Brin's Looking Back at Heinlein's Future History
Dennis Fischer <[email protected]> Fri, 18 Aug 2017 12:15:40 +0000
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------=_Part_287707_2144070277.1503058540433 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Looking back at Heinlein's Future History - coming true before our eyes. This one is so pertinent and important, I tried to find a more public venue= for it. But one of the tragic consequences of the Trump Era is the decay o= f op-ed journalism -- everyone recycling the same whines. I'll speak more o= f this, at the end. But now -- this just can't be put off, any longer. =C2= =A0Prepare to go wide-eyed! =3D=3D A chilling forecast: accurate down to the last detail =3D=3D You can sway a thousand men by appealing to their prejudices quicker than y= ou can convince one man by logic. =E2=80=93 Robert A. Heinlein,Revolt in 21= 00 Robert A. Heinlein=E2=80=99s 1953 "Future History" collection,=C2=A0Revolt = in 2100, vividly portrays citizens rising up against an authoritarian theoc= racy which has taken root in America. A succession of fundamentalist despot= s have ruled for nearly a century, dating back to the First Prophet, Nehemi= ah Scudder. John Lyle, a graduate of West Point and now a member of the Pro= phet's elite guard "Angels of the Lord," joins an underground revolt when h= e finally begins to question the society under which he always lived:=C2=A0 "I began to sense faintly that secrecy is the keystone of all tyranny. Not = force, but secrecy ... censorship. When any government, or any church for t= hat matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, 'This you may not read, this= you must not see, this you are forbidden to know,' the end result is tyran= ny and oppression, no matter how holy the motives. Mighty little force is n= eeded to control a man whose mind has been hoodwinked; contrariwise, no amo= unt of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free. No, not the = rack, not fission bombs, not anything -- you can't conquer a free man; the = most you can do is kill him."=C2=A0(If This Goes On-- Chapter 6) Does that sound=C2=A0familiar? Oh, but you ain't seen nothing, yet. Prepare= to be amazed. Sure, Heinlein's=C2=A0voice=C2=A0is different than mine. But he largely rai= sed me, and I deeply resent it when some folks lazily dismiss RAH as a "rig= ht winger" or even "fascist." Sure, there are ways in which he reads rather= retro, today. And he yelled "get off my lawn!" at hippies who came to pay = homage, after=C2=A0Stranger in a Strange Land. But he truly saw himself as a champion of equal rights and equal opportunit= y, even if his characters can seem cringeworthy, through modern eyes.=C2=A0= His libertarianism is of another, Jeffersonian-Adam Smithian variety, and h= e despised Ayn Rand. Of course, our chief overlap is seen in that extract, above. Heinlein and I= both portray=C2=A0light=C2=A0as the cleanser and liberator. We must all se= e as much as we can handle, and then more. It is a citizen's duty to=C2=A0l= ook!=C2=A0And yes, to re-examine things we had been comfortable believing. = =C2=A0Transparency is key to reciprocal accountability,=C2=A0which we use t= o be both free and smart. It is the miracle tool that enables us to questio= n the lies of monsters. =3D=3D Amazing prophecy! =3D=3D Is it ironic that the author of a novel about false prophets=C2=A0nailed=C2= =A0the future so well? Oh, but it gets much better. Especially the paragrap= h in=C2=A0bold,=C2=A0below. Here, I=E2=80=99d like to quote extensively from=C2=A0Revolt in 2100's afte= rword, =E2=80=9CConcerning Stories Never Written,=E2=80=9D in which Robert = Heinlein takes an incisive look at a possible dark future for our country: =E2=80=9CAs for ... the idea that we could lose our freedom by succumbing t= o a wave of religious hysteria, I am sorry to say that I consider it possib= le. I hope that it is not probable. But there is a latent deep strain of re= ligious fanaticism in this, our culture; it is rooted in our history and it= has broken out many times in the past.=C2=A0 "It is with us now; there has been a sharp rise in strongly evangelical sec= ts in this country in recent years, some of which hold beliefs theocratic i= n the extreme, anti-intellectual, anti-scientific, and anti-libertarian. =E2=80=9CIt is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legisl= ate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so, and wil= l follow it by suppressing opposition, subverting all education to seize ea= rly the minds of the young, and by killing, locking up, or driving undergro= und all heretics. This is equally true whether the faith is Communism or Ho= ly-Rollerism; indeed it is the bounden duty of the faithful to do so. The c= ustodians of the True Faith cannot logically admit tolerance of heresy to b= e a virtue. =E2=80=9CNevertheless this business of legislating religious beliefs into l= aw has never been more than sporadically successful in this country =E2=80= =93 Sunday closing laws here and there, birth control legislation in spots,= the Prohibition experiment, temporary enclaves of theocracy such as Voliva= =E2=80=99s Zion, Smith=E2=80=99s Nauvoo, and a few others. The country is s= plit up into such a variety of faiths and sects that a degree of uneasy tol= erance now exists from expedient compromise; the minorities constitute a ma= jority of opposition against each other. =E2=80=9CCould it be otherwise here? Could any one sect obtain a working ma= jority at the polls and take over the country? Perhaps not =E2=80=93 but a = combination of a dynamic evangelist, television, enough money, and modern t= echniques of advertising and propaganda might make Billy Sunday=E2=80=99s e= fforts look like a corner store compared to Sears Roebuck.=C2=A0 "Throw in a Depression for good measure, promise a material heaven here on = earth, add a dash of anti-Semitism, anti-Catholicism, anti-Negrosim, and a = good large dose of anti-=E2=80=9Cfurriners=E2=80=9D in general and anti-int= ellectuals here at home, and the result might be something quite frightenin= g =E2=80=93 particularly when one recalls that our voting system is such th= at a minority distributed as pluralities in enough states can constitute a = working majority in Washington." Jiminy! =C2=A0Heinlein wrote that in the early 1950s! Is there anything he = did=C2=A0not=C2=A0hit right on the head? Heck, he even nailed the dominioni= st=C2=A0"Prosperity Gospel"=C2=A0so=C2=A0popular among Ted Cruz types, prom= ising fervid followers that their "material heaven here on earth"=C2=A0will= come by righteously seizing the property of unbelievers.=C2=A0(Late note: = a prosperity gospel preacher keynotes Donald Trump's inauguration.) Seriously, read his last paragraph (above) again. =C2=A0Then recall that He= inlein portrayed Nehemiah Scudder taking the White House=C2=A0against=C2=A0= the will of a=C2=A0majority, in 2012. =C2=A0(He also spoke of America sinki= ng into "The Crazy Years.")=C2=A0 As for you blithe judgers who dismissed Heinlein as a 'fascist'? Shame on y= ou. =C2=A0He was fighting the good fight before you were born, far more per= suasively and effectively than you'll ever be. Oh, but back to his essay. It gets even more amazing: =E2=80=9CI imagined Nehemiah Scudder as a backwoods evangelist who combined= some of the features of John Calvin, Savonarola, Judge Rutherford and Huey= Long. His influence was not national until after the death of Mrs. Rachel = Biggs=E2=80=A6. who left Brother Scudder several millions of dollars with w= hich to establish a television station. Shortly thereafter he teamed up wit= h an ex-Senator from his home state; they placed their affairs in the hands= of a major advertising agency and were on their way to fame and fortune. P= resently they needed stormtroopers; they revived the Ku Klux Klan in everyt= hing but the name =E2=80=93 sheets, passwords, grips, and all. It was a =E2= =80=9Cgood gimmick=E2=80=9D once and still served. Blood at the polls and b= lood in the streets, but Scudder won the election. The next election was ne= ver held. =E2=80=9CImpossible? Remember the Klan in the =E2=80=98Twenties =E2=80=93 a= nd how far it got without even a dynamic leader. Remember Karl Marx and not= e how close that unscientific piece of nonsense called=C2=A0Das Kapital=C2= =A0has come to smothering out all freedom of thought on half a planet, with= out =E2=80=93 mind you =E2=80=93 the emotional advantage of calling it a re= ligion. The capacity of the human mind for swallowing nonsense and spewing = it forth in violent and repressive action has never yet been plumbed." Give Heinlein's=C2=A0Revolt in 2100=C2=A0a read (available for=C2=A0Kindle.= ) =C2=A0 Are the parallels with our present situation perfect? Well, no. For one thi= ng, there is the spectacular hypocrisy of U.S. fundamentalist Christians gu= shing their fervid support for a man who is - in every conceivable measure = of action or character - the diametric opposite of Jesus. Even Heinlein cou= ld not have written that. =C2=A0 No, this has to be a clarion call. Members of the American center and=C2=A0= moderate-left must get past their clich=C3=A9s... like the insipid stupidit= y of calling old-fashioned Jeffersonian libertarians like Heinlein "right-w= ingers." For one thing, anyone who loves science, nowadays is, by definitio= n, no member of that cult. We must be welcoming of fellow citizens who flee=C2=A0the rising, confedera= te madness. Soon, these will include waves of 'retiring' U.S. military and = intelligence=C2=A0officers, potential allies of stunning value in our task = of saving civilization! So do not listen to fools on the=C2=A0far-left, who= would spit in the faces of such refugees. The far-left can be as crazy as = the entire-right has become. Especially if they would reflexively spurn pow= erful allies, just because they have good posture and sport crewcuts. Or powerful inspirations, like the science fiction author and American, Rob= ert A. Heinlein. Honor the legacy of Heinlein and Pay It Forward! Support the efforts of the= =C2=A0Heinlein Society=C2=A0-- which promotes education, blood drives and p= rovides books to veterans. =3D=3D Addenda =3D=3D Oh, you don't believe that there is a nationwide cabal of fundamentalists w= ho aim for precisely the scenario that worried Heinlein?=C2=A0Read this.=C2= =A0 An escapee from the "christofascist" network=C2=A0describes=C2=A0how a mill= ion or so children at any time are not only being homeschooled, but indoctr= inated to think of themselves as holy warriors, battling a satanic republic= . And this is the central goal of Betsy DeVos, our new Secretary of Educati= on. And yes, central to their belief system are not the words of Jesus, but the= diametrically opposite and hate-drenched=C2=A0Book of Revelation. =C2=A0Wi= th hand-rubbing delight, they anticipate the torture and death of=C2=A0you= =C2=A0and your loved ones and our nation, followed by eternal torment and d= amnation, plus an end to all democracy, science, ambition, curiosity, quest= ioning, exploration and every other thing that makes us human. And... oh ye= s, a violent end to the United States of America. And I did not exaggerate = a single word. Every single one of those outcomes is directly and explicitl= y what they pray for, daily. Finally... A Scottish newspaper=C2=A0listed coverage=C2=A0of the Trump Inau= guration as a Twilight Zone reboot: "The Twilight Zone returns with one of = the most ambitious, expensive and controversial productions in broadcast hi= story. Sci-fi writers have often dabbled with alternative history stories..= . It sounds far-fetched, and it is, but as it goes on it becomes more and m= ore chillingly plausible..." =3D=3D The meta problem, here =3D=3D I had saved up this posting, offering it to every venue I could find (or sh= ortened versions, eliminating my personal voice.) It is interesting, effect= ive and=C2=A0different. But there is the rub. Look, there's one more factor at work now.=C2=A0Fear.=C2=A0When that emotio= n reigns, even the side that believes in openness and originality shuts dow= n=C2=A0psychologically.=C2=A0At the very moment when we need a wide stance = and originality, mass media have circled the wagons, allocating op-ed soapb= oxes to pals who re-word the same whines, over and over. Like the latest wave of ill-considered reactions, screaming about the Trump= s' increase in military spending, as liberals fall for a baited trap, refle= xively shouting hate at the Military Officer Corps, spurning another set of= =C2=A0victims,=C2=A0another=C2=A0fact-centered profession. This is the stup= idest thing we could possibly do, right now. It's not that they are wrong in opposing this tsunami of=C2=A0Confederate m= adness!=C2=A0Their mistake is a belief that the Union can win this phase of= civil war with "resistance" alone, pushing back with=C2=A0grunting=C2=A0su= mo.=C2=A0 Again and again I cry - as Heinlein did - that this is a time for= agility. =C2=A0For judo. ------=_Part_287707_2144070277.1503058540433 Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html><head></head><body><div style=3D"color:#000; background-color:#fff; f= ont-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif;font= -size:13px"><h3 itemprop=3D"name" style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: = 0px; position: relative; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 24.48px; line-hei= ght: normal; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; c= olor: rgb(68, 68, 68);" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76949">Lookin= g back at Heinlein's Future History - coming true before our eyes.</h3><div= style=3D"line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-size: 15.84px; color:= rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-ser= if;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76950"><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym1= 9_1_1503012427139_76951"></div></div><div itemprop=3D"articleBody" style=3D= "width: 938px; position: relative; line-height: 1.3; font-size: 15.84px; co= lor: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans= -serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76952"><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0= _ym19_1_1503012427139_76953"><span style=3D"color: black; font-family: aria= l, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76954"><sp= an style=3D"font-size: 14pt;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76955">= This one is so pertinent and important, I tried to find a more public venue= for it. But one of the tragic consequences of the Trump Era is the decay o= f op-ed journalism -- everyone recycling the same whines. I'll speak more o= f this, at the end. But now -- this just can't be put off, any longer. &nbs= p;Prepare to go wide-eyed!</span></span><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012= 427139_76956"><span style=3D"color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, s= ans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76957"><br id=3D"yui_3_16= _0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76958"></span><span style=3D"color: black; font-fam= ily: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_7= 6959"><b id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76960">=3D=3D A chilling for= ecast: accurate down to the last detail =3D=3D</b></span><br id=3D"yui_3_16= _0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76961"><span style=3D"color: black; font-family: ar= ial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76962"><= i id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76963"><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_= 1503012427139_76964"></i></span><span style=3D"color: black; font-family: a= rial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76965">= <span style=3D"background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238);" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19= _1_1503012427139_76966"><i id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76967">You= can sway a thousand men by appealing to their prejudices quicker than you = can convince one man by logic</i>. =E2=80=93 Robert A. Heinlein,<b id=3D"yu= i_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76968">Revolt in 2100</b></span><span style= =3D"font-family: verdana;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76969"><o:= p id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76970"></o:p></span></span></div><d= iv id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76971"><span style=3D"font-family:= arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76972= "><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76973"></span></div><div style= =3D"clear: both; text-align: center;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139= _76974"><a href=3D"http://amzn.to/2hP6y2k" style=3D"text-decoration-line: n= one; color: rgb(77, 70, 156); clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1e= m; margin-left: 1em;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76975"><span st= yle=3D"color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_= 3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76976"><img border=3D"0" height=3D"320" src=3D"= https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mqguSOLyoGY/WEnxv7Mw8VI/AAAAAAAAQj4/kSTczPb48mwA= Rwe2MEZpxLLLGZC7OXLSQCPcB/s320/revolt-2100-heinlein.JPG" width=3D"192" styl= e=3D"border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: transparent; pos= ition: relative; padding: 8px; background: transparent; box-shadow: rgba(0,= 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; border-radius: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; max-wi= dth: 100%;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76977" data-id=3D"98b633a= b-a50f-52ac-bdb7-18f36db85c7c"></span></a></div><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_= 1_1503012427139_76978"><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-s= erif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76979">Robert A. Heinlein=E2= =80=99s 1953 "Future History" collection, <a href=3D"http://amzn.to/2h= P6y2k" style=3D"text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(77, 70, 156);" id=3D= "yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76980">Revolt in 2100</a>, vividly portray= s citizens rising up against an authoritarian theocracy which has taken roo= t in America. A succession of fundamentalist despots have ruled for nearly = a century, dating back to the First Prophet, Nehemiah Scudder. John Lyle, a= graduate of West Point and now a member of the Prophet's elite guard "Ange= ls of the Lord," joins an underground revolt when he finally begins to ques= tion the society under which he always lived: </span></div><div id=3D"= yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76981"><span style=3D"font-family: arial, h= elvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76982"><br id= =3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76983"></span></div><div id=3D"yui_3_16= _0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76984"><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica= , sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76985"><i id=3D"yui_3_= 16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76986"><span style=3D"background-color: rgb(238, = 238, 238);" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76987">"I began to sense = faintly that secrecy is the keystone of all tyranny. Not force, but secrecy= ... censorship. When any government, or any church for that matter, undert= akes to say to its subjects, 'This you may not read, this you must not see,= this you are forbidden to know,' the end result is tyranny and oppression,= no matter how holy the motives. Mighty little force is needed to control a= man whose mind has been hoodwinked; contrariwise, no amount of force can c= ontrol a free man, a man whose mind is free. No, not the rack, not fission = bombs, not anything -- you can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is= kill him."</span> </i>(If This Goes On-- Chapter 6)<o:p id=3D"yui_3_1= 6_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76988"></o:p></span></div><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym= 19_1_1503012427139_76989"><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, san= s-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76990"><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0= _ym19_1_1503012427139_76991"></span></div><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503= 012427139_76992"><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"= id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76993">Does that sound <a href= =3D"http://www.davidbrin.com/transparency.html" style=3D"text-decoration-li= ne: none; color: rgb(77, 70, 156);" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_7= 6994">familiar</a>? Oh, but you ain't seen nothing, yet. Prepare to be amaz= ed.</span><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76995"><span style=3D"f= ont-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_15030124= 27139_76996"><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_76997"></span><span = style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_= 1_1503012427139_76998">Sure, Heinlein's <i id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_150= 3012427139_76999">voice</i> is different than mine. But he largely rai= sed me, and I deeply resent it when some folks lazily dismiss RAH as a "rig= ht winger" or even "fascist." Sure, there are ways in which he reads rather= retro, today. And he yelled "get off my lawn!" at hippies who came to pay = homage, after <a href=3D"http://amzn.to/2jt0rnX" style=3D"text-decorat= ion-line: none; color: rgb(77, 70, 156);" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_150301242= 7139_77000">Stranger in a Strange Land.</a></span><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19= _1_1503012427139_77001"><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-= serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77002"><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_y= m19_1_1503012427139_77003">But he truly saw himself as a champion of equal = rights and equal opportunity, even if his characters can seem cringeworthy,= through modern eyes. <a href=3D"http://davidbrin.blogspot.com/2010/04= /concerning-robert-heinlein-and-more.html" style=3D"text-decoration-line: n= one; color: rgb(77, 70, 156);" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77004"= >His libertarianism is of another, Jeffersonian-Adam Smithian variety</a>, = and he despised Ayn Rand.</span><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_7= 7005"><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_= 3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77006"><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_150301242713= 9_77007">Of course, our chief overlap is seen in that extract, above. Heinl= ein and I both portray <i id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77008"= >light</i> as the cleanser and liberator. We must all see as much as w= e can handle, and then more. It is a citizen's duty to <i id=3D"yui_3_= 16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77009">look!</i> And yes, to re-examine thin= gs we had been comfortable believing. <a href=3D"http://www.davidbrin= .com/transparentsociety.html" style=3D"text-decoration-line: none; color: r= gb(77, 70, 156);" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77010">Transparency= is key to reciprocal accountability,</a> which we use to be both free= and smart. It is the miracle tool that enables us to question the lies of = monsters.</span><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77011"><span styl= e=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_15= 03012427139_77012"><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77013"><b id= =3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77014">=3D=3D Amazing prophecy! =3D=3D<= /b></span><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77015"><div style=3D"cl= ear: both; text-align: center;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77016= "><a href=3D"https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JFooOZEY9lk/WHHJaaf4UdI/AAAAAAAAQ2U= /tKkf3HYKKTQfSLO5FvFIt1vgohgUJAnNwCLcB/s1600/FUTURE-HISTORY-HEINLEIN.JPG" i= mageanchor=3D"1" style=3D"text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(77, 70, 15= 6);" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77017"><span style=3D"color: bla= ck; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_150= 3012427139_77018"><img border=3D"0" height=3D"320" src=3D"https://4.bp.blog= spot.com/-JFooOZEY9lk/WHHJaaf4UdI/AAAAAAAAQ2U/tKkf3HYKKTQfSLO5FvFIt1vgohgUJ= AnNwCLcB/s320/FUTURE-HISTORY-HEINLEIN.JPG" width=3D"239" style=3D"border-wi= dth: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: transparent; position: relativ= e; padding: 8px; background: transparent; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0p= x 0px 0px; border-radius: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%;" id= =3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77019" data-id=3D"fec824f0-6542-b4ee-b3= ec-562719cfef86"></span></a></div><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvet= ica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77020"><br id=3D"yu= i_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77021">Is it ironic that the author of a nove= l about false prophets <i id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77022"= >nailed</i> the future so well? Oh, but it gets much better. Especiall= y the paragraph in <b id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77023">bol= d,</b> below.</span><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77024"><= span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_= ym19_1_1503012427139_77025"><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77026= ">Here, I=E2=80=99d like to quote extensively from <i id=3D"yui_3_16_0= _ym19_1_1503012427139_77027">Revolt in 2100</i>'s afterword, =E2=80=9CConce= rning Stories Never Written,=E2=80=9D in which Robert Heinlein takes an inc= isive look at a possible dark future for our country:<o:p id=3D"yui_3_16_0_= ym19_1_1503012427139_77028"></o:p></span></div><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1= _1503012427139_77029"><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-se= rif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77030"><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym1= 9_1_1503012427139_77031"></span></div><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_15030124= 27139_77032"><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id= =3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77033">=E2=80=9C<i id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym1= 9_1_1503012427139_77034">As for ... the idea that we could lose our freedom= by succumbing to a wave of religious hysteria, I am sorry to say that I co= nsider it possible. I hope that it is not probable. But there is a latent d= eep strain of religious fanaticism in this, our culture; it is rooted in ou= r history and it has broken out many times in the past. </i></span><br= id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77035"><span style=3D"font-family: a= rial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77036">= <i id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77037"><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1= _1503012427139_77038"></i><i id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77039">"= It is with us now; there has been a sharp rise in strongly evangelical sect= s in this country in recent years, some of which hold beliefs theocratic in= the extreme, anti-intellectual, anti-scientific, and anti-libertarian.<o:p= id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77040"></o:p></i></span></div><div i= d=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77041"><span style=3D"font-family: ari= al, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77042"><i= id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77043"><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1= 503012427139_77044"></i></span></div><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_150301242= 7139_77045"><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id= =3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77046"><i id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_15030= 12427139_77047">=E2=80=9CIt is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or reli= gion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power t= o do so, and will follow it by suppressing opposition, subverting all educa= tion to seize early the minds of the young, and by killing, locking up, or = driving underground all heretics. This is equally true whether the faith is= Communism or Holy-Rollerism; indeed it is the bounden duty of the faithful= to do so. The custodians of the True Faith cannot logically admit toleranc= e of heresy to be a virtue.</i><o:p id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_7= 7048"></o:p></span></div><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77049">= <span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0= _ym19_1_1503012427139_77050"><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_7705= 1"></span></div><div style=3D"clear: both; text-align: center;" id=3D"yui_3= _16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77052"><a href=3D"http://amzn.to/2hP6y2k" style= =3D"text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(77, 70, 156); clear: left; float= : left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_150= 3012427139_77053"><span style=3D"color: black; font-family: arial, helvetic= a, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77054"><img border=3D= "0" height=3D"320" src=3D"https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4RlfCNRyXFc/WGRkoU5Q_r= I/AAAAAAAAQxM/qTxOOYh94TcLUe57lavqwDWa5jF0osT_QCLcB/s320/Heinlein-revolt-in= -2100.jpeg" width=3D"199" style=3D"border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; = border-color: transparent; position: relative; padding: 8px; background: tr= ansparent; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; border-radius: 0px; = box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_150301242= 7139_77055" class=3D"img-overlay-selected" data-id=3D"15261df9-e5e6-6b8d-64= 01-1f2d815f32e5"></span></a></div><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_150301242713= 9_77056"><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"y= ui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77057"><i id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427= 139_77058">=E2=80=9CNevertheless this business of legislating religious bel= iefs into law has never been more than sporadically successful in this coun= try =E2=80=93 Sunday closing laws here and there, birth control legislation= in spots, the Prohibition experiment, temporary enclaves of theocracy such= as Voliva=E2=80=99s Zion, Smith=E2=80=99s Nauvoo, and a few others. The co= untry is split up into such a variety of faiths and sects that a degree of = uneasy tolerance now exists from expedient compromise; the minorities const= itute a majority of opposition against each other.<o:p id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym1= 9_1_1503012427139_77059"></o:p></i></span></div><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_= 1_1503012427139_77060"><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-s= erif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77061"><i id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym1= 9_1_1503012427139_77062"><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77063"><= /i></span></div><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77064"><span sty= le=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1= 503012427139_77065"><i id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77066">=E2=80= =9CCould it be otherwise here? Could any one sect obtain a working majority= at the polls and take over the country? Perhaps not =E2=80=93 but a combin= ation of a dynamic evangelist, television, enough money, and modern techniq= ues of advertising and propaganda might make Billy Sunday=E2=80=99s efforts= look like a corner store compared to Sears Roebuck. </i></span><br id= =3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77067"><span style=3D"font-family: aria= l, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77068"><i = id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77069"><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_15= 03012427139_77070"></i><i id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77071">"<b = id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77072">Throw in a Depression for good= measure, promise a material heaven here on earth, add a dash of anti-Semit= ism, anti-Catholicism, anti-Negrosim, and a good large dose of anti-=E2=80= =9Cfurriners=E2=80=9D in general and anti-intellectuals here at home, and t= he result might be something quite frightening =E2=80=93 particularly when = one recalls that our voting system is such that a minority distributed as p= luralities in enough states can constitute a working majority in Washington= ."</b></i><o:p id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77073"></o:p></span></= div><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77074"><span style=3D"font-f= amily: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139= _77075"><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77076">Jiminy! Hein= lein wrote that in the early 1950s! Is there anything he did <i id=3D"= yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77077">not</i> hit right on the head? = Heck, he even nailed the dominionist <a href=3D"http://amzn.to/2n1TAmJ= " style=3D"text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(77, 70, 156);" id=3D"yui_= 3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77078">"Prosperity Gospel"</a> so <a = href=3D"http://religionnews.com/2016/02/04/ted-cruzs-campaign-fueled-domini= onist-vision-america-commentary/" style=3D"text-decoration-line: none; colo= r: rgb(77, 70, 156);" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77079">popular = among Ted Cruz types</a>, promising fervid followers that their "<i style= =3D"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_150= 3012427139_77080">material heaven here on earth" </i>will come by righ= teously seizing the property of unbelievers. (Late note: a prosperity = gospel preacher keynotes Donald Trump's inauguration.)</span><br id=3D"yui_= 3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77081"><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helve= tica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77082"><br id=3D"y= ui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77083">Seriously, read his last paragraph (a= bove) again. Then recall that Heinlein portrayed Nehemiah Scudder tak= ing the White House <i id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77084">ag= ainst</i> the will of a <i id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_= 77085">majority</i>, in 2012. (He also spoke of America sinking into = "The Crazy Years.") </span><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_7= 7086"><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_= 3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77087"><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_150301242713= 9_77088"></span><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" = id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77089">As for you blithe judgers who = dismissed Heinlein as a 'fascist'? Shame on you. He was fighting the = good fight before you were born, far more persuasively and effectively than= you'll ever be.</span><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77090"><sp= an style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym= 19_1_1503012427139_77091"><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77092">= Oh, but back to his essay. It gets even more amazing:</span><br id=3D"yui_3= _16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77093"><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvet= ica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77094"><br id=3D"yu= i_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77095"></span></div><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym1= 9_1_1503012427139_77096"><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans= -serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77097"><i id=3D"yui_3_16_0_y= m19_1_1503012427139_77098">=E2=80=9CI imagined Nehemiah Scudder as a backwo= ods evangelist who combined some of the features of John Calvin, Savonarola= , Judge Rutherford and Huey Long. His influence was not national until afte= r the death of Mrs. Rachel Biggs=E2=80=A6. who left Brother Scudder several= millions of dollars with which to establish a television station. Shortly = thereafter he teamed up with an ex-Senator from his home state; they placed= their affairs in the hands of a major advertising agency and were on their= way to fame and fortune. Presently they needed stormtroopers; they revived= the Ku Klux Klan in everything but the name =E2=80=93 sheets, passwords, g= rips, and all. It was a =E2=80=9Cgood gimmick=E2=80=9D once and still serve= d. Blood at the polls and blood in the streets, but Scudder won the electio= n. The next election was never held.</i><o:p id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_150301= 2427139_77099"></o:p></span></div><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_150301242713= 9_77100"><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"y= ui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77101"><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_150301242= 7139_77102"></span></div><div style=3D"clear: both; text-align: center;" id= =3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77103"><a href=3D"https://1.bp.blogspot= .com/-CM9gGR-A2Wc/WGRjUTetv9I/AAAAAAAAQxA/UTt4m6erwRAC70tG2NYe6Rxvg8gzgzRHw= CLcB/s1600/heinlein-revolt.jpg" imageanchor=3D"1" style=3D"text-decoration-= line: none; color: rgb(77, 70, 156);" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139= _77104"><span style=3D"color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-se= rif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77105"><img border=3D"0" height= =3D"210" src=3D"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CM9gGR-A2Wc/WGRjUTetv9I/AAAAAAAA= QxA/UTt4m6erwRAC70tG2NYe6Rxvg8gzgzRHwCLcB/s280/heinlein-revolt.jpg" width= =3D"280" style=3D"border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: tra= nsparent; position: relative; padding: 8px; background: transparent; box-sh= adow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; border-radius: 0px; box-sizing: borde= r-box; max-width: 100%;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77106" data-= id=3D"cb124470-a9f6-cf9c-2c72-fe9c55adfa41"></span></a></div><div id=3D"yui= _3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77107"><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helv= etica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77108"><i id=3D"y= ui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77109">=E2=80=9CImpossible? Remember the Kla= n in the =E2=80=98Twenties =E2=80=93 and how far it got without even a dyna= mic leader. Remember Karl Marx and note how close that unscientific piece o= f nonsense called Das Kapital has come to smothering out all free= dom of thought on half a planet, without =E2=80=93 mind you =E2=80=93 the e= motional advantage of calling it a religion. The capacity of the human mind= for swallowing nonsense and spewing it forth in violent and repressive act= ion has never yet been plumbed."</i><o:p id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427= 139_77110"></o:p></span></div><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77= 111"><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3= _16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77112"><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139= _77113"></span></div><div dir=3D"ltr" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139= _77114"><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yu= i_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77115">Give Heinlein's <a href=3D"http:/= /amzn.to/2nEA4uL" style=3D"text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(77, 70, 1= 56);" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77116">Revolt in 2100</a> = a read (available for <a href=3D"http://amzn.to/2hP6y2k" style=3D"text= -decoration-line: none; color: rgb(77, 70, 156);" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1= 503012427139_77117">Kindle</a>.) </span><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1= 503012427139_77118"><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-seri= f;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77119"><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_= 1_1503012427139_77120">Are the parallels with our present situation perfect= ? Well, no. For one thing, there is the spectacular hypocrisy of U.S. funda= mentalist Christians gushing their fervid support for a man who is - in eve= ry conceivable measure of action or character - the diametric opposite of J= esus. Even Heinlein could not have written that. </span><br id=3D"yui= _3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77121"><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helv= etica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77122"><br id=3D"= yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77123">No, this has to be a clarion call. M= embers of the American center and moderate-left must get past their cl= ich=C3=A9s... like the insipid stupidity of calling old-fashioned Jefferson= ian libertarians like Heinlein "right-wingers." For one thing, anyone who l= oves science, nowadays is, by definition, no member of that cult.</span><br= id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77124"><span style=3D"font-family: a= rial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77125">= <br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77126">We must be welcoming of fe= llow citizens who flee <a href=3D"http://davidbrin.blogspot.com/2014/0= 9/phases-of-american-civil-war.html" style=3D"text-decoration-line: none; c= olor: rgb(77, 70, 156);" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77127">the r= ising, confederate madness</a>. Soon, these will include waves of 'retiring= ' U.S. military and intelligence officers, potential allies of stunnin= g value in our task of saving civilization! So do not listen to fools on th= e <i id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77128">far</i>-left, who wo= uld spit in the faces of such refugees. The far-left can be as crazy as the= entire-right has become. Especially if they would reflexively spurn powerf= ul allies, just because they have good posture and sport crewcuts.</span><b= r id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77129"><span style=3D"font-family: = arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77130"= ><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77131">Or powerful inspirations,= like the science fiction author and American, Robert A. Heinlein.</span><b= r id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77132"><span style=3D"font-family: = arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77133"= ><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77134"></span><span style=3D"fon= t-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427= 139_77135">Honor the legacy of Heinlein and Pay It Forward! Support the eff= orts of the <a href=3D"http://www.heinleinsociety.org/" style=3D"text-= decoration-line: none; color: rgb(77, 70, 156);" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_15= 03012427139_77136">Heinlein Society</a> -- which promotes education, b= lood drives and provides books to veterans.</span><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19= _1_1503012427139_77137"><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-= serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77138"><b id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym= 19_1_1503012427139_77139"><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77140">= </b><b id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77141">=3D=3D Addenda =3D=3D</= b></span><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77142"><span style=3D"fo= nt-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_150301242= 7139_77143"><span style=3D"font-family: arial; font-size: 14pt;" id=3D"yui_= 3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77144"><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_150301242713= 9_77145"></span><span style=3D"font-family: arial; font-size: 14pt;" id=3D"= yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77146">Oh, you don't believe that there is = a nationwide cabal of fundamentalists who aim for precisely the scenario th= at worried Heinlein? <a href=3D"https://www.autostraddle.com/i-was-tra= ined-for-the-culture-wars-in-home-school-awaiting-someone-like-mike-pence-a= s-a-messiah-367057/" style=3D"text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(77, 70= , 156);" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77147">Read this.</a> <= o:p id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77148"></o:p></span><span style= =3D"font-family: arial; font-size: 14pt;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_150301242= 7139_77149">An escapee from the "christofascist" network <a href=3D"ht= tps://www.autostraddle.com/i-was-trained-for-the-culture-wars-in-home-schoo= l-awaiting-someone-like-mike-pence-as-a-messiah-367057/" style=3D"text-deco= ration-line: none; color: rgb(77, 70, 156);" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_150301= 2427139_77150">describes</a> how a million or so children at any time = are not only being homeschooled, but indoctrinated to think of themselves a= s holy warriors, battling a satanic republic. And this is the central goal = of Betsy DeVos, our new Secretary of Education.</span></span><br id=3D"yui_= 3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77151"><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_15030124271= 39_77152"><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-si= ze: 14pt;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77153"><br id=3D"yui_3_16_= 0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77154"></span></div><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_150= 3012427139_77155"><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;= font-size: 14pt;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77156">And yes, ce= ntral to their belief system are not the words of Jesus, but the diametrica= lly opposite and hate-drenched <i id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_150301242713= 9_77157">Book of Revelation</i>. With hand-rubbing delight, they anti= cipate the torture and death of <i id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_15030124271= 39_77158">you</i> and your loved ones and our nation, followed by eter= nal torment and damnation, plus an end to all democracy, science, ambition,= curiosity, questioning, exploration and every other thing that makes us hu= man. And... oh yes, a violent end to the United States of America. And I di= d not exaggerate a single word. Every single one of those outcomes is direc= tly and explicitly what they pray for, daily.</span><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym= 19_1_1503012427139_77159"><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, san= s-serif; font-size: 14pt;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77160"><br= id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77161"></span></div><a href=3D"http:= //www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-38635518" style=3D"text-decoration-line: non= e; color: rgb(77, 70, 156); clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em;= margin-left: 1em;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77162"><span styl= e=3D"color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_= 16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77163"><img border=3D"0" height=3D"320" src=3D"ht= tps://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L1AFYzwQt8k/WH1T8eMamOI/AAAAAAAAQ4o/hztAK9pvXG8BgB= 9KxSbkH8WQvLFekn5XgCLcB/s320/trump-scotland.jpg" width=3D"240" style=3D"bor= der-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: transparent; position: r= elative; padding: 8px; background: transparent; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0= .2) 0px 0px 0px; border-radius: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100= %;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77164" data-id=3D"ffc48d08-24fc-f= 1e2-c83e-b534ffaf6181"></span></a><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvet= ica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77165">Finally... A= Scottish newspaper <a href=3D"http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-386= 35518" style=3D"text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(77, 70, 156);" id=3D= "yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77166">listed coverage</a> of the Tru= mp Inauguration as a Twilight Zone reboot: "The Twilight Zone returns with = one of the most ambitious, expensive and controversial productions in broad= cast history. Sci-fi writers have often dabbled with alternative history st= ories... It sounds far-fetched, and it is, but as it goes on it becomes mor= e and more chillingly plausible..."</span><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_15030= 12427139_77167"><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" = id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77168"><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_15= 03012427139_77169"></span><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, san= s-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77170"><b id=3D"yui_3_16_0_= ym19_1_1503012427139_77171">=3D=3D The meta problem, here =3D=3D</b></span>= <br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77172"><span style=3D"font-family= : arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_7717= 3"><b id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77174"><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym1= 9_1_1503012427139_77175"></b></span><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helv= etica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77176">I had save= d up this posting, offering it to every venue I could find (or shortened ve= rsions, eliminating my personal voice.) It is interesting, effective and&nb= sp;<i id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77177">different</i>. But there= is the rub.</span><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77178"><span s= tyle=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1= _1503012427139_77179"><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77180"></sp= an><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_1= 6_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77181">Look, there's one more factor at work now.&= nbsp;<i id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77182">Fear.</i> When th= at emotion reigns, even the side that believes in openness and originality = shuts down <i id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77183">psychologic= ally.</i> At the very moment when we need a wide stance and originalit= y, mass media have circled the wagons, allocating op-ed soapboxes to pals w= ho re-word the same whines, over and over.</span><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_= 1_1503012427139_77184"><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-s= erif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77185"><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym= 19_1_1503012427139_77186"></span><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helveti= ca, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77187">Like the late= st wave of ill-considered reactions, screaming about the Trumps' increase i= n military spending, as liberals fall for a baited trap, reflexively shouti= ng hate at the Military Officer Corps, spurning another set of <i id= =3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77188">victims,</i> another f= act-centered profession. This is the stupidest thing we could possibly do, = right now.</span><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77189"><span sty= le=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1= 503012427139_77190"><br id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77191"></span= ><span style=3D"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" id=3D"yui_3_16_= 0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77192">It's not that they are wrong in opposing this= tsunami of <a href=3D"http://davidbrin.blogspot.com/2014/09/phases-of= -american-civil-war.html" style=3D"text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(7= 7, 70, 156);" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77193">Confederate madn= ess!</a> Their mistake is a belief that the Union can win this phase o= f civil war with "resistance" alone, pushing back with grunting <= i id=3D"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1503012427139_77194">sumo.</i> Again and ag= ain I cry - as Heinlein did - that this is a time for agility. For ju= do.</span></div></div></div></body></html> ------=_Part_287707_2144070277.1503058540433--