Balladeer’s Blog frequently examines ancient Greek comedies written by Aristophanes, Cratinus, Eupolis and others. Recently I was put in mind of the way those comedians often satirized the “professional accusers” in the political and legal forums of ancient Athens.
Demagogues like Cleon and Hyperbolus and others often used “professional accusers” against their political opponents. These figures – called sycophantes by the ancient Athenians – are often termed “informers” in many translations of Greek comedies but I feel the word accuser is more accurate.
Such “professional accusers” would hurl scandalous accusations at their secret patron’s political foes, blackening their name in the public’s eyes and often causing them to face court costs, etc. (In English, sycophant has come to mean groveling toady and flatterer but back then the word carried a different meaning.)
Here are three examples: Continue reading
ROKOMAUTU – A son of the supreme deity Ndengei by his sister. This deity was born from his mother’s elbow as another example of birthing oddities in world mythology. Rokomautu was so headstrong he tried to force even his own parents to worship him. 
A TERRIFIC LOOK AT THE NEED TO PROTECT POLITICAL SPEECH FROM THE TECH OLIGARCHS – A great read and very appropriate. Click 
ANOTHER COLUMN POINTING OUT HOW REPUBLICAN JOHN “LET’S FIGHT WARS ALL OVER THE WORLD” MCCAIN WAS CALLOUS ABOUT PEOPLE DYING IN THE WARS STARTED BY HIM AND HIS PALS IN THE MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX – But people who claim to hate American Interventionism and Cowboy Diplomacy praised McCain simply because he took cheap shots at Trump. Click 
NAIA OVER NCAA DIVISION TWO … YET AGAIN – Regular readers of Balladeer’s Blog know that NAIA football teams often upset higher division teams in NCAA Division Two. Yesterday the NAIA’s UNIVERSITY OF SAINT FRANCIS (IL) FIGHTING SAINTS found themselves on the road against D2’s QUINCY UNIVERSITY HAWKS. The Fighting Saints notched an authoritative 41-26 upset win. 
D3 OVER D2 – An NCAA Division Three team borrowed a page from the NAIA yesterday by upsetting a D2 team. The 15th ranked UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN AT OSHKOSH TITANS traveled to face the Division Two team called the LINCOLN (MO) BLUE TIGERS. A 7-7 Halftime tie wound up as a 17-7 victory for the Titans. 
NUMBER EIGHT TAKES A FALL – In NCAA Division Two the VALDOSTA STATE BLAZERS visited the number 8 team in the nation – the UNIVERSITY OF WEST ALABAMA TIGERS. The Blazers put the Tigers on Upset Alert by Halftime with a 35-14 lead, then after the break they coasted to a 58-24 triumph. 
… AND NUMBER NINE CAME TUMBLING AFTER – Also in D2 the COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES OREDIGGERS welcomed the country’s 9th ranked COLORADO STATE AT PUEBLO THUNDER WOLVES. A 21-14 1st Quarter advantage for the Orediggers remained unchanged at the Half. From there Colorado School of Mines outscored the Thunder Wolves 14-7 to win the game 35-21. 
As much as I love The Prisoner there is no denying that even at a mere 17 episodes the series had a few duds. In my opinion there are three installments that could be eliminated completely because they do not serve the overall premise or don’t serve it well. 
THE GIRL WHO WAS DEATH – Talk about burying the lede! This episode completely glosses over the horrifying revelation that there are children in the Village. That’s right, we learn that there are CHILDREN in the Village! 
I have been getting a lot of readers asking me to review some of the more recent releases from major studios. Balladeer’s Blog regulars know that I tend to focus on incredibly obscure items or hilariously bad movies from decades ago. 
SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY – Thankfully someone FINALLY addressed the elephant in the room of the Star Wars universe: the origin of Han Solo’s last name. 
Brandon Straka, one of millions of us former Democrats who left that party over its growing intolerance and fascism, was banned by Facebook. This latest act of political intolerance from Facebook comes while Straka is trying to organize a March on Wahington. 
REMEMBER THERE ARE ALTERNATE SITES LIKE MEWE.COM, GAB.AI, MINDS.COM and so many others that are not Democrat organs. Plus you can use INFOGALACTIC.COM instead of the Democrat outlet Wikipedia. And do searches through DuckDuckGo instead of the fascistic g****e. 
GHOSTWATCH (1992) – This was a British made for t.v. movie that aired on Halloween Night in 1992. Ghostwatch is a nice – albeit boring – little novelty item for the way it anticipated the paranormal “reality” (LMAO) shows of today. 
Episode Title: 
This Number Two is on very thin ice with the Board after the way he failed to stop the Prisoner and the traitorous Number Twelve from sabotaging two of the most crucial devices advancing the Villagekeepers’ conspiracy. Frequently chugging milk for his ulcer, he anxiously hopes to recover some favor and credibility by at last maneuvering Number Six into admitting why he resigned from British Intelligence. 
Dialogue makes it clear that Number Two is forcing Number Fourteen to proceed more quickly than she would like onto a human subject for her combined drug & electronic method of monitoring dreams of sleeping primates. As always on The Prisoner these reminders that humans are basically animals, too, serve like Rousseau’s “Noble Savage” metaphor for humanity. 
TRUMP THE PRESS – This hilariously wry book covers de facto Third Party President Donald Trump’s successful march to the nomination in 2016. Things never change as you’re reminded of how even back then the deranged and hopelessly biased corporate media predicted the Donald’s destruction DAY. AFTER. DAY. 
TRUMP THE ESTABLISHMENT – Surber’s next book detailed the presidential election of 2016 in which Donald Trump defeated the Democrats, the Republican establishment of stuffy white guys in suits AND America’s corporate media. 
FAKE NEWS FOLLIES OF 2017 – Surber kept the hits coming with this look at President Trump’s saving of the economy, relief of the working class and the poor and the continuing propaganda war waged against him by the increasingly shrill and demented American media. 
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