Hubris & Nemesis: Are Nevadans Witnessing a Greek Tragedy?
You can't win, Darth. If you strike me down I will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine. Obi-Wan Kenobi
My fellow Nevadans, today I have good news and bad news. First, the good news. We are making an impact. A very, very big impact. The bad news: a recent Battle Born Patriots Taking Nevada Back recall signing event was shut down under circumstances that one can only describe as, well, unusual.
Picture this. You are a #RecallSisolak volunteer who is planning to collect signatures at a popular watering hole. You're helping Nevadans exercise their constitutional right to sign a recall petition. You're helping the staff at the business by bringing in paying (and tipping) customers. And you're helping the business owner recoup some of the losses they have sustained after the extended and questionable lockdown of bars. You make a few calls, invite a few friends. You place a post on Facebook. Make a couple of tweets. Place a pop-up notice on a website. And boom, your "little event" goes viral. You are so excited. It's a win-win-win. Everyone is going to enjoy a wonderful evening. Except for one that is ... the petty and vindictive Tyrannosaurus Sisolak. So what does #ShakedownStevieBlunder do? One suspects that he threw a tyrant-tantrum and ordered someone to ensure that this innocent gathering of disgruntled Nevadans did not take place. And lo and behold, who showed up on the night of the event? The "OSHA-po" ... aka The Sisolak Enforcement Squad. And just like that, the event was off. Do not pass go, do not collect any signatures.
King Sisolak had decreed "the peasants" would not be allowed to gather together in order to have a good time and exercise their constitutional right to sign a recall petition.
Some may say, "Why would you think this? How do you know? Don't you think that sounds a bit like a conspiracy theory?"
But we know better. We are all very well aware of how a certain hotel in Las Vegas was hit with fines because a group of Christians dared to gather in prayer. We are very well aware of the fines that were levied because someone dared to host a protest on their property. We are aware of the veiled threats that were made in regards to withholding federal funds to a county that dared host a very, very large "peaceful protest".
And more than this, we know exactly the kind of person our Governor is based on how he speaks to us, his fellow Nevadans every time he gets on TV and pontificates. It is not with empathy, respect, kindness, or concern that he speaks to us, his constituency, but with a tone that is imperious, demeaning, and inappropriately paternal.
What incredible HUBRIS it takes to tell Nevadans we have "earned the right" to worship or celebrate or visit together in groups larger than 250. Newsflash Governor Sisolak, you did not give us that right. That right is given to us by our Creator, as is enshrined in the Constitution of the United States. (And I am sure recent decisions in other states, as well as your epically tragic poll numbers, and the pressure applied by a number of the southern city leaders had more to do with your opening this state up than "improvements" in any of your clearly manipulated "health" statistics.)
In Greek tragedy, hubris, the excessive pride toward or defiance of the gods leads to nemesis, the inescapable agent of someone's or something's downfall. I would like to think that Taking Nevada Back is that agent of change. Thanks to what happened at Irene's Cocktail Lounge I for one will no longer let a petty, vindictive bully make me cower in fear. We are not your subjects. You are not a king. You can be recalled. And we, Sir, are getting it done. County by county, day by day, signature by signature. And remember this, when you strike any Nevadan down, we become more powerful than you can imagine.