🍝 THE DAILY SITDOWN 🍝

So, this Budapest thing, right? This Pride parade… *This* is what they’re calling a “civil society,” huh? Sounds like a bunch of meatballs to me. This Orbán fella, the Prime Minister – a real tough guy, see? Thinks he can just shut down a parade with a wave of his hand and a new “child protection” law. *Child protection*, my ass. Sounds like something out of a fuckin’ Mussolini playbook. He's got these new laws, cracking down on anything remotely gay. Like it’s some kinda contagious disease, you know? Like the flu, only instead of coughing, you’re… well, you get the picture. They’re threatening fines – 500 euros! Five hundred fuckin' euros! That’s almost enough for a decent meal at some fancy-pants joint in Naples. And they’re using facial recognition? These guys are somethin’ else. It’s like they’re running a goddamn casino, except instead of chips, they're handing out tickets to the gulag. It's a joke, but not a funny one, you understand? This Orbán, he’s all, “Oh, we’re civilized, we don’t hurt each other.” Bullshit. That’s like me saying I don’t use a meat cleaver when I'm carving a roast. Sure, I *could* use a spoon, but why bother when you've got the right tools for the job? He’s playing games, this guy. He’s letting them know the threat is *real*, even if he says no "physical abuse". He's letting them know there's a price to pay, but it’ll be a legal price, not a physical one… for now. Capisce? This whole thing reminds me of that time Paulie Walnuts tried to muscle in on Benny Fazio's territory. Benny didn't lay a hand on him, just had some "legal issues" spring up, remember? Same kinda shit. Orbán’s playing it smart, he’s letting the law do the dirty work. Clever, but also… kinda cowardly. Then you’ve got this EU commissioner, Hadja… something… She’s there with the mayor, standing in front of a rainbow flag. Like a couple of show ponies, struttin’ their stuff. I don’t know about all this EU stuff, personally. Always seems like a lotta talk, not enough action. Kinda like a bunch of guys talking about a hit, but nobody ever pulls the trigger. It’s all political theater, really. And von der Leyen, the President of the Commission, she's asking Orbán to back off. Like she’s some kind of queen, telling him what to do. He told her to butt out, which is what I'd do. This ain’t no damn Girl Scout meeting, it’s a power play. Anyway, the parade’s happening. We’ll see what happens. Maybe it’ll be a big success, maybe it’ll be a bloodbath. Either way, it's gonna be interesting. Makes you think, huh? About power, about freedom, about… well, about a lot of things. Pass me another espresso, this whole thing’s giving me a fuckin’ headache.