Interesting quote from "Snuff", Sir Terry's penultimate Discworld novel ...

[eppur_se_muova]

... You know, usually when I'm talking to young officers such as yourself I say that in a certain type of case, you should always follow the money, you should ask 'Who stands to lose? Who stands to gain?' ... But sometimes you should follow the arrogance ... You should look for those who can't believe that the law would ever catch them, who believe that they act out of a right that the rest of use do not have. The job of the officer of the law is to let them know that they are wrong!

Though published in 2011, it seems to have been written with today's "leaders" in mind.

[blogslut]

1. Sheilding my eyes from the quote

I am slow-reading that book because it's the last one I've yet to read and if I finish that means sad things.

[eppur_se_muova]

2. Understood. But no spoilers, really. It's a Sam Vimes story so you know crimes will be involved.

Other than that, it doesn't give away anything.

[blogslut]

3. Aww

The first Pratchett I read was 'Night Watch'. He hooked me then and there.

[sir pball]

5. Yeah, I didn't read

The Shepherd's Crown until about six months ago. I will say though, that after I finished, it was a lot easier to re-read them, and much more joyously entertaining, as it should be.

RIP Sir Terry

[sir pball]

4. Funny, I just re-read that last week.

You sure you want them to get off as easy as Gravid?

[eppur_se_muova]

6. Remember, that was the Vetinarian solution. We haven't institutionalized the role of tyrant.

Not yet.

[sir pball]

7. I like Havelock quite a bit. He's a very good ruler for his situation.

I mean, the "Vetinarian" (I really like that adjective and shall use it) response to the goblin enslavement is to make moves that end up getting them recognized as sapients. That's hardly tyrannical. Sure, he's the Absolute authority but he's hardly running a representative democracy, he has influential and powerful families and Guilds to juggle - and he's really not a bad guy, at least as far as Patricians go. He wouldn't be nearly as fond of the very, very Good Sam Vimes if he (Havelock) were more like, say, Lord Winder (who strikes me as VERY Trump-esque; give Night Watch a reread and pay attention to Findthee Swing).

[Hekate]

8. I find Sir Terry to be deeply wise and insightful. Thanks for reminding me to re-read Snuff.

I first read Jingo during the runup to BushCheney's invasion of Iraq, and it seemed so extremely topical that I had to check to pub date to see if it hadn't been written just for the occasion.

Sometimes you should follow the arrogance...

GNU Terry Pratchett

[sir pball]

9. Jingo's got my favorite Terry quote.

It was so much easier to blame it on Them. It was bleakly depressing to think that They were Us. If it was Them, then nothing was anyone's fault. If it was us, what did that make Me? After all, I'm one of Us. I must be. I've certainly never thought of myself as one of Them. No one ever thinks of themselves as one of Them. We're always one of Us. It's Them that do the bad things.