J. Edgar was a master of deceit

The Alberton Papers, Vol. V, #X
By Dick Darne 12-16-07
This week we will explore the effects of a book that scared me, or I should say played to my fears. No, it was not a Steven King book, but rather one written by a self styled American hero, J. Edgar Hoover, "Masters of Deceit" It was the late ‘50s when I came into possession of a copy and sat down and read it. At this point I should explain my background and origins.
I was born in 1940 in Washington, D.C. and lived in Virginia, both of which were below the Mason- Dixon line and certainly within what is now known as "The Beltway". The short version is, I started life as a red-neck, right- wing whacko, bigoted, red blooded, commie hating American boy. J. Edgar was an American hero, he would never lie, now would he?
At the time I thought a font of wisdom had been imparted to my young brain. I didn’t know that at that very time, all the "sleeper cells" were in place, commies had infiltrated into all critical positions and just waiting for the signal and the good old U.S.A. would be no more. Suspect everyone, the walls have ears, watch your teachers, neighbors, storekeepers, friends, relatives and especially your atheist uncle. I had always thought that being an atheist meant you could throw a baseball with either hand but now I knew to watch him too. I learned how to recognize the signs that meant someone might be a commie and contact the only people that could be trusted, J.Edgar Hoover and his trusted agents. I had become a man now, I had important work to do, eyes and ears open, lips zipped until time to report.
Soon we were in the ‘60s and it even though it all didn’t register for a while truth was beginning to seep out. I blocked out most of it, I was even a "Hard- Hat for Nixon", you didn’t dare discuss these things with your fellow workers but we were busy anyway watching each other, or trying to outdo each other in the bar with tough talking rhetoric. One little spark of sanity was alive though, my Momma was no commie, and I wouldn’t have turned her in anyway.
40 some years later I had the pleasure of repairing the heating system for a retired Professor and after I told him I was retiring, we got to talking about various social issues and books we had read. He told me that he had marched with Martin Luther King and I told him how I had read about the files he kept on people and about this experience of reading J.Edgars book. His response was: Evil, evil, evil man. Not everyone rates 3 evils.
Ah, the politics of fear. To some who embrace it, the bad guys have already won. All that’s left is for them to wet their pants. Don’t buy into it .Wake up sheeple and think. We are better than fear mongers and zombies. dd

the fountainhead

The Alberton Papers, Vol. V, #IX
By Dick Darne 12-10-07
I have noticed all the jovial bantering in the "other" newspaper in our part of the world, centering around supporters and critics of the "Ayn Rand Philosophy". I have decided to use my experiences with that philosophy and observations to do a review of the social effects of one of her major novels, " The Fountainhead". We will use the film version because I saw the film at the impressionable age of nine, (actually dragged to it by an Aunt of mine who encouraged thinking), somewhere in mid-adulthood I read the book and fifty five years later I watched the film again. At nine years old, seeing the personification of heroes himself, Gary Cooper play the lead ,I was thoroughly impressed. But we are getting ahead of ourselves, lets review the basic plot.
Our hero is a highly competent architect, who due to his unwillingness to compromise is unable to find work in his profession and finds himself toiling away in a stone quarry. The big love scene with the owners daughter did not impress me at that age, but our hero uttering the words: "I will help no man nor ask for help from any man" favorably impressed this nine year old. At sixty six he came across like a first class jerk, which testifies to both Cooper’s acting skills and some life’s experiences on my part. Moving right along, one of his architect buddies gets in way over his head and asks our hero for help designing a building, which he offers on the condition that nothing he designs be changed in any way shape or form, which as anyone in the real world knows, actually does. So he does what any real Rugged Individualist/John Wayne/Marlboro Man/ et al would do, he simply blows up the building. At nine, he’s my hero, at sixty six he seems a criminal. He gets caught (and just waits for them to come and get him), goes to trial, saves the day and his rear end by making a long impassioned speech to the jury, who promptly acquits him. Yeah, just like real life.
The author, Ayn Rand was a brilliant but misguided person. In a nutshell, she saw any combination of two or more individuals for any reason as passengers on a runaway elevator falling into communism, socialism or fascism. Her basic mantra seems to be that every person should act in their own absolute best self interest. Maybe in theory but if it were true, the world would be a worse place to live. Was she right? Food for thought. Other than the adoption of pseudo-rugged individualism by many shallow thinkers, she has left us with little of any practicality. Oh wait, she gave us Alan Greenspan, that famous champion of the common folk.
I have quite a few friends, some dating back to childhood, who are polar opposites of my political beliefs and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. That is real liberty and freedom to be able to disagree and discuss. Les Wood, let’s have a cup sometime. Right or wrong, sing your song. I love it, is this a great country or what? Stay tuned for more reviews of things that matter. dd