Serialized Novel: Installment no. 18
[Note: Below is the eighteenth installment of a serialized futuristic novel, The Kicker of St. John's Wood. For background information, read this post. To see the full text to date, click the "Serialized Novel: Full Text" image on the sidebar. For individual installments, click the "Installments of the Novel" link under Categories in the sidebar. Enjoy...]
I remained alone with George Washington. After contemplating the painting and its neighbors for several minutes, I wandered into the adjacent room. My stroll soon turned into a full-blown tour. It was a desperately-needed interlude of relaxation. Several times I beat back an urge to pull out my phone and call Tom. It could wait a few minutes, I reasoned. A little break would do me good.
My tour brought me to the European paintings, where I headed for the Pissarros. It was a treat to see several works by my favorite artist. I continued through the galleries, coming to the large collection of paintings by Rembrandt. It was there that I spent the most time. I stood transfixed in front of one of his self-portraits. There was a deep introspection in his gaze. I could feel that he was confronting some taxing issues in his life, and I empathized with his plight.
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Serialized Novel: Installment no. 17
[Note: Below is the seventeenth installment of a serialized futuristic novel, The Kicker of St. John's Wood. For background information, read this post. To see the full text to date, click the "Serialized Novel: Full Text" image on the sidebar. For individual installments, click the "Installments of the Novel" link under Categories in the sidebar. Enjoy...]
The next two weeks in Albuquerque were extremely enjoyable and relaxing. This interlude was made possible by a fortuitous alignment of circumstances.
The day after Ashley and I took the train to London, Tom and Thelonius flew to New York. With Thelonius tagging along, Tom began an intensive, high-level lobbying campaign on behalf of Sam. Much of the time was spent shuttling between New York and Washington. After less than forty-eight hours had passed, Thelonius bailed out, returning to New Mexico. He said that the reason for his withdrawal was that he was “getting in the way.” Tom needed complete freedom of movement, and very often the individuals he approached for an audience insisted that the conversation be kept absolutely secret, and that no one else attend.
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Serialized Novel: Installment no. 16
[Note: Below is the sixteenth installment of a serialized futuristic novel, The Kicker of St. John's Wood. For background information, read this post. To see the full text to date, click the "Serialized Novel: Full Text" image on the sidebar. For individual installments, click the "Installments of the Novel" link under Categories in the sidebar. Enjoy...]
The next call was to my sister Julie. The conversation made me exceedingly nervous. She had canceled all the bodyguards that we had put into place before the Super Bowl. The precautions were unnecessary, she claimed, as there had not been the slightest indication that someone was following, watching, or wiretapping any of the family members. I argued my case unsuccessfully and then, in a fit of emotion, declared that I was on my way there to investigate the situation for myself.
I was still pacing around the suite, mumbling to myself, when Ashley emerged from the bathroom. She was wearing a pink bathrobe.
“Jayesh, what’s the matter?”
“I have to go to London.”
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Christmas/New Year’s Break
Hello everyone,
AWOL Civilization is going on (semi-) vacation. The essay-style posts will resume on Thursday, January 8. Installments of the novel will continue to appear, however, being posted every Monday, as usual.
I would like to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. And thank you for your participation in AWOL during 2008.
Gary
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Coerced into Virtue
In a recent post, I reviewed a short book edited by Robert Bork that describes the Supreme Court’s attack on the Constitution and the rule of law. Now I would like to expand the discussion and consider a much broader work by the same author: A Time to Speak: Selected Writings and Arguments.
This hefty tome (715 pages) brings together essays and legal opinions written by Bork over a period of 45 years. Appearing just now in the bookstores, it will undoubtedly help to seal Bork’s standing as one of our era’s foremost commentators on law and culture—particularly the struggle to preserve Western culture against its postmodern detractors.
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Serialized Novel: Installment no. 15
[Note: Below is the fifteenth installment of a serialized futuristic novel, The Kicker of St. John's Wood. For background information, read this post. To see the full text to date, click the "Serialized Novel: Full Text" image on the sidebar. For individual installments, click the "Installments of the Novel" link under Categories in the sidebar. Enjoy...]
The plane touched down in Paris at eight o’clock that evening, and I checked into the Hotel Rostand about an hour later. I called Thelonius, making arrangements to meet the following morning. With my remaining strength I took a quick shower, and collapsed into bed.
The next day, shortly after breakfast, Ashley called. She had booked her trip, and would be leaving in several hours. The flight to Paris was scheduled to arrive early the following morning. There was much excitement in her voice, and it was contagious. I yearned to have her with me, to hold her in my arms and forget the entire world.
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The Mystery of the Mystery Passage
Of all the manifold aspects of cultural decay, one of the most difficult to recognize is the corruption of constitutional law. When one thinks of the Supreme Court, or even of the judiciary overall, the image that comes to mind is a procession of old, graying men in black robes, blowing their noses into crusty handkerchiefs as they read dusty legal tomes. They sit on their lofty benches, refusing to budge from ancient precedent and the letter of the law. Humorless curmudgeons, they are capable of mercy only if the accused implores them, crying his eyes out in the process.
Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. The persistence of this myth is one of the reasons why so much of the population is unaware that the Supreme Court has systematically raped the Anglo-American legal tradition as expressed in the Constitution. The Court, along with its enablers in the government, the media, and the law schools, has helped pave the way for the politically-correct, socialist nightmare that is now staring us in the face.
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Serialized Novel: Installment no. 14
[Note: Below is the fourteenth installment of a serialized futuristic novel, The Kicker of St. John's Wood. For background information, read this post. To see the full text to date, click the "Serialized Novel: Full Text" image on the sidebar. For individual installments, click the "Installments of the Novel" link under Categories in the sidebar. Enjoy...]
We passed through the turnstiles and came to the edge of the parking lot. No sign of anyone. We waited patiently for several minutes. I called Hunter, but received his voice mail. I left a message.
“A car should have been here fifteen, maybe twenty minutes ago,” I said. “Shall I call a taxi?”
“No,” said Indira. “Too dangerous. If the driver doesn’t rob us, the people in the streets will.”
“Do you know anyone who could come and fetch us?”
“I might.” She reached into her handbag and pulled out her phone. Several calls ensued, but no one was reachable.
“So,” I said, “what do you do in these situations?”
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The Cultural Insurrection
Those of us who are horrified by the precipitous decline of Western civilization are in agreement that the “mainstream” institutions of our society are rotting away. We differ, however, as to the strategy required to reverse the tide. This debate has engaged much of the blogosphere in the wake of the Obamamite catastrophe.
One approach has been what some have called “going John Galt,” after the character in Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. This amounts to a withdrawal from society on the part of its most productive members. You want to redistribute my wealth, and expect me to continue creating it? No thanks—I’m selling my business and staying home to write my memoirs.
A variant of going John Galt is “heading for the hills.” Our civilization is crashing down around us, say the proponents of this school. Mr. Obama is set to create a civilian security force, and we all know what that means. Stock up on weaponry and provisions, and save yourself and your loved ones from the flood.
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Serialized Novel: Installment no. 13
[Note: Below is the thirteenth installment of a serialized futuristic novel, The Kicker of St. John's Wood. For background information, read this post. To see the full text to date, click the "Serialized Novel: Full Text" image on the sidebar. For individual installments, click the "Installments of the Novel" link under Categories in the sidebar. Enjoy...]
When I lifted my head, Hunter was standing, facing the house. I looked in the same direction, and saw a young woman just a few feet away. It was a striking image. She had long, silky black hair, and her large, dark eyes had just a hint of an almond shape. Her mouth was small, with delicate lips like the petals of a flower that is just beginning to bloom. She was a fine example of the Indian subcontinent’s understated yet powerful sensuality.
An awkward moment passed as the three of us remained motionless.
“Jayesh,” said Hunter, “this is Indira.”
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How to Lose Money
[I would like to wish our American readers a Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the holiday!]
There is no question that the West is in a state of economic decline. Barring divine intervention, it will continue to worsen in the foreseeable future. Tragically, this is due in large part to ideological and cultural factors that have become ingrained in our thinking and our behavior.
First and foremost is the persistence of the Marxist economic narrative: Capitalism is bad and poverty is its result; labor is exploited; greed drives the system. Thus we witnessed the stampede of pundits and citizenry alike screaming about the “greed” of the oil companies a few months ago when gas was four dollars per gallon. Now the price has been halved. What happened—did Mr. Obama call the CEOs in the middle of the night and castigate them for their despicable avarice, causing them to experience unspeakable emotional distress? Then of course they repented and became altruistic Mother Teresas.
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Serialized Novel: Installment no. 12
[Note: Below is the twelfth installment of a serialized futuristic novel, The Kicker of St. John's Wood. For background information, read this post. To see the full text to date, click the "Serialized Novel: Full Text" image on the sidebar. For individual installments, click the "Installments of the Novel" link under Categories in the sidebar. Enjoy...]
The phone rang at precisely the moment when I had finished washing, dressing, and putting my belongings into the cabinets and armoires. It seemed that Naveen’s statement proved to be correct, that his colleagues would waste no time.
“Hello,” I said, answering the phone as I leaned back in a Victorian wingchair.
“Mr. Blackstone,” said the voice on the other end, sounding quite like Naveen’s fine colonial English, only with more bass. “My name is Raghavendra Hunter. How was your trip?”
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The Book People
A theme that has fascinated man throughout history is the dwindling of a civilization to the point that its cultural heritage is possessed by only a handful of people. This scenario—the isolated, recalcitrant, and often despised hold-out—has recurred in art and literature. It brings to mind the biblical Noah, Orwell’s Winston Smith, and the various depictions of survivors of a nuclear holocaust.
One excellent treatment of this topic is the 1966 film, Fahrenheit 451, based on Ray Bradbury’s dystopian novel. The movie is set in a futuristic England. It succeeds, under the masterful direction of François Truffaut, in presenting a believable depiction of a dumbed-down, medicated, equalized, and anti-intellectual society—one frighteningly reminiscent of Western civilization in the year 2008.
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Serialized Novel: Installment no. 11
[Note: Below is the eleventh installment of a serialized futuristic novel, The Kicker of St. John's Wood. For background information, read this post. To see the full text to date, click the "Serialized Novel: Full Text" image on the sidebar. For individual installments, click the "Installments of the Novel" link under Categories in the sidebar. Enjoy...]
We walked through the passage cut into the museum on its Rue de Rivoli side, and headed for the Place du Palais Royal. The café was situated across the square, between the Comédie Française and the Conseil d’État.
We took our seats and ordered hot chocolates, seeking an antidote to the chill that had descended into our fingers and toes. The sudden wave of warm air made us lethargic. Thelonius faded into his thoughts. Tom looked dejected, the picture amplified by the position of his tie, which he had absent-mindedly loosened and skewed to one side.
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Headlines from the Year 2020 (no. 5)
This post-election installment of “Headlines from the Year 2020” is being hosted by the People’s Cube. Here is a link to the post.
Please feel free to add your own headlines in a comment, either here or on the Cube.
[Note: To see earlier installments of “Headlines from the Year 2020,” click the Humor link under Categories, on the sidebar.]
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