One of my favorite genres of fiction is the sea story. Especially the stories of sailing ships in the 17th and 18th centuries that have become more and more popular these days to the point that they make multi-million dollar movies about them. Great authors like C.S. Forrester and Patrick O'Brian write rousing tales of adventure and derring do that are great page turners. In particular I enjoy the work of Douglas Reeman who writes under the pen name of Alexander Kent and has a wonderful series of books called the "Bolithio" series. It traces the career of a British naval officer from a lowly midshipman to becoming an admiral. It basically cribs from Admiral Nelsons career although Nelson makes a few brief cameo spots and it is a lot of fun and highly recommended series for youse guys to read.
Now there are a lot of conventions in these types of books. The cruel Captain Bligh types who have their men whipped at the slightest notice. The solid yeoman who are pressed into service but become loyal and self-sacrificing members of the crew. They young impressionable midshipman who idolize the hero and grow up to be captains themselves. And one of the most common conventions is the "False Flag."
Now the false flag is when an enemy ship sails up to you with your country's flag displayed and then at the last minute changes it to the enemy and starts lobbing cannon balls at you. Now you can't tell which ship is which by the designs or types of ship because they were constantly getting captured as prizes and incorporated into the other nations navy. So it can be a surprise when you think someone is something they are not. You always have to be ready for that. Or they can blow you out of the water.
I hate false flag operations.
The ones I hate in particular are the people who claim to be something they are not to get some reflected glory off of a particular profession or life experience. The guy in the bar who pretends to be a fireman after 911 to pick up girls. The dude who pretends to be a producer or director to hit on people. The blogger who pretends to be a fashionista who will promote you but really only wants free stuff. And most of all the lowlife who pretends to have served in the armed forces as a vet.
Back in the day I used to hang out in the Quiet Man and the owner Eddie loved to pretend he was a former Green Beret who had injured his hip parachuting into Vietnam. When in fact he was an ex-cop who got hit by a taxicab on 42nd St. He would tell these long involved bullshit stories about his experiences and you would listen and then go "But Eddie that was the plot of "China Beach" last night." It got really tiresome and after a while you got tired of arguing and when he started his bullshit you would just drink up and go somewhere else.
Recently I was in a bistro and someone was pulling a false flag operation where they pretended to be a Mom of a service member. I called them on it and pointed out the many inconsistencies and lies in a very pointed manner. Nothing gets me more pissed off than someone who tries to use the military to pretend that they are vets or that they have family members serving. Time and again we have people claiming to be something they are not to get their insane views some credibility in some insane way. It was total and complete bullshit and I jumped on it with both feet.
But then a crazy thing happened. The bartender threw me out without really knowing or understanding what was happening. Now they were either lazy or stupid. I am betting on lazy as this bartender is famous for being lazy. You know that type. Who think you came to the bar because of them and not because of the other people in the bar. So the bartender went on a rampage and threw me out of the bar. Now this is a person who leaves dirty glasses on the bar and cigarettes on the floor and crap and debris and just never cleans up the mess. But now all of a sudden they want to set up what the customers can talk about. How about that?
So now you get faced with a decision. Do you go back to the bar where this kind of shit is happening? Or do you drink up and take your business elsewhere? I kept going to the Quiet Man because it was on the corner of my office but that is not the case here. So maybe it is time to just drink up and go somewhere else. Many of the regulars at this joint have already done that. In fact when I see them they ask me why I still go there. And you know I am starting to wonder.
You see I never sail under a false flag.
