Past Postings

Previous William Thomas Sherman Info Page postings, quotes, observations, etc.

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Since we made mention of "Stingray," its creator Gerry Anderson, as some of you know, made any number of other imaginative, clever and technically remarkable "Supermarionation" kids programs, including "Fireball XL5;" which latter I even have some faint recollection of seeing when it was shown in the early 60's (it having first aired in 1962.) Like "Stingray," "Fireball" also had catchy theme music written by Barry Gray and that we'll give you the opportunity to hear again or else for the first time.

Audio-wise the same as the above, but only the song and without the intro:

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Reading Between the Lines.

They will -- and do -- do it every time in some of those old TV shows, as recreated in these interpolations of my own imagining. (Though, of course, what is really being made reference to here is what these people [I write about] are like in real life.)

"If we don't stop this crazy Admiral and his old fashioned ideas, I'll lose Stingray and Marina!"
~ Troy Tempest in "Stingray," episode "Set Sail for Adventure."

"These surroundings do seem rather humdrum and tawdry. Not at all like the sophisticated, upscale accommodations I'm used to. Perhaps Kuryakin can cook up a souffle. Milk? No milk for me. I don't need any milk. But perhaps the pretty neighbor next door. Now that is something that might be of interest."
~ Napoleon Solo in "Man From Uncle," episode "The Suburbia Affair."

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In Ghosts We Trust

Hey championship, what do you think? You're getting these brain torture radios turned off, right?

"O.K.!"

That's the idea.

"O.K.!"

That's the spirit. You see, if we get these brain torture radios turned off that will help you and all these others as well. And take my word for it, demonism was a big mistake all along you, you know that. That way is no way; in fact, has been shown time and again scientifically and historically to be a proven disaster. Demonisitic? Chuck it. Get rid of it. You can't win with demonistic. Am I right?

"O.K.!"

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Most High

God made paradise. The heart and the mind found and discovered it.

Then paradise was lost when people lost their heart and mind by trading truth and right reason in exchange for lying and the authority of spirit people. For true paradise is of the truth and right reason; such that to reject honest truth and right reason is to reject paradise; while lying and spirit people are the death of the heart and mind.

But do they blame lying, spirit people, or themselves? No, they blame God, the government, or morals; as they understand God, the government, or morals to be; that is, according to what lying and spirit people say these are.

So that ever since, life scares us to death.

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We love or are at least fond of the angels as an, say poetic, abstraction or in a painting; or even a ghost if he would but remain in the book or the movie. But when, outside of curiosity, did any intelligent person ever want to be with or have either sort actually around and in their lives?

That Dante should call his spirit person heaven "Paradise" seems very odd because paradise, etymologically, means "garden," and yet Dante's Heaven is anything like a garden; just as spirit person heaven, inasmuch as we actually know of it, is nothing like paradise. Is then Dante's perhaps a case of someone being fooled, or am I reading him too literally?

Meanwhile "the world," to which so frequent derogatory reference is made here and elsewhere, is not the planet, let alone nature, but rather human society answering to and taking orders from spirit people.

In short, truth (i.e. honesty and reason) must rule among and over us; otherwise, by default we leave it to unknown, unaccountable, and suspicious spirit people to reign over and make our decisions for us instead -- and which the latter have in fact, with very tragic and sometimes catastrophic results, been doing in no small measure for millennia; with one clear proof of this being the degree to which mendacity and secrecy, much more than rationality and candor, so heavily prevail in society and human dealings generally.

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"But there are hoards of them!"

Yes, but a hoard is still all one.

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As well as Valentines there is also Presidents Day coming up later this month, and which is also and used to be Washington's birthday, and that for some will mean cherry pie. While “Yankee Doodle” is ostensibly the tune most associated with the Revolutionary War, there is little record of its being much sung at that time. Much more often and commonly heard in the American camps, taverns, homes, and on the march was Jonathan Mitchell Sewall's (1748-1808) “War and Washington.” The song appeared at least as early as 1778 in Sewall’s “Epilogue to Cato” that was acted at the Valley Forge encampment following a performance there also of Joseph Addison’s acclaimed tragedy (1712) on the younger Cato; with the lyrics being sung to the well known “The British Grenadiers” (another American variant using the same well-known music is "Free America" by Joseph Warren; and which can be found (track 3) on (English folksinger) Wallace House's "Ballads of the American Revolution, 1767-1781"* [amazon.com mp3 downloads.])
It was and has been some point of amusement that the Rebels entertained the seemingly extravagant notion of taking and annexing Canada. Yet, as Seawell's popular song here shows, there were even such, and of such fervor, who did and would talk of conquering Britain itself, perhaps even all of Europe! Proud boast indeed. And whether "Washington" himself would have approved is open to question. But we can at least now admire the pluck and gumption of it; while serving as a reminder to the merit and benefit sometimes to be had in elevating one's sights and aspirations.

* There is also House's "Ballads of the War of 1812, 1791-1836" which, if not better, is at least as good as the first album. For example, "Hey Betty Martin," the chorus-refrain of "Charge the Can Cheerily," or the ending stanzas of "James Bird" are no little winsome and or affecting. The song "The 8th Day of November," by the way, should actually have been titled "The 4th Day of November" referring as it does to the Battle of the Wabash, 1791; that was the greatest and most complete victory the Indians ever won against the United States (not excepting Little Big Horn.)
"WAR AND WASHINGTON

"Vain Britons, boast no longer with proud indignity,
By land your conquering legions, your matchless strength at sea,
Since we, your braver sons incensed, our swords have girded on.
Huzza, huzza, huzza, huzza, for war and Washington.

"Urged on by North and vengeance those valiant champions came,
Loud bellowing Tea and Treason, and George was all on flame,
Yet sacrilegious as it seems, we rebels still live on,
And laugh at all their empty puffs, huzza for Washington!

"Still deaf to mild entreaties, still blind to England's good,
You have for thirty pieces betrayed your country's blood.
Like Esop's greedy cur you'll gain a shadow for your bone.
Yet find us fearful shades indeed inspired by Washington.

"Mysterious! unexampled! incomprehensible!
The blundering schemes of Britain their folly, pride, and zeal.
Like lions how ye growl and threat! mere asses have you shown,
And ye shall share an ass's fate, and drudge for Washington!

"Your dark unfathomed councils our weakest heads defeat,
Our children rout your armies, our boats destroy your fleet,
And to complete the dire disgrace, cooped up within a town [Boston.]
You live the scorn of all our host, the slaves of Washington!

"Great Heaven! is this the nation whose thundering arms were hurled.
Through Europe, Afric, India? whose navy ruled a world?
The lustre of your former deeds, whole ages of renown.
Lost in a moment, or transferred to us and Washington!

"Yet think not thirst of glory unsheaths our vengeful swords
To rend your bands asunder, or cast away your cords,
'T is heaven-born freedom fires us all, and strengthens each brave son.
From him who humbly guides the plough, to god-like Washington.

"For this, oh could our wishes your ancient rage inspire.
Your armies should be doubled, in numbers, force, and fire.
Then might the glorious conflict prove which best deserved the boon,
America or Albion, a George or Washington!

"Fired with the great idea, our Fathers' shades would rise,
To view the stern contention, the gods desert their skies;
And Wolfe, 'midst hosts of heroes, superior bending down,
Cry out with eager transport, God save great Washington!

"Should George, too choice of Britons, to foreign realms apply,
And madly arm half Europe, yet still we would defy
Turk, Hessian, Jew, and Infidel, or all those powers in one,
While Adams guards our senate, our camp great Washington!

"Should warlike weapons fail us, disdaining slavish fears,
To swords we'll beat our ploughshares, our pruning-hooks to spears,
And rush, all desperate, on our foe, nor breathe till battle won.
Then shout, and shout America! and conquering Washington!

"Proud France should view with terror, and haughty Spain revere.
While every warlike nation would court alliance here;
And George, his minions trembling round, dismounting from his throne
Pay homage to America and glorious Washington!"

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And why were these innocents put at such risk and in harm's way?

In order that Ben Hinnom and his gang might be better pampered and accommodated (and, as a result, have and continue to get away with murder.)

Meantime, for literal ages they old us that women were the incipient cause and source of his jealousy and rivalry. But don't you believe it. He has acted and conduced himself as he does entirely owing to his self-pity and desire to be the center of attention, and women are and have ever been only a cover and an excuse for these ulterior considerations. Likewise we are to understand his followers go to a withered, wicked old man in order to see a sexy and stunning young lady. How many times do and have they claimed passion is the consummate good and justification? This, of itself, were it true and meant sincerely, might not be so objectionable an argument. Yet the fact is it isn't true and isn't meant sincerely, and is rather only a mask to excuse and disguise their doing the wrong thing a certain way. And they have to do that due to the feebleness of their character and intellect; and concomitant inability to disobey, combat and resist these spirit people.

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I'm sorry the audio and picture are not better than they are, but this you won't want to miss. (Remember, "Green Hornet" -> Bruce Lee -> Li principle -> Chandu.)

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"A nation, without a national government, is, in my view, an awful spectacle."
~ Alexander Hamilton, Federalist paper no. 85.

Similarly, a city, county, or state.

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