Day: March 17, 2019

The Resistance

Fandango8 Comments

0492E114-ED86-4A73-91AA-63D39C3B0AFCJason woke up in a cold sweat. He sat up in bed and started to shake, which set off the alarm. A nurse came running into his room and said, “You’re awake! Are you okay?”

“I think so,” he said. I was having some weird visions. “I’m sure it was all a dream. Or a more like a nightmare, actually.”

“A nightmare?” she said. “Do you know where you are?”

Jason looked around, saw the medical equipment and apparatus around the room that he was connected to. Panic started to set in. “What’s going on? Where the fuck am I?”

“You’re in a military hospital, Lieutenant Silver. “You’ve been in a coma for the past six months.”

“What?” Jason said, struggling to comprehend what he had just been told. “How did I get here? What happened to me?”

“Let me go get the doctor,” she said, and left the room.

A moment later, a man walked into the room. “Lieutenant Silver, I’m Doctor Jackson. As the nurse mentioned, you have been here for six months. You were brought to this facility unconscious and close to death. Is was touch and go for hours, but we were eventually able to stabilize you. You never regained consciousness. Until just a few moments ago.”

“What happened to me?” Jason asked. “I have no recollection at all.”

“That’s not unusual,” the doctor said,” given what you went through.”

“Tell me!” Jason insisted.

“In 2022, the president died and his son, who assumed the position of vice president in 2020, filled out the remainder of his father’s term. But in 2024, when he lost his re-election bid, he refused to step down and support a peaceful transition of power to the winner,” the doctor explained. “That triggered a military coup in which the young president was killed, which set off a civil war. The dead president’s loyalists took arms in an attempt to regain power for the family and to install his sister as the new leader in order to continue the dynasty.

“Jesus,” Jason said.

“You were a member of the resistance, but I’m afraid their efforts failed and the resistance came up empty handed.”

“Oh my God,” Jason said. “I don’t remember any of that. So how did I get here?”

“You were fighting against the deceased president’s daughter,” the doctor said, “when your squad got overtaken by an armored division of the military loyal to the regime. You were wounded and the rest of your squad bailed on you, thinking you were dead. You were found and brought here.”

“Wow,” Jason said. “So it wasn’t all just a bad dream, after all. What happens now?”

“Well, now that you’ve regained consciousness, Lieutenant,” the doctor said, “by order of her royal highness, Queen Ivanka, you are to be executed as a traitor to the regime.”

Written for Teresa’s Story Starter Challenge where the story starter is “I’m sure it was all a dream.” And for these daily prompts: Swimmer (hour), Word of the Day Challenge (empty), Your Daily Word Prompt (armor), Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (division), and Ragtag Daily Prompt (bail).

Trump Supporters Are a “Protected Class”

Fandango26 Comments

7837E4EB-491B-4F78-B540-7855D75EC2B4The Utah legislature introduced and passed a bill that would protect against discrimination based upon ancestry, race, gender, gender identity, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, and disability.

And that makes perfect sense, since blacks, LGBTQ people, and the disabled, the usual protected classes, are all what they are because they were either born that way or, in the case of disabilities, became that way through no fault of their own. That’s why it should be against the law to discriminate against them: they can’t help what race they are, what their sexual orientation is, or that they are disabled.

But here’s the kicker. The Utah legislature was able to pass that hate crime bill only after Republicans added right-wing conservatives as a protected class under the law. I kid you not.

Here’s a question to ponder. Are racists, homophobes, white nationalists, right-wing conservatives, and Trump supporters, like those other protected classes, born that way? Of course not. They consciously choose to be hateful and intolerant. So how can one justify including Trump supporters as a protected class? Are they truly “victims” of hate crimes and discrimination in the same way blacks and gays are?

As I pointed out in an earlier post, Trump has bragged that he has “the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of the Bikers for Trump….” Yes, it certainly sounds like Trump supporters and right-wing conservatives don’t need any extra protection under the law.

Wait, I take that back. Being a right-wing conservative who is a Trump supporter is a clear sign of a mental and emotional handicap.

Song Lyric Sunday — School Pride

Fandango8 Comments

For this week’s Song Lyric Sunday theme, Jim Adams chose “School/Books/Learning.” I was originally thinking about the 1958 song, “The Book of Love” by the Monotones. But then I remembered a song that was popular when I was in high school, the 1963 Beach Boys song, “Be True to Your School,” and decided to go with that one.

“Be True to Your School” was written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for the Beach Boys. It was released as the third track of their album, Little Deuce Coupe, on October 2, 1963, and later that month as a single. The song ultimately reached number 6 on the Billboard Top 100.

Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, and Al Jardine all went to Hawthorne High School in Hawthorne, CA. Brian, who wrote the track, incorporated some of Hawthorne’s fight song into “Be True to Your School.”

The cheerleaders on the track (chanting “Push ’em back! Push ’em back! Waaaaaay back!”) were from a girl group called The Honeys. Brian Wilson married Marilyn Rovel of the Honeys in 1964 and they had two daughters, Carnie and Wendy, who later formed the group Wilson Phillips.

Early Beach Boys songs dealt with issues important to teenagers — girls, cars, surfing, and in this case, school pride. These songs connected because of lead singer Mike Love’s lyrics, which captured a slice of life in the halls of American high schools.

Here are the lyrics to the song.

When some loud braggart tries to put me down
And says his school is great
I tell him right away
“Now what’s the matter buddy
Ain’t you heard of my school
It’s number one in the state”

So be true to your school now
Just like you would to your girl or guy
Be true to your school now
And let your colors fly
Be true to your school

I got a letterman’s sweater
With a letter in front
I got for football and track
I’m proud to wear it now
When I cruise around
The other parts of the town
I got a decal in back

So be true to your school now
Just like you would to your girl or guy
Be true to your school now
And let your colors fly
Be true to your school

On Friday we’ll be jacked up on the football game
And I’ll be ready to fight
We’re gonna smash ’em now
My girl will be working on her pom-poms now
And she’ll be yelling tonight

So be true to your school now
Just like you would to your girl or guy
Be true to your school now
And let your colors fly
Be true to your school

Rah rah rah Be true to your school
Rah rah rah Be true to your school
Rah rah rah Be true to your school
Rah rah rah Be true to your school

FOWC with Fandango — Division

Fandango20 Comments

FOWCWelcome to March 17, 2019 and to Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (aka, FOWC). It’s designed to fill the void after WordPress bailed on its daily one-word prompt.

I will be posting each day’s word just after midnight Pacific Time (US).

Today’s word is “division.”

Write a post using that word. It can be prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction. It can be any length. It can be just a picture or a drawing if you want. No holds barred, so to speak.

Once you are done, tag your post with #FOWC and create a pingback to this post if you are on WordPress. Or you can simply include a link to your post in the comments.

And be sure to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this prompt. You will marvel at their creativity.