| Friday, June 23, 2006 |
23:14 - My kingdom for a new punchline
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"Our national security is at stake!"
"This is no longer a matter merely of 'honor' or 'economic impact'. This is for the protection of our nation. Anyone who would oppose that is a traitor!"
"You're either with me or against me!"
"Fear is a useful tool. It makes the electorate more... pliable."
"Our Founding Fathers had a solution for this: decimation!"
"We will destroy those who would strike terror into the heart of the most powerful nation that man has ever known!"
That's Marcus Crassus in the 2004 production of Spartacus, showing on the History Channel right now.
He calls himself "Commander-in-Chief"; he cons the Senate into backing his leading an army; he plots to end Roman democracy and make himself Emperor.
All that's missing is the Texan accent.
Okay, Hollywood, okay. We freaking get it already.
Oh yeah, and they're also promo'ing a series on the American Revolution by saying "The story of the Founding Fathers plays like a pageant... but in reality, the players were a diverse group, full of doubts and fears about their future." Yeah. The panacea word of the age: Diverse. Heaven forfend that something not be diverse.
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Brian Tiemann
