A Boost For The Liberal Windmill Tilters! Inspiration From Don Quixote!

DistressedAmerican

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Sun Aug-07-05 04:37 PM
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A Boost For The Liberal Windmill Tilters! Inspiration From Don Quixote!

Edited on Sun Aug-07-05 05:30 PM by DistressedAmerican

I have loved this print by Jose Posada for many, many years. Why it never occurred to me to use it in a graphic before today I can not say.

It once served as the masthead image for the independent paper I started to refute the lies of the heavily censored official school paper that I was editing and left. I think I have always hated "THE MAN".

If you are unfamiliar it is called The Skeleton Of Quixote and depicts the extremely idealistic Don Quixote De La Mancha riding furiously into battle against an army of skeletal enemies.

The point being that he NEVER stopped fighting for what he believed in even in death. While, our hero is made out to be a bit mad (much like myself) he continues his quest for justice in the face of insurmountable odds. He is dashed to the ground again and again tilting at the giants. He wins a battle for himself. The battle to stay forever true to the values he cherishes.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have much to learn from this eccentric old man from Miguel de Cervantes's great book.

It is quite long. But in this spirit of this new graphic and all that it means, I thought I'd give you a few quotes from the book. They had meaning to me. Some how intended and others a meaning of my own making.

I hope you find them and this new graphic inspirational. The week begins again and the battle continues...

"Knights errant are exempt from the application of all laws and statutes, that for them law is their sword, statutes are their spirit, and edicts and proclamations are their will and desire." Volume 1, Chapter 45, pg. 314

"I think and believe that I'm enchanted, and this satisfies my conscience, for it would weigh heavily upon me, if I believed I wasn't enchanted and had let myself be locked up in this crate like a lazy coward." Volume 1, Chapter 49, pg. 333

"Although it's true I'm pretty clever, and I'm something of a rascal, but all that's well hidden under this always easy and natural disguise of behaving like a fool." Volume 2, Chapter 8, pg. 399

"I tell you, when it comes to asking stupid questions and giving crazy answers, I don't need to go looking for help from my neighbors." Volume 2, Chapter 22, pg. 476

"'By God and my conscience,' responded the Devil, 'I paid no attention to him, for my mind was so busy with so many things that, for the moment, I'd almost forgotten what I was up to.'"
'Clearly,' said Sancho, 'this devil must be both a good man and a good Christian, or he'd never have sworn "By God and my conscience," I begin to see that, even in Hell, there must be decent people.'" Volume 2, Chapter 34, pg. 545

"Jokers find that they're the ones being fooled." Volume 2, Chapter 49, pg. 615

"...that wouldn't be so bad, if I have to cure the world's problems by being everybody's scapegoat." Volume 2, Chapter 69, pg. 724

"...has won the battle with himself, and that according to what he's told me, is the greatest victory anyone could want." Chapter 72, pg. 737

And If Those Don't Move Ya There's Always:

"Ah, ah, now I understand you, Sancho! Oh yes, lots of times, and I feel it coming right now. Get me out of this pickle, because it's already pretty messy in here!" Volume 1, Chapter 49, pg. 333

As Always Feel Free To Spread this Image Far And Wide. Have Some Liberal Buddies That Could Use A Monday Morning Ralling Cry?

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I worked hard as hell on this one. I believe I got the motion right. Phew...