Happy Holidays!

Remember, remember...
under the yolk of an oppressive government, a Catholic commoner stood up for fear. He attempted to plant a bomb and destroy a building. He wanted governments to keep their proper fear of the people. He failed and did not betray his cohorts. The story of November 5th is sordid, and even a little painful, but it is not one to "be forgot."
While the colonies celebrate the eve of the hallows, or the night before All Saints' Day, by handing out candy to children, the island burns voodoo-dolls of Guy Fawkes and recalls his attempt on James I and the governing body. As an anarchist-turned aristocrat, I would be failing my duty to let the 5th of November go by unnoticed. Every aristocracy develops into oligarchy and despotism as it forgets the message which the terrorist Fawkes tried to ram home. When the ruling body becomes a burden and an oppressive force for great political and social evil, it's people have to grow a spine and rebel.
The Americans did it successfully, but as always they flirt with despotism. The executive branch is (again) dragged into the mud of democratic demogoguery and left with it's bare-ass flapping in the breeze. System or spirit aside, the fall of any democratic republic has always been ushered by the demogogues. And the colonies have one now: wake up call: his policies (actions) are dis-resonant and in many cases entirely appalling to the people, but he maintains good "personal" ratings. He is given more leeway than idiots like his predecessors, because he is an articulate (arguably) leader and possesses a formable background in bullshit. It does, of course, help that the media who elected him will find no fault in his lack of experience his lack of commitment, or lack of pith - but that is to be expected when dealing with those starry-eyed media-man-whores.
Is there no one left to question his power and will, if only for the sake of doing so? Is there no one left to question the demos (the people,) if only for the sake of doing so? Where are the philosophers? Where are the scientists? Where are the saints?
Have we truly forgotten the 5th of November and the lesson of failure? Are we not Israelites in so many ways our minds and stomaches rebel? Reason and faith demand justice and justice is a primordial balance of right and wrong. Why do we accept so many wrongs, without a right?
The 5th of November is not about failure. Nor is it a day to commemorate terrorism. Nor is it a day to fear. It is a day to question ourselves and our masters. Don't think, not even for a moment, that you are an island: everyone who put forth efforts to make your life what it is (everyone throughout history) has chosen to be slaves. Even the rulers are slaves: they need the people to fear them in order to dictate the actions of the slaves. Ask yourself, today, if you are being given fair trade for your soul, or have they failed you as masters and asked too much of their slaves? Ask yourself, if freedom is worth dying for. Ask yourself if being one person, alone in a teeming world, you have need to stand and make your iniquity heard. Ask yourself, because today is the day one man did just that and it should not be forgot!

Last time I saw a smile that fake, there was a dick glued to her cheek...

Does anyone else get annoyed about this time of year, as retailers put up window dressings depicting disingenuous smiles and shiny gifts? I can't stand it.
I was smoking a cigarette outside of the local Best Buy staring at the two portraits of holiday cheer presented to me on the doors. I began questioning whether I should have just stayed home, or gone to the bar directly. Seriously, do these things motivate anyone to actually go in, or buy anything? I don't buy from Best Buy, as a rule they are over-priced, but it is a good place to survey and recall bits of data and information I've ingested en masse over the last period since I was let out of the work-school-homebody-bar cage. And I remember why I almost prefer the bars.
Overhearing salesmen push Windows 7 to customers. Xbox, Nintendo Wii, and DS all on blaring volume levels while Sony's competing offerings are muted. A jerk-off manager scolding another Geek Squader. And that's another, more specific thing: Geek Squad. FFFFFUUUUUUUCCCCCCCKKKKKKK you! A sales "enhancing" training module does not make you obsessively curious, nor does it make you love Goonies. You're a bad corporate sales-force, and they slapped us geeks in the face, if another one of you tries to sell me anything at the price-premium of Best Buy's rates I will seriously begin thinking about distributing a virus on your display computers and laptops. I'm thinking "Welcome to Over-priced Buy" or "Welcome to Goatsie" or "Welcome to Two Girls One Cup".
I hate holiday season. I like the food, but how many of you show up late to gatherings, because you don't like the people there. More than not like, some of them you hate, are repelled by, and yet who company you keep? WTF is that? Why do we feel the need to get together and catch-up on our lives, when all we really get are more reasons to hate each other, or more wasted time talking about things neither of us care enough about to remember? Can't we all just get along: and see other people during this "special" time of year? Why does it have to be an issue if I prefer to hang out with a hot bar-maid and not those I am socially obliged to awkwardly spend time with, not talking about the fact we were both hoping the other would die before this time of year?
Any other time, we can just say, "Dammit, why are they still here?" and be done with it. No awkward hours of trying to get along. No tasteless food, with less digestible "conversation" throughout which we keep trying to smile, or at least not actually look like we want to strangle each other. No bullshit, drama, or temptation to light the carpet on fire, just to have an excuse to clear out.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

This is better, but retains the only thing not in previews, and also doesn't butcher much-loved fan favorite characters:

Bitter, no... I thought it was a great opportunity for Baraka to expand beyond the Mortal Kombat franchise. And who didn't want to see the previous three Wolverine movies' continuity completely fucked up the ass? Good thing Ryan Reynolds' career hasn't slumped into the pit of despair Sandra Bullock resides in.

...Fucking sell out.