The Ultimate Answer to Kings: Good Lord.

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.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Good Lord.

I'm carefully avoiding half-witty remarks here, but still glad I'm over a mile high.

Have you ever been in a real earthquake? I was in one - ONE, and that was plenty. If it hadn't had its epicenter 'way out in the Mojave, you'd have seen footage of the wreckage for a week. It was nothing like this, five-point-something as I recall, but it was enough - t'would serve. Scared old Uncle Joel.

8.9. I can't even imagine it. But check out the buildings and overpasses: Whoever those architects were, they understand earthquakes.

2 comments:

CorbinKale said...: I have been to Sendai on the joint Japan/US exercise known as Yama Sakura. From the landscape and the concentration of people there, plus what I see on the news, I expect casualties to be well over 100k. Bad juju. My heart goes out to them.; March 11, 2011 at 1:18 PM
Matt said...: The town of Hachinohe is about 30 miles down the coast from Misawa Air Base Japan. Had two daughters born there, both in hospitals in Hachinohe. Had freinds in the city and often went their to teach english and have a night out. I do suspect I have lost some dear old friends.; March 11, 2011 at 1:48 PM