I never understood the answer as to why an arbitrarily large force couldn't propel an arbitrarily small particle faster than c (it... GAINS mass!?). My understanding of classical relativity was never deep enough to broach the subject, and any insight I was given to the nature of relativity (in say fast semiconductors) was never discussed as a product of those theories..
EDIT:
Actually, in the magic stick scenario, if you tried to break c with a sufficiently high force I don't know whether you'd make the hydrogen core "leapfrog" over its neighbors, losing potential at each step... Or fuse helium, which would shrink the stick!
... Probably fuse helium, but we're already way past my ability to "execute" the thought experiment we're describing even if we weren't cocking it up with a tremendous assload of magic.
EDIT EDIT:
So I guess I have been watching lots of anal sex videos lately?