I’m not exactly sure why we booked a last minute holiday to Tierra del Fuego, the land of fire, but I have a few suspicions.
Perhaps, in keeping with the epic themes of which we so often surround ourselves, I wished to improve my Kleos – my reputation or glory. Like Odysseus traveling to the underworld in the Nekyia, it is the journeys to the most extreme places that really get people talking.
Either way it was a mere three hour flight to the most southern city in the world, Ushuaia. Upon arrival we were immediately struck by the serrated majesty of the mountains ripping into a crystalline sky, the emerald waters of the Beagle channel, once traversed and named by Charles Darwin himself, as well as the extremely cold air, fresh off a penguin’s breath.
And it’s the middle of summer! I can’t possibly imagine what the winter feels like…
Dear Readers,First, allow us to say thank you for your poignant– and frank– feedback. We’re delighted to find a readership that can consider controversial ideas and then disagree without accusing the author of being some unsavory thing. What a concept!Some are upset by our “praise” for The Donald. That’s strange… we didn’t think we were praising the man. We came to bury Caesar, not praise him. Remember? So we will accept that response without comment.Some object to the comparison of Donald to Achilles. We’re not sure why…The defining moment for Achilles is when he makes the decision to forge ahead into battle– knowing he will surely die– rather than live his life as an anonymous man. Is that so different from The Donald? The man– upon accepting the highest office– must have known he would be slain. And he chose that path rather than to live a life as a notorious– but mostly unseen– B-list celebrity.Right decision? Wrong decision? Disastrous decision? We don’t know… truly. But it feels like a tragic decision to us.Some are upset by the characterization of Trump as a Julius Caesar. Perhaps he is more like Gaius Marius, or Caligula, or Nero! The man who tweeted while Rome burned…We admit that no historical comparison is perfect. And as Victor Davis Hanson pointed out during his interview with your editor, we must be careful of all historical lessons. Because everybody– on every side– always claims to know the Truth (uppercase T) of historical wisdom.Caesar– as dear readers pointed out– was a military man. He was lauded in his day. But as was also noted, Caesar’s adulation mostly stemmed from his invasion of foreign lands and the subsequent exploitation of the population. They tear down your statue for that sort of thing today! Caesar was also a popular author. You can still read his work today.Donald is neither. He’s an (alleged) draft dodger. And he never met a book he didn’t want to not open.Still, we think there’s something there…Caesar– like Donald– was a member of the Populare faction. He was “a man of the people.” And the plebeians only turn to such rough men when they feel they have no other choice. There are numerous books on this topic for interested readers. But we’d actually recommend Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History podcast on the topic. It’s a wonderful long-form podcast that discusses the nuances of the movement.Last point…The assassination of Julius Caesar set the stage for the empire that the Roman “Deep State” claims to have wanted to avoid. Violence begets violence, dear reader. And tyranny– even in the name of stopping tyranny– begets more tyranny.In the wake of the fall of Caesar Trump, we wonder what will become of America. There is talk now of turning the weapons of State– which for decades wreaked havoc on foreign lands– onto the polis Americana. All in the name of stamping out hate speech… or domestic terrorists… or “insurrectionists”. It’s for your own good, you see. It always is…But my word, dear reader. That is a dark and bumpy road. The guardrails are out. The streetlights don’t come on. And the wolves prowl just off the shoulder. Are you sure you want to travel there? Are you sure you want to stumble blindly down that alleyway?Well… alright then.But we’re almost certain you won’t like where it leads…Yours humbly,Van Bryan
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