“The rampant literary sleaziness-and make no mistake about it, we are talking about some pretty tacky humans-was almost accidental, a byproduct of institutionalized vacuity and timidity. Writers with nothing to write about invariably start covering themselves up with sex and gore, if only because they realize, almost instinctively, that those two subjects can be described …
The Apologetic for Bad Art
“The first thing we must do is get the smoke out of our eyes. Which is to say that we must start afresh, and concede publicly what most earnest men and women have always conceded privately, that the ancient apology for bad art-“the work is shoddy and disjointed because The Times are shoddy and disjointed”-is …
Football
I think the football game last night was the best college football game I have ever seen. I was going for Texas over USC throughout (a kind of heartland/left coast thing), but by the end of the game, I wanted both teams to win. What a magnificent game.
Audio Reading of Post
Yes, Citizen Ament?
In the interest of lending a helping hand in difficult times, I would like to offer a short list of suggested motions for Citizen Ament to make at the next Moscow City Council meeting. If anyone needs a little context, they can check out the recordings of portions of the last meeting at Dale Courtney’s …
Just Breathtaking
Last night the new Moscow city council met for the first time, and after they were all sworn in, nice and tidy like, a new council member (Aaron Ament) made a motion to have a moratorium placed on all “conditional-use permit applications for all educational institutions and commerical schools in the downtown sector” The Lewiston …
So Much Genius, So Little Talent
“Reputations born of hyperbole must gather ever more hyperbolic hyperbole unto themselves, else they die (and take their fabricators with them). The problem, of course, is that there is a point above which a reputation cannot rise: once a writer has become the most important writer of the day, he or she has nowhere to …
Warrants and War
The debate over NSA wiretaps of Al Quaida operatives continues apace. Democrats are huffing and puffing over it, and the president continues to enjoy widespread support for his program as he sticks to his guns. And as these things go, the president will almost certainly win this debate on a practical level. But I want …
The All-Purpose Disinfectant
In talking about Christ and pop culture, we should always remember the basic options. Among them would be a basic distinction that appears to be beyond many afficianados of pop culture. It is this: you are either persuading or being persuaded. And watching evangelical Christians try to act like a “Christian worldview” is an all-purpose …
Everything Is Important Because Nothing Is
“The Let’s Pretend We’re Living In A Golden Age game was not a new one. For decades the entire cultural establishment had been putting itself to sleep at night by telling itself over and over again that it was a truly stupendous little cultural establishment, probably the most important little cultural establishment that had ever …
Pursuit Up the Chesapeake
Capt. Monroe stood near the bow of the Susquehanna, and looked anxiously northwards. The winds were contrary, and he was not making the headway that he needed. They were now near the mouth of the Chesapeake, but he wanted to make it as far up the bay as they could before he sent a messenger …