The most recent 20 comments posted to Electrolite by John Farrell:

Mary Dell,
I come from a similarly big Catholic family. Most of the time, my dad only had to raise his voice—but I do remember one time he saw me and my brother brandish hockey sticks at each other during a scrimmage outside with the neighbors. For that, we were hauled in and both got the wrap of his knuckles on the backs of our skulls on the way up to our room.

I'm happy to say I've never heard of "Rev." Dobson.

I personally know parents who occasionally spank their kids, and I'm not remotely alarmed by this. They're good parents and good kids. I have no criticism of parents who maintain a policy of never striking the kids; and I have no criticism of parents who use moderate physical punishment in an occasional and careful way. Frankly, I suspect that consistency and dependability are most important; a parent who never raises their hand to a child but who's wildly inconsistent in how they treat the kid is likely to do more damage than a parent who uses mild physical discipline in a consistent way.

(Let it also be noted, of course, that my experience of being a parent consists of having no experience whatsoever.)

Patrick, you wouldn't know it. You're exactly right--and indeed, my own experience is that children will test you precisely about your consistency when they can (i.e., will daddy do what he did last time I slugged my 18-month-old sister in the face...gee, let's see...)

Delightfully reminiscent of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Arthur: This new learning amazes me, Sir Bedevere. Explain to me again how sheeps' bladders can be used to prevent earthquakes...

Great news for Kelly Link. I'm not a huge Dennis Lehane fan, but 4 'genre' stories in the collection is very uplifting.

This is from Kause:

Have U.S. generals ever been through a U.S. roadblock in Iraq? Drudge briefly linked to this excellent CSM piece which asks that question after describing how easy it is for innocent, law-abiding Iraqi drivers and their passengers to get killed by U.S. fire. There's also a horrifying account in Evan Wright's Generation Kill. ("[A U.S. Marine] asks the father, sitting by the side of the road, why he didn't heed the warning shots and stop. The father simply repeats, 'I'm sorry,' then meekly asks permission to pick up his daughter's body.") ... Can average drivers detect so-called warning shots? Wright writes:

In the dark, warning shots are simply a series of loud bangs or flashes. It's not like this is the international code for "Stop your vehicle and turn around." As it turns out, many Iraqis react to warning shots by speeding up. Maybe they just panic. Consequently, a lot of Iraqis die at roadblocks.

Good God.

A good omen, Patrick. April 28 when the Nebulas are presented is when I'm supposed to deliver a presentation (either in person or virtually) on Gene Wolfe in Rome....

Skeeter,
I think you're right—in fact, I heard on a local radio station covering the event that Jackson and friends actually fled the White House and retired to a nearby hotel because the place was inundated by "the masses."

Of course, trusting the historical accuracy of radio stations affiliated with Fox News is a dicey proposition at best, I know.

We're snowbound here in Newton, MA; I've shovelled what needs to be shovelled, my daughters are playing in the snow in the back yard, and it's time to make a a couple of margaritas before the AFC playoff....

Friends of mine who live in Maryland and work for the government, did this in 2000. So it's definitely a doable strategy....

And that's why I'm a left-wing union supporter. I second Patrick's comment about Avram's point. And I consider myself a right wing union supporter. (If that doesn't sound strange...)

My first paid staff-writing job back in the '80s was for a large government employees union (N.A.G.E., an SEIU affiliate)--and you would be amazed (well, maybe you wouldn't be) at the degree to which government agencies at the state and federal level were trying to screw their employees...to the degree, for example, where they weren't even providing proper fire escapes in some of the state office buildings.

Brad,
Can I recommend adding New Hampshire, now that it's officially blue?

(Please don't recommend Cape Cod--we're crowded enough out there...)

Well, at least once, right? For the drunk driving incident in Kennebunkport (did I spell that correctly?). But I seem to recall Ron Kessler's book talking about a brawl during his Yale days that may also have involved the ol' cuffs?

Tom B,
And where would be a good bar to meet at, around Noreascon?

Well, let's see. Bukowski's is actually within sight of the convention center (around the corner)--but I've never been in there, so I can't vouch for it.

I can vouch for the excellence of Brasserie Joe, across Route 9 (or Huntington Avenue) behind the convention center. Superb selection of martinis--and worth the $8 to $9 price (last time I was there) because of the generous size. (meaning, you'll probably only need one). :)

I can also suggest going to the Top of the Hub next door at the Prudential Center for drinks, some nice live jazz music and a great view.

And since you brought it up--is this something Noreascon folks would be up for? Myself, with a one year old and 3 year old who expect to spend a lot of Labor Day weekend at the beach--and me in between jobs (which is a euphemistic way of putting it) I'm not at all sure I'll be able to day-pass even one day at Noreascon, and am not happy about that. (I mean, for Christ's sake-- I live here!)

Evenings however are another matter.

Dan Layman-Kennedy,

Waitaminnit. I thought the only people who used their real names around here were sad wannabe-writers shamelessly toadying to the Nielsen Haydens in the hopes of getting their bad fat fantasy novels published.

You left out "alcoholic". Otherwise, okay, so...what else are we supposed to do? :)

Patrick and Teresa,
Congratulations and I hope you're getting comfortable.
I assume the liquor (Jim Beam at least) was one of the first boxes unpacked...?

(twelve people indeed!)

From the archives of healthy comprises with evil department:

Alice: Arrest him!
More: What for!
Roper: He's a spy...
Margaret: Father, that man's bad.
More: There's no law against that.
Roper: There is—God's law.
More: Then God can arrest him.
Alice: While you talk, he's gone!
More: And go he should if he were the Devil himself until he broke the law.
Roper: So! Now you give the Devil benefit of Law.
More: Yes, what would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?
Roper: Yes! I'd cut down every law in England to do that.
More: Oh? And when the Devil turned round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws being all flat. This country is planted thick with laws—man's law's not God's—and if you cut them down...and you're just the man to do it, do you think you could really stand upright in the winds that would blow then?

(silence)

More: Yes, I give the Devil benefit of the law, for my own safety's sake.

(from Man for All Seasons—going by memory however faulty).

Thanks, Teresa. You need to collect all these gems of yours and publish them.

This is a great segment. I can't tell you how often recently I've been getting letters from editors now about the need to "find your voice." Of course, they can't definite what it is when you ask them.

Makes you realize that at times you wouldn't mind if they sent back a letter with just two words: not interested. (It's okay--you don't need to come up with a new way to say no thank you...)

As for me, my favorite undergrad writing course was one on the satiric poets. Rather than have us write papers about the poems we studied, our prof had us imitate the authors (Pope, Swift, etc) which was a better way to study them--and a lot more fun.

Apropos Mary Kay's point about Europeans being more relaxed about sex and religion than Americans.

A few years back, my wife and I were having lunch in a small Florence restaurant--and we got to chatting with a middle-aged couple on the bench next to us. The husband didn't speak English, so his wife acted as interpreter: "My husband is curious about two things," she said. "1. Why do sex scenes in American movies always take place near a window, and 2. What is it with ice? Americans always like their drinks with ice...."

So...while I'm persuaded by the observation that Europeans are indeed more relaxed about sex and religion than we are...it seems there's at least one European who thinks Americans are obsessed with...cold drinks and good lighting.

I know I am.

If we’re really going to get into the habit of thinking of those who fight foreign occupation of their own country as monsters on the order of the 9/11 perpetrators (“soulless” or otherwise), then what we’re declaring war on is world conservatism: the attachment of people everywhere to their land, their family, their established way of life.

Well said.

Simon,
And the Bush defenders here told me that the idea of invading Iraq had been advocated by administration policy-makers even before 9/11. The Bush defenders told me that. (I might be able to find this in the archives if you really want.) Later on this idea became exclusively the province of left-wing tin-hatters.

I do recall that discussion...around September or October, 2002?

It's just that anything that even remotely smacks of a demand that we agree that Saddam Was Bad has gotten to be a real sore point with some of us.

Understood. I'm sure the book has yet to be written on the total carnage caused by the "Yeah, he's a bastard, but he's our bastard" school of foreign policy.

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