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DIG DIRECTOR
Gore Vidal is an internationally acclaimed novelist, essayist, playwright and screenwriter whose historical fiction and collected criticisms have garnered him the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award, among others. An outspoken political activist, he ran for the U.S. House in New York in 1960 and in the 1982 senatorial primary.
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President Jonah, Meet Oliver Cromwell!A Dig led by Gore Vidal
Today, as I sit, like so many Californians, at the heart of what seems to be a vast burning bush, I realize that Jehovah’s jinx of the weirdest American president is as operative in this lowering pre-Halloween season as it was last February when, guided by Scripture, I posted here on the Internet the bad news that our nominal president was seriously jinxed by an unrelenting deity who, from his throne of fire, now blows fiercely upon the west coast of the United States, spreading from San Diego to Malibu to Lake Arrowhead. Lucifer’s finest new-minted flames, a reminder to us, President Jonah’s Supreme Court-appointed subjects, that our ruler is triply cursed for his disobedience to obey his Lord not only long ago at Nineveh, but lately compounded by his inability to destroy all of Baghdad, a city hailed in that magical musical comedy, “Kismet,” by a song entitled “Never underestimate Baghdad.” But a jinxed president’s estimate is bound to be fatally wrong even in the eyes of his creator.
While contemplating the ill-starred presidency of G.W. Bush, I looked about for some sort of divine analogy. As usual, when in need of enlightenment, I fell upon the Holy Bible, authorized King James version of 1611; turning by chance to the Book of Jonah, I read that Jonah, who, like Bush, chats with God, had suffered a falling out with the Almighty and thus became himself a jinx dogged by luck so bad that when a Stone Age cruise liner, thanks to his presence aboard, was about to sink in a storm at sea, the crew for safety’s sake threw him overboard and—Lo!—the storm abated. The three days and nights he subsequently spent in the belly of a nauseous whale must have seemed like a serious jinx to the digestion-challenged mammal who extruded him much as the decent opinion of mankind has done to Bush.
Originally, God wanted Jonah to give hell to Nineveh, whose people, God noted disdainfully, “cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand,” (rather like the people of Baghdad who still cannot fathom what democracy has to do with their destruction at the hands of the Cheney-Bush cabal). But the analogy becomes even more precise when it comes to the plague of hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico that led to the Curse of Katrina upon a plainly incompetent president, as well as one who has been plainly jinxed by whatever faith he cringes before. Witness the ongoing screw-up of, say, prescription drugs, and the revival of an ancient race war in Louisiana. Who knows what further disasters are in store for us thanks to the curse Jonah is under? As the sailors fed the original Jonah to a whale, thus lifting the storm that was about to drown them, perhaps we the people can persuade President Jonah to retire to his other Eden in Crawford, Texas, taking his jinx with him. We deserve a rest. Plainly, so does he. Look at Nixon’s radiant features after his resignation! One can see former President Jonah in his sumptuous presidential library happily catering to faith-based fans with animated scriptures rooted in “The Pet Goat.” Not since the glory days of Watergate and Nixon’s Luciferian fall has there been so much written about the dogged deceits and creative criminalities of our rulers. We have also come to a point in this dark age where there is not only no hero in view but no alternative road unblocked. We are trapped terribly in a now that few foresaw and even fewer can define despite a swarm of books and pamphlets like the vast cloud of locusts which dined on China in that ‘30s movie ”The Good Earth.” As I mentioned last February, I have read many of these descriptions of our fallen estate, looking for one that best describes in plain English how we got to this now and where we appear to be headed once our good Earth has been consumed by fire and only Rapture is left to whisk aloft the Faithful. Meanwhile, the rest of us can learn quite a lot from ”Dark Ages America: The Final Phase of Empire” by Morris Berman, a professor of sociology at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. I must confess that I have a proprietary interest in anyone who refers to the United States as an empire since I am credited with first putting forward this heretical view in the early ‘70s. In fact, so disgusted with me was a book reviewer at Time magazine who, as proof of my madness, wrote: “He actually refers to the United States as an empire!” It should be noted that at about the same time Henry Luce, proprietor of Time, was booming on and on about ”The American Century.” What a difference a word makes! Berman sets his scene briskly in recent history. “We were already in our twilight phase when Ronald Reagan, with all the insight of an ostrich, declared it to be ‘morning in America’; twenty-odd years later, under the ‘boy emperor’ George W. Bush (as Chalmers Johnson refers to him), we have entered the Dark Ages in earnest, pursuing a short-sighted path that can only accelerate our decline. For what we are now seeing are the obvious characteristics of the West after the fall of Rome: the triumph of religion over reason; the atrophy of education and critical thinking; the integration of religion, the state, and the apparatus of torture—a troika that was for Voltaire the central horror of the pre-Enlightenment world; as well as, today, the political and economic marginalization of our culture.... The British historian Charles Freeman published an extended discussion of the transition that took place during the late Roman empire, the title of which could serve as a capsule summary of our current rulers: ”The Closing of the Western Mind.” Mr. Bush, as God knows best, is no Augustine; but Freeman points to the latter as the epitome of a more general process that was underway in the fourth century: namely, ‘the gradual subjection of reason to faith and authority.’ This is what we are seeing today, and it is a process that no society can undergo and still remain free. Yet it is a process of which administration officials, along with much of the American population, are aggressively proud.” In fact, close observers of this odd presidency note that Bush, like his evangelical base, believes he is on a mission from God and that faith trumps empirical evidence. Berman quotes a senior White House adviser who disdains what he calls the “reality-based” community, to which Berman sensibly responds: “If a nation is unable to perceive reality correctly, and persists in operating on the basis of faith-based delusions, its ability to hold its own in the world is pretty much foreclosed.”
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By John Hanks, May 1 at 6:04 am # I found it!The secrets of the religionists are out. God (whatever) is what Freud called “oceanic feelings” and they can be found in the upper right hand part of the brain. Since these feelings have a biological source they probably have some survival use - perhaps they serve for necessary illusions under great stress. Theology is not God (whatever). It is an attempt to explain to ignorant people the nature of the unknowable. It is a medicine show con job that finally becomes believable over time. The Oceanic feelings are the emotional root for the stories that make up all the cults and religions. It is important to separate the too. Most people who are against organized religion understand this, but they may not extend it to such theologies as nationalism, etc.
By anti-propoganda machine, April 30 at 5:41 pm # having read through a lot of gore vidal’s work, i can’t say that this is any less true, it seems so odd that we afford religion such protection when there is no real reason to. I mean really, think about it. If someone has an idea in any category but religion (that you disagree with), it is socially acceptable to act intolerant of it. The attitude may not be considered intolerance, but really, that’s what it is. We afford religion respect and protection for no real reason. If a child in a conservative neighborhood has his house vandalized for his political affiliation, the house is expected to shrug it off, or go after them for vandalism. In a religous setting, the same act is considered a hate crime, and is thought of as being much more serious.
By John Hanks, April 20 at 8:50 am # If crooked Jews...were like crooked Catholics, they would take over our media, finances, and government and pour our money and youth into wars for the Vatican. I would guess that 60 percent of American Jews are moderate to liberal, and they are completely conned by the right-wing Israel nightmare. It is OK to criticize anything except Judaism and Israel.
By hollyse, April 20 at 1:24 am # The fruits of Bush’s efforts, you say, but not yet felt, will surely sink home? Soooooo true and that home is the USA.
By Richard Brescia, April 17 at 12:25 pm # Some on needs to read the 1st amendemnt“The original amendment to the Constitution is the cornerstone of the way of life in the United States, promising citizens the freedoms of religion, speech, press and assembly.” That is taken from survey of student ignorance about the 1 st Amendment. The quote omits the right to petition government. Vidal made reference to the story.
By John Hanks, April 14 at 6:43 am # Nice Smear Gabir...Is that all you can do?
By Cynthia Gair, April 4 at 6:15 pm # Anyone who’s wondering what a credit default is - anyone who hasn’t heard this should listen to this amazingly clear, fascinating, and alarming interview with Michael Greenberger
By Tom Schultz, March 20 at 6:51 am # US as EmpireAS usual, Mr. Vidal, your commentary is learned and spot on. However, as to your being the first . . .
By John Hanks, March 13 at 11:54 am # Our constitution and political system are just aAlmost everything that is deemed sacred is a con job. All of our institutions have degraded, poisoned and ripped us off. Bush and Co. are just the latest incarnation of the hideous termites that have directed this country for years. With the media they play us like a piano. They can always send us where they want by changing the subject. In Naziland the screaming never stops. The worst thing you can do is to act as if they deserve any respect.
By Me, March 5 at 4:17 am # Freedom sometimehttp://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index. php?id=11015 By Susan Smallheer / Rutland Herald BRATTLEBORO, VT – Vermonters have long taken stands on the big issues of the day at town meeting. Back in 1854, the issue was slavery. Several towns passed resolutions condemning the pending federal Kansas-Nebraska legislation that would have allowed the new states to sanction slavery, according to State Archivist Gregory Sanford. In 1974, the town of Thetford voted to impeach then-President Richard Nixon, who went on to resign later that year. Eight years later, 150 Vermont towns adopted a nuclear weapons freeze resolution. This town meeting Brattleboro voters will decide whether President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney should be indicted for violating their oath of office and failing to follow the Constitution for a variety of actions stemming from the war in Iraq and the war on terrorism. Every sting matters, said the bee.
By odlid, February 20 at 10:00 am # Hi John, I like the insect thing. But you malign insects everywhere with your comparison. Think of the busy, busy honey bee or the tireless leaf-cutter ant...all good citizens of our planet. Pinworms might be closer to the mark. You must present alternatives, great one. Bomarc, holy shit. Haven’t heard that one in a while. Vacuum tubes, I’ll bet. How about Snark, Nike Ajax, launch on warning, failsafe point, duck and cover...? I’ve already done my Curtis LeMay screed under a different nic but you got to love these mad bomber types. They worry too much about precious bodily fluids, though. Remember that Slim Pickins ride down the pike?
By John Hanks, February 10 at 5:45 pm # By age 14Americans learn just enough stupid things by age 14 to be susceptible to every crook lie that comes down the pike. They are not made intellectually and emotionally immature. The media keeps them intellectually and emotionally immature by pandering to that level of development. Even simple villagers know enough to compare notes about strangers. We have lost the art. We don’t talk, think, read, or write. We are perfectly groomed suckers.
By Defy ungodly Vidal, January 12 at 2:35 pm # President George W. Bush isPresident George W. Bush is being maligned by the master of misdirection. Vidal, a closet admirer of Aaron Burr, would have been at home huddling with Burr and Andrew Jackson, the three of them cruising around looking for good Indian land and maybe whacking a Mexican with a stick if no one is looking. His historical soul-mates not available, Vidal has made George W his personal Mexican, poking him with a stick every time this President makes a minor slip; like letting the second most prominent target on earth, the Twin Towers, not be defended. or...stuff like blowing up a small country for no apparent reason...or keep saying nukuler or just not (though no fault of his own) being able to do one thing. Vidal, in summary, is a WHINER. Yes, a hitting Mexican with a stick whiner. George W. Bush will be known to future generations for his inner greatness and his vision for a better world. The fruits of his efforts, though not yet felt, will surely sink home in not so many years.
By John Hanks, December 18, 2007 at 1:26 pm # I can see media and corporate filth laughing together like the Beavis and Butthead they are. We will never get their attention. That is why I talk, talk, talk, and put signs on my car. Millions know what is going on. They just need to see that they are not alone. There is also Air America radio, thank God.
By Bill Blackolive, December 18, 2007 at 10:34 am # Gore, enough already. We do not need your humor today when untold many are tortured. Please get back to 9/11 is inside. Shaking the cage long enough will have corporate TV talking finally. Please, please.
By Bill Blackolive, December 18, 2007 at 10:28 am # Gore, hey. That 9/11 is an inside job is better conversation than being funny. Enough, please. Please get on back at your original: 9/11 is inside. In all the stupifying chickenshit we need to get the enfeebled across the starting line, gang up and get it going. Too much time wasted already, time now is death, starvation, torture, imprisonment for thousands, millions. Gore, it is time to make some true noise, rattle the mob truly. Enough already.
By John Hanks, November 15, 2007 at 6:37 pm # Sorry David. You can’t speak for anyone but yourself. I will fight against this filth until my last breath - alone if need be.
By david, November 15, 2007 at 2:41 pm # Sorry, Gore, no one cares enough to do anything. We are all hostages to the Repubs and Dems. Neither will serve the populace, only themselves. RIP America 1776-2001
By John Hanks, Laramie, Wyoming, November 13, 2007 at 4:50 pm # Every window on my car is covered with computer printed signs expressing my hatred for the Nazi filth who stole this country and the lazy cowards who have gone along with it. My car is a very hostile billboard against these scum. I don’t give a damn whether anyone agrees with me or not. I will not go silently into this dark night. It is not enough to analyze things. There is not time enough. “Anger is tiresome. Hatred is serene.”
By Love You Long Time, November 13, 2007 at 1:52 pm # In response to #113198 by John Hanks, reading: John, Don’t hold back. Say what you really think.
By John Hanks, Laramie, Wyoming, November 12, 2007 at 4:19 pm # Every nation is populated by lazy cowards and suckers. The remaining crooks have plenty to feed on. Bush is simply the latest manifestation of cartel filth. It is always a small minority that has the smarts to know what is going on and to put up a fight. I hope that liberals and others learn a soldier’s hatred before it is too late.
By lawlessone, November 12, 2007 at 10:46 am # I gleefully chuckled at Mr. Gore’s idea Bush is really just a jinx who inadvertently causes disasters for all those around him. If I was superstitious or believed in Fate, I would likely find that suggestion a welcome explanation for incredible tidal wave of trouble Bush and his buddies continue to immerse us. The image of Biblical Jonah in the White House, couldn’t help but conjure up for me other walking disasters from literature. I even wondered if instead of Jonah, perhaps the reference shouldn’t be to the eternally wrong optimist, Candide, or maybe Joe Btfsplk, the sad character in Little Abner who was constantly followed by a cloud of rain. Thanks for the mental fun. Ultimately though, I realized that none of them, not even Jonah of whale fame, really apply here since in each case including Jonah, the characters were essentially innocent victims. They did not bring the vortexs of troubles upon themselves. Incompetence, ignorance, ego, hubris, laziness and extremely questionable motives played little or no part in their particular pitfalls. With Bush however, all those are present in unending supply. Moreover, Bush suffers little or not at all the calamities he sows. Other than the occasional disparaging word or image, which he probably never sees or hears anyway, there are few consequences. Unlike Custer, our current leaders are the ones least likely to suffer from their idiocies. Worse, we are not innocent victims ourselves. After all, although we did not put this putz in power, we allow him to remain there where he can harm us and our descendants. Consequently, we probably deserve what misfortunes befall us. This story unfortunately is a tragedy, not a comedy.
By marshall peck, November 12, 2007 at 5:11 am # I feel that “Dark Ages”, in reference to our current predicament, unjustly defiles that unilluminated period. I prefer to anoint this special time we are in as the “Gray Ages”. The gray implies a greater deceit and hipocrisy.
By Adriana Salinas, November 9, 2007 at 5:33 am # I must say that this is an article and a style of writing I can appreciate. The biblical reference is one that hopefully the rest of society could relate to. Also, the American Republic is how I see this country as well, I don’t know about anyone else.
By Guitarsandmore, November 8, 2007 at 10:19 pm # There once was a pundit named Hannity There was an old man named George Bush There was a mean, mad, dog named Cheney When government ignores your commands
By John Hanks, November 6, 2007 at 7:16 pm # I blame our addiction to media filth.
By Max L. Cadenhead, November 4, 2007 at 1:01 am # Mr. Vidal’s article is thoughtful, humorous, compassionate, and supurbly written. What else should one expect from the greatest literary figure in American letters since Mark Twain? He scatters opprobria over this president and his croneys as a bishop of constitutional orthodoxy wielding an aspergillum filled with holy water, or perhaps filled with ink from Mr. Jefferson’s inkwell.
By Michael, November 3, 2007 at 9:43 am # The “Imperator,” to borrow an expression from the Orient, has lost the “Mandate of Heaven.”
By Bill Blackolive, November 3, 2007 at 9:30 am # Glub, glub. We are in shit swamp. Might a million people howl in unision 9/11 is inside. Can a US Buddhist priest set hisself afire and sit peaceful with the universe in his then horrific final earthy stench. How get attention of the ants who see US corporate television? Is it too late? Glub, glub.
By nils cognizant, November 1, 2007 at 11:40 pm # Revere’s post was nice and hopefilled and somrthing I would have encouraged a young student with some years back. The reality, in its manifold simplicity, is that schoolkids here in USA are fed a stream of nonsense in their history texts, led to believe power is the key to success ( hmmm, true I guess) and left swinging in the noxious breeze of carelessness by their finely brain attenuated parents. And their political candidates. The real problem with Revere’s thinking is that some systems are by nature meant to fail when they become out of control. George Bush has merely been the tool we’ve chosen to help ease us out of global relevance. I don’t go quite as far as my beloved Kurt Vonnegut and state that all we humans should be good syphillis (organisms) and go extinct. I do, though, believe that nature has her uncompromising ways of ridding herself of pointless burdens. We are, after all, part of the natural system.
By Lily Maskew, November 1, 2007 at 12:57 pm # This was a great allegory for this administration. Unfortunately, like Jonah, if Bush was once favored by God, he is no longer. I don’t think Bush is doing God’s will. Did you ever hear of false prophets and pharasees?
By originallycredulous, November 1, 2007 at 10:18 am # Roughly half of Americans do not believe in evolution - Gallup Poll. Over half say bomb Iran as of Oct-31-07 - Zogby Poll. Bush is a product of us. Add Your Comment |
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