The Conqueror's Catechism (Part 5 The Ruler's Rules)

Moral flexibility... Part 5 of The Conqueror's Catechism (see previously)

V. The Ruler's Rules

Repression and brutality have their uses, these are the ruler's rules
These daily dealers of dread are known to dispense wanton abuse
The incredulity of mankind is the main target, per Machiavelli
Amoral despotism, in its prime, acquires an aura of inevitability
"I am your dreams", was softly proclaimed by Atatürk, and without irony
Similar gnomic notions are often heard.
   What, after all, was manifest destiny?
Neck deep and drenched in it,
   a dribbling of blood thickens the stew of iniquity
A meal best served with a side dish,
   an amuse-bouche, of unalloyed hypocrisy

There is an organizing principle for the conqueror that is rather radical
That is the notion that absolutely everything is transactional
The sense that in all things, it is all about the deal
Underlies the public relations they pursue with zeal
Summon up some scribes,
   and give them a mandate to make it all palatable
Some wordsmith can conjure up the right phrase, say, call you mercurial
A painter in times past, later a photographer for the transaction
Extol your charisma with words and image, power is its own persuasion

The rogue capitalist running rampant is a gilded conqueror landmark
That is, he who extracts labour
   pocketing the surplus per my poor man's Marx
An all too human extractive industry in the pursuit of rent seeking
To the socialist, what we behold is a case of government by racketeering
Oligarchs throughout history are venal, there are only minor distinctions
Per the critique, between the businessman and the oligarch
   it's only ambition
To separate the working class from the means of production
   and extract surplus value
The self appointed toll collector
   enjoys the fruits of the monopoly that accrues

By definition all gangsters heed the outlaw sensibility
For mobsters, this "thing of ours" defies authority
Submitting to square john's rules is not up for debate
The conqueror's endpoint in this mode is the mafia state
For every contract awarded, one must get one's cut
As to fulfillment, that is, at best, an afterthought
Bush's signal policy achievement concerned the importation of mangos
Follow the money and recall: it takes two to do the corruption tango

Conqueror's Catechism, a playist

A soundtrack for this note bookended by the cool ruler himself, Gregory Isaacs, and heavy on the reggae angle of things. (spotify version)

The Conqueror's Catechism

A few articles of faith

1. To Loot Without End
2. Droit de Seigneur
3. The Dictator Dictates
4. An Iron Fist
5. The Ruler's Rules
6. The Heavy Mantle

This piece went beyond a haiku to become positively Talmudic in scope, hence I'll split it and dispense over the next week. Or you can wait for the book...

I nominate this internal displacement for the Things Fall Apart series under the banner of Fallen Angels.

Next in Part 6: The Heavy Mantle

File under: humour, satire, culture, blood, sin, greed, poetry, observation, rogues, dictator, gremlins, perception, huhudious, hatchet job, violence, strategy, Fallen Angels, Observers are worried, Things Fall Apart, toli

Writing log: Concept: May 1, 2006; April 5, 2021