Apache Devil

Geronimo (Goyaałé: The One Who Yawns)

Public Domain

"GERONIMO had surrendered! For the first time in three hundred years the white invaders of Apacheland slept in peace. All of the renegades were prisoners of war in Florida. Right, at last, had prevailed. Once more a Christian nation had exterminated a primitive people who had dared defend their homeland against a greedy and ruthless invader."

Apache Devil

by Edgar Rice Burroughs

published in 1933

It still blows my mind that Edgar Rice Burroughs was writing from this perspective in 1927 (War Chief) and 1933 (Apache Devil). I mean, this was 43 / 37 years before Dee Brown published Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, and certainly not a time wherein most people saw "Indians" as human beings. So 🎩🎩📴 to Mr. Burroughs, for sure.

By the way...you can buy War Chief HERE...and Apache Devil HERE. 

The Second World War by Winston S. Churchill (6 volumes): Volume VI: Triumph and Tragedy

Day 1 (DDRD 1,295*): May 19, 2021

And what have we here? 22 pages of introductory material, 584 pages of text proper, 95 pages of indices & 35 pages of Index for a grand total of 736 pages. @ 20 pages per day, this should take 37 days to complete, making End Day June 25th. And then...I'll have read (according to the material written on the back cover) 1.5 million words from Winston Churchill. That's a whole lot of words. According to Somebody Who Should Know that I found on the internet, that's about twice as many words as are contained in the complete works of William Shake-speare. Wow. And to think, Churchill wrote a shitload of other books as well. 

Also interesting is that the price of this book was $9.95 when it was published in 1985, yet I bought the whole 6 volume set (in an attractive slipcase) for $9.99 from Half-Price Books. Which is good for me, of course, but kind of sad in the larger context. Also, that means that the whole set would have cost $59.70 when it came out...and no slipcase. 

ANYway...onward.

Read to page xx today. Which didn't quite get me all the way through the introductory stuff, but tomorrow I'll be there...and the first chapter of the first book is "D Day." 

* Also Day 31 for Volume V. I felt compelled to have a look at this final volume right away rather than wait for tomorrow, so it's a crossover day.

Day 2 (DDRD 1,296): May 20, 2021

Read to page 20. And D-Day has arrived. My question about why they didn't bomb the shit out of the coast has been answered: they did. But there was a 50 mile stretch to cover, the pillboxes were pretty resilient, and the Germans were quick to bring up more troops. Also, it seems that not all of the beach landings were as dire as the Omaha Beach one. In fact, according to History.com (https://www.history.com/news/d-day-casualties-deaths-allies)

"...the Allies suffered 10,000 total casualties on D-Day itself. The highest casualties occurred on Omaha beach, where 2,000 U.S. troops were killed, wounded or went missing; at Sword Beach and Gold Beach, where 2,000 British troops were killed, wounded or went missing; and at Juno beach, where 340 Canadian soldiers were killed."

I'd assume this means that the "other" casualties were spread out a bit more...and that not all of those were casualties were deaths. Which would make Omaha Beach by far the worst disaster of the invasion.

And of course the Omaha Beach landing is the one depicted in Saving Private Ryan. Which I felt the need to watch, and since God alone knows where my copy is, I checked it out of the library. It took me years (literally) to work up to watching it the first time...and several failed attempts...so I can't say I look forward to watching it again...but I think I'm going to do it.

News as it happens.

Day 3 (DDRD 1,297): May 21, 2021

Read to page 40. 

Churchill tells this story about his visit to the front after the D-Day invasion: "One poor man was to have a serious operation, and was actually on the table about to take the anaesthetic. I was slipping away when he said he wanted me. He smiled wanly and kissed my hand. I was deeply moved, and very glad to learn later on that the operation had been entirely successful." (24)

There aren't a hell of a lot of politicians I can picture doing this these days. Joe Biden, I think. Actually nobody else.

Day 4 (DDRD 1,298): May 22, 2021

Read to page 62. First disagreement in strategy between Churchill and FDR. FDR wins the argument, of course. I don't understand it well enough or know history well enough to be able to say whether or not Churchill was right. 

Day 5 (DDRD 1,299): May 23, 2021

Read to page 80.

Day 6 (DDRD 1,300): May 24, 2021

Read to page 100. So much has changed. Russia is kicking Germany's ass. France and Italy are fielding armies against the Germans. Victory seems imminent. No more than 484 pages away, I'll warrant. 

Day 7 (DDRD 1,301): May 25, 2021

Read to page 120. Stalin is being pissy again. Big surprise.

Day 8 (DDRD 1,302): May 26, 2021

Read to page140.

In today's reading, Churchill is talking about civilians in Poland trying to fight back against the Nazis, and how they are seriously unequipped to do this. They do not have the proper weapons. There's a line in a letter he writes to Roosevelt which says, "Our sympathies are aroused for these 'almost unarmed people' whose special faith has led them to attack German tanks, guns, and planes...." (123) Churchill wants to help, but FDR is dragging his feet because Stalin doesn't want the Allies going in...and they need Russian airfields to drop supplies. Stalin wants to let the Nazis wipe out all of the non-Communist Poles, then he can move in and wipe out the Nazis and take control of the country. What a motherfucker.

This passage touched me for several reasons, most of them obvious. But not-obvious: I don't know if it's true or not, but I once heard that Polish jokes, which were big in my youth, actually owed their origin to this situation in World War II, because the Poles attacking tanks with bottles of gasoline and ranks was just so fuckin' funny. Wow. So much for respect for human dignity and courage, right?

And this just in from the Churchill Is Kind Of Weird, And I Like That In A Man Department:

Day 9 (DDRD 1,303): May 27, 2021

Read to page 160.

Here's a thing which caught my eye: "In the autumn of 1942, at the peak of the struggle for Guadalcanal, only three aircraft-carriers where float; a year later there were fifty; by the end of the war there were more than a hundred." (154)

Which made me wonder...how many aircraft carriers does the USofA have now? And according to our friends at Wikipedia, the answer is 🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁11. In fact, the Wikans say that there are only 44 aircraft carriers in the world now...divvied up between 14 navies. (HERE) What's up with that? I don't know, but I do know that as Churchill's attention shifts to the Pacific Theater (they're already talking about how to divide up Germany "after the war" in the European Theater), I find myself (1) wanting to visit an aircraft carrier and (2) wanting to read Ian Toll's Pacific War Trilogy. But I think I'm still going to read László Krasznahorkai's Baron Wenckheim's Homecoming for my next Daily Devotional Reading project...which should be about a month from now.

Day 10 (DDRD 1,304): May 28, 2021

Read to page 180. 

Churchill made reference to the fact that during a battle at the island of Leyte, the Japanese made their first suicide bomber attack. Since that battle was late in 1944, I was dubious...but sure as shit, the Wikans (and National Geographic) backed him up. Hmph. I thought that was how the Japanese started the war with America.

Speaking of the Japanese...in a reference to the Japanese Admiral Kurita turning back after a successful naval battle against the Americans, Churchill says, "Those who have endured a similar ordeal May judge him." (162) I love the way Churchill is magnanimous even to his enemies when he could just as easily have used this incident to illustrate the cowardice of the Japanese commander.

Day 11 (DDRD 1,305): May 29, 2021

Read to page 200.

Day 12 (DDRD 1,306): May 30, 2021

Read to page 220.

Day 13 (DDRD 1,307): ☖May 31, 2021☖

Memorial Day. That's ⤴ as close as I could get to a tombstone emoji.

Read to page 240. 

Day 14 (DDRD 1,308): June 1, 2021

Read to page 260.

Here's something which sounded kind of familiar:

As Greece tries to re-establish its own government after the ousting of the Germans, the Communists attempt to take power. Churchill notes that, "The mob violence by which the Communists sought to conquer the city and present themselves to the world as the Government demanded by the Greek people could only be met by firearms." Immediately prior to this statement he had noted, "It is no use doing things like this by halves." (251)

Hmmm.

Day 15 (DDRD 1,309): June 2, 2021

Read to page 281.

Churchill brokers a peaceful solution to The Greek Problem. Got the impression that Archbishop Damaskinos Papandreou (who became regent) was kind of a badass...but in a good way. Sounds like an interesting fellow. (Amongst other things, he was a former wrestler!) Interesting how initially Churchill thought he was a Communist and a disaster for Greece (due to the influence of the exiled Grecian King George II), but shortly after meeting him, Churchill did a 180. Yep.

P.S. Found some pictures online of Churchill and Archbishop Damaskinos (none of which were Public Domain, so you're on your own there), and they were kind of hilarious. Churchill looks like a Hobbit next to the Archbishop. That guy must have been seven feet tall!

Day 16 (DDRD 1,309): June 3, 2021

Read to page 301, which took me into the final "book" of the entire series, The Iron Curtain. We're now into December of 1944, which means that FDR has only a little more than 3 months to live. Churchill alluded to him not looking well when they met (with "Uncle Joe") at Yalta. Hmm. Just looked up Yalta Conference and it happened February 4th through 11th of 1945, so some portion of my information is obviously wrong. And...yep. The last missive reproduced in this part was dated January 29th, so FDR only has a little more than 2 months to live. Churchill and FDR have been pretty close, so I would think that this will have a huge effect on Churchill. 

Day 17 (DDRD 1,310): June 4, 2021

Read to page 320.

Day 18 (DDRD 1,311): June 5, 2021

Read to page 340.

Day 19 (DDRD 1,312): June 6, 2021

Read to page 360. 

Churchill to Saudi king, upon learning that alcohol and tobacco were forbidden on the premises: "My rule of life prescribed as an absolutely sacred rite smoking cigars and also the drinking of alcohol before, after and if need be during all meals and in the intervals between them."

Day 20 (DDRD 1,313): June 7, 2021

Read to page 380.

Day 21 (DDRD 1,314): June 8, 2021

Read to page 400.

Looks like FDR actually wrote to Churchill on the day of his death-- April 12, 1945.

Day 22 (DDRD 1,315): June 9, 2021

Read to page 420.

Day 23 (DDRD 1,316): June 10, 2021

Read to page 440. 

Today's Twenty included Churchill's first message to Truman. It began with "Prime Minister to President Truman" (15 April 45) Churchill sometimes began his messages to FDR the same way, but it was more common for him to refer to himself as Former Naval Person--a self-reference which implied humor, humility, and wit. I realize that it wouldn't be appropriate to start that way with President Truman, but I still felt the lack of it rather poignantly. 

In other news...260 pages to go...13 days.... Hard to believe that this massive Daily Devotional Reading project will be over in less than two weeks. I am looking forward to spending some time with László Krasznahorkai's Baron Wenckheim's Homecoming, but I'm going to miss Mr. Churchill. I think I shall be coming back to him some day in the not so distant future.

Day 24 (DDRD 1,317): June 11, 2021

Read to page 462, which was the last page of Chapter XXXI, "Alexander's Victory in Italy." This leaves only nine chapters / 121 pages of the book proper. It occurred to me that I would rather go ahead and read the appendices now, and then come back to finish the text of the book. Since this is the last I will be reading of Churchill at least for a while, I would rather end with the actual last chapter of this book.

Day 25 (DDRD 1,318): June 12, 2021

Read pages 587 to 607. Which kind of killed the momentum, but I think it was the right way to finish this book...and this series. After 205 days of reading, who wants to end on the anticlimax of a series of Appendices? Not me.

Day 26 (DDRD 1,319): June 13, 2021

Read pages 608 to 630. (I like even numbers.) I think that means I can finish the appendices in two more days. And as there are only six more days needed for the rest of the text, that means in just a little over a week I will be moving on to a new book. Very exciting!

Day 27 (DDRD 1,320): June 14, 2021

Read pages 631 to 652. Goal: to 679 tomorrow! There are several pages of charts, lists, and at least one map, so this should be possible...and it will bring me to the end of the appendices.

And btw, today's "20" had one of my favorite ever Churchill comments:

"...Constantinople should never be abandoned, though for stupid people Istanbul may be written in brackets after it. As for Angora, long familiar with us through the Angora cats, I will resist to the utmost of my power its degradation to Ankara." (643)

The man sure is detail-oriented!

Day 28 (DDRD 1,321): June 15, 2021

Read pages 653 to 716...the last 36 pages of which were Index, but I still want credit for them. My eyes DID feed on every page, after all. Now it's back to the text proper at page 463! I'm pretty excited about that, actually. In fact, I kind of want to read a bit more today. Don't know that I have time for that, but we'll see! News as it happens.

Day 29 (DDRD 1,322): June 16, 2021

Read pages 463 to 484. 100 pages to go now! (Which is why I read an "extra" page today...I wanted to make it an even 100 pages to go.)

Day 30 (DDRD 1,323): June 17, 2021

And with a mere ten days to go before completing this rather daunting reading challenge, I find myself thinking more and more about Ian Toll's Pacific War Trilogy. For one thing, I'll have been in the world of World War II for 272 days / 6,241 pages by the time I finish off this Churchill set. For another thing, Grossman and Churchill both focused primarily on the European theater of the war, with just enough information about the Pacific Theater to make me want to know more. And for another thing, I started reading the first volume of Toll's series awhile back, and I thought he was a very good writer. So while I'm still looking forward to reading Baron Wenckheim's Homecoming...and have come to realize that if I don't do it as a Daily Devotional Reading, it probably won't get done for years...I'm also starting to think that I have it in me to read the 2,240 pages of The Pacific War Trilogy sooner rather than later. I'm poking around in the used bookstores right now to see what kind of prices I can find. On the way through that, I found that the first two volumes have already come out in paperback, and that they apparently have some extra pages. (And the third volume is due out in paperback in just a few weeks.) Of course, I could get all three volumes from the library for nothing, and I would kind of like to have a freebee there, but there is still that in me which wants to own my DDR books. 

Decisions, decisions. News as it happens...but I think it's going to be Pacific Crucible : War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942 as soon as I knock back Baron Wenckheim's Homecoming...which should only take 29 days or less.

As for today...

Read to page 510. Didn't really mean to go over the usual 20, but I got a bit caught up in Stalin's shenanigans. He was one wily son of a bitch, for sure...using the final movements of World War II to consolidate his power in Western Europe. Looks like the diversion of Allied forces to the Pacific Theater also worked in his favor, as he was able to exploit the attenuation of the Allies in Europe to take hold of Poland and other countries. 

BTW...just did a little math, and in my 1,323 days of daily reading, I have now gone over 20,000 pages--20,419 to be precise. A respectable 15.4 pages per day average. And the notable thing about that is that it really doesn't take THAT much time to read 15 pages per day...but look what a mountain of pages has been climbed just by keeping at it. 

Day 31 (DDRD 1,324): June 18, 2021

Read to page 538. Here are a couple of things I was particularly fond of:

and

We've switched back to the Pacific Theater...and Churchill's comments on that make me think that I see another reason why he did not win re-election to Prime Minister in 1945: he was very focused on finishing the war with Japan, and even suggested that the election be postponed until that was accomplished. Which makes sense, but I can also see how this would sound to a war weary people. So there's that.

Only 46 pages to go. I'm going to do it in two days.

Day 32 (DDRD 1,325):June 19, 2021

The first ever officially recognized Juneteenth! 

Read to page 567...which leaves a mere 17 pages. Seems like a shame to leave that for tomorrow...especially as it's only 8:19 am as I write this. Well, we'll see how it goes.

At one point in today's "20," Churchill says that Great Britain "emerged from the war with a great external debt of three thousand million pounds." (546) That's four billion dollars, which doesn't sound so bad...but of course that's in 1945 money. That's about $60 billion in today's money. Still doesn't sound so bad...but, of course, we're living in a time when our government is spending trillions of dollars in order to bring the country back from the brink of the Covid disaster.

P.S. And then I went to get a biometric screening, and took The Second World War with me, and ended up having twenty minutes of reading time. And then I went for a three mile walk, and when I got home after lunch I had a little lie down and read a bit more, then took a nap. And then I woke up and realized, "Shit, I've only got four pages left in this book!" So I finished it off. 

It was a great read, for sure. I would like to come back to Mr. Churchill at some time...assuming I can find some stuff that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. 

DDR Day 1000 to Day 2000:

(1) Leviathan 63 days, 729 pages
(2) Stalingrad 27 days, 982 pages
(3) Life and Fate 26 days, 880 pages
(4) The Second World War 34 + 32 + 40 + 43 + 31 + 32 days = 212 days, 4,379 pages 

          

          Sub-Total: 6,970 pages...more than 1/2 of my first 1,000 DDR days total, btw

"New" David Bowie

 I found something called Lou Reed - The Ultimate Music Guide FROM THE MAKERS OF UNCUT on the Louisville Free Public Library website (eMagazine & Comics sector), so of course I had to have a look at that. And while reading about "Venus in Furs" I was puzzled by David Cavanagh's reference to "a dominatrix whipping the skin off a submissive wretch." I've listened to "Venus in Furs" quite a few times, and I never got the impression that it was quite that visceral. So I went to have a look at the lyrics. And found that Mr. Cavanagh had been a bit generous in his comments: there's nothing even close to his summation of what happens in this song. But on the search page that I used to get to the lyrics, there was also a link to a Wikipedia page on the song, so I gave that a click just for the hell of it. And it was a short entry, so I read it...and was astonished at the penultimate line of text in this entry: "Additionally, the early David Bowie composition 'Little Toy Soldier,' recorded with his band The Riot Squad in 1967, lifts its chorus almost verbatim from 'Venus in Furs.'" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_in_Furs_(song)) Not because it said that Bowie had lifted a piece of the song for one of his own...but because (1) I had never heard of the song "Little Toy Soldier" and (2) I had never heard of the band The Riot Squad...and I've spent a fair portion of the past 46 years running down every Bowie alley I could find.

Fortunately this is the 21st century, so it took no effort at all not only to track down information on this group, but also to hear four of their songs, all featuring David Bowie on lead vocals.

"Toy Soldier" is a Bowie original...presumably "inspired" by The Velvet Underground's "Venus in Furs." It's a dreadful song about a little toy soldier who whips a naked little girl "every night." There's maniacal laughing in the background throughout...and at the end of the song (yes, this is a spoiler) the toy soldier's spring breaks and he beats the little girl to death. So yes, it does out Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground...but that is not a good thing here. It's just vulgar and stupid and ugly. This is a song I wish I could unhear and I suggest that you avoid it if you love David Bowie, even if your heart aches for "completion."

"Silly Boy Blue" is another Bowie original...and yes, it is an early (and demo) version of the song which later appeared on David Bowie (Deram, 1967)...and which I also have on my VINYL copy of Images 1966–1967. This version is very rough...with out of tune guitar and vocals that can best be described as faltering...but you can see an earnest 19 year-old David Jones in it, so I think it's worth doing. You can give it a listen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2UoEExpZpk

"I'm Waiting for the Man" is the Lou Reed song (which first appeared on  The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967). The vocal is pretty hilarious, actually. Bowie is trying to hit that Lou Reed zone, but it comes in more like Bob Dylan...which just makes it ludicrous. There's even a harmonica line, for fuck's sake. Also, Bowie messes up the lyrics several times...and adds an inexplicable "to walk me home" after the final "I'm waiting for my man." Um...what? It makes you wonder if he understood this song at all...or if he just had a really bad sense of humor back in the day. At any rate, it's probably worth a listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeLBR8-LwSw.

"Silver Treetop School For Boys" is the final song on this ep. It's another Bowie original...and a truly terrible song, but at least it's not a wretched and mean-spirited song like "Toy Soldier." It's hard to believe that Bowie wrote this thing. What may be even harder to believe is that there are at least two cover versions of this song. At any rate...it purports to be a slice of early life thing, and bears some resemblance to early Bowie stuff like "When I'm Five" with a side order of Pink Floyd Lite. You can hear Bowie's version of it (which was not released) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng_PVsJ0t00.

I also found an interesting online article entitled "The Riot Squad - Jump ! + The Toy Soldier EP" which was just published a minute ago (Monday, May 03, 2021) and has some good information: https://allmusic-wingsofdream.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-riot-squad-jump-toy-soldier-ep_71.html.

ADDENDUM: I found two other kind of interesting things in the course of putting this stuff together. 

Thing One: There are several cover versions of "I'm Waiting for the Man" by Cheap Trick...and they are surprisingly good. ("Surprisingly" because....well, sorry, Cheap Trick, but you're just not my 🍵.)

Thing Two: Another Bowie song I'd never heard of before popped up: "How Lucky You Are (Miss Peculiar)." It's one of those kind of cabaret-ish things which I find pretty irksome, but it doesn't cost anything to listen to it, so have a go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KDzORnlCUw.

Another Weird Coincidence

 I'm in my room, reading a comic book written by Andy Weir (who wrote The Martian). In the comic book, Alice from Alice in Wonderland, Wendy from Peter Pan, and Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, get together. Meanwhile in the living room, Jacqueline and Joe are taking part in their Friday Zoom music group, in which each participant chooses a song they want to listen to. Shortly after I started reading my comic book, someone chose "We're Off to See the Wizard" from The Wizard of Oz. 

Pretty freaky, huh?

Roots v Roots

 I've been reading Alex Haley's Roots for four weeks now (started April 12th), and I'm pretty close to the halfway point of this big (688 page) novel. It's a compelling book, for sure. It is also absolutely revolting at times. The description of Kunta Kinte's trip from Africa to America in the hold of a slave ship is sickening, and guaranteed to make anyone with even a tiny heart angry. I usually try to avoid spoilers, but I really have to this time out, so here are some of the details of that ordeal:

- The captured Africans are not given any way to relieve themselves, so bodily waste just falls where they lie chained. The slavers come in every once in a while to muck out the waste.

- Rats roam freely amongst the captives, biting them whenever they can.

- The men are brought up on deck to be "cleaned" off. On deck, they are scrubbed with rough brushes which open up their wounds and cause hideous pain to the men. The sea water they are then doused with burns their open wounds.

- The women are regularly raped by the crew.

It was hard to read this section of the book...hard to imagine that there could be human beings who would be so unrelentingly cruel to other human beings...human beings who have no hint of mercy in their souls.

I had never watched the tv mini-series based on this book. My friend Louis showed it to at least one of his classes every year, though. Which is quite an investment of time. The 8 part mini-series has a running time of 9 hours and 48 minutes (I'm trusting IMDb on that). So even with optimal, bell to bell conditions, that means it would take eleven class periods to show the series...over two weeks of classroom time. And anyone who has ever been in a classroom knows that you can't get 55 minutes of instruction time into a 55 minute class period, so I would guess that even going at it hard with no stops for discussion or anything, it would take a full three weeks to show the series. That's a very significant amount of classroom time. And most teachers are very conservative when it comes to spending classroom minutes, because there just aren't that many of them. (Three weeks of classroom time is about 10% of the entire school year.) So the fact that Louis, a Kentucky State Teacher of the Year, was willing to spend that time on Roots says something.

So I decided to watch the first episode, knowing that I was well clear of the subject matter it would cover so far as my reading progress went.

Well. Let's just say that I can't judge how powerful this would be if I hadn't read the book...maybe it would have blown me away...especially if I'd watched it when it came out in January of 1977, when things like this just weren't shown on tv.

But having read the book...it was more than disappointing to watch Part I. In fact, it made me mad. Really mad.

For one thing, the book spends a lot of time developing Kunta Kinte's life in Gambia...from birth through the early years of his manhood. That allows you to appreciate the complexity of what might appear to be a "primitive" civilization, and to appreciate the way that the Mandinkan people interact with each other, care for each other, and lead full, meaningful lives. The first 150 pages of the novel are focused on Kunta in his homeland. That's almost 22% of the book.

In the first episode of the tv series, a little over an hour in (69 minutes) and Kunta has left Africa behind. So in the tv series, only 12% of the entire time has Kunta in Gambia. That's a pretty substantial difference in and of itself, but it's worse than that, because whereas the novel focuses only on Kunta and his family, the tv series has several scenes focused on the captain of the slave ship. But it's worse than that.

Deep breath.

In the tv series, the writers...one of whom is Alex Haley...seem to go out of their way to create sympathy for the captain of the slave ship. Edward Asner plays this character. When he is first told that his cargo will be slaves he is obviously upset about this--he had No Idea that he was signing on to captain a slave ship. I guess the ship owners didn't put that part into the want ad. Then,  when he arrives in Africa to begin collecting the slaves, he is so wracked with guilt that he begins to drink--even though this goes against his religious beliefs. The poor man is SUFfering! In another scene when he is told that the slaves need to be brought up on deck for exercise and so that the sailors can fuck the women, he becomes angry. 

I don't get it. Why make this character sympathetic in any way? It's certainly not in the novel, and I very much doubt that there were any real-life counterparts to this fellow. I can't help but think that it's a sop for White folks...so that they can sympathize with Captain Ed, shake their heads and say, "Well, really, what could he do?"

There are some other things that made me hopping mad, too.

In the slave hold the men are chained in a prone position, and they are shown as sweaty and crying out in distress, but there are no obvious signs of torture and not a speck of shit to be seen. Also, a character from Kunta's village is chained near him, and since this slave ship is well-lighted and lightly guarded, they are free to engage in conversation--a far cry from the maddening pitch blackness and cacophony of different languages Kunta experiences in the book.

When the slaves are brought up on deck to be washed, they are doused with sea water...not a rough brush to be seen. And Edward Asner--in the most ridiculous wig and fake beard ever--averts his eyes when the slaves are brought up on deck. Because he feels So Bad, you know?

But here's the capper so far as the Good Captain goes. Quote: "I've not slept well since this voyage began."

See, when you're confronted with a moral outrage, there's no need to do anything about it. As long as you feel bad, avert your eyes, drink a bit, and lose sleep, it's all good. 

I don't know if I have it in me to watch Part 2.

By the way...Roots is still one of the most popular tv shows of all time. Check it out:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_watched_television_broadcasts_in_the_United_States

I live in a very strange country. So full of promise. So full of good will. So full of dreams. 

So full of shit.

Free Free Free Free Free Free

 Hey, want a free book? Palestine: A Socialist Introduction, edited by Sumaya Awad and Brian Bean, is available for free download from Haymarket Books. Just click HERE. 

I know, that S-word can be a little scary. But for fuck's sake, they sell this thing at Target, so how scary could it be? No, really. See?

And everybody knows that Target might be red, but they ain't no Commies.

St. Lucy

The back wall of St. Lucy's Church, 833 Mace Ave, Bronx, New York

I was walking with Jacqueline yesterday...something we literally do every day...and she started talking about St. Lucy. Which, come to think of it, is also something we do every day. Several times a day, actually. At any rate...

Jacqueline was asking me if we were going to go back to the Bronx to visit St. Lucy's Church. (We've been there three times so far.) I told her that we would, then she launched into one of her set pieces.

"St. Lucy's going to be transformed back into a church!" she told me. You see, in Jacqueline's cosmology, St. Lucy is a doll (several different dolls, actually...and six or seven statues as well), the Real St. Lucy (from history), and the Church of St. Lucy. Sometimes St. Lucy the doll uses her Church Powers and becomes the church. Other times she is forced to become a church by the evil St. William (the church Jacqueline's mom belongs to; Jacqueline regularly says that St. Willian is a mean and hateful church--for no apparent reason) and his cohort, Thunderella--who comes from the Filmation movie Happily Ever After (1989). 

I responded to Jacqueline's assertion that "St. Lucy's going to be transformed back into a church!" by asking, "Can't she use her Church Powers to transform herself?"

Jacqueline concurred that that was, indeed, the case, so I thought I would extend the conversation by asking, "What other powers does St. Lucy have? Can she fly?"

Jacqueline gave me one of those What Kind of Idiot Are You Looks and said, "Dolls can't fly!"

So now I know.

Kunta Kinte, Omelas, and The Road to Wigan Pier

Have you read Ursula K. Le Guin's  "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas"? 

If not, it's worth doing. It's also pretty easy to find out there in InternetLand if you would like to have a go at it. And if that's not good enough, you can find it in New Dimensions III edited by Robert Silverberg, The Wind's Twelve Quarters by Le Guin, The Unreal and the Real by Le Guin, or you can buy it as a standalone ebook from Harper Perennial. The last is kind of a rip, though, as the story itself is only a few pages long. But you pays your money and you takes your choice.

I thought of Le Guin's story while reading Alex Haley's Roots today. Kunta Kinte was looking at a group of White people at a party on the plantation, and this is what went through his head:

"He couldn't believe that such incredible wealth actually existed, that people really live that way. It took him a long time, and a great many more parties, to realize that they didn't live that way, that it was all strangely unreal, a kind of beautiful dream the white folks were having, a lie they were telling themselves: that goodness can come from badness, that it's possible to be civilized with one another without treating as human beings those whose blood, sweat, and mother's milk made possible the life of privilege they led."  (298)

It is also reminiscent of something Orwell had to say about the miners in Wigan Pier...but I can't seem to find that quote, so you'll have to take my word for it. Or better yet, read The Road to Wigan Pier. You won't regret it. 

Anyway...it all comes down to the same thing: the ruthless get rich by treating the poor like chattel. 

P.S. I think this was the Orwell line I was looking for. If not, it's close enough to get the point across.

"In a way it is even humiliating to watch coal-miners working. It raises in you a momentary doubt about your own status as an 'intellectual' and a superior person generally. For it is brought home to you, at least while you are watching, that it is only because miners sweat their guts out that superior persons can remain superior. You and I and the editor of the Times Lit._ _Supp., and the nancy poets and the Archbishop of Canterbury and Comrade X, author of Marxism for Infants--all of us really owe the comparative decency of our lives to poor drudges underground, blackened to the eyes, with their throats full of coal dust, driving their shovels forward with arms and belly muscles of steel."

This is Then, That is Now

I'm less nervous about watching the news now that Trump has been run out of town, so I fired up CNN to accompany my morning coffee. 

Hmmm.

Tennessee State Representative Justin Lafferty and Colorado State Representative Ron Hanks have communicated the same message within a few weeks of each other: the 3/5ths Compromise embedded in Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 of the U. S. Constitution (which counted Black slaves as 3/5ths of a person) was an attempt to limit the amount of representation that "slave states" had.

Well, for the record...that's bullshit. Black slaves were denied the right to vote, so the 3/5ths Compromise "gave Southern states a third more Representatives and a third more presidential electoral votes than if enslaved people had not been counted." (Wikipedia) 

Before he spoke, Mr. Hanks was accidentally called up as "Rep. Lynch" (Mike Lynch Colorado House of Representatives is from the 49th district). "Being called Mr. Lynch might be a good thing for what I'm about to say, no, just kidding." (Marshall Zelinge @Marshall9News Apr 15) 

So let me get this straight: this guy was about to lie about the mistreatment of Black folks, and he thought it was appropriate to joke about lynching before he did it.

“Colorado, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 12,255 votes that would have put Lori Boydston in the seat for the 60th District. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our Justice, Morality, Common Sense, and Decency. Not to mention Historical Accuracy."

Let's see if that happens. 

Meanwhile...I'm starting to feel nervous about watching the news again.

Back in Action

I've been reading Action Comics for a long time. Unfortunately, most of the comics I bought when I was a kid are long gone, but I still have my first issues of Action... 363 to 366, the classic Leo Dorfman / Ross Andru (and the first two of which have covers by Neal Adams) story about Superman contracting Space Leprosy. And aside from occasional issues along the way, of which there have been more than a few, I've had a couple of long runs with Action since then: all of the issues when it went weekly (601 to 642), and a long run up to and beyond issue 1,000 (957 to 1,002). I'd really been enjoying the book up until 1,001, when Brian Michael Bendis took over the writing. He is not my favorite writer. I tried to hang in there...but I just couldn't do it. Bendis' writing just irritates the hell out of me. So with a great deal of sorrow...the kind that only a fellow anal retentive / OCD comic book buyer can truly understand...I stopped buying the book.

But I kept my eye on it, thinking that surely Bendis would move on sooner or later.

And it finally happened. Action Comics #1,028 was it for Mr. Bendis, and with #1,029 (published March 23, 2021) the torch was passed to Phillip Kennedy Johnson. Of whom I'd not previously heard. But to be honest, I didn't care. I would have picked it up if it'd been written by a disgraced Teletubby who'd just gotten out of the state pen and had no previous writing experience. I wanted to check in on old Supes, you know?

There was one frustrating thing about #1,028, though. It was titled, "The Golden Age, Part Two." So I assumed (with some irritation) that I was going to have to buy that last Bendis issue after all. But wait! when I Googled, Bendis' last story was called "Micro Hopes." And "The Golden Age, Part One"? It was in Superman #29, written by 🥁🥁🥁🥁 Phillip Kennedy Johnson. So I screwed my courage to the sticking place and, for the first time in over a year, went into a comic book store. And picked up Superman #29 and Action Comics #1,029. 

Or so I thought. Turns out I had picked up Superman #30 by mistake. (Hey, I was out of practice and trying not to dawdle.) Which was written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson...but had nothing to do with the story in Action Comics #1,029. I read them both anyway. It was a bit disjointed, as you can imagine, but I saw some signs that gave me hope. Mr. Johnson was clearly very different from Mr. Bendis, and I liked the differences. His Superman seemed more real, more human, less full of shit and bombast and arrogance than the Bendis version. And the other characters didn't constantly interrupt each other when they spoke. (Bendis seems to think this is what verisimilitude is all about when it comes to dialogue. Maybe he grew up in a big, aggressive family.) So I ventured back to the comics store the next week, and was able to pick up not only Superman #29, but also Action Comics #1,030. 

Now, #1,030 is opening a whole new can of story worms, but the consequences of what happened (no spoilers here) in "The Golden Age" are acutely felt, and there was a huge upgrade in the art. #1,029 had been rendered by Phil Hester, whose angularity has always irritated me. (I can put up with bad art if the story pulls me along, though. And sometimes I can even put up with bad story and bad art if the character pulls me along, which explains my 300 issue collection of Hellblazer, I suppose.) But #1,030 was drawn (and inked!) by Daniel Sampere...of whom I've never heard previously, but I thought was quite impressive.

So Action Comics is back on my pull list. And my pull list is back from the oblivion of the past year. And it feels really good to be reading new comics again. I'm sorry to say that the single issue price of Action Comics has gone up to $4.99 (as have several other titles), which is just fucking awful from my They Used to Cost 12¢ when I Was A Kid! perspective, but I'm going to hang in there for awhile. This is a Superman that actually interests me, a Superman who has actually changed in several meaningful ways. Not least of which is that he now has a teen-aged son who seems to be on or over the cusp of being more powerful than Kal-El. I'm in.

Oh, btw, in order to make you feel better about the extra buck on the cover price, DC has thrown in a second feature on those books. In Action, it's an 8 page Midnighter (Future State) thing whose only interest to me is that the art is by Michael Avon Oeming, whom I have long loved. Even when he was working with Brian Michael Bendis. 

                 

Swim, _____ , Swum

 Saw this interesting "headline" on opening my AT&T Currently page: 

Mr. DeMille?

Being an insecure fellow, my first thought was, "Is that the plural of swarm?" So I Googled "swam." This was all there was to find:

With a side order of

Said side order did lead to a surprising number (a dozen or so) more SWAMs on Amazon and other places, but, again, that was about it. 

AT&T, if you're listening,  I hope you are able to find the $30,000  that will pay for the part-time proofreader that you are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by your readers. 

Let’s see if that happens.