Caricature of Bill
by Glenn Brucker
Comments, Critques, Responseto the Editors Messages
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"Have Graflex - Will Travel"
A Special Notice From The Editor
Dec 06, 2000
To: Donald Grant DeMan
From: John F. Clennan
Re: Christmas Cannonball ExpressDonald Grant Deman's latest, The Christmas Canonball Express joins a line of smashing successes.
All good Christmas stories (e.g. The Homecoming, Gift of the Magi) have the same point: it's the people not the presents that make Christmas merry.
Canonball makes that not only through the boy's and the girl's sacrifice for each other but also in its particular attention to details of time: World War II: shortages, concern over safety, the contrary forces of apprehension and confidence in the future... the detailing: Singer sewing machines, scarce nylon threads, heat gives it that spark of realism to the time period spoken of. I object when is see depression era people portrayed as 60s radicals, there were surely similarities, but many more differences, compare church attendance for example.
Yet we have no mis-mashing of times from Grant. The ornateness of the singer sewing machine is a stark contrast to the dangling 20 watt bulb and the scarcities of wartime. Donald Grant DeMan's children may (would) seem to come off very English, a good rub for Victoria which Inditer.Com says should be a colony of its own, and excellent for its time and Canadian touch. Civilisation and the world empire one and the same in their minds are at stake; "Mr" Hitler, not Tojo & Hirohito is the enemy. That European focus when the wharf fronts on the pacific where one would hardly expect a U-boat is delicious.
It is surely one of the best pieces submitted to Inditer.
Dec 06, 2000
To. Donald Grant Deman
From: Jim Stallings
Re: Billy, Billy BuncoMy first DeMan story and I was very impressed with the detailing of the petty grifter's milieu, the con, the deception, the abuse of women, the careless trickstering. DeMan writes in the style and substance of the men's crime magazines and novels of years past, now brought forward and reinvented here; and surely, it is a voice of experience and insight into the consequences of the hard choices of the criminal underclass. I look forward to reading his other published stories.
Best,
Jim Stallings
Nov 30, 2000
To: The Editor
From: Angelo Diablo
Re: Florida
Three Cheers for the Latest Experiment in Democracy
The great traditions of American democracy are founded on a history of successive expansions of the franchise. For a long time we defined people of African descent as three-fifths of a citizen. Eventually we recognized, legally, their full humanity. For generations we relegated women to the status of non-voters. Today they are equal to men at the polls. Under President Kennedy's leadership we extended the right to vote to everyone between the age of eighteen and twenty-one, a group that had never previously been considered fit to execute that sober responsibility. That was indeed the boldest experiment in democracy, for it took a significant step toward eliminating age as a qualifier for full participation in the governance of this great country.
An even larger and bolder step in that direction will occur if the current wrangling over the 2000 presidential election culminates, as most pundits believe it will, in the inauguration of George W. Bush as President. Should that happen, we will witness the boldest experiment in the hallowed history of our country. The noble principle that age should be no qualifier for service, no deterrent to leadership will be gloriously realized when, on inauguration day we lay the mantle of the presidency on the callow shoulders of a twelve year old. Ed Note: Angelo Diablo is an American who occasionally ventures into the parallel world of Cybermerica. Politically, he says, he is a radical moderate.
Nov 30, 2000
To: Thomas Dean
From: Richard Koss
Re: Kimit Muston's Inventing Bill Gates:
I always enjoy reading both Thomas Dean and Kimit Muston, even when I don't agree with them. Tom Dean's comments confirm what many people have been saying before and after the court decision on Microsoft.
The key word I found interesting was "mediocrity." The government, particularly this administration, has done its best to convince America that this is okay. At the risk of being misunderstood, because I am a conservative, I will go off on a tangent briefly, to say that when "diversification" becomes the focus, rather than "quality," the result will almost assuredly be mediocrity.
If we continuously strive to find the best quality, whether it be in the form of individual personnel, product, service, or whatever, our chances for success are increased significantly. Only when diversification is the result of making these quality choices, and not the criteria for making them, we will have risen above mediocrity and its illusory satisfaction brought about by the pressures of political correctness.
Nov 30, 2000
To: The Editor
From: Thomas Dean
Re: Kimit MustonDear Bill:
Enjoyed Kimits article...
Kimit is a good writer ..... I enjoy he's style even when I disagreeI did read Kimit Muston's 'The Internet Fringe' which was thoroughly enjoyable human interest or comment material. Kimit is a great journalist and I always enjoy reading his material.
From a literary and advacatory view, Kimit's best was Inventing Bill Gates. There Kimit presented cogent arguments why the great giant Bill Gates should fall so that poor competitors might enter the field.
While I found the style conversational and the argument cogent, I thoroughly disagreed with the proferred conclusions that space should be made in the market for competitors whose wares nobody wants to buy.
My contrary view was presented in Fullosia Press as follows:
"RPPS May Edition:
"Bill Gates found guilty in Socratic determination"
"Reminescent of Socrates found guilty of corrupting the youth of Athens, Bill Gates was declared culpable of forming a monoply by stiffling creativity and thwarting innovation. Anyone capable of reading this message knows how untrue those charges are. The problem with Bill Gates' competitors is that they aren't competent enough to make a comparable product that anyone would want to buy."
I viewed the court decision against Gates as establishing the right to mediocracy.
By no means take this as a criticism of Kimit. I hesitate to write when I disagree with an inditer-dot-com author for fear my views are taken in wrong spirit.
Ed Note: That is certainly not the spirit meant to be offered in these pages. An exchange of views is healthy. If rancour is the residue of discussion, it would be best that discussion does not take place. I am sure you need not fear such a consequence from simply stating your views. Other news - - Dr. Rowe offers no new comments on the Election. He does appreciate all the coverage inditer-dot-com has given his thoughts.
Nov 28, 2000
To: The Mentor - - The Editor - Prince Regent
From: The Dean
Re: The Dean's response to the Mentor's remarks (below)Greetings Mentor:
The Dean finds errors in the Mentor's view. And while there is great logic and mathematical genius in the Mentor's accumen, I find your view historically weak
Andrew Jackson cheated out of the presidency in 1824 merely utilised Tammany democrats more effectively four years later. Though a popular war hero, he did not call for military intervention. He said of the Presidency, it calls the man not vice versa.
His nemis Henry Clay said he'd rather be right than President and he lost three times. He was plenty right. So did J.C. Calhoon who may have smoked secession but would have swatted any who tried. Then there's W.J. Bryant cheated out of it at least twice when robber barons threatened to lock out their workers if they voted for Bryant. Bryant the friend of the worker never called for a General strike, though many in his time would have welcomed it. But lets talk of some other folks with big disappointments.
Divisions are not new nor are impasses and irreconcilable alternatives .... they have happened in the past. As recent as 1960 Kennedy apparant outstuffed the ballot boxes and a solution obtained which avoided disorder. Unfortunately Nixon and Kennedy were different styled for all we can say of their faults. Nixon announced the Kennedy victory in the senate and of course a lesser man than Douglas `100 years earlier with the country rent asunder wouldn't have stood on the platform holding the new president's stove pipe hat while the inaugural address was delivered.
A Nixon in 2000 would have filed a civil rights suit. A Douglas in 2000 would have wallowed in self pity and laughed at his opponent becoming elected president of nothing.
But we have neither time nor energy for civil rights suits nor self pity. In the British Isles even divides are decided by coin flips....I say flip the coin!
The problem, Lord Rowe, emerging from a cream puff electoral campaign, is far more critical than a blaise public imagines: the Republic (formed 7/4/1776) was shaped by its army formed 4/19/1775, a year earlier. And whom will it serve 1/21/2001?
Could not, the Mentor asks, the Dean devise a post for the loser of the coin toss: Well, Mentor, The First US Constitution had the post of President of Congress. The Georgian monarchs had the post of Lt. Governor General. Either would suffice, but to do so would require a recognition that U.S.A. history prior to 1787 was not the picture of utter chaos that the framers of the Second Constitution painted it, and which is handed down in the American traditional lore.
[The Society's debate over the more significant issue of whether shan't is the contraction of shall not or should not is excised] thus sayeth The Dean.
*********************** Greetings Dean:
Thank you for your transcription of my audiogrammes... which I find in the main accurate. And my compliments to my lord Prince Regent.
I am sympathetic to Al Gore. He is right as he was the winner of the popular vote, (outside of the Society).
Some have suggested that Gore should nonetheless step aside. I dont see this as feasible either from a political or psychological point of view.
The ego could not withstand such a blow. Therefore it won't (shan't) happen. I have seen this in my union and I see no difference between as small union and the union of the whole.
Perhaps the Dean could research some title to bestow upon Gore.
Cheerio, J.W. Rowe
November 27, 2000
To: The Editor
From: Thomas Dean
Re: John GuiffreyDear Bill:
I was speaking to John Guiffrey (JAGIU@WebTV.net) who is not one of my altered states or alternative personalties but who has submitted notes occasionally to Inditer.com
I submit this photo of John for your reference.
John Guiffrey gives this by way of complement to Grant and others of Inditer: John spent an evening in Borders and compared the reading material there available to Inditer & found Inditer to be immeasurably superior.PS: I am looking for a book "An Enemy of the State" by M.C. Bolin. It is published by Hyperion with publication date December 1998.
The publisher says it's hard to find.....Borders Books can't order it.
Maybe if you or some Inditer reader could tell me where to find it, or has it and wants to sell, trade or lend, I will pay all expenses.
Nov 24, 2000
To: The Editor
From: J. F. Clennan
Re: audiogramme received 11/24/00 from the Lord Mentor Dr. James Woodburry RoweGreetings Dean and greetings to the Society on whatever holiday they may or may not be celebrating.
"I continue to exult in the disputed election. The antics maybe be as funny as an electoral race between Mo and Larry of Three Stooges fame with Curly Jo as the Canvasser of Elections.
"It little matters who emerges as President. We are in for 4 more years of Comedy Hour. I fear however from watching disputed elections in my labour union (Brotherhood of Maritine Engineers) that the government will weaken and become more oppressive at the same time.
"Small group politics of labour unions can be intense and destructive as witnessed in my union, perhaps more so than General Elections.
"Small wonder the consumate politican, Ronald Regan first emerged in politics as head of a labour organisation, the Screen Actors Guild.
Cheerio, The Mentor
Ed Note: Ronald Reagan, the "Consumate Politician?" - was he, really! Does anyone know? The Mentor - does he also reside on Long Island? Or, as his Labour Union would suggest, is he somewhere between there and the deep, blue sea?
Nov 21, 2000
To: Dominic Martia
From: Sam Person
Re: Proposal for Reforming our Electoral ProcessI found the essay amusing, clever, and well done. Enjoyed reading it.
Interesting how the fiasco is generating a whole new avenue for writers to explore!
Nov 21, 2000
To: The Editor
From: The Dean
Re: James W. RoweJames W Rowe, an itinerent philosopher, Lord Secretary of the Society and long standing friend of the Dean has expressed his thoughts in an audiogramme on the US election as follows:
"Greetings Dean:
"I have been following the Inditer but had not noticed the elections column...
This election has proven to be invigorating. I have savo[u]red the intrigue and studied the rules and laws applicable."My view is that Gore will assume the Presidency after January 20th...
"The Republicans may under House of Representative Rules reject Florida Gore electors and certify Republican ones.
"However President Clinton may resign beforehand to make Gore President free to pursue a justice department action to void the entire election.
"I have studied the history of third parties. The Prohibition Party still exists and did you know there was once a Bull Moose Party?
Thus sayeth said Dr Rowe this 18th November 2000
Dr James W Rowe
Itinerant Philosopher RPPSThe RPPS Official Canvass of RPPS Members Eligible to Vote:
Nader 7
Buchanan 3
Gore -1*
Bush - 3*Social rules allow voting either for or against a candidate or both
Nov 20, 2000
From: The EditorWhen one lives in the forest it is often difficult to see the trees.
When the votes have been counted, recounted, the various Florida Courts, bureaucrats, Democrats, Republicans and others have completed their gymnastics, a president will be announced. The President of the United States of America is "Al Who?" - "G-Dubya Who".?
We will see how the most powerful, most aggressive nation in the world will fare without a president, for that is what they get at best, or with a president that no one will pay the slightest attention to. The loser in the whole sordid mess is the Office of the President of the United States of America! The office of the president has been dragged through the muck and mire to a low it has never seen nor imagined.
One of these men, Gore or Bush, still has a chance at the Brass Ring for "hero of the day". If Gore or Bush would simply back off, saying this is below their dignity and let the other take the prize, he would be the hero and would be certain to win the next one, four years down the road.
We are certain that there remain enough bureaucrats and politicians true to their country who will make sure all runs smoothly in the land of the free and the home of the brave, so it really doesn't matter which of these two petulant, precocious spoiled children, whose parents have never let them become adults, or have never steered them in that direction, becomes president in name. The citizens of such a great nation will know these silver-spoon-fed chappies will never, ever be able to speak for the citizens....for they themselves have never been common citizens, but elitist to the core.
When candidates such as these, who take it for granted they are desitined for the White House, actually attain that office, they have done a horrible dis-service to a great nation and it's highest office.
Nov 17, 2000
To: J.F. Clennan - Sam Person
From: Dick Koss
Re: Latest from Clennan and Person
I couldn't agree more with the well written and accurately expressed sentiments of J. F. Clennan and Sam Person. I heard on the radio today, a comment from one of the legislators involved in the writing of the 1989 Florida state law authorizing hand recounts. He (who's also a democrat) said the the law clearly allows for the use of hand recounts only when there is evidence of machine malfunction. This law is not intended to allow scrutiny of ballots that were incorrectly punched or double punched by voters.
As Mr. Clennan stated, in 1960, President Eisenhower used his influence to avert what could have been the kind of fiasco we are witnessing today. Unfortunately, there is no person in the White house, or anywhere in the democratic leadership for that matter, with the stature, prestige, and honor, to do that today.
Sadly, I also heard that the Florida supreme court ( with one conservative and five liberals) is expected to overrule the Florida Secretary of State and allow continued recounts, ad infinitum. If this is the case, we may see George W. Bush withdraw to spare the nation endless weeks of court battles, appeals, etc. That's something Al Gore could never do, because his entire life has been directed toward this presidency, and he has demonstrated that he doesn't care what he puts this country through to attain his personal lifelong ambition.
November 17, 2000 To: The Editor - - Donald Grant DeMan
From:Carlin I Ratus
Re: Australia ForeverGreetings:
The Rockaway Park Philosophical Society at plenary session took the following action:
Elected Grant's malfunctioning computor over Bill's as President of The United States. It found both computors eminently well qualified, as neither really wanted to work and both were little more than photogenic, but Grant's middle name was that of a former US President and Bill's was not. (but Bill's Godfather and namsake was a former Prime Minister of Canada - William Lyon Mackenzie King.)
Recounts were demanded in certain Florida precincts because RPPS members there had voted for one of the esteemed computors belonging to Dr. James Woodbury Rowe's (Mentor_rpps@yahoo.com) now housed at the Dean's Office , thinking they were voting for Bill.
Boliva has offered to send inspectors of elections to oversee reballoting Carlin I Ratus - Schoastæ Socii
November 17, 2000
To: Jason Gurley
From: Jim Stallings and Laurie Stallings
Re: DisrruptDear Editor:
In "Disrupt" the protagonist in his SUV beautiful world is knocked into the cold truth that he cares more about his own security and comfort than about the victim of his negligence. The short piece hones right in on the grotesque implications of society devoted to its own self-indulgence, its moral bankruptcy and cowardliness. Not an easy thing to witness...but we know it happens everyday in ways more minor and major than this. The story suggests an "inciting incident"...that could set off a long series of consequences and has echoes of Tom Wolfe's premise in Bonfire of the Vanities.
November 16, 200
From: The Editor
Re: A little more "Florida"This morning's paper - The Victoria, Canada Times Colonist - ran a piece written by Robert Russo of Canadian Press. It is titled "U.S Voters to frantic politicians: Chill Out!" Sub-headed, 'Americans see no crisis in Florida Vote Scramble'.
A number of folks are interviewed and quoted in the piece: Julie Babb, an artists from the fishing and resort village of Pemaquid, Me., says, "I don't respect either one now".
John Brogan of Fox River Valley in Eastern Wisconsin says, referring to the US Constitution as a sort of majestic arbiter that rises above the the squalid man-made fiascos, "there is also the fear that the next president will be decided by lawyers 'rather than human beings' (woe unto ye also, ye lawyers!)
Brogan goes on to say "probably George Bush and his Little Governor Brother will fix it so that he stays ahead. But, I say, let the petulant little preppy have it....he won't be taken seriously!"
As Alice said, "it gets curiouser and curiouser".
The Editor
Ed Note: to the combatants; "will you still repect me in the morning dear?"
Nov 15, 2000
To: The Editor
From: J.F. Clennan
Re: Florida, vote, recount, counter-count, counter-re-count, injunction, & etc.Dear Bill:
I see you're still taking in and enjoying the sticky wicket just yards down the road from your front door.
I heard from my friend and sometimes collaborator, Dr, James W. Rowe and you know he is too.
I'd throw my two cents (pence) into the affray.....
Heres the item from RPPS Fullosia Press which you may reprint in your Florida debacle "response section" if you like.
Glad to see you're still having fun. At least we served one purpose with the US national (general) elections. The US did entertain the rest of the world. By the bye, your relative who thought Alaska was somewhere near Oregon, please tell them to be careful driving around up north of San Fransisco, they might fall off the edge of the world. J.F. Clennan RPPS Election Day: November 2000 Edition
Click here: 11694-- Fullosia Press November 2000 use your back key to come back to this page please. here's the item, to save you clicking away from us.....as published in Fullosia Press.....
Cream Puff Campaign: Mushy Result
The issues facing the American people are well known: (a) the tidal wave of immigration, (b) the place of the English language, (c) adjustment to the cyber-age chopping down the number of available jobs, (d) rising gas prices, (e) US forces stretched thin in wars of unclear purpose, (f) spiriling expenses of health care, (g) shift in production to the Far East.
Bush and Gore managed to run campaigns which avoided all the issues. Issues addressed by the Independent Candidates Buchanan and Nader were ignored by the Establishment Press. "debates might have had substance with the minor parties included and the talking heads who tried to give meaning to the meaninglessness eliminated," many have said.
The substancelessness of the campaigns were poignantly presented by a Snickers bar commercial which showed a Jack-ass and a Woolly Mamouth in a childish argument with a voter in between.
Small wonder the US Electorate failed to produce a clear result. By a handful of votes, Bush apparently carried the Electoral college and with that the White House. Gore refuses to stand aside.
With the prospect of Constitutional crisis, Bush and Gore supporters have clashed in the streets.
The public is non-plussed. Most of the combattants are patronage aspirants. "If you weren't in line for a political plum, why would you care?" an onlooker observed.
The last major crisis of this type sprang from the 1960 campaign when democratic machines in Texas and Illinois cast far more votes than voters to send Kennedy to the White House.
In 1960 President Eisenhauer interceded with VP Nixon and constitutional crisis averted. There is no Ike around with the prestige and moral authority to resolve the dispute.
On the sidelines, President Clinton applauded the Establishment Press . Ed Note: J.F. Clennan is a citizen of the USA, residing on Long Island where he practices law. Please don't shoot this messenger....JFC one of yours!
Nov 15, 2000 From: Sam Person
To: "Bill" The Editor
Re: Florida Elections
Of course, Bill, it is obvious that I favor Bush over Gore.
You take exception to my not being "even-handed." I didn't (and don't) intend to be.
The issue is Florida's electoral votes. Bush won the election in that state in accordance with the system. It is the responsibility of voters to know what they are doing with a ballot.
Further, there are aberrations that can occur in every election and with every means of recording votes. What do we do next, make each election the best two out of three, etc?
I do not wish to beat this to death, but voters in that Florida county had every opportunity to raise objections to the ballot BEFORE they voted utilizing a form supposedly approved by a Democrat party official. Once they executed the ballot their turn at bat was over. Period. Improperly executed ballots are thrown out, as they should be - for whatever reason.
Fact is Bill, when it is over, it is over. The Florida election was over when the polls close on Tuesday, November 7.
Thus, it is indeed time for Gore to concede.
ps: Got a big kick out of Ann Dolin's "vote counting." Amazing how a little humor goes a long way. Very well done. Best regards, Sam Person
November 14, 2000
From: Sam Person
To: "Bill" The Editor
Re: Florida Elections
Well, Bill, even though I do have a posted submission on this subject, the temptation to reply to you could not be resisted.
The "Y2K" disaster that had us at the edge of our seats, as it were, finally arrived in the form of the year 2000 presidential elections.
Election mistakes, fraud and/or chicanery have happened before and they will happen again, as Boss Tweed was telling Richard Daly at a séance conducted just the other day. Contrary to what many think, not knowing how to cast a ballot that has been officially approved (as was the case in Florida) is hardly an excuse.
Here in Southwest Florida, the ability of Americans to laugh at themselves and/or seemingly difficult circumstances again comes to the fore. For example, I had a blood test this morning of the type where the tip of a finger is utilized. As a result, I sported a band aid on the tip of the finger for a couple of hours. To those that inquired, my response was "I hurt it on the east coast counting votes." This remark has led to exchanges and smiles which convinces me that people seem to be relaxed and are beginning to tire of the whole thing.
In a more serious vein, our country does not need the problems that a prolonged rehashing of the vote will engender. It is time for Gore to concede. Ed Note: That's kind of cut and dried, isn't it Sam? Your last sentence could also have read, "It is time for Bush to concede" or perhaps for the died in the wool fence sitters, "It is time for one or the other to concede".
November 14, 2000
To: All
From: The EditorRe: Newspaper Story from Victoria BC, Canada Times Colonist, datelined Tallahassee, Fla., and (AP) (Recount deadline imposed-Legal Battles Escalate)
A paragraph in the above cited news story attributes this quotation to Al Gore lawyer, Dexter Douglass. Mr. Douglass is quoted as saying, "Our most sacred right .... is to have our vote counted to pick the leader of our country and the free world."
Whoops! Mr Douglass. Because Bill Clinton, Al Gore or George W. happen to be elected president of the United States of America and leader of that country, it does not follow they are the leader of the free world. I am a citizen of an independent country, any of the above three are not, and never will be my leader. Perhaps if you could come up with a better list of candidates I would agree with you, as my country is in dire need of a leader too, but any of the above three would be out of the question. We would rather not have anyone from Hollywood either....we live in a real world, not a John Wayne 'shoot every Indian in sight' world.
The USA may be the mightiest country in the world, but we have turned the corner there too. Might is no longer right. Might is bullyism, pure and simple. I give the USA full marks for being mighty....the Soviet Union was once mighty too....China is mighty and runs rough shod over it's neighbours while we in the west let them get away with it .... but as for the president of the USA being the leader of the free world, I'll pass! There will be those who will respond to my remarks that the USA could wipe us out in a moment....they probably could, but that is might, not right.
I don't want a leader in my country who thinks, as Mr. Bush does, that Mexico is the largest trading partner of the USA. Canada does hundreds of times the trade with your country as does Mexico. Mr. Bush also says the border between USA and Mexico is the longest border between the USA and any country, while elementary school children will tell you the longest undefended border in the world is between Canada and the USA. While we're at it, our Prime Minister undoubtedly knows the name of the President of the USA. However, Mr. Bush, on National TV, called Jean Chretien our Prime Minister, John Pontine! (for heaven's sake!) For nine years in a row, the United Nations has stated that Canada is the best nation in the world in which to live. But, we don't like to blow our own horn too much. That's because, while our eyes are closed with the ecstasy of our own horn blowing, someone might pour some nasty stuff down the other end of the horn.
Nov 14, 2000
To: Ann Dolin
From: Kathryn Jennings-Hancock
Re:The Florida RecountHello, Bill!
I loved Ann Dolin's offer to recount all the votes herself. She has a very punchy, easy-to-read style that reminded me of one of my all time favorites, Erma Bombeck.
Great job writing about what might not be a bad idea!
Nov 14, 2000
To: the editor
From: Anonymous - that is anonymous to you, but not to us!
Re: The Florida Fiasco (election - soap - melodrama) - perhaps not!Question: "Why did the chicken cross the road?"
Vice President Gore: I fight for the chickens and I am fighting for the chickens right now. I will not give up on the chickens crossing the road! I will fight for the chickens and I will not disappoint them.
Governor Georege W. Bush: I don't believe we need to get the chickens across the road. I say give the road to the chickens and let them decide. The government needs to let go of strangling the chickens so they can get across the road.
Senator Lieberman: I believe that every chicken has the right to worship their God in their own way. Crossing the road is a spiritual journey and no chicken should be denied the right to cross the road in their own way.
Secretary Cheney: Chickens are big-time because they have wings. They could fly if they wanted to. Chickens don't want to cross the road. They don't need help crossing the road. In fact, I'm not interested in crossing the road myself.
Ralph Nader: Chickens are misled into believing their is a road by the evil tire makers. Chickens aren't ignorant, but our society pays tiremakers to create the need for these roads and then lures chickens into believing there is an advantage to crossing them. Down with the roads, up with chickens.
Pat Buchanan: To steal a job from a decent, hardworking American.
Jerry Fallwell: Because the chicken was gay! Isn't it obvious? Can't you people see the plain truth in front of your face? The chicken was going to the "other side." That's what "they" call it-the "other side." Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And, if you eat that chicken, you will become gay too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media whitewashes with seemingly harmless phrases like "the other side." That chicken should not be free to cross the road. It's as plain and simple as that.
Dr. Seuss: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes! The chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed, I've not been told!
Ernest Hemmingway: To die. In the rain.
Martin Luther King King, Jr.: I envision a world where all chickens will be free to cross without having their motives called into question.
Grandpa: In my day, we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Someone told us that the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough for us.
Aristotle: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.
Karl Marx: It was a historical inevitability.
Saddam Hussein: This was an unprovoked act of rebellion and we were quite justified in dropping 50 tons of nerve gas on it.
Ronald Reagan: What chicken?
Captain James. T. Kirk: To boldly go where no chicken has gone before.
Fox Mulder: You saw it cross the road with your own eyes. How many more chickens have to cross before you believe it?
Frued: The fact that you are at all concerned that the chicken crossed the road reveals your underlying sexual insecurity.
Bill Gates: I have just released eChicken 2000, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook - and Internet Explorer is an inextricable part of eChicken.
Einstein: Did the chicken really cross the road or did the road move beneath the chicken?
Bill Clinton: I did not cross the road with that chicken. What do you mean by "chicken"? Could you define "chicken" please?
George Bush: I don't think I should have to answer that question.
Louis Farrakhan: The road, you will see, represents the black man. The chicken crossed the "black man" in order to trample him and keep him down.
The Bible: And God came down from the heavens, and He said unto the chicken, "Thou shalt cross the road." And the chicken crossed the road, and there was much rejoicing.
Colonel Sanders: I missed one?
Nov 12, 2000
To: Richard Koss
From: Rosemary Bowery
Re:The Butterfly Stroke
If George Dubya is so sure he has won the election why doesn't he just relax and let the legal process go foreward? He will have ample time to sober up and four whole years try to screw up our economy. In case you haven't heard Bill Clinton is still the president and will be until the 20th of Jan.
Nov 11, 2000
From: Richard Koss
To: Kimit Muston
Re: The Butterfly Stroke
We need Yogi Berra to settle this entire matter. After all, he's the one who said "It ain't over till it's over."
If you feel democracy would be best served by letting those confused by the butterfly ballot vote over, then we should certainly let those who didn't vote because of the networks' premature declaration that Gore had won Florida before the polls were closed, also be given a chance to vote. Now there's confusion brought about by deception. I can only imagine the whining and outrage we would have heard if the networks had called Florida for Bush prematurely instead of Gore. If confusion is your criteria for allowing someone to vote again, then half the nation should vote over.
It's ironic that those old Jewish ladies confused by the butterfly ballot, have no trouble playing several bingo cards simultaneously.
No, this entire mess is not about democracy, it's about the extended arm of a corrupt administration and the party that has defended it, protected it, and is determined to maintain its control by any means necessary to achieve this end. I am told by people who are registered Democrats and voted for Bush, that they are totally ashamed of the Democratic party. They have not left the party, the party has left them.
As the unprecedented hand recounts continue if allowed, and the court battles go on and the fabricated rumors and accusations continue, we, as a nation will become even more divided, more angry, and still remain more confused than ever.
November 10, 200
From: Caroline Zarlengo Sposto
Re: Elections, USANobody knows how to get things done nowadays! Here, let's fix it and move forward:
Bush will be president Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Gore will be president on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays
Lieberman will be president on Sundays because he's Jewish.Ta- Da! - I'm phoning the authorities right now!
(Yes, I'm joking!)
Nov 10, 2000
From: Merle Fischlowitz
To: Caroline Sposto , et al
Re: Elections USASome responses to "So easily fixed:"
Great idea! Christians especially should like it because it celebrates the trinity of days, and assures, as never in the history of the USA, that somebody is minding the national store on Sundays.
Madeleine
I like your solution to the election process. I would also recomend that we insert an extra day in the week. On this day Congress can meet but on this day they can only take laws off the books, not make any new ones. This should work since in the normal week of only seven days they don't get much done anyway and this will give them an incentive to do even less. I have noticed that the less Congress does the better off we citizens seem to be.Regards,
Stephen
That's what I love about you--you are a pro-active problem solver!! I say throw them both out and must make Cheney and Lieberman share the duties!!
Ann
November 10, 2000
To: Kimit Muston
From: Richard Koss
Re: The Liberal Media Myth
You're a helluva writer. I've said that before but I will never agree with your interpretation of who the bad guys are. If you're a moderate, I'd have to guess that Dave Letterman voted for Buchanan. I see a lot more Hollywood than Indiana in your writing. Most liberals call themselves "moderates' today. That's because they remember what happened to McGovern and Dukakis. Bill Clinton told everybody he was a moderate in 1992. Some democrats still try to portray him as a centrist, whatever that is. I suppose it was the "conservative" network pundits who first proclaimed Al Gore the winner in Florida even before the polls had closed.
Sam Donaldson's not a liberal? That's pretty funny.
Nov 08, 2000
To: Jason Gurley
From: From Frances Fasano Alt
Re: "Disrupt"
Jason Gurley's 'Disrupt' was riveting. Excellent social commentary. At first I thought the writing was pretensions but soon all the pieces fell neatly into place. Nice work.
Nov 08, 2000
To: Jason Gurley
From: G. Mason
Re: "Disrupt"
Disrupt is a story that hits the attitude of most of our country (USA) on the head of the nail.
November 06, 2000
To: Richard Koss
From: Thomas Dean - Dean of RPPS
Re: The Importance of Being Liberal
Dear Bill:
I read The Importance of Being Liberal . I try to avoid 19th century terms and use the words 'right' and 'left'. Frankly, there is a cultural divide in the U.S.A. between right and left.
In the U.S. right wing people are independents .... they aren't groupie people who depend on media splash or public acclaim for sustenance .... a right wing person cuts his/her own path, thus in groupie, social situations a true right wing person could care less who wears what or who's talking to whom. A right winger sets his/her own standard and cares naught what others think about it.
Much like that Canadian Anglican Bishop who, when faced with lawsuits from the Indians endangering the church's wobbly financial condition: Why do I need a table, a loaf of bread and a bottle of wine?
Thus Hollywood was long before the John Wayne fiasco. The Green Berets conceded to the left. The left need each other to assure each other that they're correct on these issues we'd like to hear more from the other democracies. Thomas Dean - Dean of RPPS
reply to deanofrpps@AOL.COM
Nov 02, 2000
To: D. Grant DeMan
From: John Clennan
Re: Billy Billy BuncoSubject: Bronco Billy Bucks the Wrong Bronc
Dear Bill:
The saga of Bunco Billy is another astounding, triumph of Grant. The concept of Bunco Billy is intriguing: Who protects (or guards) the custodians? Qui custodes custodiens - - The Latin maxim shows it not to be a problem of recent origin.
Bunco Billy is one of those memorable characters, a new comer, (ASJ fence jumper; can irregularly landed immigrant) who can take the smartest and the toughest. But can he out smart a wronged female? Well worth reading!
Well done Grant! (ASJ: Hee-Haw! can: Here-Here) Sincerely,
Nov 01, 2000
To: Kimit Muston
From: Jaret Morgan
Re: Kimit Muston Essays
I find Kimit A.Muston's articles very entertaining. I like his style and brand of humor. When I read his articles, I know I will be nodding my head and grinning.
Oct 30, 2000
To: Rosemary Bowery
From D. Grant DeManRe: Hog Killing Day
I haven't yet et today, so this piece left my mouth a-watering fer some jowls and such. Country ham is now illegal in Canada, but I remember the days when they hung for years from the barn rafters, gathering mold and such. Took three days of scrubbing to get them into baking shape.
I'll just bet this tasty piece, so saltily -written by Rosemary gets Bill Loeppky to make a few more sacks of his unique sausage. Also I note that Rosemary's clan shot their hogs. They must have been a wealthy lot, for my folks would never waste a cartridge on a pig, for they were reserved for moose, deer, and elk - one for each animal, except on that rare occasion when Daddy was lucky enough to find a small herd walking single file. In that special case one well placed rear entrance round gutted, cleaned and killed the whole passel of them animals, and the whole county et for the winter. Smiles and thanks heaps for the finest piece I've read so far, Rosemary.
Oct 29, 2000
To: Jaret Morgan
From: Rosemary Bowery
Re: "Jaydo Nod"Comments I emailed to Jaret Morgan.
"Go Placidly amid the Noise and Haste and remember what peace there may be in silence" (from Desiderata)
I enjoyed reading your short stories and poem in 'The Inditer' this morning.. "Jaydo Nod: Intergalactic Spy" did take me out of the kitchen for a bit and as I read "My Silence" several times attempting to apply the sentiment to my own museful moments, I felt the sacredness of your essay. I enjoy most poems that rhyme -"Shade" is from the heart, and it rhymes.
Thank you for an enjoyable start for my Saturday.
Oct 28, 2000
To: Kathryn Jennings-Hancock
From: D. Grant DeMan
Re: Sound Advice
A story piped full of the fiber of living. Kathryn's characters move at the speed of light in a heavy investment of emotion toward a fresh beacon of maturity and understanding. Life, it would seems is more like a catapillar than a spiral. Congratulations on this fine short story!
Oct 28, 2000
To: Rosemary Bowery
From: Jaret Morgan
Re: "Stuff"
I grew up in McDowell County, West Virginia. Once I left the country and discovered "Big City Life", I knew that this is where I truly belonged. I thirsted for a McDonald's on every block and shopping malls in every direction. Finally, something to do other than sit on my front porch and let time pass me by!
But Rosemary Bowery does a fantastic job of taking me back with her stories, and in a positive way. I was especially fond of "While I Was Away". With vivid description given as if she were talking to me instead of me reading it, she brings to light my own happy memories that I had since buried. Thank you, Rosemary.
Jaret Morgan
Oct 28, 2000
To: Rosemary Bowery
From: Nancy
Re: "Stuff"
I always enjoy this lady's stories. Too bad each of us can't just sit down and talk with her for hours.Looking forward to her next story.
Oct 27, 2000
To: Chris Balow
From: Samantha Kimmel
Re: SwingsChris Balow's story "The Swings" - what an original and evocative tale! I was riveted, Chris, and hope that you continue to write and write and write.
I think you have a natural bent toward the odd, horror and the mysterious. With time and experience (write, write and write some more) your style will continue to improve, and you'll go from a good writer to a fine one very soon.
Keep 'em, coming, Chris!
regards, Samantha Kimmel
Oct 26, 2000 To: Chris Balow
From: Kathryn Jennings-Hancock
Re: Red Patch - Swings
I sincerely hope young Chris Balow continues to write, because I thoroughly enjoyed both The Red Patch and The Swings. He paints a picture of mood, and if I could offer anything to him by way of advice (and bear in mind, it's only advice in the mind of this writer!) it would be two things: (1) Use adverbs the same way you use anchovies, which is only when necessary, and sparingly, and (2) Most readers like to be shown, rather than told, the nice part of which is, you can generally show with fewer words. All in all, a great couple of stories from a writer I hope to read more from! Thanks! - Kathryn Jennings-Hancock
More from Kathryn:
Kudos to Samantha S. Kimmel for Teens and RU-486. My hat is off to her for expressing so well a question I've read reams about (and who hasn't been inundated with articles, opinions, commentaries since the whole issue was raised?), but for once, not in techno-jargon terms, or from-the-pulpit rhetoric, but simply, and honestly, and realistically, with an image of a young girl I will be a long time forgetting.
Thank you for raising the question, not by stating it outright, but in presenting a picture that let my own mind inquire.
Oct 25, 2000
From D. Grant DeMan
To: Chris Balow
Re: "The Swings" - "The Red Patch"I tried to get a handle on that horror story the boy...????....wrote. Must have missed something. The writing is magnificent, nmore than real, especially considering his age, but my brain will not connect with his visions. Perhaps I am much too old and more than real. Flights of fantasy that have the reader leaving the earth and journeying with these dream sequence characters infiltrate ever nuance and crack of these two stories. In that I can find no "better" of the two. Problems lie with theme and cohesion. As with much young stream of consiousness, there is a tendency to ramble away from subject matter. More, for example, is required to connect the bats to the red patch. Swings tend also to take off to some other land, and never return to a core theme or idea.
However a wonderful poetic-prose experience that Chris Barlow has allowed us to share. Enjoyable reading.
Oct 22, 2000
From: The Editor
To: Poets
Re: Poetry
Are poets different than other folks? If so, what makes them different? Now and then, Inditer.com must close it's gates to poetry, or at least to a lot of it. Then, after a while, we open the gates, only to be inundated with poetry which leaves a slightly sour after-taste.
The worst part of it all, when any of this 'not too terribly good' work is turned down, we are sure to be flooded with email suggesting among other things that there is reason to believe our genetic make-up requires investigation.
Henceforth, your editor, who makes no claim to be an expert, or even slightly knowledgeable in the field of poetry, will no longer determine what poetry will be published and what will not be published. We will continue to accept work from most of our regular poetry contributors. The Editorial Board of Inditer.com, those who have taken on this onerous task for no recompense will make the poetry calls from now on.
Oct 21, 2000
To:Richard Koss - - Kimit A. Muston
From: Rosemary Bowery
Re: "My Three Loves" - Debates 3 - Public 0Richard Koss's sexist poem "My Three Loves" - also his angry response to Kimit Muston's "Debates Three - Public 0" tells us much: His jam is still soured because the Democrats took over the White House eight year ago and his jealousy of Bill Clinton has surfaced.
Oct 21, 2000
To: Kimit A. Muston - - Richard Koss
From: J. Collins
Re: "Debates 3 - Public 0"I read Kimit Muston's article on the US presidential debates. I am constrained to agree. I also saw mr Bousch and Mr Bore on the telly....to my regret.... I was too lazy to do anything productive that night...
'T'wasn't a dimes worth of difference between Bosch and Bore. Both promised to maintain "the fine tradition" of Mr. Clinton. It would be hard to say if I hope any person follows in mr Clinton's footsteps much less the next president. Somehow picking presidents from 42nd street (red light district) johns does seem to diminish the prestige of the office ever so slightly, but from the debate I can only conclude that whatever the difference between Bouch and Bore is purely a genetic accident
In this respect I must disagree with Richard Koss, I think perhaps Mr. Koss has confused Reagan and Bousch. I may have my criticisms from a conservative point of view of glitzkreig Reagan but Mr Reagan stood for some view point. Mr. Bousch is the pitiable example of the last gasps of a decrepit political system in tail spin decline
My thoughts on the debate have previously been recorded at: http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/fullosiapress/fall2000/oct2000.htm
Oct 19, 2000
To: Kimit A. Muston
From: Richard Koss
Re: "Debates 3 - Public 0"Richard Koss takes issue with Kimit Muston's essay on the great debates, "Debates 3 Public 0". Click here to see the entire text.
Oct 19, 2000
To: Jack Knox
- Inditer.com
From: J. F. Collins
Re: Knox ColumnI have read the Knox article which was well written & informative.
You should take pride that your monumental achievement with Inditer has found recognition in such esteemed columns of the newspapers.
There is much that can be added to your saga of having, under the extreme pressures of health, with all the political overtones of the manner in which the disease was spread, having overcome the human tendency to engage in justified self-pity and instead giving so much of yourself to the cause of promoting English literature on the internet.
Cecil Rhodes could not have imagined the empire you have carved out for English. One man one desk and one computor (er) (Check your Oxford - - correct spelling) !
If the Society proclaims the sovereignty of the mind, you have, by the grace of God, actualised it!
Bravo Bill! - - jfc
Oct 17, 2000
To: Jack Knox - Inditer.com
From: Sid Tafler
Re: Knox Column(re inditer.com) That's a great service, showcasing good writing.
(re: Jack Knox) I kinda thought the part about your illness and the government stalling on the compensaiton was a little downplayed. What we used to call a buried lead.
To: D. Grant DeMan
From: John Clennan
Re: Locked Chilcote Cabin CaperThe Locked Cabin is the finest detective stroy since the time A Conan Doyle wrote the last Sherlock Holmes.
What makes it stand on its own right as opposed to a Doyle copy is the effective use of local colo[u]r and local police slang (the King George).
I did love Sherlock Holmes. Have some Holmes trivia:
Which Sherlock Holmes short story or novel had a US setting?
(a)"Sign of the Four", partially set in Utah, during the Mormon Rebellion (1859-60).Which had American characters?
(a) The Four Pips and Hound of Baskervilles.Back to the Locked Cabin.
If our entire civilization were swept away leaving only fragments for the few remaining scholars sequestered away from the collapse, the copiests would say of The Locked Cabin that it was probably an obscure Sherlock Holmes story with a Canadian North-West locale previously left out in the codex. The Locked Cabin is that good.
Oct 14, 2000 To:Peter Gorman - Donald Grant DeMan
From: John F.Clennan
Re: President Gray - Harpy; The BeginningsVery cute -- an adorable piece.
I also loved D. Grant DeMan's Harpy 2 - The Beginnings (pre-quel). Liked the parallel story technique Donald Grant employed.
Oct 08, 2000
To - Rosemary Bowery - Jim Stallings - Kimit A. Muston
From: Fran Alt - Rick Williams
Re: 'A Man Named Enoch' - 'Harriet' - 'The Great Taco Crisis'Read two very short stories at Inditer.com this week.
Rosemary Bowery's - "A Man Named Enoch" and "Harriet", by Jim Stallings. Both were quick easy reads. Both were enjoyable.
'Enoch' presented an interesting anecdote, while 'Harriet', offered an entire lifetime in a nutshell'. To both authors -- Good work!
I sent Kimit's 'The Taco Crisis' to my dairy list. Wanted see how farmers would respond.
Rick Williams did. Read what he had to say below.
***** Response by Rick Williams to 'The Great Taco Crisis of 2000 by Kimit A. Muston'
The writer does not seem to have an understanding of the Bacillus thuringiensis product. He makes it sound as if it is a chemical that is applied when it is sprayed on the fields. Also, compared to the Bt gene inserted in ALL the corn plants, the Bt is only used when a problem is detected. Not pre-emptively. This is an enormous difference when it comes to exposure of the organisms to a substance that will lead to selection of those mutations that resist the bacillus.
"I think the Bio-Chicken-Littles should stick their panic in their gnomes and smoke it. I think the news media should stop treating genetically altered food as if it were something new, rather than a new technique for an old science. And I think all the great Taco crises proves is that ultra-liberals are as terrified of the future as arch-conservatives."
Excellent use of ad hominem attack on those awful bio-chicken-littles.
Sincerely, Rick Williams
Oct 06, 2000
To: - Email Rosemary
From: Ronald. E. Payne, Chicago, IL
Re: A Man Named EnochI just read "A Man Named Enoch" by Rosemary Bowery. When she tells a story, you almost believe you are on the scene. She really puts you in the front row. One gets the distinct feeling she has lived most of what she writes. This man she calls Enoch sounds a lot like a man I used to know.
I always look forward to reading her stories and poems in the Inditer. Keep up the good work.
Ronald E. Payne, Chicago, IL
Oct 03, 2000
To: Rosemary Bowery, Tom Bentley, Kathryn Jennings-Hancock
From: Donald Grant DeMan
Re: "A Man Named Enoch" - "Wars and Rumours of Wars & etc" - "Following Bob"It makes my banjo heart ring with joy to see Rosemary Bowery back spinning her tales, "some of them true" as she puts it. My-oh-my, can this little lady dish out a Sunup simultaneous tear and laugh in less time than it takes to button up my long johns and break the ice from my rusty wash-bucket.
A Man named Enoch is right up there with.....
The finest!
******
Tom Bentley's stories ring so true and fine, that one suspects he lives under the skin with Bill Loeppky in a heavenly paradise, gritty to the extreme, in golden rural Saskatchewan, high on alkaline water and gopher stew. An excellent tale, well told and with more latent themes than the books Grandpa prescribed.
Congratulations Tom!
****** Loved this story ("Following Bob") by Kathryn Jennings-Hancock, though I don't know why. Perhaps it's because the writing is brilliant, rife with intrinsic stream of consciousness running like a night freight to hell on the distant horizons of the mind, pitted and broken rails underlaid with ties peaty and wormed through, so's I listen with heightened distinct expectations of a momentary crashing derailment. Creeping along a mosquito net that's been stretched across the universe and scattered with broken glass?
Peppermint Gothic? Who is to know?
Mood mood mood! Only the author would take such chances.
Congratulations
Oct 01, 2000
To: Kimit Muston
From: John. L. Graves
Re: The Limits on Term Limits (Tom Hayden)Just read your column on Hayden in the LA Daily News and Inditer.com. He just might fit into that wierd group currently on the City Council. But a vast majority of the armed forces veterans consider Hayden and his ex-wife Hanoi Jane to be traitors to this country for their actions and comments in Viet Nam.
