The Ultimate Answer to Kings: An important announcement from the Hermitty Peoples' Armored Brigade...

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.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

An important announcement from the Hermitty Peoples' Armored Brigade...

Ready to build that critical underground bunker, but your poor tyranny-oppressed back just isn't up to all the digging? Take heart, hermitty peoples of the outback! The HPAV Gulchendiggensmoothen is now taking orders for empty space to replace all that annoying dirt that's now in the way! Or, if you prefer, the other way 'round!

It may be old. It may be ugly. It could maybe profit from a few gallons of WD40 to get it to stop creaking in the morning. But all that's true of me too, and I generally show up sooner or later.