ADullAche

Easter weekend (Americans don’t just do days, we do weekends) brings not only pork and chocolate, but classic films, the cornerstone of which is C.B. DeMille’s, The Ten Commandments. (The ’56 iteration, starring the past president of the NRA; and Chuck Heston would be the first to tell you if it wasn’t for Pharaoh’s pantywaist gun control laws, the Israelites could’ve busted out of Egypt without divine intervention.)

The movie is way over the top, far too long, and historically inaccurate, but it did bring to mind George Santayana’s much abused sentiments about not learning from history, and how it bites you in the ass because you didn’t pay attention. It’s fairly obvious the current Administration falls into the latter category.

If only Dubya had popped the cap on one of his ‘fake’ beers and watched…

Pharaoh Rameses II finally gets his shot at running the empire, and even though he’s not the favorite son, he’s going to show the people he’s a better Pharaoh then his daddy ever was. Things go smoothly at first, lots of civic improvements, there’s a good tax base…then, trouble.

Rameses II has a bit of an insurgency problem.

Terrorist Moses tries to negotiate. He doesn’t want much. Doesn’t want his IMF debt forgiven, isn’t interested in future foreign aid, doesn’t even want his bread to rise. He just wants Rameses to let his people go.

But Rameses has a vision of the way the world should look, and he’s not interested in negotiation.

Moses, who’s got way more going for him than Rameses wants to admit, (or has been told - Sethi massaging intel), turns a stick into a snake. Rameses is unimpressed. Water turns to blood…still no negotiation. Rameses gets visits from frogs, flies, boils, fire from the sky, darkness, massive trade imbalance - Rameses still ain’t budging.

Finally, when Rameses own children die, he gets the message, and lets Moses’ people go.

But his trusted inner circle whispers in his ear, “You don’t want to be a wimp like your dad.” So he sends his army into the desert after the insurgents…and we all know how that went.

Rameses goes home looking like a schmuck, and the history he depended on to reward his genius for eternity, ends up painting him as a petulant bully who wasn’t all that bright.

No wonder it’s a classic…

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