WHEN in the course of human Events, it becomes necessary….
Time Out: Ice 9
byVanderleunonMarch 29, 2022
“Suppose, young man, that one Marine had with him a tiny capsule containing a seed of ice-nine, a new way for the atoms of water to stack and lock, to freeze. If that Marine threw that seed into the nearest puddle…?”
“The puddle would freeze?” I guessed.
“And all the muck around the puddle?”
“It would freeze?”
“And all the puddles in the frozen muck?”
“They would freeze?”
“And the pools and the streams in the frozen muck?”
“They would freeze?”
“You bet they would !” He cried. “And the United States Marines would rise from the swamp and march on!” —-Cat’s Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut
Comrade Kurt was a leftist but such a vivid imagination.
Take what you can use and discard the rest.
Harrison Bergeron world anyone?
VanderleunMarch 30, 2022, 8:51 AM
I do believe I’ve done Harrison Bergeron here but it might be time for a repeat. I’ll check.
gwbnycMarch 29, 2022, 9:13 PM
“Trout did another thing which some people might have considered eccentric: he called mirrors leaks. It amused him to pretend that mirrors were holes between two universes.
If he saw a child near a mirror, he might wag his finger at a child warningly, and say with great solemnity, “Don’t get too near that leak. You wouldent want to wind up in the other universe, would you?”
Sometimes somebody would say in his presence, “Excuse me, I have to take a leak.” This was a way of saying that the speaker intended to drain liquid wastes from his body through a valve in his lower abdomen.
And Trout would reply waggishly, “where I come from, that means you’re about to steal a mirror.”
And so on”
HylandMarch 29, 2022, 10:21 PM
Reading Vonnegut is always a pleasurable activity. I re-read SlaughterHouse Five a year ago. First time I was about 17. Now well into my 60’s the book is better. Though Vonnegut has been remembered as a stalwart liberal… I bet if he was here now to see how freaking surreal the liberalism has turned… he’d be singing a whole new tune.
Real World Address for Donations, Mash Notes and Hate Mail
Gerard Van der Leun
1692 MANGROVE AVE
APT 379
Chico, Ca 95926
Green Pants Interior by Klahn
Who Am I? by Carl Sandburg
My head knocks against the stars.
My feet are on the hilltops.
My finger-tips are in the valleys and shores of universal life.
Down in the sounding foam of primal things I reach my hands and play with pebbles of destiny.
I have been to hell and back many times.
I know all about heaven, for I have talked with God.
I dabble in the blood and guts of the terrible.
I know the passionate seizure of beauty
And the marvelous rebellion of man at all signs reading “Keep Off.”
My name is Truth and I am the most elusive captive in the universe.
Duty, Beauty, Liberty, Country, Honor, Family, Faith — Plus a few simple easy to follow rules for guys
Men saw the stars at the edge of the sea
They thought great thoughts about liberty
Poets wrote down words that did fit
Writers wrote books
Thinkers thought about it
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
Many’s the road I have walked upon
Many’s the hour between dusk and dawn
Many’s the time
Many’s the mile
I see it all now
Through the eyes of a child
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
And close your eyes
Leave it all for a while
Leave the world
And your worries behind
You will build on whatever is real
And wake up each day
To a new waking dream
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Change, change come over
Change come over
Talkin’ about a change
Change, change
Change come over, now
Change, change, change come over
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
Gerard Van der Leun
Comments on this entry are closed.
Feathers, Flowers, Interstellar Fiberglass.
Last image. Great image.
Comrade Kurt was a leftist but such a vivid imagination.
Take what you can use and discard the rest.
Harrison Bergeron world anyone?
I do believe I’ve done Harrison Bergeron here but it might be time for a repeat. I’ll check.
“Trout did another thing which some people might have considered eccentric: he called mirrors leaks. It amused him to pretend that mirrors were holes between two universes.
If he saw a child near a mirror, he might wag his finger at a child warningly, and say with great solemnity, “Don’t get too near that leak. You wouldent want to wind up in the other universe, would you?”
Sometimes somebody would say in his presence, “Excuse me, I have to take a leak.” This was a way of saying that the speaker intended to drain liquid wastes from his body through a valve in his lower abdomen.
And Trout would reply waggishly, “where I come from, that means you’re about to steal a mirror.”
And so on”
Reading Vonnegut is always a pleasurable activity. I re-read SlaughterHouse Five a year ago. First time I was about 17. Now well into my 60’s the book is better. Though Vonnegut has been remembered as a stalwart liberal… I bet if he was here now to see how freaking surreal the liberalism has turned… he’d be singing a whole new tune.
Rereading Unintended Consequences right now.
Wife and me have been rereading Abbeys works. Great unintended training manuals
Semper Fi!