Rand Paul was one of only 7 Senators who voted against the NDAA Act a few years ago, CLICK HERE FOR REVIEW. So it should come as no surprise that Paul is filibustering in the Senate over Eric Holder’s comments about the right of President Obama to kill American citizens on American soil with the drone program. Below Harry Reid attempts to end the filibuster with a frustrated effort about 9 hours into Rand’s marathon talk. But he failed, and Rand continued on with his filibuster. Watch the attempt:
It is very refreshing to see a representative in the Republic of The United States who finally has the guts, and sincerity to match those of us who were outraged by the NDAA Act and the idea of a government that has shown a desire to gradually move itself toward tyranny. Thank goodness for Senator Rand Paul. I wish there were about 300 more politicians just like him on Capital Hill.
It’s nice to see a real life Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Look familiar!
Hanging in my home I have a painting of two ships firing canons at each other on Lake Erie during the War of 1812. I have found that the old sea battles from the romantic era of naval combat reflects modern politics in many ways. Like politics, wind speed is important as well as the direction from which it comes. Politicians often allow themselves to blow where the winds of public opinion take them, so the metaphor is a proper one. The old mast driven battleships were very much victims of circumstance, so maneuvering in position at a speed of 8 to 12 knots in order to fire upon an enemy was difficult. Even then gaining a tactical advantage over an opponent meant that one ship would have to outlast another in broadside combat at close range, because that is often what it came to. One ship would have to absorb the damage of another and hope that their ship wouldn’t sink to the oceans depths before their enemy. I see in modern politics that Republicans have constantly been outmaneuvered by the pirate tactics of the Democrats who attack not just with one spectacular galleon, but many small ones. Republicans often utilize such magnificent ships by displaying lots of guns and massive sails in a fashion that was typical of the British during their imperial rule. The Democrats use smaller, faster vessels that can overtake larger ships with mass and dirty tricks to take down their superior foes—and such a metaphor describes modern politics clearly.
Many of the tactics seen in modern politics were long ago used on the high sea battles of early naval combat, before engines and modern firepower allowed technology to trump bravery. In the picture I referred to of the 1812 conflict, I often think of the do or die nature of the ship crews who knew if they lost the fight, there would be no quarter given, no rescue from the enemy–there would be only death as their ship sank becoming their collective tombs. So it is in this spirit that I love naval conflict from the period of world history where such things occurred, which is so wonderfully rendered in the Assassin games.
Personally I love the violent combat that is required in Assassin’s Creed III to even get to the naval battles. Many game players over 35 years old might find themselves turned off at having to assassinate so many Redcoats to play through the story mode. Some of my Tea Party friends who are history buffs and are inclined to spend their spare time building model trains and ships in bottles would love the naval combat graphics engine in the game, but they would find the brutality required to play the main character difficult to get their minds around. That is the only weakness of the Assassin games. The cost of the game is worth buying just for the ship battles, but that option should be available right out of the box to the advantage of the history buff—not the seasoned video gamer who loves the violent game play—like I do.
But that aside, it was bewildering to engage in combat with several schooner style ships in the choppy seas off the coast of North Carolina where the waves were 10 to 15 feet high and pitching my ship to and fro in a very violent manner. I found that I had to time the cannon fire to these rough waters so that the cannons would reach their targets and not nose dive into the water short of their mark. I have never seen such realism in a combat simulation of any kind, and it is just incredible to look at, let alone play.
The Assassin games are bringing history to life in a way I never thought was possible. Needless to say, I am incredibly impressed. As I write this the Horseshoe Casino has just opened in downtown Cincinnati and many adults my age converged upon its opening to spend $10 dollars per game on bets they are likely to never see a positive result. The gaming that goes on in places like Vegas and casinos like The Horseshoe are consuming exercises that do little to give the players any kind of rewarding experience except for the occasional jackpot. For my money, I would rather spend my gaming time on a $60 investment into a game like Assassin’s Creed III so at least the time spent playing can put the player into the seat of history and see and feel what it was like to stand on the docks of Boston in 1773 climbing aboard a ship to sail into the open sea blasting canons into the hull of an enemy in a rip-roaring wind attempting to turn ships over as sea water washes over the decks in a bubbling froth. The ship battles are a heck of a lot more exciting than a casino slot machine that simply is designed to eat money from hopeful treasure hunters dressed to kill, but often losing the shirt right off their backs. Games like Assassin’s Creed give back where a casino gaming experience can’t.
The Overmanwarrior 