Response to 'Classified'

A British YouTuber named 'Sargon of Akkad', whom I find quite interesting, has a LOT of concerns about the American government. I don't blame him. I share those concerns. Here's the video where he expresses these concerns...





And my responses to his concerns...

1.) 'Mob rule' is what happens in a pure democracy, which is why we're a Constitutional Republic.

The Founders knew what kind of horrors that caused in Athens and Rome, which is why they decided on a Constitutional Republic instead.

2.) NO ONE should be taxed at all because taxation is theft.

Furthermore, the 16th Amendment, which made income taxes possible, should be repealed.

3.) Most police departments are being forced to take the military equipment, even when they don't want it... The Feds also make it difficult to send it back to the DOD as well.

4.) South Korea is not occupied by American forces. South Korea asked us to be there, just to make sue North Korea doesn't get too ambitious or stupid.

As a former Servicemember who served in South Korea, I can assure you that NONE of us actually want to be there. Chances are good we don't need to be, either. If they ask us to leave, we would. If China or North Korea started trouble, we would still have all our forces in Japan and various Pacific islands to stop them. As you pointed out, we do have enough military assets in EVERY region of the world to ensure that (at least on paper) no one can start very much trouble.

5.) The American people have no desire to take over the world.

I can't speak for the Shitbags that conned their way into office, though. There is no fathoming the heart of the Devil.

6.) Security clearances are common because you need them just to access a lot of government facilities, even if you're just a janitor. It does not necessarily mean that you have any kind of access to secret knowledge that can damage national security.

All that being said, what Manning and Snowden revealed was quite a surprise to anyone that wasn't paying attention. (i.e. Your average Joe.) The only part that surprised me was the item in the diplomatic cables that Manning released to Wikileaks concerning North Korea. Apparently, there were some communiques between the State Department and its opposite number in Beijing about North Korea's future. China apparently agreed in secret to let Pyongyang fall apart (as if anything can stop that now) and allow South Korea to absorb the North, allowing a Free World Constitutional Republic on its back door, if we increased our trade with them. I can't help but wonder how paranoid that made Kim Jong Il in his final days...

7.) We the American people are aware of these issues and are doing something about it right now. That's why the Libertarian party is gaining so much momentum.

8.) No true American Patriot would trust the government just because they said something is classified.

Personally, I wouldn't trust them if they told me the sky was blue. That attitude has only been reinforced by the things I bore witness to while I was in the Army. Their general incompetence is a lot more scary than any of their maliciousness, real or imagined. (I say 'imagined' because not every government employee is evil.)

9.) Who told you the government wouldn't massacre people? Ever heard of an American Indian?

Or Ruby Ridge? Or the Branch-Davidian complex in Waco, TX? They have massacred people rather frequently, and sometimes by accident.

10.) The Founders foresaw all of this too. That's why a right to bear arms was codified into law via the 2nd Amendment by President Washington and the 1st Congress.

If they get too far out of line, we the People start hunting down/shooting politicians. I'm actually surprised this doesn't happen much more often. Those bastards certainly do cause more than enough strife among the public. No, the military wouldn't necessarily protect those idiots in DC, either. Soldiers are citizens too. We are just as angry with our so-called Leaders as everyone else, if not much more. Speaking of which...

11.) I don't think you give American military personnel enough credit.

If some politician, member of the Joint Chiefs or General tried issuing illegal/immoral orders, those orders would be disobeyed. The politicians are only as strong as the number of men with guns willing to do their bidding and, it's not as many as you think. Even the Democrats I knew in the Army wouldn't blindly follow Obama's lead if he issued an illegal order, like deliberately attacking civilians.

12.) I think you are also giving too much credit to the Politicians and government employees of any kind.

As someone who worked for the federal agency that scares you the most, the Department of Defense, I can safely assure you that they will never conquer the world. Even if they tried, it would fail. The reason for this is because they are about as incompetent as you think they are malicious. Essentially, the one hand does not have any clue what the other 3 million are doing and they will screw up each other's plans and ambitions. I saw this virtually EVERY DAY that I was in the operational force.

I can even provide a good example: delivering mail. While I was in Korea, the mail office on my post was often closed, even during its stated regular business hours. And since internet access was so poor in that part of South Korea, I had no real way to keep in touch with the folks back home. That could've had a lot of truly dire consequences if my creditors didn't know that I was in the military.

Based on that experience (and a few others I would rather not discuss), I think many of the laws passed to protect soldiers from financial doom were passed simply to keep us from wanting to quit and move on to better jobs. It didn't work in my case. The financial headaches caused by the military lifestyle just made itself #14 on my list of 17 major reasons why I left the Army last year. If they can't even deliver mail promptly/accurately, then how are they going to handle the logistics in conquering/controlling the world?

I don't blame you for being worried, Sargon. We are all worried. And We the American People are on the case.

- Lord Publius

Time to make some changes...

Since I'm not getting where I need/want to go in life, I am making a lot of changes. They include:

1.) Eventually starting my own business.

I want to stay in ONE place instead of constantly having to travel the world looking for a buck. Also, my current industry can get kinda boring at times. It doesn't leave me feeling too challenged or mentally engaged, either. The business plan is already in development and will be something unique in a relatively new type of industry.

Even if traveling makes more money than staying in one place, I don't care. I am more interested in being happy than fabulously rich. Money does not solve everything or buy genuine happiness. Putting down roots and establishing meaningful relationships does.

2.) Finding a way to get in better shape WITHOUT having to run.

Running just doesn't work for me. I have about 5 years of Army experience to verify this claim to me and probably a few APFT scorecards in storage somewhere if you want some kind of recorded proof.

3.) Getting a new social circle since most of my old friends have no time for me anymore.

They all have families to take care of and almost no spare time. That's not a surprise. I've seen it happen to my father too when I was a child. To this day, I have met very few of his friends from the time before he married my mother.

The elements of my old social circle that I have been spending time with as of late have often cancelled their plans with me in the last 2 or 3 months. That throws off my plans and wastes a lot of time and resources. That ends now. I'm not feeling valued or important to these people so, I will just go find a greener pasture. That doesn't mean that I won't talk to them anymore but, I am not going to chase them down to spend time with them, either. I shouldn't have to employ those kind of measures to maintain personal relationships of any kind.

And now, I think I'll go find something to watch on Netflix...

- Lord Publius

How a 'Social Justice Warrior' operates and why I hate them...

'Social Justice' = just a buzz word for an old and terrible idea that leftists cling to, despite History repeatedly showing that it doesn't work: Communism.

Don't let these 'useful idiots', as Uncle Joe would have called them, influence your thinking, folks. They don't give a damn about equality or justice. They are just trying to take power and rob you of your God-given rights as Free people.

- Lord Publius

LOL @ Gamestop trying to get into the retro game scene

According to IGN, Gamestop is trying to get back into selling retro games via a pilot program in New York City and Birmingham, Alabama. I have several things to say about this...

1.) Birmingham, Alabama? That seems a bit random... Is that the location of the corporate HQ?

2.) You're doing a pilot program in those 2 cities and you still have 250 locations participating?! Maybe you have too many locations, guy...

3.) Good luck competing with the independent retro game stores. They are firmly entrenched, take just about ANYTHING they can get and offer MUCH better trade-in values than you ever did.

4.) Seriously, you can't compete with independent retro game stores like Play Raven or Digital Press. Your brand name is shite with us gaming collectors. We know what kind of horrible people you are, Shitbag.

5.) I won't buy from GameStop for ANY reason. What they sell used, I can usually find at Wal-Mart BRAND NEW for less money. And since the only GameStop I know of that's close to me is just a mere 200 yards away from the local Wally World...

6.) I could swear they tried this before a few years ago with some online program from their website. It died quickly when they got retarded enough to try to sell loose cartridges of Super Mario Bros. on the NES for $50. (LOL @ those idjits for not even bothering to check what those carts are really worth...)

7.) And of course, there's the rest of my thoughts/opinions of those guys in meme form...

Seriously , though...

Fuck Gamestop. I will stick to Amazon & Play Raven. I have spoken!

- Lord Publius

When We Left Earth - The NASA Missions

Letting NASA devolve to the point where it's just another government bureaucracy that deals with Science is a damned crime.

- Lord Publius

Sometimes Hilarious (and often NSFW) Gamer Girl Memes

These are just for fun. DO NOT get your (possibly proverbial) panties in a twist. Trust me, if you do, I will NOT give a flying fuck...

'Chestpiece' tattoos RUIN titties. Do NOT get them, Ladies.

ESRB ratings, as pictured by a Hentai image? (Seriously, WTF is with that AO image at the bottom?! Damned Japanese and their weird fetishes!!!)

No wonder XBOX can't sell in Japan... [/Facepalm]

Female versions of the Robot Masters from Mega Man Powered Up for PSP... If you decide to FAP to this, I really, really do not care to know...

Some gamer girls are kinda weird...

I don't mind her getting ass prints on my systems... As long as she cleans them off after the photoshoot...

Actually, there is no hope here. I have never played D&D...

Jessica Nigri dressed up in costumes that make her look like a real-life version of the main character in Lollipop Chainsaw... [/FAP]

What old ladies must think about this franchise, which I admit that I know nothing about...

John Travolta was right to shoot her...

Character modeling has come a long way...

Nice dress...

And that is all you had to say, dear...

Zoe Quinn, the Lolita that has ruined game journalism... The guy she was fucking must have been a really lonely nerd because I am just NOT seeing what makes her so special. And yes, I have seen a few of the nude photos of her floating around online. I purposely decided NOT to include them here...

And finally...

Zoe Quinn & Anita Sarkeesian are an embarrassment to women everywhere. The game industry as a whole needs to send these two socialist shills packing and grow their balls back. Unless you're talking about a truly awful game like Custer's Revenge, which featured a woman getting raped by the player's character, then there is no abnormal amounts of sexism in games.

Here in the First World, women already are equal under the law and have been for a long time. Try bringing Feminism (and I mean the real Feminism from the 1970's that actually strove for female equality and not misandry) to parts of the world that need it, like China and Saudi Arabia. Women actually are being oppressed and horrifically victimized in those places. I'm sure they'd love some help.

- Lord Publius

Good Star Trek games on consoles and portables

Good Star Trek games on consoles and portables

A while back, I read a Top 10 list featuring the best Star Trek games. I don't normally care what lists like this say but, there was one thing that stuck out for me with this one: All the titles on the list were PC games. Where were the console and portable games? They weren't there! So, I decided to write a list of my own. This list is based on my personal experience with Star Trek games. I didn't include ones I haven't played, even if they're popular.

Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator (Atari 2600)

It's a port of a vector-based arcade game that SEGA released in 1983. It plays the same as it's arcade counterpart. It's nowhere near as impressive as the arcade original or the ports for more advanced consoles like Colecovision & Atari 5200. However, for an Atari 2600 game, it's easily one of the most spectacular titles ever made for the system. (Not to mention one of the few 1st person games on the system...)

In this game, you fly around, fighting Klingons, protecting starbases and refueling at said starbases. This continues until you run out of fuel/get destroyed by the Klingons. Like all Arcade/Atari games of that era, there was no real end goal. You were just trying to get the highest possible score. It's simplicity is what gives it the ability to illicit such bliss. I highly recommend this game for ANY system on which it can be found.






Star Trek - The Next Generation (NES)

Ever wanted to pretend like you were Captain Picard and command the Enterprise on a series of missions? Well, this game will actually have you play a Starfleet Academy cadet on a holodeck, being trained by Captain Picard. You still get to fly the Enterprise in a number of often dangerous missions, though.

The missions do get a bit repetitive after a while (especially after you beat the Borg) but, this is still easily the best 1st person simulation title on the NES. It's also the most graphically impressive NES game that I have ever seen. This title was easily a LOT better than the TNG game on Genesis (which I own and will get to later) and the one on SNES.

Star Trek - 25th Anniversary (Game Boy)

The reviews I've read on this title complain about the graphics being very sparse. It's also short enough to beat in an hour or two if you know the game really well. To those critics, all I can say is what did you expect? It's a Game Boy game. Considering the system's limitations, I'd say the programmers did a good job.

It's actually 2 games in 1; a side-scroller when piloting the Enterprise in space and top-down action when leading an away team on a planet's surface. The away missions get tedious and lack music. The side-scrolling in space is a lot more fun, albeit a bit repetitive sometimes. You get to fly through 2 kinds of asteroid fields, a giant space amoeba like the one in a TOS episode called The Immunity Syndrome, Klingons, Romulans, Tholians and, eventually, the Doomsday Machine.

The space missions also feature music that uses melodies from various episodes of the Original Series. Small touches like that show that the programmers were true fans. It would have been easy (and quite common at the time) to have just used some kind of stock music but, not with this game.

There aren't many 3rd-party Game Boy games that have actually stood the test of time for me but, this surely is one of them.

Star Trek - The Next Generation: Echoes from the Past (SEGA Genesis)

The graphics and sound are spectacular for the Genesis. Even the opening title sequence for the game will give hardcore Trekkies a geekgasm. The amount of detail put into the game is quite impressive. What kills this game though, is the level design. It tends to get confusing at times. You'll need a map of the away-team levels. Otherwise, it can get really tedious.

I give this game at least an honorable mention, if not saying it's actually good.











Star Trek Starfleet Academy - Starship Bridge Simulator on SNES (Also on SEGA Genesis 32X)

This game is very common and cheap but, still a great space combat simulator. Loved the recreations of famous battles from the TOS-era Movies.

The PC version that would be released sometime after this title in 1994 was much more detailed and elaborate. However, if you don't have that version, this one will do. I recommend using the Super Advantage joystick when playing this one.





Star Trek - Tactical Assault on DS (and PSP)

This is one of the VERY few Strategy games that I have ever tried and also the ONLY one that I have enjoyed. The fact that it was a Star Trek game wasn't even the reason why. This game was able to get me interested in a strategy game because it has simple controls. I wish more strategy (and RPG) games would offer simple controls...

Also, I particularly enjoy the skirmish mode, where I can set up a battle between up to 4 vessels in 5 different environments. You can relive classic battles from the TOS movies (since this game is based in or around 2284) or set up battles we all wanted but, never got. Like the Constitution Class Refit fighting a Klingon K'Tinga Class Battlecruiser.



- Lord Publius