Republican Governors Pay Homage To Guy Fawkes.
The Republican Governors Association has embraced the symbolism of Fawkes, launching a rather striking website, RememberNovember.com, with a video that showcases far more Hollywood savvy than one can usually expect from Republicans. Again, the Fawkes tale has been twisted a bit. This time, President Obama plays the roll of King James, the Democratic leadership is Parliament, and the Republican Party represents the aggrieved Catholic mass.
Enlighten us?
Guy Fawkes, a disgruntled Catholic, attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament back in 1605. His gang nearly pulled it off but were grassed up and then executed in the manner of the time – by being hung, drawn and quartered (according to Wikipedia they were castrated, disembowelled, and then quartered – while fully conscious.)
Every November 5th the people of the UK remember this failed attempt to assassinate the king and parliament by setting off fireworks and lighting bonfires on which an effigy of Fawkes (called ‘the Guy’) is burned. We call this ‘Bonfire Night’ and it’s rather fun (assuming you like fireworks that is) – kind of like your 4th of July. It’s a really big deal over here – my daughter is only 6 but she has been taught about The Gunpowder Plot in school already. She even knows the rhyme:
“Remember remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot.”
When I was a kid we used to make a Guy, stick it in a wheelbarrow and wander round asking people ‘a penny for the Guy’.
Aggrieved Catholic mass? Not sure about that. History isn’t my strong point (my father is a history nut so I’ll check) but I’m pretty sure previous monarchs had done their level best to stamp out Catholicism altogether and Britain was officially Protestant (Henry VIII had split from Rome so he could divorce his wife about 60 years before Fawkes.) I’d wager that no-one dared admit to being a Catholic and that they were in the minority. It wasn’t a pleasant time to be a Catholic in England. Wars were fought over Britain’s split from Rome.
Had the plot succeeded then Britain would possible be a very different country as it would of almost certainly meant a Catholic resurgence and this would of changed our relationship with The Vatican, Spain, France, etc.
Did you see the film ‘V for Vendetta’? That’s heavy on Fawkes imagery!
After the recent MP’s expenses scandal in the UK there are a lot of people that would love to see Parliament reduced to smoking ruins but it’s usually hijacked by the right who see Fawkes as some form of freedom fighter.
Basically the Republicans are saying they’d like to see your centre of government blown to smithereens, killing Obama and as many Democrats as possible in the process. They are advocating sedition and terrorism and, had Democrats said this about Bush 5 years ago, the very same Republicans would be frothing at the mouth and calling for them to be thrown into prison. Pretty fucked up really.