You have left the American sector, but of course you haven’t.

We have left the American sector,ⁱ
But of course we haven’t,ⁱⁱ
(Not if we’re still reading this).ⁱⁱⁱ

We want war, war,
We want war, war,
To bring us together,
Communiteeeee, WAGMIIIIII.^iv

To make us suit up, show up, grow up,^v
Stand up, sit down, mask on,
10 years, a little more,
Before Spartans we’ll make
And Athenians we’ll stake.^vi

We want war, war,
We want war, war,
Communiteeeee, WAGMIIIIII.

No accident in Wholesomeness,
Vast vibrant nuclei,^vii
Unspoken ends justify necessary means.
He who has no poetry in himself,
Will find poetry in nothing.^viii

We want war, war,
We want war, war,
To bring us together.

Elysium no replacement for champagne,
Swim the ocean of powdered pain,
Figurative freshness, more moaning,
Fewer children, cleansed stone.

We want war, war,
We want war, war,
In the American sector.

There’s no leaving,
Only beginning.

___ ___ ___

1. Maybe Jack had a deeper point than I’d initially realised? This is a potential problem now that I’m basically the same age as he was when I first started reading his tales of adventure, speed, and intrigue: I get closer to walking a mile in the man’s shoes and see things a little differerently. ↩
2. Header image is by Ron Terada, 2005, as seen at the National Gallery of Canada in Chokawa! ↩
3. US(D) dominance isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

   Future history books are likely to use this map.

   "American Empire, early 21st century" https://t.co/2zzRxNYM1v

   — Samo Burja (@SamoBurja) June 29, 2023

   ↩

4. Oh you think your “individualistic” desire for “community” in Crypto / Web3 is independent of The Fourth Turning? Pshhh.
   ↩
5. The thirst for blood is even subconsciously reflected in the current fashions for motor vehicles, to whit your obsession with military-inspired presentations, be they over-aggro pumped-up Ford Raptors, “Night Black Magno” SR-71esque G-Wagons, “Crayon” Gunmetal Grey GT3s, or “Quicksand” Desert Storm Tacomas. It’s part of gearing up for the next Great Conflict. ↩
6. If you’re a parent looking to raise the next generation of Spartans and Athenians, don’t bother! Per Gregory Clark, author of The Son Also Rises: Surnames and the History of Social Mobility, it’s mostly genetics anyways, and ya either got it or ya don’t. But if ya don’t, fret not, it’s no picnic, but you might still be interested to know that it’s really rather demanding, requiring nothing less than 1) ninja training, 2) soccer, 3) basketball, 4) street hockey, 5) skiing, 6) Sunday School, 7) Shumka camp, 8) theatre camp, 9) art lessons, 10) swimming lessons, as well as in-home tutors for 11) French, 12) Hebrew, 13) math, 14) reading, and 15) piano.  ↩
7. Speaking of vibrant nuclei, how’s this for hand-sketching?

   

   Casa del Portuale, construction completed in 1978, designed by Aldo Loris Rossi, via Domus (archived). ↩

8. via Simon Sarris (archived). ↩