It’s Always Darkest Before Dawn

Posted on by Sarah A. Hoyt

It’s always darkest before dawn is a funny statement. Is it? The few times I’ve been awake before dawn, it was a gradual lightening, so actually it was a little lighter, though I grant you it might appear darker, in the shadows, in comparison to the growing light.

Yes, that is a fine example of how my mind works. It’s also very relevant to our situation, because a lot of the things that people freak out about in societal and political matters are only visible because we have the net, and we have social media where we can talk back (thank you Elon) and we can see how dark things are in spots because they’re getting light in others.

For contrast see Europe where they’re sleep walking in utter darkness and don’t seem to notice anything is wrong.

But that’s not the point of this post. Or perhaps it is — sorry, I slept about four hours, and once this is up, I’m going to nap — because we are now in a changed information landscape, one for which none of us, not even broadly speaking the two political sides (there’s more than that, but broadly) have any referent or any model.

Which means that you can’t really know what will result from this or that, and only fools think they do. However, due to the fact things are changing towards greater individual knowledge and information (not to mention choice) technologically, the collectivists keep getting their asses handed to them by what they think are their greatest victories.

In a way Wile E. Coyote has become their spirit animal. Their plans are ever more elaborate and infallible. And they bite the planners in the *ss every time.

I’m writing this today because of Virginia yesterday. Fraud? Stupidity? I don’t know. And yes, there will be legal cases, but– Given that and the willful stalling of the SAVE act it’s putting the midterms in jeopardy.

Which normally wouldn’t freak me out AT ALL because well, it’s two years, we’ll come back. Except that the left is so rabidly insane, two years can be near lethal, and also they’ll try to rig everything so they never lose again, and so much of our electoral map is already f*cked beyond belief. And they really are going to try to push for executions and who knows what this time.

BUT then again, they already wanted to criminalize opposition during the reign of the auto-pen. And they wanted to do all manner of horrible things to us. Mostly they managed to do horrible economic damage to the point I was wondering if we’d survive, and we’re relatively economically secure with no kids in the house. And even if they don’t steal any more elections for a while, it’s going to take a long time to come back from it. Worse if they get another turn at the levers.

On the other hand, guys, I was pretty despondent and broken after watching the 2020 election stolen. If I could go back, would I go and fix that, given the power?

Not on your life. As much as it hurt and as much as it cost us, it changed the political landscape completely. Without 2020 2024 and everything that happened since would be impossible. It was their rigging of a color revolution that revealed who they are to a point everything changed.

Will it suck living tadpoles if they win the midterms? Oh, heck, don’t get me started. I saw my beloved Colorado stolen and despoiled.

Will it be the end?

I doubt it. Their time has passed. The tech is ranked against them. And they’re snakebit, anyway. Reality fights on our side, and they can’t find reality with two hands and a seeing eye dog.

It will be tough. Horrible. But it might prove their final undoing.

Be not afraid.

It’s always darkest before dawn.

Go light a fire.

94 thoughts on “It’s Always Darkest Before Dawn”

  1. Hah, I saw your headline and was about to complain that the stupid cliche is exactly wrong, and lo, that was your point after all. (Sticks hands back in pockets. Guess I can’t complain about that, can I?)

    I agree with you about the FICUS interregnum. If Trump had merely been reelected in 2020 as he should have been, I don’t think he would have had the time and energy to see how to keep his new administration from being sabotaged by Washington insiders.

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    2. I think the crux of the issue with this metaphor is that dawn is actually a drawn-out process that takes hours, but everyone tends to picture it as a singular event, as if suddenly the sun rises and the darkness becomes light all at once. Before the dawning process begins, it is indeed very, very dark. You won’t even notice it getting lighter at first because it’s so gradual. And then there’s the wolf-light (is that the proper term? came across it in Cornwell’s Richard Sharpe novels), where you can see, but everything’s still very gray and dim, the sun won’t be up for a good while yet, and what you’ll probably notice most is what you *can’t* see yet. (No ’tisms here, no-siree; just your garden variety pedantry.) :)

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      1. BMNT. Before Morning Nautical Twilight, just before that first hint of the light of dawn appears on the horizon. AKA Oh-Dark-Thirty. AKA The time before God gets up.

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      4. There are three twilights:

        Astronomical, where the lowest magnitude stars cease to be visible. (or are not yet visible, at sunset.)

        Nautical, when you can make out the horizon

        Civil, when you can see things clearly. Like, who was the guy who was breaking into the house.

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        2. There is also an effect called zodiacal lights (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiacal_light) seen best in season near the equinoxes. It looks like very faint triangles in the east. You need a VERY dark sky and very dark adjusted eyes. it is probably an order of magnitude less intense than the Milky Way (which itself is hard to see in most suburban areas). It is formed by dust in the Trojan points reflecting light from the sun that is still well below the horizon. I’ve seen it once, it really is quite startling as it isn’t anything you expect unless you live in a very rural area and are up at 2-3 hours before sunrise regularly.

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  2. With credit to J.R.R.Tolkien and Christopher Tolkien, I prefer “‘Aurë entuluva! Day shall come again!’:

    “Last of all Húrin stood alone. Then he cast aside his shield, and wielded an axe two-handed; and it is sung that the axe smoked in the black blood of the troll-guard of Gothmog until it withered, and each time that he slew Húrin cried ‘Aurë entuluva! Day shall come again!’ Seventy times he uttered that cry; but they took him at last alive.”

    —J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, “Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad”

    Okay, maybe not that very last line, as the left may have the morals of a Morgoth, but nowhere near the brains or power.

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      1. I probably, nay definitely, can’t swing an axe. But I am totally up for stabbing the back of some fell being’s knee with a dagger from behind.

        I’d most likely to have already tripped over my tennis shoes and be laying on the ground anyway.

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    2. The lack of Morgoth’s brains and power can only be seen as a good thing, given what happened to Hurin after his capture.

      /sigh

      About the only good that can be said about that is that Morgoth’s curse on Hurin’s line ended up costing him one of his most capable subordinates in the being of Glaurung. I’m not at all surprised that one of Tolkiens ideas (subsequently dropped) was for Turin to eventually return and finish off Morgoth.

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    1. “Its always darkest before…”

      (Turns on -very- bright tactical mini-flashlight)

      “…before smartass here turns on the phaser beam.”

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  5. fren, I was just thinking that there are so many relatively novel plays being made, that forecasting the game of this cycle is beyond me. Exactly because of Virginia.

    Of course, my reaction is not entirely independent from yours. Whatever correlation between our views would tend to motivate me to continue to self select myself here.

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  7. One thing I can say is it always COLDEST right AFTER dawn. A couple years leaving for work at 5 AM tells me that.

    So even if something seems at its lowest ebb, it might be the tide has already turned but the wave hasn’t come in yet.

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  8. One of the things that’s blown my mind is discovering that the left is doing the same thing everywhere. Same playbook, same cries, everything, against wildly different cultures and peoples.

    And it has worked to date because everyone thought it was just them.

    Then there is the revelation of everything the SPLC has been finding and doing over the last several years. It is horrific, yet, at the same time, it is all jamming as many fingers in the dikes as they can manage. Same with Virginia. And the exit taxes, and everything else they’ve done over the last few years.

    At this point, I don’t think they can actually stop their losing power short of erasing, well, everyone. But I’m also not sure they wouldn’t try amyway.

    They accuse Trump of reaching for nukes when they say he is losing in Iran. Makes me wonder if it is because they would, or will, in that position.

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      1. Plus you have two groups of religious fanatics, with one group vehemently denying it (green/progressive/LBGT-whatever) and the other group proudly proclaiming it. Both, of course, plan on betraying their “ally,” as soon as they gain power.

        Lot of black-pilling going on out there. Some of it’s sincere, some of it is a psyop. Either way, hang in there. It drives both groups crazy.

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    3. They aren’t thinking that far. Or perhaps in quite that manner. This strikes me more as spaghetti thrown against the wall. Notice all the whirlwind of things that are going around, often in contradictory manner? This is panic. They want any wins they can get, from whatever sources, using any and all means possible.

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    4. Maybe they are doing the same thing everywhere because there is a single entity pulling the strings. And that entity has been using the same playbook since Adam and Eve.

      And all the sons of Adam and daughters of Eve are susceptible to the same old plays. No matter what their culture.

      I mean it does seem a little sus, amiright?

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      1. To quote from the Hun’s Poet Laureate

        As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man—
        There are only four things certain since Social Progress began:—
        That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire,
        And the burnt Fool’s bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire;

        Indeed they are following a plan that they do not perceive or confess to exist. Their master lost something like 2 millennia ago.

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    5. Indeed they are making every Republic serial type villain from Blofeld to Ming the Merciless to Emperor Palpatine to Dr Doofenshmirz look competent, cool and controlled. My one concern is that they at some point will understand precisely how screwed they are and decide if they can’t have it no one will and wreck the economy or try to start armageddon like the ridiculous twelfther Sunnis. Luckily the brahmandarins particular eschatological viewpoint doesn’t end in apocalypse but in their slow but steady climb to victory. I hope that by the time they realize they’re the ones on the wrong side of history, they’ll be as relevant as the Larper Nazis the SPLC has been supporting.

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    6. Gavin McInnes has a post up on X where he mentions that the SPLC’s puppet organizing the Charlottesville mess kept contacting him to try and get the Proud Boys to attend. McInnes wrote that he got contacted over it so many times that he reached the point where he was screaming at the guy to leave him alone.

      h/t Instapundit

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    7. It’s simple. There’s not enough actual racism to justify their existence, so they spend $millions to whip up fake racism and then beg for more money to ‘fight racism’. It’s the ultimate self-licking ice cream cone. 😡

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  9. That cliche was simply a bad translation of the theme from that popular song, “O amanhecer é a parte depois de ficar mais escuro.” But aside from that, you’re right – the dark side is under so much illumination lately that it’s beginning to sizzle and pop like Klaus Schwab’s snacks, and little wisps of smoke are curling up everywhere.

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  10. The lies of the Enemy come at increased pace and intensity. “Doom!” they say. Because they only win if we quit. Whatever minor setbacks they may arrange pale in comparison to what is coming for them. It will take a while. That just means you have more time to savor the screaming.

    Never quit.

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    1. I was laughing so hard yesterday. Some add, I believe on YT, for some politician or other. He said he would secure the elections by requiring an ID copy be sent with your mail in ballot!

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      4. “John Smith, John Jones, John Warfin, John Baker, John Smallberries, John YahYah, John Boote…..”

        “Weird. They all have the same first name.”

        “Weirder. Same street address.”

        “Don’t be Racist! Count their ballots!”

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  12. The Reader isn’t feeling so hopeful today after finding this in the midst of all the other crap the Democratic legislature rammed through this year. Spanberger actually tried to moderate this one with the governor’s amendment process (here in the Commonwealth the governor can propose changes to a passed bill that the legislature can accept or reject. If they reject it the governor has to sign or veto). Today the legislature rejected her changes.

    “Affirmative defense or reduced penalty for mental illness, neurocognitive disorder, or intellectual or developmental disability. Provides an affirmative defense to prosecution of a person for assault or assault and battery against certain specified persons for which the enhanced Class 6 felony and six-month mandatory minimum apply if such person proves, by a preponderance of the evidence, that at the time of the assault or assault and battery (i) the person’s behaviors were a result of (a) mental illness or (b) a neurocognitive disorder, including dementia, or an intellectual disability or a developmental disability such as autism spectrum disorder, as defined in the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association, or (ii) the person met the criteria for issuance of an emergency custody order.”

    https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB335?

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  14. Go light a fire.

    Emperor Nero had a useful torch design. And some of the raw material will take days to use up all the potential fuel.

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    1. I think it would definitely strike terror into the cold, black hearts of our enemies if the Horde ran at them, enmass, wielding flaming violins and shrieking to clanker music cranked to 11.

      Just a weird picture I got when thinking of Nero.

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  16. note that a court has ordered that the results in Virginia cannot be certified. unless the Virginia Supreme Court overrides him, it’s halted

    expect more court fun in the near future.

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      1. As well he should have. Some of the issues cited by the judge involved violations of the written instructions on how laws are to be passed in Virginia. This isn’t a case involving arguments over whether certain actions amount to a violation of Constitutional rights. This is a judge noting that certain processes that are spelled out plainly in black and white, and that have been followed numerous times in the past, were ignored. There can be no question of that.

        And given that, the judge’s refusal to issue a stay is correct.

        In news elsewhere in the country, one of the justices involved in the Utah redistricting trial has had some very curious and problematic (imo) revelations come to light that suggest she ought to have recused herself from that case. Unfortunately, iirc the ruling there was unanimous, so disqualifying only one justice won’t be enough to justify calls for a rehearing.

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    2. The reversion of Alexandria from DC to Virginia was to override the locals banning slavery.

      There isnt a provision in the constitution to do so. It’s one of several sketchy things Donks did before (unmentionable).

      Trump could issue an order revoking it as unconstitutional. Now a very blue part of VA is suddenly in deep blue DC. It would also require redistricting.

      Imagine the screaming.

      (grin)

      Popcorn?

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  17. I just watched “Master and Commander” for the second time, so I’m ready to pretend I’m a whaler and bring all guns to bear.

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    1. Online footage of our Iowa class battleships firing broadside also are inspiring.

      Nine 16″ diameter shells, 2200-2700 pounds each. Every 30 seconds. Out to 23 miles.

      Awesome.

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        1. The absolute obliviousness of the North Korean (probably) artillerymen in that instance is just hilarious. The artillery battery involved had 155mm guns. The heaviest common artillery pieces in American service at the time weighed in at 240mm (since retired), and 8 inches (I think this size is still in service). 155mm is the next step down.

          Heavy cruisers of the era mounted 8 inch cannons. But these were much longer cannons, that could fire armor piercing rounds. Ground artillery generally only uses high explosive rounds, which are mostly ineffective against armor (unless they score a direct hit on light armor). And again, the 155mm artillery that the Norks were using was one size down.

          Battleships of the Twentieth Century ignored rounds fired by heavy cruisers. Barring a fluke shot, they weren’t even worth considering as they’d never penetrate the armor of the battleship.

          And yet the clueless North Korean artillerymen thought they were going to hurt a battleship with their dinky little guns…

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          1. My childhood next door neighbor was a Korea and Vietnam Artilleryman.

            (Never forgave me for his son enlisting Infantry. Grin.)

            I remember his vivid stories of what various artillery would do. He particularly favored our 8″/203mm heavy artillery. He had directed everything from mortars up. But for a while in Vietnam he had access to Naval Gunfire, including Battleship.

            Time of flight was …. considerable. Usually, the first single ranging round was close enough to the target to emulsify it/them. There were occasions of urgent need where they had the ship simply fire their full broadside bracket, and thus entire formations disappeared in a hellstorm of shredded earth. One round produces a clearing sufficient for helicopter LZ use.

            He also told me some “Don’t share this one with your mother.” stories. “if you ever get to Fort (somewhere), there is this club…..”

            Rest in Peace, Bob.

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            1. The 240mm guns would have been retired from service by the time we were in Vietnam, so the 8″ stuff likely was the biggest in service he worked with.

              And yeah, naval gunfire support, particularly when battleships were involved, was freakishly powerful stuff. Water makes it both harder and easier to move very powerful guns long distances quickly when compared to land-based guns. And we’d developed excellent skill in using them during the Pacific campaign.

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            2. Usually, the first single ranging round was close enough to the target to emulsify it/them

              —

              I made a comment about ranging shots to a former artillery guy, who replied, “We didn’t need ranging shots. We had ballistic tables.”

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            1. In fairness, the artillerymen in question had likely no real concept of just what a battleship was, and what it was designed to fight against. It would have been like “The Man From Uncle” movie, when Ilya sees the aircraft carrier, and literally has no idea what he’s looking at other than “really big boat”.

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  18. So, back in 2020 ish, or probably more likely 2021, I was trying to understand the operation of Biden’s incoming regime. I understood him to be senile, and that some factions of backers wanted him in place. A model was ‘gu jar of vicious morons’. IE, that whatever coalition of factions had shares in nominating appointees, but that there is no intelligent management of those executive branch employees to keep the infighting in check, or do trades between goals.

    I feel that the current situation may want me to think about a similar model. But not identical, in some way that I do not see yet.

    I’ve done some drafting now, and basically this is a complicated multi player game, and the American regime now is partly irrational. There’s a subset that is competing internally, and is a number of individual parties gambling against each other. The Democrats still look unified, and still cosmetically do some of the previous things, but to an important extent their perceptions have splintered, and this has propagated to differences in the bets that they have placed.

    The Republican voter claim was that Biden was puppeted by Obama, or that whoever puppeted Obama was likewise Biden.

    The strategy of weak fanatics idjits in command has born more fruit. There is a lack now of an official approved leader, or of a clear successor.

    So to some extent things have devolved to the governors, the American can do mentality working for and within the Democrats to a diminished degree. But, the uncertainty does mean that a lot of individual Democrats think they have dangers and opportunities, and can do their own rise to power. And or personal stupidity losing them it, but risk takers and also sunk cost.

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    1. Chaos riding and little bands of paratroopers works depending on the basic quality.

      Actively terrible people implementing can naturally have actively terrible results.

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  20. 3RR0R! reporttt.

    I must notify The Author that there has been an error in the Great Plot. A plot leak, if you will. See, there’s a repeated section that shows up twice in the same week: once on 04/17 and again on 04/22. What, precisely, is the nature of the plot leak?

    K-thump. Miiiii!

    Same as last time. Sitting at my pc, preparing to write. Sound of kitten in a wall. But no, this couldn’t be the same wall. Oh no. This was a brand new one. (grumble cuss cuss). Open wall. Retrieve fuzz. Apply formula. Purr purr goes the little furry motor.

    Yet another Wallcat summoned from the void. Or rather, summoned from Rorschach (she’s white with a symmetrical black splotch, spitting image of Rorschach from the comics), his feral mother that creeps around down the street. Kittens in the attic? Nope, walls. Twice. In a week.

    I questioned the boys. Which one of you did this?

    Othercat sniffed, and wandered off. Not one of his, he’s pretty much welded to his lady love across the way. Oddly one girlcat kind of dude. Neighborcat did not deign to answer in words, but brought me a dead mole instead. Gave the wee one a sniff, too, and went back to his patrol.

    Nasty did not approach. He instead decided to hide up on top of the armoire upstairs, glaring accusingly at passers by. Doofus decided to lick the little voidfuzz a bit and brought me a dead fly. I think he meant it for the wee one but said wallcat from the void just tucked his head into my elbow and decided not to come out ever again.

    Despite not owning up to nuthin’, TWO kittens managed to find themselves in my attic and thence walls. Twice. In a week. This reeks of poor editing. I can’t believe this made it to the public.

    Aside from that though, wallcat #2 is now safely ensconced in his new home. Napping like there’s no tomorrow and only waking up for a little food now and then. As adventures go, he’s got one to tell his grandkittens one day. “You teeny fuzzballs got it made. When I was your age I had to climb a two story building only to fall down twenty feet in order to get adopted! Kids these days. No discipline, I tell ya.”

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    2. Good grief. I was wondering how you got a cat in the wall to begin with.

      We had bunnies yesterday. Our son came over to do a partial mowing (awaiting the arrival of a riding mower to do a full one) and he felt the ground move as he went over a patch. Stopped to check and two tiny bunnies emerged, ran a couple of feet and froze in the “tall grass.” Son called me. The grass is maybe 6 inches and there wasn’t nearly enough to hide two baby bunnies. Each one could have fit in one hand with two or three inches to spare with ears the size of moth antennae. And both completely frozen.

      Got them unfrozen by placing my sneaker-coverer foot roughly 1/16th from their little back noses. Both ran for the bushes, so hopefully they stayed there until MomI could find them or they sneaked back to the den.

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    3. Other than the part where it seems to be a convenient way to collect stray kittens, it seems that bit of a hole-hunt may be in order…

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    4. Son, because he parks on that single driveway on the east side of the house, has been seeing a youngish cat ducking under the house (the vent screens are gone. Blocking has obviously been bypassed, er, dug away.) He and hubby thought they were hearing kittens. Cats have been awfully interested in the vents on that side of the house.

      Today, they opened the floor access (middle hall closet). Couldn’t see anything because the insulation has been pulled down blocking view. Not counting the tubing for the forced air furnace vents. Not a lot of visibility, and even less room for crawling around.

      Couldn’t hear any sounds either. Either the kittens have been moved (possible). Or no kittens (also possible). Either way the insulation needs to be put back up and anchored. The vents properly closed off (after insuring no kittens). We’ll have to hire it done. (Son might volunteer, but won’t blame him if he won’t.) Hubby is not doing it. Nor am I.

      If there are kittens pulled out (we will also try to live trap mom), I know who will end up adopting the family. Regardless of what the current 6 fur balls, including the dog, think.

      If kittens, or puppies, cross our threshold, they are in their furever home.

      We aren’t high spending people (no European trips, not a fancy home, cars, shoes, or clothing). But the animals … Yea. That.

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  21. Quite a coincidence that uou wrote this on Israel’s independence day. Which is celebrated with lighting 12 torches. USA AND Israel two beacons of liberty. Both struggling to break the darkness and light the fire

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  22. I am pleased to note that today I complete the 70th revolution of Earth around the Sun since my arrival. Plans involve hitting a thrift store and lunch at a joint run by a sect which closes for Passover/Easter and dresses with a certain old-fashioned style.

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      1. Youngsters.

        I’ll be 72 in June. [Wink]

        Now watch for Huns who are older to post. [Crazy Grin]

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  23. I’ve realized that politics in some ways is like golf … in the end you can’t control your opponent you can only play your game to the best of your abilities and hope for victory … and many on the right play golf …

    as always it people on the right who all too quickly cry out the “all is lost” (our “losers”) but what that does is energize the non losers on the right to fight even harder … its like a self corrective mechanism … the left doesn’t have that … nobody on the left gets depressed about politics becasue they all have convinced themselves they are “good people” fighting against evil … which allows reality (which they ignore) to sneak up on them and bite them in the a**.

    People on the right know they are not bad people since they have been told they are BY EVERYONE for so long they have already gone thru their own self examination and KNOW they are not … the left never does self examinations

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  25. Go light a fire.

    —

    As pterry once wrote, “Give a man a fire, he’s warm for a night. Set a man on fire, and he’s warm for the rest of his life.”

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