The best fiction tells the truth, carefully edited..

It occurs to me that the best fiction (at least that which I enjoy most) has an element of a parable... these stories give us a chance to look at what is happening, not only on the pages of the book but in the daily headlines and permit us to draw conclusions that we might have rejected otherwise.


I am rereading the Honor Harrington series in order to have the background fresh(er) in my memory when the next book comes out and something in chapter 44 of Storm From The Shadows really grabbed my attention... perhaps because of what I am seeing and hearing from the men and women that are 'running for election' here in the USA.

Honor begins her statement "Crack any history book, if you don't believe me... It's too decadent, too corrupt, too totally assured of its invincibility and supremacy. Its internal decision-making is too unaccountable, to divorced from what the [League's] citizens really want - or, for that matter, think they are actually getting!..."

We may be at a tipping point of our own and run a danger that tipping things over might result in unexpected consequences and changes... loss of civil liberties and constitutional rights because men and women who have sworn to "support and defend the constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic" have in fact, come too close to the description that Honor used, and like the leaders she is talking about, will do anything they can get away with to protect and defend their privileges and perks.

I am really interested to see how David deals with the bureaucrats in his story and how we will deal with them today.

Didn't Mao once say all power comes from the muzzle of a gun?

He said political power, but yeah.


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Well said.

How many of us can name the "undersecretaries" of any major nation's government systems that sit just behind the public faces and are masters at defending that agency's ability to swill at the tax trough, mostly decide which policies get through, and who have no desire to have their names or actions see the light of day?

I try to be somewhat politically aware, and I certainly don't.

SharkHunter wrote:Well said.

How many of us can name the "undersecretaries" of any major nation's government systems that sit just behind the public faces and are masters at defending that agency's ability to swill at the tax trough, mostly decide which policies get through, and who have no desire to have their names or actions see the light of day?

I try to be somewhat politically aware, and I certainly don't.

I am somewhat concerned that someone will open the can of worms and find it really holds rattle-snakes.

The accountability that we are promised has been sold to the Super PACs and... yes SharkHunter, I think you are right, we have already fallen into our own anonymous and therefore untouchable undersecretary bottlenecks.

After the revelation that prompted this thread, I found myself rethinking the various "government officials" that show up in Davids books (not just in Honor's universe) and I detect that the various idiots and villains of his stories... the ones we are probably all glad to see take the fall (like High Ridge, St Just and Detwiller) have counterparts in today's headlines.

SharkHunter wrote:Well said.

How many of us can name the "undersecretaries" of any major nation's government systems that sit just behind the public faces and are masters at defending that agency's ability to swill at the tax trough, mostly decide which policies get through, and who have no desire to have their names or actions see the light of day?

I try to be somewhat politically aware, and I certainly don't.

I consider myself quite politically aware and I can only name a previous Cabinet Secretary of the UK(basically, Kolokeltsev). I only recall his name because apparently the civil service liked to refer to him by his initials.

Sir Gus O'Donnell retired in 2011. I couldn't tell you who his successor was, though.

Retired now, but I could have told you of quite a few in Australia as those were my colleagues. There were good and bad people, generally not smarter than anyone else but geniuses at networking to get and do the job.
As the brilliant British TV series Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister showed they did do some good in curbing impractical impulses by mediocre politicians. They alo did some harm by pushing their own objectives and empire building.

Follow the money? Perhaps mostly in the USA the various lobbyist groups that practically, (or actually) bribe elected politicians with campaign contributions?

The lobbyists being purchased by the Giant Corporations? Military Industrial Complexes? Large Agricultural Corporations? All very large corporations at large?

Another example might be the biggest PACS that fund election and reelection campaigns? The average net $worth$ of entering and exiting career politicians before and after?

Also do not forget the election campaign managers who manage to get USA stupid voters to vote for the wrong folks? Then in the USA the voters themselves who vote such?

Or perhaps less so just too many stupid USA voters who have NOT earned the right to vote and do not have a clue? A free chicken in every pot? Perhaps only in the USA.

Just for starters. Lots more I am sure. Let others give some input. Interesting subject matter. It makes one think a bit. I love this Excellent Forum.

HB of CJ wrote:Follow the money? Perhaps mostly in the USA the various lobbyist groups that practically, (or actually) bribe elected politicians with campaign contributions?

The lobbyists being purchased by the Giant Corporations? Military Industrial Complexes? Large Agricultural Corporations? All very large corporations at large?

Another example might be the biggest PACS that fund election and reelection campaigns? The average net $worth$ of entering and exiting career politicians before and after?

Also do not forget the election campaign managers who manage to get USA stupid voters to vote for the wrong folks? Then in the USA the voters themselves who vote such?

Or perhaps less so just too many stupid USA voters who have NOT earned the right to vote and do not have a clue? A free chicken in every pot? Perhaps only in the USA.

Just for starters. Lots more I am sure. Let others give some input. Interesting subject matter. It makes one think a bit. I love this Excellent Forum.

HB... I agree!
When the markets tanked in 2008 and the companies and banks which were "too big to fail" were bailed out before the ink on the front page stories dried (if they are too big to fail shouldn't they be properly regulated) while millions of working Americans lost their jobs and homes, we started to hear a lot about a war between Wall Street and Main Street... I began to wonder why no one was talking about Madison Avenue

Elections cost billions of dollars to buy when most of the work is done by volunteers and even when someone quits or is fired (voted out) they get to keep their campaign accounts I just don't understand why more people don't get it... obviously senators won't vote for a pay cut or to reduce their pensions or cut their health care package while they fail to provide for the needs of the average Joe... nor will they agree to term limits (much like the permanent under secretaries, or the members of Lords in Mantacore) they are happy to see the system gridlocked into atrophy as long as they get theirs.

And, much like the examples that David gave us here... or at the Temple on Safehold, I fear that their refusal to change will result in far more harm than good.

Recently, I saw an article about the houses of presidential candidates and wondered if we might get a look at their bunkers... Where will Mitch McConnell go when the wheels fall off?

C. O. Thompson wrote:

HB of CJ wrote:Follow the money? Perhaps mostly in the USA the various lobbyist groups that practically, (or actually) bribe elected politicians with campaign contributions?

The lobbyists being purchased by the Giant Corporations? Military Industrial Complexes? Large Agricultural Corporations? All very large corporations at large?

Another example might be the biggest PACS that fund election and reelection campaigns? The average net $worth$ of entering and exiting career politicians before and after?

Also do not forget the election campaign managers who manage to get USA stupid voters to vote for the wrong folks? Then in the USA the voters themselves who vote such?

Or perhaps less so just too many stupid USA voters who have NOT earned the right to vote and do not have a clue? A free chicken in every pot? Perhaps only in the USA.

Just for starters. Lots more I am sure. Let others give some input. Interesting subject matter. It makes one think a bit. I love this Excellent Forum.

HB... I agree!
When the markets tanked in 2008 and the companies and banks which were "too big to fail" were bailed out before the ink on the front page stories dried (if they are too big to fail shouldn't they be properly regulated) while millions of working Americans lost their jobs and homes, we started to hear a lot about a war between Wall Street and Main Street... I began to wonder why no one was talking about Madison Avenue

Elections cost billions of dollars to buy when most of the work is done by volunteers and even when someone quits or is fired (voted out) they get to keep their campaign accounts I just don't understand why more people don't get it... obviously senators won't vote for a pay cut or to reduce their pensions or cut their health care package while they fail to provide for the needs of the average Joe... nor will they agree to term limits (much like the permanent under secretaries, or the members of Lords in Mantacore) they are happy to see the system gridlocked into atrophy as long as they get theirs.

And, much like the examples that David gave us here... or at the Temple on Safehold, I fear that their refusal to change will result in far more harm than good.

Recently, I saw an article about the houses of presidential candidates and wondered if we might get a look at their bunkers... Where will Mitch McConnell go when the wheels fall off?

Just constitutional amendment will start the process of fixing the problems with the US constitution:

any state can propose an amendment to the US constitution, and with 3/4 majority vote of each legaslative house and the approval of 3/4 of the people in the state plus the approval of both the Governor and lt Governor, without needing to go through the US congress.