nil ergo optabunt homines?

si consilium uis, permittes ipsis expendere numinibus quid conueniat
nobis rebusque sit utile nostris; nam pro iucundis aptissima quaeque
dabunt di. carior est illis homo quam sibi. nos animorum inpulsu et
caeca magnaque cupidine ducti coniugium petimus partumque uxoris, at
illis notum qui pueri qualisque futura sit uxor.

ut tamen et poscas aliquid uoueasque sacellis
exta et candiduli diuina tomacula porci,

orandum est ut sit mens sana in corpore sano.

fortem posce animum mortis terrore carentem, qui spatium uitae
extremum inter munera ponat naturae, qui ferre queat quoscumque
labores, nesciat irasci, cupiat nihil et potiores Herculis aerumnas
credat saeuosque labores et uenere et cenis et pluma Sardanapalli.

monstro quod ipse tibi possis dare; semita certe tranquillae per
uirtutem patet unica uitae.

nullum numen habes, si sit prudentia: nos te,
nos facimus, Fortuna, deam caeloque locamus.

fair and balanced

"The idea of a national government involves in it, not only an authority over the individual citizens, but an indefinite supremacy over all persons and things, so far as they are objects of lawful government. Among a people consolidated into one nation, this supremacy is completely vested in the national legislature." – James Madison, Federalist No. 39

discovery

In demonology, Belphegor (or Beelphegor, Hebrew: בַּעַל-פְּעוֹר‎‎
baʿal-pəʿōr - Lord of the Gap) is a demon, and one of the seven
princes of Hell, who "helps" people make discoveries. He seduces
people by suggesting to them ingenious inventions that will make them
rich. Bishop and witch-hunter Peter Binsfeld believed that Belphegor
tempts by means of laziness. Also, according to Peter Binsfeld's
Binsfeld's Classification of Demons, Belphegor is the chief demon of
the deadly sin known as Sloth in Christian tradition.

punk rock girl (on such a winter's day) - Beach Boys (1986) vs The Dead Milkmen (1988)

Punk rock girl

Just you and me

What do you see?

Give me a chance

You look so wild

Please look at me

It makes no sense

Let's have a child

Let's go slam dance

Stopped into a church

On such a winter's day

Eat fudge banana swirl

On such a winter's day

I passed along the way

On such a winter's day

On such a winter's day

So we started screamin'

We asked for Mojo Nixon

And ordered some hot tea

Your dad is vice president

Just like the Duke of Earl

We went to a shopping mall

We'll name her Minnie Pearl

Let's travel round the world

I tapped her on the shoulder

And said do you have a bell?

They said he don't work here

Said nothin' man it's stolen

We'll travel round the world

We'll dress like Minnie Pearl

It it was California Dreamin'

Just you and me punk rock girl

Just you and me punk rock girl

And laughed at all the shoppers

I said how much you pay for this

Yeah you're for me punk rock girl

We went to the Philly Pizza Company

If I was in L.A. (if I was in L.A.)

On a winter's day (on a winter's day)

On a winter's day (on a winter's day)

One Saturday I took a walk to Zipperhead

And the sky is grey (and the sky is grey)

California dreamin' (California dreamin')

And I pretend to pray (I pretend to pray)

California dreamin' (California dreamin')

And the sky is grey (and the sky is grey)

I could leave today (I could leave today)

California dreamin' (California dreamin')

We got into her car away we started rollin'

I've been for a walk (I've been for a walk)

I'd be safe and warm (I'd be safe and warm)

I've been for a walk (I've been for a walk)

If I didn't tell her (if I didn't tell her)

She took me to her parents for a Sunday meal

On such a winter's day (California dreamin')

On such a winter's day (California dreamin')

He knows I'm gonna stay (knows I'm gonna stay)

The waitress said well no, we only have it iced

And security guards trailed us to a record shop

So we jumped up on the table and shouted anarchy

I met a girl there and she almost knocked me dead

And someone played a Beach Boys song on the jukebox

All the leaves are brown (all the leaves are brown)

Well, I got down on my knees (got down on my knees)

All the leaves are brown (all the leaves are brown)

She looked at me and smiled and said she did not know

Her father took one look at me and he began to squeal

You know the preacher like the cold (preacher like the cold)

We said if you don't got Mojo Nixon then your store could use some fixin'

how things happen

First they gave us fake news. But we didn't care, because we all enjoy
a little bit of fake news from time to time.

Then they gave us alternative facts. But we didn't care, because we're
each in our own media bubble anyway.

-> we're here; for brevity I will leave out some intermediate steps.

...

Then they gave us thoughtcrime. And we all thought it was doubleplusgood.

Then they gave us precrime. And "in our society, we have no major
crimes, but we do have a detention camp full of would-be criminals."

"Perhaps a lot of the people in the camps are like you."


w/ apologies to Martin Niemöller and Philip K. Dick