Monthly Archives for October 2008

SECESSION by Thomas H. Naylor

secession_225.jpg

SECESSION
How Vermont and All the Other States Can Save Themselves from the Empire
By Thomas H. Naylor; Introduction by Kirkpatrick Sale
5.5 x 8.25 • 240 pages
$12
Feral House

America has lost its moral authority to huge corporate interests, say Secession movement leaders. This remarkable book shows how a seemingly wild political idea continues to grow and create debate on our unsustainable, ungovernable and unfixable empire.

From Kirkpatrick Sale’s introduction: “Secession may seem like an outlandish idea at first, but when considered forthrightly and un-prejudicially it becomes a powerful alternative to other kinds of political action. Thomas Naylor has here charted a brave and inspiring course for any American interested in practical, useful, thoroughgoing social and political change in America.” Kirkpatrick Sale is the author of Rebels Against the Future.

Thomas H. Naylor, professor emeritus of Duke University and co-author of Affluenza and The Search for Meaning, is founder and chair of the Second Vermont Republic, the foremost secessionist organization in the country.

Kirkpatrick Sale is the author of Rebels Against the Future: The Luddites and Their War on the Industrial Revolution.

PDF includes blurbs, table of contents, and Author Thomas Naylor’s newly revised chapters 5 and 6.

Arthur presents "BAPTISM IN MAVERICK JUICE!" by Paul Krassner

Baptism in Maverick Juice!
A special sneak preview of this fall’s Palin-McCain reality sitcom
by Paul Krassner

Referring to the Ronald Reagan presidency, Neal Gabler has written about “the triumph of entertainment over political ideology of any sort.” And Kurt Andersen labeled Bill Clinton the “Entertainer-in-Chief.” The voters are the audience, conditioned to fear and superficiality in commercials for erectile dysfunction and political campaigns alike, both having scary side
effects. And now the injection of Sarah Palin and her family into the McCain campaign makes one wonder whether the winner of this race will ultimately depend on which candidate presents the better sitcom. It already isa reality show. Do you know what the difference is between a sitcom and a reality show? The laugh track. Otherwise, how would the masses be able to tell whether something is funny or not? Hmmmmm… In any case, we’re pleased to present several scenes from the pilot episode of…

BRIDGES TO NOWHERE

[The theme song by Britney Spears, “Oops! I Did It Again,” is accompanied by a montage of Sarah in different contexts, as the opening credits are superimposed on those images: In a helicopter, using a machine-gun to shoot a wolf running away in the snow. As a contestant in the Miss Alaska competition. A wedding photo. Burning a pile of books. Jumping high to block a shot in a basketball game. Seated at her desk in the governor’s office. At a barbecue with her children. Giving a speech to a large crowd. At the bank, exchanging a wolf’s left foreleg for a $150 bounty.]

* * *

[Sarah and Todd Palin are slumped down on the living-room sofa.]

SARAH: I’m exhausted and exhilarated at the same time. I was at the Learning Annex all day, taking that course in “How to Be a Vice President.”

TODD: And I was interviewing potential nannies all day. No one fits the bill yet. But I just keep calling the agency. Maybe I’ll try Craigslist.

[The telephone rings. Todd picks it up.]

TODD: Hello…thanks, I will. [Hangs up the phone and clicks on the TV That was McCain. [Looks at TV Guide for the channel number and clicks the TV on.]Keith Olbermann is doing a Special Comment about you on MSNBC.

Continue reading →