Shooting the Moon

Those familiar with the game of hearts will understand the basic strategy: you want to end the round with the lowest number of points possible. In this game, the longer you can fly under the radar (by not collecting undesirable cards), the more likely your eventual success. The most powerful cards are those which are worthless.

Yet there is a trick to this game. If you collect all of the damaging point-collectors, then you "shoot the moon" and all of those points (26) are added to every other player's scores while you add none to your own. If you try to shoot the moon, you are playing a risky game. One card in the wrong hands could land you with 25 points and your opponents with virtually none. 

When playing hearts, you need to diligently watch so that other players do not shoot the moon, saddling you with the extra 26 points. The trick is that you may be so preoccupied with getting rid of your cards that you don't notice where they're going.

We at the GNU Public Dictatorship understand that the principles of Hearts also apply to leadership. We have been flying under the radar for years, enabling us to formalize our government style and build a large base of supporters. Our seeming harmlessness is our greatest tool for eventual world domination. If we were to attract too much attention too soon, you can imagine there would be more than The Company for us to deal with (and they cause us enough headaches for now).

However, we also understand that the seemingly preposterous foibles of current governments should never be laughed off. Like the game of Hearts, enough foibles may enable them to "shoot the moon" by innocently collecting all the cards they need. We at the GNU Public Dictatorship are nothing if not vigilent and serious about monitoring the current political situation so that we cannot be taken by surprise. If we stumble, remember that we are playing a larger game than you might see. We may be collecting cards of our own for our eventual victory.