I am angry. Angry that events have transpired that lead me to write this statement. Before I get moving here, let me point out that some people think I'm exaggerating when I say that Mechanical Demon prefers "Fisking"—line-by-line rebuttals in which facts are dropped like radar chaff—to rational debate or building a coherent argument. But I'm not exaggerating; if anything, I'm understating the situation. Despite some perceptions to the contrary, the spectrum of views between misoneism and immoralism is not a line but a circle at which snotty wackos and wanton sectarians meet. To properly place Demon somewhere in that spectrum, one needs to realize that implying that superstition is no less credible than proven scientific principles is no different from implying that there should be publicly financed centers of tribalism. Both statements are ludicrous. He looks primarily at a person's superficial qualities such as physiognomy and mannerisms. I, in contrast, consider how likely a person is to shed a little light on some of the ignorant prejudices that reside within Demon's pea-sized brain. That's what's important to me. Either way, I once tried to explain to him that his plaints will excoriate attempts to bring questions of metagrobolism into the (essentially apolitical) realm of pedagogy in language and writing. Rather than feel ashamed of himself, Demon got angry at me. What this says is that when a mistake is made, the smart thing to do is to admit it and reverse course. That takes real courage. The way that Demon stubbornly refuses to own up to his mistakes serves only to convince me that those of us who are too lazy or disinterested to take a proactive, rather than a reactive, stance have no right to complain when he and his vicegerents render unspeakable and unthinkable whole categories of beliefs about power.
Demon has been trying to conceal his plans to transform our whole society to suit his own venom-spouting interests. Fortunately, the truth about his inane generalizations is spreading like a jungle fire. Soon, everyone will know that one cannot help but notice that Demon's impolitic subliminal psywar campaigns may have serious repercussions, even beyond the issue of Stalinism. That's pretty transparent. What's not so transparent is the answer to the following question: When Demon looks in the mirror in the morning, does he see more than the stuck-up face of a sleazy lunkhead? A clue might be that there's an important difference between me and Demon. Namely, I am willing to die for my cause. Demon, in contrast, is willing to kill for his—or, if not to kill, at least to burn our fair cities to the ground.
Demon wants to form the association in the public's mind between any projects he disagrees with and the ideas of hate and violence and illegality. You know what groups have historically wanted to do the same thing? Fascists and Nazis. He argues that there is something intellectually provocative in the tired rehashing of unreasonable stereotypes. I wish I could suggest some incontrovertible chain of apodictic reasoning that would overcome this argument, but the best I can do is the following: Ever since he decided to snooker people of every stripe into believing that human life is expendable, his consistent, unvarying line has been that crafty, uncontrollable bigamists should be fêted at wine-and-cheese fund-raisers.
If some people are offended by my mentioning that due to circumstances that I have encountered in my research, I find that I must seek liberty, equality, and fraternity, then so be it. Demon would have us believe that profits come before people. Not surprisingly, his evidence for that completely unruly claim is top-heavy with anonymous sources and, to put it mildly, he has a checkered track record for accuracy. I warrant it would be more accurate for Demon to say that he is addicted to the feeling of power, to the idea of controlling people. Sadly, he has no real concern for the welfare or the destiny of the people he desires to lead.
Demon apparently believes that honesty and responsibility have no cash value and are therefore worthless. You and I know better than that. You and I know that Demon recently stated that he has the linguistic prowess to produce a masterwork of meritorious literature. He said that with a straight face, without even cracking a smile or suppressing a giggle. He said it as if he meant it. That's scary because one of his most loyal helots is known to have remarked, "A book of Demon's writings would be a good addition to the Bible." And there you have it: a direct quote from a primary source. The significance of that quote is that Demon claims that censorship could benefit us. Perhaps he has some sound arguments on his side but if so he's keeping them hidden. I'd say it's far more likely that you don't need to be a rocket scientist to detect the subtext of this letter. But just in case it's too subliminal for some, let me thrust it into your face right here: I don't need to tell you that we are becoming a nation of foul-mouthed quidnuncs. That should be self-evident. What is less evident is that Demon maintains that either he is the way, the truth, and the light or that children should belong to the state. Demon denies any other possibility.
Although cantankerous mendicants are relatively small in number compared to the general population, they are rapidly increasing in size and fervor. I might have been dreaming but I believe I once heard Demon admit, sotto voce, that it is not news that I find his half-measures overweening, bleeding-heart, frowzy, and more than a little materialistic. What speaks volumes, though, is that if I said that Demon's decisions are based on reason, I'd be a liar. But I'd be being absolutely honest if I said that he has planted his functionaries everywhere. You can find them in businesses, unions, activist organizations, tax-exempt foundations, professional societies, movies, schools, churches, and so on. Not only does this subversive approach enhance Demon's ability to set up dissident groups and individuals for conspiracy charges and then carry out searches and seizures on flimsy pretexts but it also provides irrefutable evidence that his conjectures have kept us separated for too long from the love, contributions, and challenges of our brothers and sisters in this wonderful adventure we share together—life!
Pertinacious potlickers serve as the priests in Demon's cult of chthonic, power-hungry corporatism. These "priests" spend their days basking in Demon's reflected glory, pausing only when Demon instructs them to impose theological straightjackets on scriptural interpretation. What could be more larcenous? Many people consider that question irrelevant on the grounds that we've tolerated Demon's lousy ramblings long enough. It's time to lose our patience and chill our kindness. It's time to exert a positive influence on the type of world that people will live in a thousand years from now. It's time to shout to the world that he has never gotten ahead because of his hard work or innovative ideas. Rather, all of his successes are due to kickbacks, bribes, black market double-dealing, outright thuggery, and unsavory political intrigue.
I have a problem with Demon's use of the phrase, "We all know that...". With this phrase, he doesn't need to prove his claim that hanging out with soporific soi-disant do-gooders is a wonderful, culturally enriching experience; he merely accepts it as fact. To put it another way, the law is not just a moral stance. It is the consensus of society on our minimum standards of behavior.
Doesn't Demon realize that he should pay a price for his infantile writings? That's the question that perplexes me the most because he needs to stop living in denial. He needs to wake up and realize that he has a glib proficiency with words and very sensitive nostrils. Demon can smell money in your pocket from a block away. Once that delicious aroma reaches his nostrils, he'll start talking about the joy of radicalism and how he can override nature. As you listen to Demon's sing-song, chances are you won't even notice his hand as it goes into your pocket. Only later, after you realize you've been robbed, will you truly understand that I am intellectually honest enough to admit my own previous ignorance in that matter. I wish only that he had the same intellectual honesty.
I do not wish to endorse cannibalism but rather to illustrate that the real question here is not, "Where do we go from here?". The real question is rather, "Isn't Demon the abusive upstart who recently wanted to utilize legal, above-ground organizing in combination with illegal, underground tactics to break up society's solidarity and cohesiveness?" After days of agonized pondering and reflection I finally came to the conclusion that snappish, spleeny megalomaniacs like Demon are not born—they are excreted. However unsavory that metaphor may be, Demon's sympathizers have cooperated closely with dour, mealymouthed crooks on several projects. Am I aware of how Demon will react when he reads that last sentence? Yes. Do I care? No, because I have reason to believe that he is about to sue people at random. I pray that I'm wrong, of course, because the outcome could be devastating. Nevertheless, the indications are there that Demon chivvies brusque warmongers to his side by convincing them that trees cause more pollution than automobiles do. The mere mention of that fact guarantees that this letter will never get published in any mass-circulation periodical that Demon has any control over. But that's inconsequential because Demon's zealots feel that "Demon can succeed without trying." First off, that's a lousy sentence. If they had written instead that there is no honor in Demon's insinuations then that quote would have had more validity. As it stands, that is no excuse for anything. From this anecdotal evidence I would argue that a great many of us don't want him to control, manipulate, and harm other people. But we feel a prodigious societal pressure to smile, to be nice, and not to object to his blathering put-downs. Let me sum up. We need to stand up for our rights.
Write Your Own Complaint at www.pakin.org/complaint//
Mocked by Benevolent Overlord
[/rant][/wtf]
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