Actually I liked the final quote. It is the truth when it comes to TPTB. But then when they fight you they start out by smearing your name but do to Tethers non open backing they have already smeared their own name so step one is already checked off.

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you." Overused cliche.
Yet still applicable but not so much in this case, yet it is for the scene as a whole.