Darth Stygius

Half of what Anakin says about the Jedi is misconstrued or misinformation fed to him by Palpatine. The topic of marriage would have come up between them at least once and Anakin saying the Jedi don’t marry is an opening for Palpatine to ask “Why is that?” and he leads him to the conclusion that it is forbidden. Which puts Anakin in a tough bind because of his interest in Padme. Palpatine has known he loves Padme. The boy probably confided in him about it more than once. Weaponizing a Jedi practice of choice as a form of control is something Palpatine would do to Anakin.

As for Padme believing in it as fact, that can be explained as the public’s image of the Jedi. They don’t see or hear about them marrying or having children and assume it’s because it’s not allowed.

But the reality? The Jedi don’t forbid marriage, they just don’t encourage it. If a Jedi wants to marry, they’ll let them but it will be seen as a lack of dedication to the Force and a distraction. They’re still Jedi, still get missions and help people, but they just aren’t as devoted.

And the Force will be there when they are ready to give it their all.

But most Jedi choose to not marry because they are dedicated and devoted to the Force. It’s an example that is set and followed by them from one generation to the next. It’s not treated as an excommunicating rule like the Catholics do toward their priests and nuns. It’s treated as a choice that every Jedi makes and most choose the Force.

Everything the Jedi do has always centered around respect and the freedom to choose their future. So why would it be any different about marriage and relationships?

Big mistake on his part.

I asked if he knew exactly how Palpatine turned the Galactic Republic into the Empire and declared himself Emperor? He argued that he did, that a civil war was used.

So I explained to him in great detail what Palpatine did to gain enough power to create the Empire and compared it to the things Trump has been doing, and what Trump wants to do.

The thing about the Empire and say Nazi Germany is that the people did allow it. Dictators create a situation where the people are forced to become desperate for security for themselves and their future, that they become willing to sacrifice their freedoms for something as simple as putting food on the table.

In the case of the Empire, it was to stop a destructive war and prevent an economic collapse of the Republic. The Republic subtly terrorized its own people into believing that Palpatine can protect them, they just have to give up this and that. Such as the Senate granting him Emergency Powers and effectively transferring military and wartime control over to him. He then used those powers to chip away at the rest of the Senate’s power under the pretense of national security until he had enough power and political support to declare himself Emperor.

Trump wants Americans to become violent in our protests. He wants us to lash out against ICE so that he can have the excuse to call us insurrectionists and implement the Insurrection Act. The IA doesn’t just allow him to deploy troops, but it also allows him to declare martial law and halt elections wherever he uses it until the insurrection is put down.

My father doesn’t believe he’ll do that and that the people won’t allow it. He’s half right. The people won’t allow it and that is the catch 22 here. Should Trump be given the excuse he needs to use it, the American people will push back against what they perceive as an occupation and a real insurrection will happen. It will spread from where it was initially started and he will expand the IA to include the rest of the nation.

My father also believes the military won’t go for it and there he is wrong too. A good chunk of the military is MAGA and although the Pentagon brass does not like him Trump has the power to replace officers with those who support him, which he has quietly been doing.