021/08/07/fed-up-subway-franchisees-call-for-megan-rapinoe-to-be-nixed-it-gets-tiring-apologizing-1114833/

Bottom line, they’re tired of apologizing for ads funded with their own franchise fees that literally involve them paying to drive away customers.

Notwithstanding their desire to show how “woke” they are… the little guys in suits in the Subway corporate ad department need to remember they have a duty to franchisees and shareholders. They’re paid to help GENERATE business, not gratify their personal needs.

Dear Facebook….

You’ve booted me for yet another transparently flimsy excuse. Apparently this time I tried to incite violence against my own little brother. Or so you say. Clearly you had reason to silence me to avoid unnecessary violence. Right?

So a rational human would conclude I wanted my brother burned?

If that is “inciting violence”, why does Facebook offer multiple GIFs inciting violence?

That’s a FB GIF, but typing the same thing is “inciting violence”.

Gosh. Almost like you had a different reason to ban me. Wasn’t because you want to silence those who tell truths you’d rather not hear, was it?

On that note, let me share a few truths that may raise your tender blood pressure.

UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTHS

1) There are 2 sexes: Yeah. Two. Quit saying you “follow the science” if you can’t pass high school biology. Gender is not just a social construct. If that is unclear, go try milking a bull. You’ll figure it out.

There’s no such thing as “a pregnant man”. Thought you should know.

2) Jan 6 was not “a coup”: If the right wing decides to depose the clowns in DC, it won’t be done by sending an unarmed uncoordinated untrained leaderless rabble to clamber in clumsily to take nominal control of one DC office building where they’d commence to commit such atrocities as sitting with their feet on the desks.

If you think this is a picture of a “coup”, you’re in serious need of a reality check..

3) Opposing CRT isn’t racist: I understand screaming “racist” is what the left does anytime someone opposes their whims, but it’s not an argument.

Critical Race Theory is an attempt to senselessly demonize whites for sins others with similar skin committed even centuries ago. Opposing that is common sense.

Picking on people’s skin color is not the CURE to racism, it IS racism

4) Your “Covid Information” is not needed: On every post tangentially related to, you publish a link to your “information”. We were responsible for our own health before Facebook. We will continue to be when you inevitably become the next MySpace by pissing us off.

Because who doesn’t want medical advice from social media nerds?

5) Psaki tattled on you: First you claim you aren’t targeting the left’s political opponents. Now the White House openly admits giving you marching orders on which to oust.

WHEN this comes back to haunt you, my friend, remember I told you so.

Hey Zuck? DC tends to change hands. When it does, this WILL come up.

6) You CANNOT appease the leftwing: You THINK you can, and have gone out of your way to try by trying to silence opposing voices. In case you missed it, the White House just accused you of MURDER for not deleting opposing views fast enough for their tastes.

Trying to appease the left is like petting a crocodile in hopes it won’t eat you.

So basically you’ve pissed off the right by trying to silence us, and the left by not doing it entirely. So whether in the long run or the short, you’re in hot water.

I may never be as wealthy as you Zuckie, but at least I’ll never have to testify before Congress in a booster seat.

Have a nice day, sonny. :-)

When Facebook Becomes an Abusive Ex

Well, I made the egregious error of telling a friend the truth a while back on Facebook. [Yeah. I know. Silly me.]

He’d just had his account summarily executed on his favorite photo sharing platform… Which was rather important to him given he’s an artist, and it’s somewhat necessary others SEE his work in order for him to, you know, EAT and stuff like that.

So being the tone deaf person I am, I committed the unforgivable sin of pointing out he’s an old white guy, and thereby deserves any grief that comes his way because you people have oppressed us for far too long… etc, etc.

So in order to punish me for what they deemed “hate speech”, Facebook decided we should see other people. Specifically, I should give them my key and leave for 30 days.

But without me there to bat around when they’re angry, bored, or have had a few too many… they decided to go through their old photos and call me up to discuss my past transgressions.

So I get a notice they need to cover up a “potentially offensive” photo I’d posted. Five years ago.

Now they DID say the material posted was ok, they just wanted to make sure the photo was not immediately visible to anyone it might potentially offend.

Umm. OK?

But it wasn’t enough that they’d unilaterally already done so. Now it became important I click to AGREE the punishment they’d meted out was necessary.

Translation: Now look what you’ve made me do to you!

Seriously? No. I kind of thought the picture of the “religion of peace” guy sitting before the heads he’d removed from previous owners kind of underscored the point I was making, ie – it is NOT true that all religions are antithetic to the goal of world peace. Seems ONE group is a tad ahead in that respect.

If you can find a recent picture of the Amish or Methodists doing that, drop me a line.

But alas, though the brutish ex had already punished me by covering the pic, I’d ruined the mood by failing to AGREE I had it coming. Thus began round 2 of retribution.

I TOLD you what’d happen if you backtalk me!

Immediately after I failed to accept their decision that the post was ok but the pic needed a trigger warning to avoid offense, I got a new notice. NOW the post “violates the community guideline against glorifying harmful people.”

They don’t mention which harmful people… but my money is on the Amish. Never did trust those bearded sumbeeches. [And that’s just the women. The guys are even worse.]

So now without having posted for a week and three more weeks to go before I could do so, I’ve incurred a new violation of their community guidelines. For a post written half a decade ago.

But let’s not stop there.

I ain’t gonna take no sass from your friends, neither!

Next they send notes to everyone that had SHARED my post, five years ago. They all received notice that THEY had violated community guidelines. By sharing a post. Five years ago.

Hey. Facebook? Don’t take this the wrong way, but you might want to call a therapist about some anger counseling. Also, take a shower and put on some clean clothes. You’re looking a bit rough.

Meanwhile, I’ve got to check into getting a restraining order. Not sure this relationship is headed in a healthy direction.

Welcome to 1984

Dear Facebook Moderators…

Just thought I’d point out that kicking me off your platform for expressing unapproved opinions does NOT make me less prone to have opinions of which you feckless little retards do not approve.

In fact, all it does is increase my propensity to express them.

I am not a pet to be trained in Pavlovian fashion. If you punish me for expressing views that you do not like, all it does is remind me that you and your all-seeing intrusive algorithms are exactly the problem George Orwell tried to warn us about when he wrote “1984”.

You cannot change reality by deleting posts you do not like or banning those who post them. You may THINK you can… but it’s like a dog who hides his head behind a tree and thinks nobody can see him because he can’t see anybody.

Your ass is still sticking out in plain view.

You may see yourself as heroes, but the rest of us see you for what you are; the draconian “Thought Police”. You’re nothing but pimple-faced little monkeys desperately pushing buttons to try and eliminate all thoughts that challenge your childish views.

Yeah, we know, you feel a high moral obligation to censor all content that hurts your feelings, because you’re too immature to handle opposing views. Here’s a dose of reality. Screw your “feelings”. Nobody but your mommy cares.

All you will accomplish with this behavior is to make enemies of about half those using your platform. Trust me when I tell you that is NOT a winning strategy.

Don’t take my word for it. Just keep it up and watch Facebook turn into the next MySpace.

Protesting in Weatherford?

HELPFUL TIP:
For all the city dwellers coming to Weatherford for the first time to protest a Civil War Memorial, here’s a bit of local lore that will make you the envy of your friends

MIRACLE PLANT: If you drive around the town a bit you’ll likely see the native plant below. This wondrous piece of country flora can be crunched into a ball, and makes an amazing body scrub!

Amazing local herb rumored to have invigorating powers!

There are even rumors rubbing it on your genitals produces a highly invigorating response that’s bound to make your partner REALLY notice. In fact, it has many potential uses; country toilet paper, tobacco substitute, herbal tea ingredient. Be imaginative.

Generous locals won’t mind at all if you take some. Bring a bag. Feel free to pick as much as you want. Be sure to share with your buddies.

Welcome ANTIFA and BLM! Have a memorable visit. :-)

~ Provided by the Weatherford Tourist Bureau

Washington Redskins Re-name?

I’ve seen a lot of suggestions. Most as silly as the politically correct demand to change the name. I mean, Washington Monuments? The same guys insisting on a name change are currently tearing monuments down. Might send the wrong signal.

Washington Warriors? Naah. Same problem already under critique.

The Washington Jeffersons? Sounds like a guy that’ll later change his name to Trayvonne X Muhammad. Same with the Washington Lincolns and the Washington Roosevelts.

Maybe go with something more apt for the situation. The Washington Jellyfish? What better name to celebrate failure to stand your ground than a mascot with no spine? Plus the helmet would look really cool.

Or if you wanted to still be a “Skins fan” while going with one that shows what kind of person caves to social pressure… maybe The Washington Foreskins.

Granted, I’m not sure how good the logo will look on a helmet.

Democrats “Honoring” George Floyd?

ÑICE SCARVES, MORONS
George Floyd was from Houston, Texas… not Ghana.

Seriously… what the hell were you thinking, aside from thinking this was not blatantly stupid? [Which, incidentally, would be incorrect.]

If the guy had been a Hispanic would you have “honored” him by wearing matching sombreros?

Bring out your dead!

There are 29.9 million people in Texas. Reports say approximately 1000 are dead of Covid-19. That’s 1 in 29,900.

Odds I’ll be hit by LIGHTNING in my lifetime?

1 in 3000. Roughly 10 times higher. So when IS government going to do something to mitigate this Lightning Pandemic?

No, I’m NOT belittling the value of the lives lost. I’m putting it in perspective, because, let’s face it, people die of something every day. Does getting in your car mean you don’t care about the 3000+ people who die on Texas highways every year?

What? You still drive? You selfish bastard. It isn’t just about YOUR safety. By driving you could kill my grandmother. Or is that your plan? Hmmm?

No matter how hard the news spins this thing, we are not seeing people with oxcarts collecting bodies from house to house. Instead, we are seeing the equivalent of a bad flu season.

Even then most of it is centered in the Northeast states, so expecting Texans to hide out because the death roll in far away high-rises is bad is statistically heretical.

Take what precautions you think necessary, but no matter what you do, the only people safe from death are those who already died.

I’m Rob Jones… and I approved this post.

OMG! THEY GAVE ‘EM TAX CUTS!

WHOSE MONEY IS IT?

Before everyone on the left spontaneously explodes into flames before a CNN camera… let’s discuss reality. A “TAX” takes money from the person who OWNS the money. So what these people are screaming about is that a law was passed saying the federal government will not TAKE AS MUCH AWAY from you when you make it.

Is that really GIVING you money?

HOW TAX CUTS WORK

To put it in real world terms… imagine, after a week of work you cashed a paycheck. You and your wife walk home via a dark alley lined with sleeping men with hands folded over paper bags covering bottles of Jack Daniels whiskey or Boone’s Farm wine.

From the shadows emerges a guy in a nice suit, who sticks a gun to your ribs and demands your money, your watch, and your wedding ring.

You comply, but as you hand him the wedding ring he relents, and in a moment of uncharacteristic largesse, allows you to keep it. You smile at his kindness. He begins handing your money to the guys sleeping in the alley.

THE AFTERMATH

Suddenly, from out of nowhere emerges Chuck Schumer… screaming to a camera that the guy in the suit didn’t “give” rings to anyone ELSE in the alley.

Joining him, Nancy Pelosi demands to know how the guy in the suit intends to pay for the LOSS of the wedding ring.

She points out that given their joint monthly expenditures on crack and prostitutes he can’t possibly afford such generous measures. “How in the hell will you pay for our crack if you run around giving away wedding rings!?”

Next, all the guys that’d been sleeping in the alley pull out the latest iPhone to share pictures of you on social media.

They complain that you were GIVEN a ring by the guy in the suit, but they were not. They discuss how unfair it is, wryly note that your paycheck just doesn’t seen to go as far these days, and gripe about the inadequate recognition of alley-sleepers in general.

They then make plans get together next week after the Superbowl party and protest.

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: