The idle musings of a former military man, former computer geek, medically retired pastor and now full-time writer. Contents guaranteed to offend the politically correct and anal-retentive from time to time. My approach to life is that it should be taken with a large helping of laughter, and sufficient firepower to keep it tamed!
The 'Grey Man' series is hard to classify. It's a cross between a modern Western, an adventure story, a whodunnit and a crime novel. Jim describes the new book like this.
When Texas Deputy Sheriff John Cronin thwarts the Cartel’s plan to get paid to smuggle Muslims across the border, he becomes the target of the Cartel once again. One try fails, but the cartel isn’t about to give up. With his granddaughter, Jesse, still recovering from her last run-in with the Cartel and now far away with her Marine husband on a military base, Cronin only has to worry about the innocents around him.
One way or another, this old school law man plans to end this cat and mouse game for good. But, this time, the Cartel is playing for keeps; ending this war might just cost the old man his life.
Either way Cronin plans to go out on his feet, fighting tooth and nail.
Jim has a unique writing style and 'voice', very different from any other author I've read. He's a born raconteur, and that comes across very strongly in the way he writes. Miss D. and I had the privilege (and pleasure) of being able to read a beta version of his latest book, and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. We've already bought the final, published edition. It's available as an e-book or paper edition - the two listings will be combined on Amazon.com within a day or two.
Highly recommended reading. Jim, the steak and beers are on us at Libertycon!
I'm seeing more and more false accusations of sexual crime and/or misconduct. Some of them are well-documented, particularly the non-existent 'campus rape epidemic' which seldom produces evidence that will stand up in court. However, I'm seeing lots of cases where women are claiming they've been raped when, in fact, nothing of the sort has happened.
A US woman staged a rape scene, called the police and reported the 'crime' - only to be charged herself when police proved she'd made up the whole thing.
I've heard claims, particularly from feminist circles, that the women in such cases shouldn't be blamed because they're mentally ill, or under stress, or whatever. Sorry, but I can't believe that mental illness or stress is an acceptable excuse for lying to the police, ruining someone else's life, or getting one's fifteen minutes of fame. Some campus rape policies even prohibit any questioning of whether or not the charge is genuine or false, because they give the benefit of the doubt wholly to the self-alleged 'victim'. Where's the fairness and even-handedness in that?
That's the title of an article at Unqualified Offerings. I came across it through a comment at one of the Sad Puppies-related articles I've been reading for the past week or two - I can't even recall which one, I'm afraid. I found it interesting. Here's an excerpt.
Jim’s Rule of Buts states, “In any charged conversation, find any statements containing the conjunction ‘but’ and reverse the clauses.”
This is a self-editing rule, and therefore most practical for written communication until you get the hang of it. But once you do, you can start applying it to verbal communication as well, if only because of the disreputable fact that we spend most of the time others are speaking planning what we’re going to say next rather than listening. Or so they say.
The most obvious example of the power of Jim’s Rule of Buts is the classic apology. Compare, “I’m sorry I yelled at you, but what you said made me really angry.” and “What you said made me really angry, but I’m sorry I yelled at you.” As a coordinating conjunction, ‘but’ joins independent and theoretically equal clauses. But in practice, what follows ‘but’ always dominates what precedes it. So if you really want to apologize, and really want to mollify your interlocutor, you really want to make sure the apology itself is in the dominant position. Otherwise, you’re not apologizing; you’re excusing your own conduct.
There's more at the link. It's short, but to the point, and the comments from readers are also worthwhile. I recommend reading the whole thread.
This is certainly a useful rule for writers to keep in mind, but I think it has real value when applied to our conversations with one another as well, and might have a positive impact on our relationships too.
If the current debate between Puppies and SJW's applied this rule, it might be a lot more civil and a lot less self-centered - on both sides. It's a thought, anyway . . .
It's been an interesting weekend, watching and reading the comments flowing from both sides of the debate over the Tor boycott. I'm no longer surprised by it, having seen so much of it, but I'm nevertheless at a loss to explain the sheer, unbridled lack of sanity and common sense exhibited by so many of the so-called 'social justice warriors'. Their navel-gazing naiveté is mind-boggling. A few examples:
Twitter user Adam F. Smith apparently believes not only that Vox Day had something to do with the church shooting in South Carolina, but that the tragedy is somehow connected to both the Sad Puppies and the Hugo Awards.
Speaking of Vox, he's taken note of speculation from SJW's and their ilk that the individuals at Tor who've been named in connection with the boycott may be at risk of violence. Since I've seen not a single reference to that - even the vaguest hint - from our side of the fence, I, like him, can only put it down to paranoia, or an utterly warped, twisted sense of reality (or the lack thereof), or deliberate lying. It's absolutely insane . . . yet they're hyping it up. (Edited to add: James Sullivan absolutely nailed the process in a comment at Vox's place.)
This isn't exactly a new tactic. SJW's are usually the ones screaming in manufactured outrage about the non-existent 'rape epidemic' on US college campuses, or tackling problems of discrimination. Trouble is, almost every time they rally around a cause like campus rape, it has a habit of falling apart when tested for actual, forensic, verifiable, legally defensible evidence. That says far more about them than the purported problems about which they protest.
I was particularly amused by an article in online magazine Starburst dated Saturday, June 20th, 2015. It appeared less than 24 hours after I called for a boycott of Tor (which was immediately endorsed by a number of others), yet it claimed: "An attempted boycott of publisher Tor Books by right-wing online activists has spectacularly backfired as booklovers across the world have responded by purchasing books from Tor to show their support." For heaven's sake, the boycott had only just begun, so how was it even remotely possible to conclude that it had backfired? Wishful thinking to the max! It'll take months before any results are apparent. We're in this for the long term.
It's no wonder many complain about being 'burnt out by the social justice outrage machine'. They're doing it so often, in so many spheres, that they're destroying their own credibility. I can see the same thing happening in the case of the Tor employees about whom I've complained. The evidence, in their own words, of their bias, distortion and lies is overwhelming . . . yet the SJW's are still trying to manufacture outrage that they've been called on it. What's more, when we do call them on it, all too often their response is to delete what they've said, as if to pretend that it never happened. For example, Moshe Feder's Facebook post to which I linked yesterday has since vanished from view, along with all comments from readers. Fortunately, I saved a couple of versions of it first, as did many others, so that won't help him.
Lies, fantasies, projection, delusion and deception. That just about sums up the SJW approach to this entire matter. It's rather tiresome. How refreshing it would be if one of them would actually have the honesty to admit that the named individuals at Tor have, indeed, said what I've proved they've said, and did, in fact, at least imply (and probably meant literally) what I (and many others) understood them to mean. That's objectively not open to debate. The evidence is conclusive. With that admission, we could get a really useful debate going by asking what can be done to resolve the problem. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened, and I see little likelihood of it in the short term. Hence . . . the boycott.
I've put up video clips of the Scottish folk group 'Silly Wizard' from time to time. If you don't remember them, here's the group on its farewell tour in 1988, performing in Atlanta. The song is 'Donald McGillivray', and Andy Stewart is the singer. (I wrote about the strange history of this song back in 2013.)
It seems that Mr. Stewart is in serious medical difficulties, and in need of help. His sister writes:
In the last four years Andy M's health has deteriorated to the extent that he has gradually lost his business and livelihood. Through a series of medical misadventures, and in September 2012 a failed spinal surgery, he has lost all mobility and was paralysed from the chest down with many other medical complications. Last September he had emergency surgery which he was not expected to survive, but he's a fighter and his spirit won through. He is now still recovering in hospital where he will remain for quite some time to come.
Having lost so much my brother is facing a situation where he will need to leave his home and move to wheelchair friendly accommodation. He will need daily nursing care to assist his living. He does not 'meet the criteria' for entitlement to a motorised wheelchair because he has the use of his arms, even though this kept him housebound for many months. Except for when someone visits to help get him out of the house that's what he will go back to.
There's more at the link. It's a fund-raising page where she's trying to raise £50,000 (about US $80,000 at current exchange rates) to buy him a motorized wheelchair and the other items he needs. She's provided regular updates at that link.
I'm certainly going to join the fund-raiser, because Silly Wizard's music and Andy Stewart's singing have been part of my life for many years. I'm sure at least some of my readers can say the same. I'd be very grateful if you'll please consider donating to the extent that you can. I've known people caught up in similar situations. It can be soul-destroying to know that the technology to give you a degree of independence is available, but you simply can't afford it.
Let's give something back to Mr. Stewart for the years of listening pleasure and wonderful music that he's given us - like this song, his own composition.
From Paul, a merchant mariner who blogs at Hawsepiper. (I've added a couple of links for the benefit of overseas readers who may not understand some allusions - I know I didn't until I came to the USA.)
Freeing up a sticky bearing on our deck crane took just two hours, but it's two hours where my ass is riding the end of the crane like Slim Pickens on the A-bomb, only I'm swinging a hammer and dicking around with a socket set while getting an atomic wedgie from a safety harness. So that was something I neither enjoyed nor wanted an audience for, as I'm not a modest person, and have little shame, but also don't want to have to hear any shit for being spotted wearing industrial-strength S&M gear and asked if I'm waiting for the indian, cowboy and cop before starting the dance routine.
Thank you for that mental picture, buddy . . . NOT!!!
I'm greatly enjoying William R. Dunn's classic book 'Fighter Pilot: The First American Ace of World War II'. He had a remarkable career, enlisting as an infantryman in a Canadian regiment immediately after the outbreak of World War II, going to Britain to fight in France, making it back to Britain, transferring to the Royal Air Force and flying with the first Eagle Squadron, then transferring to the USAF, where he led his fighter group's first mission on the morning of D-Day. When post-war bureaucracy ended his career as an officer he refused to go quietly, instead re-enlisting as a tech sergeant and rising to the rank of Chief Warrant Officer. He went to Vietnam in that capacity, serving honorably in yet another war. He seems to have been one hell of a guy. (He died in 1995.)
Two episodes in Britain while he was recovering from serious injuries after being shot down had me laughing like mad. Both took place at a rehabilitation hospital, where patients were allowed to go into town once they'd been medically cleared.
One noontime ... we got a little bent out of shape and consequently missed our lunch. Of course, when the bar closed at 1 p.m., we were starved. A couple of guys got a cab, went to a seafood shop where they bought several buckets of boiled lobsters, and brought them up to Johnny's and my room for a feast. Johnny, by this time, had passed out and was lying on his bed, snoring softly. We found the lobsters rather difficult to get out of their shells, and we didn't have anything to crack the shells. One of our brighter boys unbuttoned Johnny's shirt, laid the lobster on Johnny's [full body] thick chest cast, took off his shoe and gave the lobster a mighty whack. It worked, so Johnny's cast became our anvil. No, the cast didn't break, luckily, but you can imagine the fishy smell of the lobster juice that ran down inside it. The broken shells and other trash were tossed into the wastebasket. After a bit the wastebasket was full and someone decided to empty it out the window. About this same time a titled lady was officially visiting the hospital, escorted by our gallant hospital commander. Standing below our second-story window and viewing the delightful formal gardens from the terrace, they were suddenly showered with bits and pieces of defunct lobsters! The hospital commander arrived with a thunderous roar in our peaceful midst, pieces of lobster clinging to his hair, his handlebar mustache, and his uniform. The roaring continued unabated for a very long time. Our names were taken by the orderly officer, and we were all confined to quarters until further notice. Johnny's odorous condition was immediately noted. He was hauled off by a squad of orderlies, his stinky cast sawed off, his body cleansed, and a new cast put on him, through all of which he continued to snore softly in a gentle drunken stupor. We weren't in an acceptable condition to apologize to the titled lady, and it might not have been wise anyway; I understand she really flamed after the "lobsters from heaven" incident. . . . One time Johnny, Timmy, and I decided to go to a downtown pub for the evening. We had an Aussie friend ... who had crashed and broken his pelvis in a couple of places. He wore a cast from his waist that extended down each leg, and he navigated with elbow crutches. He wanted to go with us, but since he couldn't bend in the middle to sit down on a bus seat, we put him in the rear baggage compartment where he could lean, standing upright, against the side of the bus. So off we merrily went to town. When we arrived at the hotel pub of our choice, we all streamed out of the bus, almost forgetting our Aussie friend, who was yelling at the top of his voice, "Get me out of here, you bastards!" We trundled him into the bar and securely propped him up in a corner where he could lean, with some degree of safety, against both the wall and the bar counter. By closing time he was resting comfortably, with his lower half standing straight up in its cast and his upper half flat on the bar, both sections being full of gin and bitters. After great exertions, we reloaded him into the bus baggage compartment and headed for home. He was so quiet back there that we completely forgot him. The next morning the garage manager called the hospital orderly officer for an ambulance to come to the bus depot and pick up our Aussie friend, who, he said, was mumbling something about causing serious injury to a couple of Englishmen and an American.
Sounds like his recuperation period was more hazardous than his injury! I highly recommend the book. It's a great read.
As I mentioned a couple of days ago, the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo was celebrated on June 18th. This weekend thousands of re-enactors are camping on the battlefield, putting on demonstrations for visitors and fighting mock battles each evening.
It seems that everyone brought their senses of humor along - and their booze. The Telegraph reports:
Dawn breaks in a haze over the Waterloo battlefield as two great armies stir.
The camp fire smoke drifts over Wellington’s famous ridge and horses whinny from within their pens.
They are accompanied by the snores of some 5,000 re-enactors who have over indulged on port and vin rouge the previous evening – a thunderous cacophony to rival any cavalry charge.
The famous fields of Waterloo have not seen anything like it since Wellington and Napoleon faced off against one another 200 years ago. The Allied ranks alone include 50 cannons, 170 cavalry and close to 2,500 infantry. The French are a truly international cast of re-enactors, including units from Britain, Germany, Norway, Russia - and of course France itself (although they seem to be well outnumbered by the foreign enthusiasts).
. . .
Within the camps everything is as it was – portable loos and Belgian officiousness, aside. In recent days the Duke of Wellington has been stopped by local police walking up the 131ft high Butte du Lion monument on the battlefield. Napoleon, reportedly, had his car towed away.
But mostly modernity stays centuries away. Units sleep in bell tents, drink from pewter mugs and cook only by open fire. Spectacles are wire-framed, or not at all; the time is kept by pocket watch. At night, they sing hymns and battle songs and get roaringly drunk.
In the Allied encampment, in the shadow of the famous Hougoumont farmhouse, columns of Red Coats, Riflemen, Prussians and pipe-playing Highlanders march in (sometimes) perfect unison. When Wellington waltzes past on his bay gelding Copenhagen, he is saluted by his soldiers.
The Duke is played by Alan Larsen, a 55-year-old New Zealander (who now lives in Derbyshire) with an auburn tinge to his mutton chops. Larsen has been a re-enactor since he is 18 and this is the second time he has been Wellington at Waterloo. “Realistically this is going to be the best thing I ever do,” he says. “When I leave here next week I will go back to being Alan Larsen of Bolsover.”
But here, Larsen is called “your grace” by all and sundry. He has also managed to strike up an intense rivalry with the enemy commander Bonaparte. “I have met him briefly. All I will say is that I found him very French. Make of that what you will.”
Larsen’s counterpart, Parisian lawyer Frank Samson who is playing Napoleon, is proving to be similarly non pc and describes the Duke as "a frightful Englishman who no-one has ever heard of". Typically, Samson has ensconced himself in a grand bivouac surrounded by his magnificently-attired generals and receiving a string of lady visitors attired in furs and feathered hats.
It's a lie. It's a bare-faced, out-and-out falsehood. He's lying in public, and he appears to believe he'll be allowed to get away with it.
The boycott of Tor has nothing whatsoever to do with "the efforts of some Tor employees to defend the Hugo Awards from attack". It has everything to do with some Tor employees (including Mr. Feder) deliberately, repeatedly and publicly lying about the 'Puppies' campaigns, those behind them, and anything and anyone else they regard as ideologically impure and/or unfit to associate with SF/F fandom as approved by them. I've already described in detail Ms. Gallo's contribution, which sparked the boycott. Mr. Feder's latest lie merely confirms and reinforces her mendacity (and my position).
He states that he's speaking for himself and not the company . . . but I haven't seen Tor repudiate any of his earlier lies, some of them issued on company time using company equipment, so I'll give this latest assurance the same credibility I've given his earlier ones. (Edited to add: Note, too, his use of 'our friends' and 'declared war on us' and 'our bookseller partners'. Speaking only for himself, eh?)
I have an open question for Mr. Tom Doherty of Tor.
Mr. Doherty, Mr. Feder continues to lie in public. That being the case, how can you ever trust him to be truthful with or to you, when he won't be truthful with or to us?
Verily, the mind doth boggle . . .
I'm still not going to call for the resignation or dismissal of any of the Tor employees I've named. Nevertheless, if I needed any more justification for why I'm boycotting Tor, Mr. Feder has provided it. I suppose I should thank him for that - and if he wishes to call me a 'scoundrel' or an 'idiot', well, I've been called a lot worse than that in my time. Furthermore, for all Mr. Feder's vitriol directed against him, he's just made Vox Day look like a sensible, reasonable participant in this debate. Vox might want to thank him, too . . .
*Sigh*
Peter
EDITED TO ADD: Vox Day has uncovered yet more lies from Tor supporters, in the form of unmistakeable sockpuppet posts that he quotes, complete with time stamps. (Read the comments from his readers, too - some are comedy gold!)
So, in the end, we have a company, Tor (and its holding company, Macmillan) that is/are apparently unwilling to take responsibility for the misdeeds of its employees, their misuse of corporate time and resources during those misdeeds, and their deliberate slander, libel and lying about a large part of the fan base upon which that company depends for its livelihood. I think that constitutes an indelibly shameful mark on executives at both companies, and makes them complicit in the actions and statements of their employees. In my days in the corporate world, such behavior would have been regarded as contemptible, and such lack of action in the face of customer anger would have produced at least a compelling case study at a business school, probably titled "How to commit executive career suicide". However, I doubt very much whether my opinion matters to those involved. They seem to be clinging to the more 'modern' approach - hunker down, say nothing, deny everything, and hope the problem will go away. I wonder whether at least some of them understand the meaning of the term 'dishonor'? If they don't, I suggest they look in the mirror to see a living definition.
Nor are they alone in their dishonor. The so-called 'Social Justice Warriors' or SJW's who've supported the guilty parties for years have been shrill in their screeching support for their heroes and heroines. That's continued in the present crisis. The facts of the situation have been ignored, and those drawing attention to those facts (including yours truly) have become objects of scorn, derision and open attack. That's not surprising, of course. Such lack of honesty and unwillingness to face the facts is a hallmark of the left-wing, progressive element in politics and society. It's been that way for decades, all around the globe. Facts are not important to such people. What matters is the narrative, the 'spin' put upon the facts for the faithful to believe and propagate in the face of reality. It's a classic application of the 'Big Lie' theory - and it still works just as well on blindly loyal 'useful idiots' as it ever did.
(There are those who think that because the 'Big Lie' theory is of Nazi origin, it's therefore right-wing rather than left-wing. *Facepalm* . . . I should like to point out that the Nazi party's full name was the "National Socialist Democratic Workers' Party". The Nazi's were left-wing totalitarians. The 'Big Lie' thus dovetails perfectly with the SJW mentality - and with the Alinsky playbook of which they're so fond.)
I've said all I need to say about the present scandal at Tor. If you haven't already read about it, there's a vast quantity of material out there. My articles on the subject may be found in reverse chronological order here, complete with many external links. If you're interested, I suggest you read them from earliest to latest to see how things developed.
As I wrote in my earlier, private letter to Tor and Macmillan:
"... please be advised that I look for the following actions from Tor ... :
Tor should publicly apologize for the efforts by all, repeat, all of the persons I named ... to demonize, denigrate, slander and lie about the ‘Puppies’ campaigns;
Tor should publicly reprimand those individuals for stepping over the line (including misusing company time and computer equipment to do so);
Tor should publicly indicate that it is putting in place policies to prevent any recurrence of such issues.
Please note that I am not demanding the dismissal of, or resignations by, the individuals concerned."
I am simply not prepared to allow the lies, slander, libel and open contempt of those named above to continue unchallenged. Therefore, those expectations still hold. If they have not been met by noon on Friday, I shall call for a boycott of Tor Books.
Regrettably, due to the apparent lack of action by (and the deafening silence from) Tor and Macmillan, the time has come to do as I promised. I therefore ask all those who believe, as I do, that the recent statement by Irene Gallo, and the pattern of behavior and statements from others at Tor whom I've previously named, are completely unacceptable, to join me in refusing to buy any of Tor's products from now on.
... this is between Tor and its readers who feel insulted, not the Sad Puppies campaign or the people who ran it ... To the Sad Puppies supporters, do what you think is right. All I’m asking is that whatever you do, try to be as civil as possible in your disagreements. Stick with the facts.
There's much more at the link. (Recommended reading for background and more information.)
I am not a member of, and I do not speak for, either the 'Sad Puppies' or 'Rabid Puppies' campaigns (although I support the former). I don't represent cute puppies, playful puppies, cuddly puppies or hush puppies - only myself. If you share, in whole or in part, my values and outlook on life, I invite you to join me in this boycott. Don't do so just because I, or anyone else, is asking you to do so. Act on the basis of your own informed conscience and reasoned judgment.
There are those who protest that a boycott of Tor will prevent them buying books they want to read, and/or hurt their favorite authors. I can only point out that used copies of those books are usually available from many sources soon after publication, often in very good to excellent condition, and sometimes at prices much lower than a new copy. As for your favorite authors, if you buy a used copy of their book(s), why not send them the money they would have made as a royalty if you'd bought it new? In fact, given that many royalties are a pittance, why not send them more than that? Many authors have so-called 'tip jars' on their blogs or Web sites, or you can write to them enclosing a check or money order.
There are those who doubt that a boycott can achieve anything. I can only reply that 'doing the right thing' is important in itself. It's a matter of honor - and although any mention of honor may be greeted with scorn and derision in these 'modern' times, I was raised to value the concept and live by it. I still do. I doubt I'm alone in that.
What's more, in a SF/F market that's increasingly dominated by independent authors, with cratering sales among mainstream publishers and tight financial margins, even a small boycott may have an impact out of all proportion to its size. I'm certain, on the basis of support already voiced, that we can achieve a short-term six-figure reduction in Tor's annual turnover. All that'll take is a couple of thousand people not spending their usual $50 per year on Tor books (and many have, until now, spent a lot more than that - for example, see here). With more supporters and/or bigger spenders involved, the impact will be correspondingly greater. I believe that over time, as word spreads and more join the boycott, we can grow this into a seven-figure annual impact - particularly when, in markets where we have a strong presence, we start talking to bookstores that carry Tor products. Given current economic conditions and the present and predicted state of the SF/F market, our boycott may in due course make the difference between a profit and a loss in Tor's annual trading accounts.
Finally, there are some who fear that we can't succeed in the face of what they consider overwhelming support for liberal/progressive/left-wing ideologies in our society. To them I can only say, never take counsel of your fears. Stand tall. Turn Alinsky's own tactics against his followers. Boycotts are a part of his script. Use them. You'll be surprised at what hard work and dedication can achieve. I've seen that in a country and a continent ripped apart by war (where I learned such tactics by watching the disciples of those who taught Alinsky and his mentors in the first place). It's a whole lot easier to succeed in a society like ours.
Yesterday I embedded a couple of music videos by Juluka from their 1983 album 'Work For All'. They expressed the violence and bitterness of the years of interracial and inter-tribal warfare I experienced in South Africa.
Hearing them again brought back lots of memories. I've been on a bit of a Juluka binge since then, listening to old favorites, associating faces with the music (many of them, sadly, no longer with us), and generally remembering things I often wish I didn't have in my mind. Anyway, I thought it might interest you if I put up a few of my favorite Juluka melodies.
This one isn't a 'cosy' favorite - it brings back very bad memories - but it's important for that reason. It's also from the 'Work For All' album, and it's titled 'Gunship Ghetto'. The lyrics may be found here, and are worth reading in order to fully understand the sense of the times that produced this song.
Here's one from their first breakout album, 'Universal Men', released in 1979. It's called 'Deliwe', and sings of a man about to leave his ancestral lands. In a very real sense, it's the soil of Africa talking to one of her children, asking him not to go. The song still speaks very strongly to me, because I'll "always be a child of Africa" myself, whether I like it or not. Africa is like malaria. Once it's in your blood, you can never really leave it behind. (Lyrics are here.)
From their album 'African Litany', released in 1981, here's 'Heart of the Dancer'. Think of this as Johnny Clegg, speaking as a white man growing more and more familiar with the Zulu people, expressing his wonder at the power that traditional dance exerts in African tribal culture. He's almost talking to African dance as if it were a real, thinking person, trying to engage in a dialog with it. (He was, of course, by this time fluent in Zulu and immersed in that tribe's culture - he's been referred to as 'the white Zulu' for many years.) It's a very meditative, powerful song. (Lyrics here.)
Finally, from their 1983 album 'Scatterlings', here's 'Spirit is the Journey'. It's another very meditative song in its own way, but much more powerful - pulsing, driving, demanding in its tone, declaring rather than wondering. Powerful stuff to those with ears to hear. (Lyrics here.)
Even if you don't have the memories to go with the songs, I hope you've enjoyed listening to them. I recommend all four of the albums linked above.
Here's a Russian Mil Mi-26 heavy-lift helicopter picking up a US CH-47 Chinook helicopter. It looks like it's in Afghanistan or Iraq. The Mi-26 can lift approximately the same payload as a C-130 Hercules tactical transport aircraft - almost 60% more than a CH-47 - so the weight of a Chinook is no problem.
Interesting to note the comparative sizes of the fuselages.
Miss D. has just introduced me to the 'Broken and Unreadable' online cartoon series. Current and former US Marines and military veterans will enjoy it. This one made both of us laugh out loud, reminding us of a couple of Marines of our acquaintance.
It marked a turning point for Europe - in a very real sense, the seeds of the present-day European Union may be said to have been sowed at the Congress of Vienna, which ended nine days before the battle.
The Battle of Waterloo was, in fact, only one of several that took place from June 15-18. The campaign began when French forces drove back Prussian pickets and crossed the Sambre River. The following day the French fought Wellington's British forces at the Battle of Quatre Bras, driving them back, and the Prussians at the Battle of Ligny. Wellington retired towards Waterloo, where he set up his line of battle on the evening of June 17th, while Marshal Grouchy of France pursued the Prussians, but crucially failed to cut them off. While Wellington was fighting Napoleon's main body at Waterloo the following day, the Prussians fought off the French at the Battle of Wavre. Grouchy could not prevent the main body of the Prussian Army joining Wellington on the evening of July 18th, just in time to ensure victory at Waterloo.
The hornbeam trees of the garden alley, underneath which we stood, were razed by the immense cannonade and so were the beautiful tall trees along the outside of the farm. Walls were collapsing from both the heavy bombardment [and] the severe thunderstorm that raged above us, the likes of which I have never experienced before; one could not distinguish one from the other. The skies seemed to have been changed into an ocean of fire; all of the farm's buildings were aflame. The soil underneath my feet began to shake and tremble, and large fissures opened up before my very eyes.
Waterloo cost Wellington around 15,000 dead or wounded and Blücher some 7,000 (810 of which were suffered by just one unit: the 18th Regiment, which served in Bülow's 15th Brigade, had fought at both Frichermont and Plancenoit, and won 33 Iron Crosses). Napoleon's losses were 24,000 to 26,000 killed or wounded and included 6,000 to 7,000 captured with an additional 15,000 deserting subsequent to the battle and over the following days.
Since Waterloo, British and French forces have never again clashed on the battlefield.
One thing that's struck me very forcibly in the whole Tor situation is how utterly blind to reality are many of those on the left/liberal/progressive/SJW side of the debate. It's incongruous to read the comments on 'Puppies' posts at File 770, those left in response to Tom Doherty's post at Tor.com, and from many of the authors and others 'leading the charge' on that side of the debate. They appear to be living in an echo chamber where they feed off each other, constantly repeating the same old lies like a stuck record. That's the problem - what they're repeating is, in many cases, simply not true, but they ignore that and carry right on saying it, as if repetition will somehow magically make it true. It won't, of course.
Truth is determined in relation to reality. If a fact is objectively true, if it can be verified according to evidence, or tested in a laboratory, or otherwise shown to be actually (rather than merely claimed to be) the case, then it's true. It's no good saying that something is 'true for me' if it's not actually true at all. That means you're living a lie. Period. An excellent example is the current fuss over Rachel Dolezal's claim that she 'identifies as black'. I don't care what she identifies herself as being - I want to know what she is in reality. The fact of the matter is, she isn't black - so no matter how many wishful thoughts she may have, and no matter what deception she foists upon others (including the NAACP), the reality is that her life has been built upon and around a lie.
The charges leveled against the Puppies campaigns by the SJW's are largely lies. They take statements made (or allegedly made) by one or more individuals (often quoted out of context to make them sound either worse than, or different from, what was meant), then apply them across the board to all 'Puppies' of whatever description. This is simply not true. It isn't real. It would be as if I took the views or statements or actions of a radical progressive/liberal/whatever (like, for example, Pol Pot) and accused all SJW's of sharing them. That wouldn't be true, so I don't do it . . . but why do so many of them do it to me? It's as I said last week. They focus on the narrative, not on the facts, because the facts don't support their views.
She said there were 'two extreme right-wing to neo-nazi groups' involved. There is no evidence whatsoever for her claims. The attributes of 'extreme right-wing' and 'neo-nazi' individuals and groups are well known. They're a matter of historical and political fact. None of their criteria apply to the Puppies groups in general. They may possibly apply to individuals within them (just as Pol Pot-like tendencies may apply to some SJW's), but that case has never been made in any objective, factual, measurable sense.
She claimed that both groups were 'calling for the end of social justice in science fiction and fantasy'. I have never seen a single pronouncement to this effect by either a Sad or Rabid Puppy. Not one. Kindly cite it if you have it, Ms. Gallo. I've certainly seen calls for less 'message fiction' and more emphasis on story, character and plot; but that isn't what Ms. Gallo said.
She alleged that both groups were 'unrepentantly racist, misogynist, and homophobic'. This is a lie from beginning to end, and as far as I was concerned it was the last straw. I've fought against racism all my life; I'm emphatically not misogynist; and as for being homophobic, during the mid-1980's one of the ways I sought to help people was as a volunteer at a hospice for gay men dying of AIDS. They were rejected and ostracized by almost the entire South African community at the time, of every race. (The camp comments from those gay men, no matter how weak from their terminal disease, watching a straight man [me] give a back rub to one of their compatriots . . . let's just say that I don't think I've blushed so much in my entire life!) Ms. Gallo didn't know me at all; she knew none of those things about me; and she wasn't interested in knowing them. The mere fact that I supported Larry Correia and the 'Sad Puppies' was enough for her to label me 'unrepentantly racist, misogynist, and homophobic'. Facts meant (and, in the light of her half-assed non-apology, presumably still mean) nothing to her.
She claimed that 'they've been able to gather some Gamergate folks around them' to elect their slate for the Hugo awards. This is an out-and-out lie as far as the Sad Puppies are concerned, and I'm pretty sure it was in the early stages for the Rabid Puppies as well. There was no mention of Gamergate that I can recall until the SJW's themselves started tossing around that allegation. It's as if they couldn't possibly allow themselves to believe that ordinary SF/F fans might have a different perspective on life, the universe and the genre than they did. Unfortunately for them, the GG community is pretty proactive and assertive. When they heard themselves being accused of something like that, I think their reaction was pretty much "Oh, we're invited to a fight? Invitation accepted!" Talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy . . .
Ms. Gallo (and most of my readers, for that matter) have no idea what real racism is like. Only those who've lived through it do, and most of us are from earlier generations whose memories aren't familiar to many people today. Those of us who lived through the maelstrom of 1976-1994 in South Africa can identify very well with those who lived through the Civil Rights struggles in the USA (particularly the deep south) during the 1950's and 1960's, and vice versa . . . but there aren't many of us involved in the current SF/F controversy. Perhaps that's a pity.
Let me give you a concrete example of how experiences like that can change - harden - an entire society, an entire nation. In 1983 Juluka released their album 'Work For All'.
It was never hugely popular outside South Africa, but inside the country it was recognized as a seminal work. Among other elements it examined, in music, the undeclared civil war that was raging across the country at that time, and would continue to rage for more than a decade longer. It tried to express the horror of the hatred, fear and genocidal fury that was devouring our country. I found it extraordinarily moving, because I could identify so closely with the subjects of its songs. I'd like to play you two of them to illustrate my point.
'Mdantsane' describes a scene that was relatively common in those evil years. A bus had been ambushed on the road to Mdantsane, a township in the Eastern Cape. Bodies lay in and around it, and the song speaks of 'mud colored dusty blood' around them. I know that 'mud colored dusty blood'. I've seen it. I've touched it. I've smelled it (and, believe me, that's a smell you never forget . . . the coppery flavor setting your teeth on edge, making the back of your throat slick as you sneeze.) It's seared into my soul, because all too often I knew the men and women whose blood produced it. I wept when I first heard that song, and I still do sometimes - but I can't stop listening to it now and again, because those memories are a part of me forever. That song reached the hit parade in South Africa. Can you imagine a hit song in the USA singing, not about saccharine-sweet schmaltzy love, but about the blood of dead, innocent victims of a racial war, soaking into the soil? It shows how mad things were in my former country during the 'crazy years'.
The second song is 'Bullets for Bafazane'. It also reached the hit parade. It tells the story of an activist who's being hunted by 'shadow men' who've decided that until he's killed, his people won't give up. I knew many 'Bafazane's' during those years. Many did not survive.
Shall I tell you about Lucky? I can mention his real name (well the English name he was given by his parents because you were not allowed to register any children under their Zulu names) because he is dead. Lucky, who was a known informant, who gave us details of things that had gone on when the victims of this evil were too scared to speak out, who gave comfort and care to those whose children had been ripped from their arms and killed, or whose husbands had been picked up, only to return to them as a disabled shell, broken hands, broken legs, face chewed off, broken heart.
By the time Lucky called, we had the UMAG (unrest monitoring action group) phone installed at home. It was late, way past bedtimes when he called and my Mom picked up. He was at a safe house that was soon to become very unsafe indeed. The police had cottoned on to what he was doing. So he was running, through K section, Kwa Mashu in search of safety.
Throughout the night he rang us, from safe house to safe house, from his cousins to his brother in law, from comrade to comrade. He never said where he was (our phones were bugged most of the time), just phoning in to say he was still free, still alive and I guess to hear a voice on the end of the phone.
Lucky made his final phone call at around 5am as the sun was coming up. His last words were “Eve, eve I think they have found me” and the phone went dead. It remained engaged for hours after that and when it was eventually answered, the residents denied any knowledge of Lucky’s presence. He never called again. No doubt his broken, tortured body lay somewhere in the dust.
I knew many Lucky's. I knew many Bafazane's. My life is richer for having known them . . . and my soul is bereft, and the entire nation of South Africa is poorer, for their loss.
And so, when Ms. Gallo accused me - me - of being 'unrepentantly racist' purely because I happened to support the Sad Puppy cause, that was the last straw. I'd heard that lie from SJW's before, of course, and been able to get over it . . . but lies like that are like the Chinese water torture. Sooner or later, something's going to snap. Her accusations were, to me, unforgivable; and since she's never seen fit to retract them, they still are. Since her employer has seen fit to allow her, and others like her, to pontificate about something of which they apparently know absolutely nothing, to make false accusations and toss denigrations around like confetti, doing so on company time and using company computers and networks . . . that employer is complicit in the whole mess. Hence my outrage against Tor. Hence the boycott for which I will call on Friday if Tor and its holding company, Macmillan, don't act against those responsible.
I won't take this any more. I know I'm far from the only Puppy supporter who's had enough of the SJW's lies and slanders and libels. They want a war? They can have one.
The continued deafening silence from Tor and Macmillan over the conduct of certain individuals at the first-named firm continues to puzzle me (and many others who've complained to both companies). I'm beginning to suspect that they have no idea what to do about the situation.
It may be, of course, that they see themselves as being between a rock and a hard place. If they follow Tom Doherty's example and reprimand those who've overstepped the mark at Tor, they risk outraging all the SJW's who've followed their lead and attacked the 'Puppies' and their Hugo slates for months - in some cases, years. (Mr. Doherty did just that - see the comments below his statement.) On the other hand, if they don't take any action, they're going to outrage all those who've complained; who've finally had enough of being insulted, denigrated and scorned by a publishing house whose employees should unquestionably have known better. That may be the real reason for the silence - they think they'll be damned if they do, and damned if they don't. (I shall certainly do my part to ensure the latter outcome, if they are so short-sighted, misguided and foolish as to make it necessary.)
Meanwhile, L. Jagi Lamplighter has been asking for and publishing photographs of fans' collections of Tor books, hardbound and paperback. If you feel so inclined, please e-mail a picture to her so she can add it to the article. It'll hopefully give Tor and Macmillan some idea of the business they risk losing from just the few fans who submit pictures like that. When you multiply them by the hundreds who've actively complained, and the thousands of fellow-travelers who are watching, reading and listening . . . I think they can't help but realize how seriously a boycott may affect them.
There is very little time left to address these issues before this situation gets out of control.
I can only repeat that warning, with greater emphasis. I've already seen a number of commenters declare that as far as they're concerned, the boycott is already in effect. I've seen e-mails sent to Tor and Macmillan that say the same thing.
I'm also saddened that instead of an intelligent dialog about this mess, both sides seem to be descending into greater vituperation and mutual abusiveness. I hoped that David Gerrold's peace overture would meet a better response, but I'm afraid it didn't - from either side. Even some of the towering figures of SF/F are lowering themselves into the gutter when attacking those they see as their opponents. We are all poorer for such conduct. However, in a very real sense, this is war - a cultural conflict rather than the shooting variety, but war nevertheless. In war, common decency is one of the first casualties. I'll do my best not to stoop to name-calling, with the exception of referring to the other side as 'social justice warriors' or SJW's. I do so only because I have no other name in my vocabulary to adequately or accurately describe them. If anyone can suggest a better, more acceptable alternative, I'll be grateful.
There are less than three days left until noon on Friday. I truly hope Tor and Macmillan do the right thing before then. The alternative is not pleasant . . . but it will happen, unless they forestall it. The ball's in their court until then.
Phrases such as “America is the land of opportunity” and “America is a melting pot" are "micro-aggressions" that could leave some students feeling discriminated against, according to a new faculty training guide put out by the University of California that one former professor in the system says shows "how crazy it's become."
. . .
The guide ... uses the same argument to condemn a number of seemingly innocuous statements, such as:
“I believe the most qualified person should get the job.”
“Affirmative action is racist.”
“Everyone can succeed in this society, if they work hard enough.”
“When I look at you, I don’t see color.”
“I don’t believe in race.”
“Gender plays no part in who we hire.”
Many find the training guide absurd.
“I don’t think University of California realizes how crazy it’s become," Tim Groseclose, an economics professor at George Mason University, told FoxNews.com. Groseclose was a professor at UCLA until last year, when he resigned after he brought to light evidence that the university illegally admitted students on the basis of race. "According to that document, Martin Luther King, Jr. would be guilty of micro-aggressions.”
A heartfelt "Thank you!!!" to everyone who responded to requests to e-mail Tor and Macmillan about the situation there. I'll leave the co-ordinator of the campaign to announce the totals, but they appear to be well into four figures as of the time of writing. I wonder if Tor and Macmillan will now accept that we aren't bots and we aren't just a few malcontents? We are, in fact, a growing wave of SF/F fans who are threatening to abandon them altogether. If they haven't yet got that message, they'll probably never understand it without more direct action.
(By the way, I can only describe as 'catastrophic' the performance of whoever's responsible for customer relations at Tor and/or Macmillan. There's been an absolutely inexplicable, deafening silence from both companies in response to e-mails and other communications - not even so much as an acknowledgment of receipt. When I was a manager and, later, a director, if I'd had a customer relations person who performed so abysmally, they'd have been fired the moment I found out about it. "Do not pass 'GO', do not collect $200, and by all means let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!" This is simply ridiculous. Oh, well . . . if they want to play the clam, I think we have every right to assume that both companies are standing behind the unconscionable words and attitudes of the Tor personnel we've named. We're therefore free to take our response to the next - and only logical - level.)
I'll be sending the following open letter to both companies this evening.
Dear (Name), I hope the e-mails your company received today have demonstrated the strength and breadth of feeling among a large number of SF/F fans concerning the attitudes, lies and libels expressed by Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Teresa Nielsen Hayden, Moshe Feder and Irene Gallo, all current or former employees of Tor, and by the Tor-published author John Scalzi, concerning supporters of the 'Puppies' slates for the Hugo Awards.
Last week I asked Tor and Macmillan to respond to my requests by Monday (today). As I posted on my blog over the weekend, I've been persuaded by two Tor employees that I hadn't allowed sufficient time for that, and I therefore publicly extended the deadline until noon on Friday, June 19th, 2015. I hope and trust your organization will have the courtesy, professionalism and common decency to respond by then.
As I wrote in my earlier, private letter to Tor and Macmillan:
"... please be advised that I look for the following actions from Tor by not later than noon on Monday, June 15th, 2015:
Tor should publicly apologize for the efforts by all, repeat, all of the persons I named above to demonize, denigrate, slander and lie about the ‘Puppies’ campaigns;
Tor should publicly reprimand those individuals for stepping over the line (including misusing company time and computer equipment to do so);
Tor should publicly indicate that it is putting in place policies to prevent any recurrence of such issues.
Please note that I am not demanding the dismissal of, or resignations by, the individuals concerned."
I am simply not prepared to allow the lies, slander, libel and open contempt of those named above to continue unchallenged. Therefore, those expectations still hold. If they have not been met by noon on Friday, I shall call for a boycott of Tor Books. I've spoken to a large number of SF/F authors, fans and others about this. Some will publicly support a boycott. Others will do so more tacitly. I imagine we'll both find the result interesting. I do hope that your company will at least show courtesy enough to acknowledge receipt of this message. However, in the light of its past cavalier conduct towards customers complaining about this situation, you'll pardon me if I don't hold my breath. Yours respectfully, Peter Grant
I wonder if they're listening yet? I guess we'll soon find out.
