Peter Howard is Wintermute, mythologist

what terrorism may achieve

22December2004 [directLink] [myth]

William Gibson quotes Lord Hoffman (UK House of Lords) on terrorism and the Brits new laws to allow them to detain foreign terrorist suspects indefinitely without trial:

“The real threat to the life of the nation, in the sense of a people living in accordance with its traditional laws and political values, comes not from terrorism but from laws such as these. That is the true measure of what terrorism may achieve”

link - Dec17 entry

My Favourite Book

06December2004 [directLink] [myth]

So the results of ABC’s My Favourite Book poll are in. Lord of the Rings came in first - my pick if I had to name one (which I prefer not to do). The Bible made third place which actually surprised me - it’s not the kind of thing that comes to mind when trying to pick a favourite. Was a bit ridiculous when they went around the panel and Fr Edmund Campion voted for LOTR over the Bible and they reacted (whoa, controversial) - he saved it by reminding them that LOTR was written by a Catholic, and that he does, after all, read the Bible every day. Being the ABC, they were trying their best to stir things up - mentioning the Christian opposition to Harry Potter (although only 100 complaints to school libraries in the US sounds trivial!) and the Da Vinci code controversies - funny to hear everyone in the studio groan when its name was called out.

They cheated by having 11 books in the top 10, of which I’ve only read 6-7 (not having read the Bible cover to cover)

Da Vinci Code in equal ninth; seems to be the flavour of the moment (granted, it’s been a rather long moment); similarly Harry Potter 5 in sixth.

Pride and Prejudice came in second, although I suspect it’s because there’s a bigger range of (stereotypical) “guy’s books” to split the vote. And a couple Aussies - Cloudstreet, which I haven’t read, and A Fortunate Life which I was forced to read at school. No interest in either - they strike me (based on the way they were talked about last night) as terribly parochial - part of some myth of an Australia that no longer exists, and probably never really did.

Terrorist Descent

06December2004 [directLink] [myth]

Brilliant cartoon in The Boondocks today: it’s hard to tell if someone’s a terrorist these days

more Centrists

04December2004 [directLink] [myth]

Been reading the last couple of months on William Gibson’s blog - looks like he returned in time for the US elections.

Best quote so far:

“I am, as far as I can tell, more or less a centrist, equally repelled by either extreme of the political spectrum. Indeed, I believe that the spectrum forms a full circle, with right and left merging, as they meet at their respective extremes, into luminous batshit evil.”

Also found quoted there:

“I call on every man and woman of good will all over America today … to take a stand on this issue. Tomorrow may be too late. The book may close. Don’t let anyone make you think that God chose America as his divine messianic force, to be a sort of policeman of the whole world. God has a way of standing before the nations with judgement, and it seems that I can hear God saying to America ‘You are too arrogant! If you don’t change your ways, I will rise up and break the backbone of your power! And I will place it in the hands of a nation that doesn’t even know my name. Be still and know that I am God.’”

— Martin Luther King, 4 April 1967