Fear Who?

Deuteronomy 1:17 You shall not be partial in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike; you shall not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God's; and the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.'

Jeremiah 1:17 But you, clothe your loins; get up, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them.

Matthew 10:28 "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell"
[who, instead of annihilating the damned into non-existence, will instead eternally torture them in The Outer-Darkness Lake of Fire].

Matthew 25:46 "And [the wicked] shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal."

Luke 12:5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to throw into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!

Certain Bible translations, such as the "Authorized" KJV, Darby, KJ21, JB2000, 1909 Spanish Reina-Valera, and Jerome's Latin Vulgate (what can be assumed are generally-accurate "translations" of Holy Writ) essentially contain the passage:

Isaiah 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, who didst weaken the nations!

A modern-semantics rewording of such might be:

"How you are fallen from heaven, Lucifer, son of the morning! How are you cut down to the ground, who did weaken the nations!"

That reference to "Lucifer" of Isaiah 14:12 is the only mention of "Lucifer" anywhere in those previously-mentioned translations. The RSV and most other relatively-recent and modern "translations" do not mention "Lucifer."

"Lucifer" indeed! Some "light-bearer"! A veritable and hypocritical 'wolf-in-sheep's clothing!'

Little, but enough, is stated about Lucifer, The Devil, The Serpent, The Tempter, The Evil One, The Great Dragon, and/or Satan in the entire RSV Old-and-New-Testaments Holy Bible . . . involving the origin, non-ending/started-but-will-never-finish chronological lifespan (from initially being created by the Creator) and inceptive characteristics of that sentient being (apparently, like both angels and demons, having free will) and what is known about him (not "her"), indicated by such verses as:

First John 3:8 He who commits sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Revelation 12:7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,
12:8 but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.
12:9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world . . . he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
12:15 The serpent poured water like a flood (NOT "river" -- see the AV, JPS, KJ21 translation) out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood.
12:16 But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the flood (NOT "river" -- see the AV, JPS, KJ21 translation) which the dragon had poured from his mouth.

Luke 10:18 And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven."

Second Corinthians 11:3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

First John 3:11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another,
First John 3:12 and not be like Cain who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous.

Jude 1:9 But when the archangel Michael, contending against the devil, disputed about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a reviling judgment upon him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you."
Zechariah 3:2 And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?"

Referring again to Lucifer's incepted, or beginning history and noxious characteristics, there is nothing in the Bible (of which yours truly is aware) informing us of any outside wicked force or evil duress which incited Lucifer to initially choose (of his own free will) to rebel against Almighty God (before he, as The deceptive and lying Serpent, tempted Eve in The Garden of Eden).

That is a whole different scenario than Eve's freewill fall into sin, because she (unlike freewilled Lucifer) was under the wicked duress (something that will never besiege heavenly saints who always want to be perfect in Paradise) by an outside evil entity (i.e. The Serpent) suggesting that she disobey God, and yet she also was at fault for succumbing to that temptation (something freewilled Christ Jesus never did when hungry and tempted in the desert, nor anytime thereafter) of her own free will, because God's potentially-lethal (and ultimately fatal) admittedly-imposed Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil did not solicit her as a benign stationary entity to destroy herself sooner then later, but rather Eve herself aberrantly decided (or mindlessly chose of her own feminist-sexist free will) to aggressively go to it and mortally screw up (similar to God's benign cliff and gravity not beckoning, let alone forcing, an insane person to willfully choose to suicidally and sinfully jump off to their death).

It is a mystery why freewilled Lucifer chose (sometime after he was created by The Creator - which obviously and logically was before he located himself, or was located into, The Garden of Eden to tempt Eve) to defiantly rebel against the freewilled LORD -- foolishly and deceptively mis-convincing himself that he could overpower The Omnipotent and Omnipresent Freewilled Trinity, then somehow and by some way(s) operate the entire Universe himself . . . when he knew better beforehand.

Perhaps that rebelling-without-preexisting-outside-duress factor is why there is no Scriptural record of any equivalent of redemptive atonement provided by The Trinity for never-wanted-to-and-never-did-repent Lucifer/Satan and his "angelic" demons after they rebelled -- in stark contrast to the bloody-sacrifice gospel provided for sorry-after-the-fact humans (like Eve and her progeny) who stumbled into sin because of outside wicked duress enticing them in their innocence, then afterwards desiring and seeking restoration and reconciliation from the God they errantly ignored, disregarded, and offended.

It is likely that the Devil and his spiritual cohorts knew full well the dire consequences of what would happen if they failed in their spiritual-battleground coup . . . unlike Eve and Adam who certainly were never, in any significant way and to any significant extent, aware of the far-reaching devastating and diabolical consequences against themselves and their myriad offspring caused by their one-act-of-disobedience one-time-mistake singular sin.

As Earth receives only a tiny portion of the Sun's total energy output (and the remainder seems wasted out in outer space which no one ever perceives), and as most blades of grass and most snowflakes on planet Earth are never seen by any human being (thus appear to simply be wasted for nothing), it is similarly a mystery why most freewilled humans choose to rebel, despise, and hate freewilled God and those of God (yet non-predictably obey only under compulsion of punishment by law) -- all of who at least previously have known enough of the impracticality and even impossibility of succeeding in their dastardly desire to defy freewilled God to nevertheless then presume to escape experiencing the inevitable temporal and eternal horrific consequences of their delusion and deviance.

Matthew 7:13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many."

Matthew 7:22 "On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?
Matthew 7:23 And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; get out of here, you evildoers.'"

Matthew 22:14 "For many are called, but few are chosen."

Luke 13:23 And some one said to him, "Lord, will those who are saved be few?" And He said to them,
Luke 13:24 "Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able."

Romans 9:27 And Isaiah proclaims [Isaiah 10:22] concerning (not "regarding") Israel: "Though the number of the sons [and daughters] of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved."

Thus, most jews (like non-jews) are, by deliberate default, going to go to Hell.

But, always remember, simply mentally and vocally believing that the death of Jesus on a cross (a benevolent and quite-adequate Old-Testament-animal-sacrifices-foreshadowed permanent redemption and salvation provided by The [fair-and-just-minded] God Who Imposed Inevitable Stumbling Blocks in The Garden of Eden for His non-robotic/non-instincts-driven-only higher-than-animals humans) totally atones for all of the penitent person's sin (singular and/or plural) committed (not "performed") under non-asked-for wicked duress . . . is a lot easier than physically lifting one's arms and hands to finger off and eat some forbidden fruit on some lethal Tree.

There are several passages in Holy Writ which not merely advise us civilians (or peasants) to not merely "respect," but even fear (or be afraid of), those in governmental or military authority:

Exodus 22:28 You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people.

First Samuel 26:9 But David said to [Lee Harvey Oswald?], "Do not destroy him; for who can put forth his hand against the LORD's anointed, and be guiltless?"
26:11 The LORD forbid that I should put out my hand against [Kenyan-not-Hawaiian-born Obama?]; but take now the spear that is at his head, and the jar of water, and let us go."
26:23 The LORD rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness; for the LORD gave you into my hand today, and I would not put forth my hand against the LORD's anointed [Peres and Netanyahu?].

Second Samuel 1:14 David said to him, "How is it you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy the LORD's anointed?"
Second Samuel 1:16 And David said to him, "Your blood be upon your head; for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, 'I have slain the LORD's anointed.'"

Proverbs 20:2 The dread wrath of a [Monica-Lewinsky-mouthed Clinton?] is like the growling of a lion; he who provokes him to anger forfeits his life.

Proverbs 24:21 My son, fear the LORD and [Kings Ronald Reagan plus George W Bush?], and do not disobey either of them;
Proverbs 24:22 for disaster from them will rise suddenly, and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?

Ecclesiastes 8:2 Keep [FDR's?] command, and because of your sacred oath be not dismayed;
3 go from [Hitler's?] presence, do not delay when the matter is unpleasant, for he does whatever he pleases.
4 For the word of [Stalin?] is supreme, and who may say to him, "What are you doing?"
5 He who obeys [Harry Truman's?] command will meet no harm, and the mind of a wise man will know the time and way.

Matthew 2:16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had not been consulted by the wise guys, was in a furious rage, and he sent and murdered all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the magi.

Mark 6:17 For Herod had sent and seized John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; because he had married her.
Mark 6:27 And immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard and gave orders to bring his head. He went and beheaded him in the prison.

Acts 5:27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them,
28 saying, "We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us."
29 But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men.
30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus whom you killed by hanging Him on a tree.
31 God exalted Him at His right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him."
33 When they heard this they were enraged and wanted to murder them.
34 But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, held in honor by all the people, stood up and ordered the men to be put outside for a while.
35 And he said to them, "Men of Israel, take care what you do with these men.
36 For before these days Theudas arose, giving himself out to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him; but he was slain and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.
37 After him Judas the Galilean arose in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him; he also perished, and all who followed him were scattered.
38 So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this undertaking is of men, it will fail;
39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!"
40 So they took his advice, and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for The Name.

Acts 18:14 But when Paul was about to open his mouth [in defense of himself], [Governor] Gallio said to the jews: "If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, I should have reason to bear with you, Oh jews
Acts 18:15 but being that it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves; I refuse to be a judge of these things."
Acts 18:16 And he drove them out of the tribunal. [separation of State from church/synagogue/mosque?]

Romans 13:1 Let every person be subject to [Nero, philistine/"palestinian"-concocter Roman-emperor Hadrian, Caligula, Lois Lerner, Kathleen Sebelius, Hillary Clinton, and Eric Holder?]. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
2 Therefore he who resists the authorities [Lenin, Mao, and Kim Jong?] resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
3 For [pro-"palestinian"-State Biden, partisan-constipated Harry Reid, suppressive Schumer/Durbin/Levin, death-to-Israel Arafat and Saddam Hussein?] are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of him [Bloody Mary?] who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his [Athaliah's and Jezebel's?] approval,
4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he [Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson?] does not bear the sword [or Glock?] in vain; he is the servant of God to execute his wrath on the [school-shooting?] wrongdoer.
5 Therefore one must be subject [to Alito, Roberts, Scalia, Thomas, and Kennedy?], not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience.
6 For the same reason you also pay [anti-Tea-Party IRS?] taxes, for [Obamanite NSA?] authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.
7 Pay all of them their dues, taxes to whom [amnesty-for-illegal-aliens?] taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.

On the other hand, there are several passages in Holy Writ which not merely advise us to not merely disrespect but also never fear (nor be afraid of) those in governmental or military authority, and why that is:

Isaiah 3:12 My people: [bratty/shrieky/pouty] children are their oppressors, and [sexist-chauvinist] women rule over them. Oh my people, your [brownnose-feminists] leaders mislead you, and confuse the course of your paths.

Zephaniah 1:8 And on the day of the LORD's sacrifice: I will punish the officials and the king's sons and all who array themselves in foreign attire.
Zephaniah 3:3 Her officials within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave nothing till the morning.

That non-fear is based upon such trumping-wicked-government/military authorities Scripture accounts as:

Exodus 12:23 For the LORD will pass through to slay the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not allow The Destroyer to enter your houses to slay you.
29 At midnight the LORD smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the first-born of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the first-born of the cattle.
30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where one was not dead.

Second 1:1 After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel.
2 Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria, and lay sick; so he sent messengers, telling them, "Go, inquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness."
3 But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, "Get up, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, 'Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron?'
4 Now therefore thus says the LORD, 'You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone, but you shall surely die.'" So Elijah went.
5 The messengers returned to the king, and he said to them, "Why have you returned?"
6 And they said to him, "There came a man to meet us, and said to us, 'Go back to the king who sent you, and say to him, Thus says the LORD, Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone, but shall surely die.'"
7 He said to them, "What kind of man was he who came to meet you and told you these things?"
8 They answered him, "He wore a suit of haircloth, with a waistband of leather about his loins." And he said, "It is Elijah the Tishbite."
9 Then the king sent to him a police S.W.A.T. team of fifty men. He went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, "Oh man of God, the king says, 'Come down.'"
10 But Elijah answered the captain of fifty, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." Then fire came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
11 Again the king sent to him a Special-Forces Seal Team of fifty men. And he went up and said to him, "Oh man of God, this is the king's order, 'Come down quickly. And MOVE your trouble-causing butt NOW!'"
12 But Elijah answered them, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
13 Again the king sent squadrons of Army Rangers, tank battalions, Air Force fighter pilots. And the third captain of the combined battalion went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and entreated him, "Oh man of God, I beg you, let my life, and the life of these military hordes of yours, be precious in your sight.
14 Wow, fire came down from heaven, and consumed the two former regiments of men; but now let my life be precious in your sight."
15 Then the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, "Go down with him; do not be afraid of him." So he got up and went down with him to the Commander-in-Chief.

Second Kings 6:8 Once when the king of Syria was warring against Israel, he took counsel with his servants, saying, "At such and such a place shall be my camp."
9 But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, "Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are going down there."
10 And the king of Israel sent to the place of which the man of God told him. Thus he used to warn him, so that he saved himself there more than once or twice.
11 And the mind of the king of Syria was greatly troubled because of this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, "Will you not show me who of us is for the king of Israel?"
12 And one of his servants said, "None, my lord, Oh king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedchamber."
13 And he said, "Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him." It was told him, "Hey, he is in Dothan."
14 So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army; and they came by night, and surrounded the city.
15 When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, hey, an army with horses and chariots was round about the city. And the servant said, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?"
16 He said, "Fear not, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them."
17 Then Elisha prayed, and said, "Oh LORD, I pray you, open his eyes that he may see." So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw; and hey, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
18 And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, and said, "Strike this people, I pray you, with blindness." So He struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha.
19 And Elisha said to them, "This is not the way, and this is not the city; follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek." And he led them to Samaria.
20 As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha said, "Oh LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see." So the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and wow, they were in the middle of Samaria.
21 When the king of Israel saw them he said to Elisha, "My father, shall I slay them? Shall I slay them?"
22 He answered, "You shall not slay them. Would you slay those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master."
23 So he prepared for them a great feast; and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the Syrians came no more on raids into the land of Israel.

Second Kings 19:35 And that night the angel of the LORD went out, and slew a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the military camp of the Assyrian army/navy/air-force armed forces; and when men arose early in the morning, hey, those were all dead bodies.

[ Sort of reminds me of "Q" appearing now and then in Star Trek: The Next Generation or the non-stoppable hovering-above-ground, shielded-against-all-armaments, phasor-light-incinerator Martian warships in War of the Worlds ]

Daniel 3:17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of your hand, king.
18 But if not, be it known to you, king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up."
19 Then [President/Prime-Minister] Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it customarily was heated.
20 And he ordered certain mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to heave them into the burning fiery furnace.
21 Then these men were bound in their mantles, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace.
22 Because the king's order was strict and the furnace very hot, the flame of the fire slew those [mighty] men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in a hurry. He said to his counselors, "Did we not toss three men bound into the fire?" They answered the king, "True, king."
25 He answered, "But I see four men loose, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like the son of God."

Matthew 28:2 And hey, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone, and sat upon it.
3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.
4 And for fear of him the special-forces Roman-guard marines trembled and became like dead men.

Acts 5:19 But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out and said,
Acts 5:20 "Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life."
5:21 And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and taught. Now the high priest came and those who were with him and called together the council and all the senate of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.
5:22 But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, and they returned and reported,
5:23 "We found the maximum-security prison securely locked and the sentries standing at the doors, but when we opened it we found no one inside."
5:25 And some one came and told them, "The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people."

Acts 12:1 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church.
2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword;
3 and when he saw that it pleased the jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread.
4 And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people.
5 So Peter was kept in the equivalent of Alcatraz; but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.
6 The very night when Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison;
7 and hey, an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, "Get up quickly." And the chains fell off his hands.
8 And the angel said to him, "Dress yourself and put on your sandals." And he did so. And he said to him, "Wrap your mantle around you and follow me."
9 And he went out and followed him; he did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.
10 When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened to them of its own accord, and they went out and passed on through one street; and immediately the angel left him.

Acts 12:20 Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; and they came to him in a group, and having persuaded Blastus, the king's chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king's country for food.
21 On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and made an oration to them.
22 And the people shouted, "The voice of a god, and not of man!"
23 Immediately an angel of the Lord smote him, because he did not give God the glory; and he was eaten by worms and died.

Hebrews 11:23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful; and they were not afraid of the king's anti-Hebrew-babes genocidal edict.
Exodus 1:17 But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live.
Exodus 1:18 So the king of Egypt called the midwives, and said to them, "Why have you done this, and let the male children live?"
Hebrews 11:29 By faith the Hebrews crossed the Red Sea as if on dry land; but the Egyptian governmental authorities and Egyptian land-and-sea military forces, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.

Bonus:

Inquirer: "Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?"

Bastard or Bitch: "You already have, without first asking my permission, and by doing so you have imposed non-solicited spam against me, invaded my privacy, and illegally harassed me as an obnoxious public nuisance. Moreover, you have not offered a previously-researched, legalistically-required, nitpicky-worded, authorized escape clause if I want to opt out."