The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
    Richard Day's picture

    CANTERBURY TALES

    eFile:Geoffrey Chaucer (17th century).jpg

                Portrait of Chaucer from the 17th century

    Lo, such it is when watch and ward do cease,

    And one grows negligent with flattery.

    But you that hold this tale a foolery,

    As but about a fox, a cock, a hen,

    Yet do not miss the moral, my good men.

    For Saint Paul says that all that's written well

    Is written down some useful truth to tell.

    Then take the wheat and let the chaff lie still.

    And now, good God, and if it be Thy will,

    As says Lord Christ, so make us all good men

    And bring us into His high bliss. Amen.

     

     

    Tis time to go on a pilgrimage methinks, across the great new world.

    The twelve pilgrims of this short tale came from the various and sundry places. They all seek the land of Vindication, hoping to reap monetary rewards along the way through contacts with the higher levels in the multitude. The road is long but the opportunities for reward are great in number and extent.

    THEY SEEK TO REACH THE 2012 REPUB CONVENTION IN STYLE!!!

    THE CHARACTERS

     

    Sister Sara is astride her fine mule she refers to as Clint; she explains the moniker from the fact that Clint's best facet is that facing eastward while he proceeds to the west. While a virgin she is not, Sara found the Christ as the fine Carthaginian Priest banished the evil spirits from her impure corporate shell and instilled the Angel of Light as shall be expounded upon in a coming chapter. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqRTtkEHrA4


            EXCERPTS

    I was the product of a pagan upbringing. And I came to find the Lord through a priest of great piety.  After finding Christ through this sacred Moor I looked for others to follow me.

    We gathered with our followers at tables and wrote down compelling ideas to help our people prosper.

    These ideas are for sale by way of contribution.

    So be sure to sign my great list and become a member of our guild and you will receive our sacred writings containing our holy ideas.

     

    Brother Mitthew the Roman ( known as The Fortunate Son) claims to be from a twelfth tribe with golden tablets that the Yeoman claims but icons. But Mithew treasures the yellow stone pages as providing him the proof of his allegiance to the Christ and the lately known holies like St. Ronald of Reagan and St. John of Wayne. Mitthew rides his faithful steed Marmute but drags along Macaca, his faithful ass to carry all of his merchant's wealth.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBfjU3_XOaA

                  EXCERPTS

    The health of our people is at issue. The plagues are coming and we must deal with them as they come along. I have icons and sacred bones and sacred relics from the Holy Lands.

    Please sign the list now so that later you may purchase these objects to make you safe from the evil demons that shall scratch at your throats and burn  your inners.

     

    Senor Coburno of the Badlands claims that his origins arise from a long line of blue bloods with oil in their veins and self sufficiency in their hearts.  Although he constantly seeks sustenance from others along the trail (including Father Steel) he steadfastly refuses to share his possessions on the basis of capital sovereignty which no other traveler understands but accede to in order to escape his horrid breath.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXzbmPARO9k

                 EXCERPTS

    I want to send a couple of messages to my colleagues in the Great Houses.

    If you voted no and you vote yes, and you lose your house, don't blame me.
    Number two is, if you get a deal, a parochial deal for you or your household, I've already instructed my staff and the staff of seven other aristocrats that we will look at every appropriations bill, at every level, at every instance, and we will outline it by district, and we will associate that with the buying of your vote. So, if you think you can cut a deal with me now, you have another thing  coming.

     

    Sir Newt of the Gingers (known as The Lizard) rides the finest of stallions and wears the most expensive of cloaks. A knight with many wives and a multitude of servants (or so he says), Sir Newt seeks the Holy Grail of pollsters who will eventually heal him of his mortal wounds once he confesses his many sins. The great knight claims bloodlines from the Southern Lands but hails with a distinct Northern accent; probably achieved through teachers of oratory in order to aid him in the sale of manure he is constantly manufacturing on his estates. He continually mourns the loss of honor in a wicked world that fails to educate its sons. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s60hOgqLFGg

              EXCERPTS

     It is great to be here and I would give great nods and kudos to Yeoman Haley to whom I owe much.

    I once proposed contracts with the people of this great land, but those contracts must not be constructed by esquires who seek to confound the people with confounding language. And the Yeoman proved my point by signing onto contracts that were drafted by those knowledgeable in the land and not just vagaries of the law.

    The current Sire has a machine, a people eating machine with no more patronage to the Christ, our Lord & Savior than the heathens who attack us. Laws are passed that are constructed by lawyers. The first thing we must do is kill all of the lawyers. And taxes are unduly burdensome and we must abolish all taxes after we kill all of the esquires. Our lands are bedridden by plagues and such never witnessed for centuries past because of our leaders and their besmirching our faith in  our God.

     

    Yeoman Haley of the Confederacy (known as 'The Barber' of  Olmiss) speaks with the twang of the Southern Lands that Sir Newt eschewed long ago. This Yeoman is great with his hands and is involved in the practice of reasonability to the extreme. He executes prisoners as a part time occupation but does so without mask or cover having learned to smile and yell 'JUSTICE' as he cleaves the head clean from its body.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMHyovwX7JM

                 EXCERPTS

    I would be the last to condemn slavery. Nobody cares diddley about these matters.  Slavery is an institution that nobody likes and yet slaves are something that we have always needed. Who else will clean out the chamber pots?  Being a slave is a bad thing unless you take into your heart and soul the Holy Spirit. A cloth mask helps with the pots however.

     

    Lord DeMont of the Minted Carolinians (known as 'the Demon') sees himself as the great warrior and defender of the Great White Hopes, a band of nomads in the Southern Lands.  Although he wishes to become the Lord of Hosts, he considers himself the leading lord where ever he roams. He feigns true courage in the face of threats; he doth wear swaddling clothes beneath his armor--just in case. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB_qmRjetdE

                EXCERPTS

     Many of our rulers are busy counting their money and levying more taxes and failing to do their duties to the people. I think it is time for us to stop the rulers from taking our lands. It is time for our rulers to give those lands back; back to the lords and ladies who deserve it so that they may help their peasants by granting them more root vegetables.

    With a stroke of the pen these tyrants rule

     

    Lady Michelle of the Soto Mines (known as the Bachman Overdrive) rides a great white mare called Ignorance and seeks the Prior of Reasonne, the lover who left her to fend for herself.  This Lady finally wed into a fortune by her husband Lord  Strauss and brings with her the Chief of the Guards, Sir Pawlento the Bad. Justice is what Lady Michelle seeks and justice is what Lady Michelle never seems to find.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKvee-w0uBc

                EXCERPTS

    The King has issued an edict, an ultimatum if you will, ordering a huge army to envelope our great land and to seek answers to questions from all our people. The King is seeking information that is none of his business. These questions should be answered only with the Corporate Seal and not the seal of tyrants.

       

    Sir Pawlento, (known as The Boreass) sychophant to the Lady Michelle, once sought greater wealth and power and came to be conquered by the Lord Strauss. This purple knight weighs his options as well as the keepsakes of his mistress and feigns great joy at whatever she might say. Since no one can surmise this knight's thoughts from scanning his facial gestures, no one is the wiser.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNRREguqHgs

                EXCERPTS

     Yeah, what she said.

     

    Michael the Moor (known as the Man of Steal) rides the once great Steed Repub seeking to amass great fortune amongst the mercantile classes so that one day he may purchase a knighthood. The Moor bows down to the aristocracy, secretly sneering at their Miracle of Birth and hoping for a day when Moors may rule the less democratic of the earth. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAa5rP64YbQ

                EXCERPTS

    I may only be a Moor but I need the best of all carriages. I am not a pegan for I have found my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ and I am a big man with a lot to do and I NEED A BIGGER  CHARIOT.

     

     

    Rush the Jester (known as The Festerous Boor) has amassed riches beyond the dreams of most in this pilgrimage. This Jester has appeared in many of the richest courts in the land and brings great joy to rulers and their advisors. This festerous boor seeks fame and wealth whilst feigning faith in some integrated philosophy, Rush the Jester entertains those who must distain all that they survey. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XSvsFgvWr0&feature=fvst

               EXCERPTS

     I HAVE A DREAM. I dreamt that there were no taxes for the richest of us. I dreamt that the rich could do anything they wished any time and not worry about others; because with a true belief in God, the God fearing man may well know that the poor will always be with us and they are a job for God, not the govement.

    I HAVE A DREAM. That the angrier I can make some people, the more money I make and the less money other people have.


    Sir Rover of Dover (known as Karl with Snarl) seeks to emulate a story teller of old with tales of great deeds accomplished in war and peace by his old Lord, King Busher. Karl with his snarl, seeks riches beyond those of his class but his true goal is to infuse a new belief in his deceased lord and in himself as chief advisor.  King Busher called him the rattler. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UU-FhSyNT5I

     

              EXCERPTS

     

    Talkin about my lord, my lord, my lord. Lord Bush was the best of the best and I made it so. Where there was once no hope there is no hope now but there was at the time a hope that one day there would be hope and now those days are gone.  For those who do not agree I would say that the facts are simply at odds with reality.


    These twelve apostles of the truth shall forge ahead in their search for fame and riches hoping against hope not to murder each other in the dark of night.