Friday Fictioneers is hosted by the wonderful Rochelle, the undisputed master of what I call Sound Bite Fiction.
She sets the weekly challenge, and the standard.
Which drops dramatically with this week’s photo prompt!
Sorry, Ted.
The idea, as always, is to write a story of around 100 words based on the picture, below.
© Ted Strutz
Stupidity
Do you know the definition of stupidity?
No, not Donald Trump, I do not comment on another country’s politics.
Instead it is the Westminster government’s plan for world peace.
They are currently pushing ahead with an upgrade to Trident, the (not quite) United Kingdom’s nuclear weapon system.
At a currently estimated cost of £20 billion.
Likely to be closer to £100 billion.
This is supposedly a deterrent to all the bad guys out there.
Ask the people of London, Paris, Madrid, Copenhagen, and now Brussels just how well this is working.
My opinion?
It is all going down the toilet.
20 billion? They are flush with funds, the weapons manufacturers are doing well these days,
Very gripping and thought provoking story indeed.
Thank you for sharing this.
And thank you for reading, and for your comment.
The first two lines made me laugh so much that I had trouble reading on, but then I didn’t laugh any more. Very scary, very true.
Yes, sorry about that, but it is not easy to be funny in these circumstances.
Thank you for visiting and commenting, dear lady.
Sort of like flowers in a toilet. Nice segue into a stinging indictment.
Thank you, Joseph
A very well timed piece to reflect upon the methods of our government. I am with Jeremy Corbyn when it comes to talking about Trident. That’s just me, though.
No, Angie, it is not just you.
But, sadly,this is business, so humanity is irrelevant, or perhaps merely inconvenient.
Well, I wondered how you were going to tie it all in. Nicely done!
Thank you, Perry
So, send the U.N. a bowl of flowers with my compliments. Like they say in the plumbers trade, “As in poker, a royal flush is better than a full house.”
Keep papering the cracks and use the “stationery” to write your lawyer, too.
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment.
Ronald Reagan called them “Peacekeepers”. While it may (or may not) deter countries like North Korea from acting out, nuclear power has little impact on the shadow wars that have been waged for decades. Instead of creating newer and bigger weapons, we might want to figure out how to stop wanting to kill each other.
As the others have mentioned, this was a poignant and timely story. Well done.
My thoughts exactly, good sir.
Thank you for your kind words.
Yep! So true. Timely bit and nicely done.
Thank you, Caerlynn.
I can’t agree more … what is another nuclear missile going to do against guerrilla type warfare. Such a waste.
An exercise in futility, Georgia.
It serves only one purpose, to help the rich get richer.
Yes, I’m afraid you’re right about that.
Poignant point well argued. These are desperate times
Indeed, Mick.
Thank you for your comment.
Haha! Nice piece and commentary on US politics, and especially British one’s. I didn’t know that was happening in Britain and I would have to agree with you what exactly are we doing to deter terrorism, because bigger weapons of mass destruction don’t seem to be working.
Only an idiot could imagine that a nuclear deterrent can work in this situation.
Thank you, Mandibelle.
I can comment on American politics and we are certainly due for a flush or two.
I agree about the weapons being wrong for the job at hand.
Tracey
Thank you, Tracey.
Great title for this week’s entry, C.E. Stupidity and insanity are subjects I know little of, but I have been accused of being prone to lunacy. I don’t think nuclear weapons are the answer. Perhaps we should bombard ISIS with bacon as I hear pork works like Kryptonite.
Anyone who thinks nuclear weapons are the answer is, I believe, asking the wrong question.
Perhaps we should stop bombarding?
Although it is necessary to have knowledgeable people in these types of positions I think there comes a time when fresh ideas, that go against the status quo are called for. Now if we can just get “them” to listen.
Knowledgeable people sounds like a wonderful concept.
Unfortunately we are stuck with the stupidity of Cameron and his cronies.
Great topical subject. I am definitely in agreement with you on this. Well done.
Thank you, Lily.
And here I thought Trident was nothing more than a brand of gum that four out of five dentists recommend.
Chilling commentary on today’s global situation. I personally have some very strong opinions about David Cameron, even though I am a U.S. citizen (my paternal great grandparents came from the Isle of Wight (by way of London) to Massachusetts just over a century ago, and I keep up with happenings in the Motherland almost as well as with happenings here in the U.S. But my sound bite has extended beyond an appropriate length, so I will leave you with all my strongest wishes of hope and worldwide peace.
Shalom, Namaste, Peace (and a little chicken grease to keep everything properly lubricated),
Marie Gail
Thank you, Marie Gail.
Sadly I feel your wishes, however strong, will be of no avail.
Well said.
Thank you, Alicia.
Well done CE. Timely and pertinent.
Thank you.
And Graham too, of course.
Wow. EVERYONE should read this.
Thank you, feel free to share it however you choose.
Thanks
Well done CE. I can only admire your passion and the courage to speak it.
Well crafted protest my peaceable friend.
We use the voice we have, Em, it is all any of us can do.
A fab and very relevant take on the prompt, couldn’t agree more with you! Well done Ceayr 🙂
Thank you, Heidi, you are very kind.
Perfect timing for this essay. And I have to agree with you. The present way of “handling” these horrid events is not working, yet “they” keep doing the same thing over and over. Kind of like that definition of insanity….
Thank you, Dale.
It seems to me we are fighting the wrong war with the wrong weapons.
Could not agree more…
More an essay than a story, but kudos for delivering an essay in 100 words
Guilty as charged.
But some things are more important than rules.
Thank you for visiting and taking the time to comment.
I couldn’t agree more.
Thank you, Claire.
5 stars, Mr. Ayr. A great take on this prompt!
Thank you, ma’am.
I am happy you enjoyed.
Indeed it is all going down the drain.
Sadly, it does seem that way.
Who’s to say that without that deterrent, we might have all been flushed down the toilet, digested, treated, processed and spread out across the fields already? Who will ever know? I certainly don’t. All I know is that there are enough madmen out there in this world to see us all off, a hundred times or more.
It seems we disagree on WMDs, Sandra.
But thank you, as always, for your visit.
Dear CE.
I’ve dropped the standard? I’m bowled over and flushed. In loo of a comment on UK politics, I’ll say America’s politics are certainly down the toilet. Apt story for the times and sophisticated photo prompt.
Shalom,
Rochelle
What I like most about FF is how it highlights the variant usage of our common language.
In Scotland, at least, sophisticated has a quite different meaning.
I reserve comment on your puns, lest I find the need to paper over the cracks.