The Ultimate Answer to Kings: I don't need to keep myself humble...

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, August 19, 2011

I don't need to keep myself humble...

I've got the patented Tam app to do that for me.

7 comments:

Big Wooly said...: Can't find it. I want to be humble too.; August 20, 2011 at 5:16 PM
Big Wooly said...: Facepalm. Never mind.; August 21, 2011 at 6:55 AM
Anonymous said...: I haven't reached facepalm stage yet. I know this must have something to do with Tam's amazing ability to send traffic to other sites. But ... huh?; August 21, 2011 at 12:35 PM
Big Wooly said...: That's what I finally glommed onto. My brain has been in overload for about two weeks and is officially in meltdown stage or I'd have caught it.; August 21, 2011 at 4:08 PM
Anonymous said...: Tam linked to a statement or rant of Joel's on the 10th .... I'd have to go back and look see .... Ah ha ....
[http://theultimateanswertokings.blogspot.com/2011/08/propaganda-fail.html ]

The graph is the daily number of clicks here on TUAK by date. [left to right]

Disclaimer: It took me a minute to "get" as well. Dang-it Joel you made my brain hurt again ... sheesh.

stay safe,

gooch; August 21, 2011 at 9:05 PM
Tam said...: gooch,

Pretty much. Those are hourly, though, from the link to his painfully funny Honor Harrington review.; August 22, 2011 at 9:22 AM
Joel said...: Um...yeah. I do normally get more than ten hits a day, Gooch. I ain't a Japanese kid posting pix of who-all he had lunch with.

Been known to get less than ten an hour, though. 8^}; August 22, 2011 at 9:33 AM