More of the same

 I'm sorry that posts here have been spotty recently. This is the best quick explanation I have:

Unfortunately, I can't give much more explanation than that because that would require revealing information I'd rather not spray around the internet. I fully intend for us to finish this book, and I hope you stay with me, Lugnuts, Wiffiely, Wanderer, Mark, and any lurkers. I will get this going again, but now is an amazingly awkward time.

Cantos XXVII and XXVIII Thieves and the Sowers of Discord

 Canto XXVII

The spirit of Guido da Montefeltro asks for news of Romagna, and, being answered, tells his story.

Canto XXVIII

From the bridge over the Ninth Bowge the Poets look down upon the Sowers of Discord, who are continually smitten asunder by a Demon with a sword. Dante is addressed by Mahomet and Pier da Medicina, who send messages of warning to people on earth. He sees Curio and Mosca, and finally Bertrand de Born.

---

Sorry about the week off. Some of you already know why. If you don't, all I will say is that my day-to-day life was significantly disrupted. I'd rather not say more than that in an open forum.

I have caught up with my reading and will return to previous chapters I'd missed. And I suppose that it's appropriate that it's in 2020 that we're reading all about Hell.

Cantos XXV and XXVI Thieves and Counsellors of Fraud

Canto XXV

Vanni Fucci defies God and flees, pursued by the monster Cacus. Three more spirits arrive, and the Poets watch while one of them becomes blended with the form of a reptile containing the spirit of a fourth, and the second exchanges shapes with yet another transformed Thief.

Canto XXVI

Dante, with bitter irony, reproaches Florence. The Poets climb up and along the rugged spur to the arch of the next bridge, from which they see the Counellors of Fraud moving along the floor of the Eighth Bowge, each wrapped in a tall flame. Virgil stops the twin-flame which contains the souls of Ulysses and Diomede, and compels Ulysses to tell the story of his last voyage.

---

I apologize for the late post, everyone. Honestly, I'm a little behind in my reading myself. There are four or five things colliding all at once to make this a very weird and frustrating time for me and my family. I'd rather not go into detail here so as not to reveal too much identifying information.

So here is this week's post. I'll have to catch up soon. As far as I can see, it looks like the group is settling on Tucker Carlson's book, which is convenient for me as I already have a copy.

Cantos XXIII and XXIV The Hypocrites and the Thieves

 Canto XXIII

The angry demons pursue the Poets, who are forced to escape by scrambling down the upper bank of Bowge vi. Here they find Hypocrites, walking in Gilded Cloaks lined with lead. They talk to two Jovial Friars from Bologna, and see the shade of Caiaphas crucified upon the ground.

Canto XXIV

After an arduous climb from the bottom of Bowge vi, the Poets gain the arch of the seventh bridge. They hear voices from below, but it is too dark to see anything, so they cross to the far side and go down. The Seventh Bowge is filled with monstrous reptiles, among whom are the shades of Thieves. A Thief is stung by a serpent, reduced to ashes, then restored to his former shape. He reveals himself to be Vanni Fucci of Pistoia, who tells his story and predicts the overthrow of the Florentine Whites.

---

So I haven't heard a lot of suggestions regarding the next book. So far, Lugnuts has suggested All Is Grist, by G.K. Chesterton. I've put forward The Suicide of the West by Burnham (not Goldberg's), The Righteous Mind by Haidt, and Ship of Fools by Tucker Carlson. A recent incident reminded me of another book. I'm not sure how fruitful it would be for discussion, but I wouldn't mind trying White Girl Bleed a Lot by Colin Flaherty.

Still looking for input here. Which of these would you guys like or what other books would you suggest?

The layers of Hell

 So I thought it would be interesting to see Dante's description of Hell abstracted a bit and look at the big picture. So here goes:

Vestibule:

The futile are here, who never made any choice at all. They are condemned to forever pursue banners moving to and fro to no particular purpose.

Circle I - Limbo:

This is the destination of the virtuous pagans and unbaptized children. They experience no torment, but neither do they gain the blessings of God's presence. Their sin was a failure to hope.

Circle II - The Lustful:

The lustful are here tossed forever in a windstorm. These are those who surrendered to mutual, though illicit, desire. The more vicious forms of sexual disorder are found in other regions further down.

Circle III - The Gluttonous:

Those who failed to control the appetite for food are found here subject to a perpetual rain and covered in mud and filth. They are preyed upon by Cerberus.

Circle IV - The Hoarders and Spendthrifts:

Those who wasted their money recklessly and those who miserly hoarded their wealth are condemned here together. They endlessly roll boulders around an arena and slam them into one another. If I recall correctly, this is the first place Dante explicitly mentions clergy being found in Hell.

Circle V - The Wrathful:

Those who were overcome by incontinent rage are here sunk into a fetid swamp.

City of Dis:

This is the start of deep Hell, guarded by walls of red-hot iron.

Circle VI - The Heretics:

Here, those who willfully rejected the teachings of the Church are found encased in burning tombs.

Circle VII - The Violent:

This is the first circle clearly subdivided. Here, we have three types of violent offenders.

1. The violent against their neighbors

War-mongers, robbers, and tyrants are found here in a river of boiling blood, the depth of their location corresponding to the grievousness of their offense.

2. The violent against themselves

We have two types in this section: the suicides, who have been transformed into bare, gaunt trees, and can only speak when they have been damaged, and the profligates who are pursued and attacked by black hounds.

The profligates are wasteful like the spendthrifts, but not merely wasteful, have gone as far as actively destroying their own goods rather than merely wasting them.

3. The violent against God, nature, and art

This area is made up of burning hot sands where burning flakes fall upon the damned like flaming-hot snow. Blasphemers, sodomites, and usurers are condemned here in various positions.

Circle VIII - The Fraudulent

This is the malebolges, the most sub-divided circle of Dante's Hell. Here we have various kinds of fraudsters split up according to their offenses.

1. Panders and seducers

Those who exploited sexuality for material gain are found here, constantly running in opposing directions and scourged by devils.

2. Flatterers

Those who debased language are here condemned to swim in dung. They spewed bullshit all their life, and now they get to enjoy it forever.

3. Simoniacs

Those who bought or sold church offices are plunged head-first into holes in the ground with their feet set on fire. Simoniac popes have one hole together, and when a new one dies, they are all shoved further down.

4. Sorcerers

Those who attempted to foretell the future are condemned to endlessly walk around this trough with their heads twisted the wrong way round.

5. Barrators

Those who corrupted public offices for personal gain are here plunged in boiling pitch and harassed by devils if they attempt to raise themselves above it.

---

Since this is as far as we've gotten in the book, I'll stop here. What do you guys think of the overall arrangement? Should this sin or that be moved up or down? Are there any major categories Dante has missed? What about the punishments Dante assigned for the various sins?

Cantos XXI and XXII The Barrators

Canto XXI

The Fifth Bowge, Barrators, who made money by trafficking in public offices, are plunged in Boiling Pitch, guarded by demons with sharp hooks. Virgil crosses the bridge and goes down to parley with the demons. Belzicue, the chief demon, says that the spur of rock which the Poets have been following was broken by an earthquake (at the moment of Christ's entry into Hell) and no longer bridges the Sixth Bowge; but he will give them an escort of ten demons to "see them safe as far as the bridge which is still unbroken". In this disagreeable company, Virgil and Dante set off along the lower brink of the bowge.

Canto XXII

As the party proceeds along the bank of the bowge, the devils fork a Barrator up out of the pitch, who tells the Poets who he is and mentions the names of some of his fellow-sinners. By a trick he eludes the devils who are preparing to tear him to pieces; whereupon his captors quarrel among themselves and two of them fall into the pitch.

---

My job duties are about to change significantly in the coming weeks. I'm worried what this may mean for maintaining this group, but we'll burn that bridge when we come to it. In the meantime, under the assumption that we are going to continue, let's talk about what's next.

Lugnuts has suggested a collection of Chesterton's essays. While they are, as a rule, excellent, they are also short, and on a wide variety of subjects. It seems to me that this would complicate trying to discuss them on our usual schedule.

I have three suggestions at the moment. One I've borrowed from Wiffle: The Suicide of the West, the one by Burnham, not Goldberg. The second I've read before, but it's been some time, and seems worth another look: The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt. The third is Ship of Fools by Tucker Carlson. He seems one of the few people still connected to the major media networks to be genuinely on the side of the American people, even if he's not explicitly addressing the racial problems. Perhaps that's the price he must pay to have any voice at all.

Cantos XIX and XX - The Simoniacs and the Sorcerers

Canto XIX

In the Third Bowge of Malbowges, Dante sees the Simoniacs plunge head-downwards in holes of the rock, with flames playing around their feet. He talks to the shade of Pope Nicholas III, who prophesies that two of his successors will come to the same bad end as himself. Dante rebukes the avarice of the Papacy.

Canto XX

In the Fourth Bowge of the Eighth Circle Dante sees the Sorcerers, whose heads are twisted so they can only look behind them, and who are therefore compelled to walk backwards. Virgil tells him about the origins of Mantua. The moon is setting as the Poets leave the bowge.

---

So I actually have a midweek post planned this time. Let's hope I stay organized enough to get it up in time.

Having said that, it's probably time to start contemplating the next book. Do any of you have any suggestions. Just a reminder, the plan is to alternate fiction and non-fiction, so the next should be a non-fiction book. I have a few thoughts, but I'll hold them in reserve until I've heard from you guys.

If at all possible, please do not comply with the mass hypochondria. As they are compelling us to play a part in a lie, I feel no qualms in lying to them about a medical condition. Show your face. Do not surrender your humanity.

Cantos XVII and XVIII The Usurers and Panders, Seducers, and Flatterers

Canto XVII

Geryon, the monster called up from the Circles of Fraud, alights on the edge of the precipice. While Virgil talks to him, Dante goes to look at the shades of Usurers seated on the burning sand. The Poets then mount on Geryon's shoulders and are carried down over the Great Barrier to the Eighth Circle.

Canto XVIII

Dante now finds himself in the Eighth Circle (Malbowges), which is divided into ten trenches (bowges) containing those who committed Malicious Frauds upon mankind in general. The Poets walk along the edge of Bowge i, where Panders and Seducers run, in opposite directions, scourged by demons; and here Dante talks with Venedico Caccianemico of Bologna. As they cross the bridge over the bowge, they see the shade of Jason. Then they go onto the bridge over Bowge ii, where they see Thais, and Dante converses with another of the Flatterers who are here plunged in filth.

Cantos XV and XVI The Sodomites and the Waterfall

Canto XV

While crossing the Sand upon the dyke banking Phlegethon, Dante sees the Violent against Nature, who run perpetually, looking towards the human body against which they offended. He meets his old teacher, Brunetto Latini, whom he addresses with affection, regret and deep gratitude for past benefits. Brunetto predicts Dante's ill-treatment at the hands of the Florentines.

Canto XVI

Dante is already within earshot of the waterfall at the end of the path, when he meets the shades of three distinguished Florentine noblemen and gives them news of their city. At the edge of the cliff, Virgil throws Dante's girdle into the gulf below, and in answer to this signal a strange form comes swimming up towards them.

---

So have a bit of a cough hanging on still, but overall, we're all doing much better. And, in case you're curious, my knee is slowly improving. I still have a good deal of recovery to go, but each new week is now the best week I've had since last November.

And now they're coming for churches. Curiously, I haven't heard of any mosques or synagogues coming under attack recently. Probably just a coincidence. God be with you. May this country return to truth and to God, and may God save us.

Cantos XIII & XIV The Suicides and the Blasphemers

Canto XIII

The Poets enter a pathless Wood. Here, Harpies sit shrieking among the trees, which enclose the souls of Suicides. Pier delle Vigane tells Dante his story and also explains how these shades come to be changed into trees and what will happen to their bodies at the Last Day. The shades of two profligates rush through the wood, pursued and torn by black hounds. Dante speaks to a bush containing the soul of a Florentine.

Canto XIV

In the desert of Burning Sand, under a rain of perpetual fire, Dante finds the Violent against God, Nature, and Art. The Violent against God lie supine, facing the Heaven which they insulted; among these is Capaneus, blasphemous and defiant in death as in life. The Poets pick their way carefully between the forest and the hot sand till they come to the edge of a boiling, red stream. Here, Virgil explains the origin of all the rivers of Hell.

---

I apologize for the late post. At our house, we're currently coping with a mildly sick me, a significantly more sick toddler (not dangerous, just unpleasant) and a wife who had to stay up much of the night comforting said toddler. We're all okay, just inconvenienced. It may even be the dreaded Covid19, but I will not get tested unless I must for some reason, because being officially classified seems likely to bring on a host of unnecessary inconveniences.

Take care, folks. I'm hoping that after the election things will calm down somewhat. I said that 2020 was going to be wild because of the upcoming election, but Mother of God, I had no idea how bad it was going to be.

Cantos XI & XII The Cliff and the Circle of the Violent

Canto XI

While the Poets pause for a little on the brink of the descent to the Seventh Circle, Virgil explains to Dante the arrangement of Hell.

Canto XII

At the point where the sheer precipice leading down to the Seventh Circle is made negotiable by a pile of tumbled rock, Virgil and Dante are faced by the Minotaur. A taunt from Virgil throws him into a fit of blind fury, and while he is thrashing wildly about, the poets slip past him. Virgil tells Dante how the rocks were dislodged by the earthquake which took place at the hour of Christ's descent into Limbo. At the foot of the cliff they come to Phlegethon, the river of boiling blood, in which the Violent against their Neighbors are immersed, and whose banks are guarded by Centaurs. At Virgil's request, Chiron, the chief Centaur, sends Nessus to guide them to the ford and carry Dante over on his back. On his way, Nessus points out a number of notable tyrants and robbers.

---

Happy Independence Day, everyone. I wonder how many more times this will be celebrated before the U.S. finally breaks up. I think we're in fingers & toes number at the moment . . . maybe just fingers.

If you live in a place that is relatively sane, enjoy your fireworks show. God be with you, and God bless America

C.S. Lewis's miniature Divine Comedy

So today I'll be highlighting C.S. Lewis's own fictional tour of Heaven and Hell known as The Great Divorce.

The narrator of the story finds himself in a dim bleak town at a bus stop. He boards the bus with several other people, and finds out they are leaving Hell for a brief tour of Heaven. Hell is depicted as bleak, empty, sterile and uninteresting. There are, as of yet at least, no horrific torments, just emptiness and the shriveled souls who dwell there being unable to escape themselves.

Heaven, on the other hand is full of life and color, and, to the infernizens (my own coinage) literally painful. Throughout the course of the short novel, the damned meet the blessed and are confronted with the nature of their sins, as well as the choice to abandon them. One does so, and becomes one of the blessed himself, racing off into deeper heaven to join in the great dance.

If you haven't already read this book, I highly recommend it. Honestly, it's one of Lewis's works that can bring me to tears, even having read it before. Lewis spends relatively little time describing Hell itself, but plenty on the people who make it Hell. Effectively, he covers the entire range of The Divine Comedy, though. The reader goes all the way from Hell through Purgatory and into Heaven.

Cantos IX and X The City of Dis and the Heretics

Canto IX

Dante, alarmed by Virgil's anxiety, tactfully enquires of him whether he really knows the way through Hell, and gets a reassuring answer. The Furies appear and threaten to unloose Medusa. A noise like thunder announces the arrival of a Heavenly Messenger, who opens the gates of Dis and rebukes the demons. When he has departed, the poets enter the City, and find themselves in a great plain covered with the burning tombs of Heretics.

Canto X
As the poets are passing along beneath the city walls, Dante is hailed by Farinata from one of the burning tombs, and goes to speak to him. Their conversation is interrupted by Cavalcante dei Cavalcanti with a question about his son. Farinata prophesies Dante's exile and explains how the souls in Hell know nothing about the present, though they can remember the past and dimly foresee the future.

---

This may be just because this has been such a strange and dangerous year, but someone said they suspected the riots were about to reignite this weekend, and now I'm infected with foreboding about that. I guess the best thing to do is to pray and place ourselves in God's hands, and do as much as we can to protect ourselves and our loved ones. Unfortunately, I feel woefully unprepared in that latter category and don't really have a good idea how to change it.

We struggle not against flesh and blood, and, for that matter, our salvation is not of politics and this world. God be with you.

Cantos VII & VIII The Hoarders & Spendthrifts and the Wrathful

Canto VII

At the entrance to the Fourth Circle, the poets are opposed by Pluto, and Virgil is again obliged to use a "word of power". In this circle, the Hoarders and Spendthrifts roll huge rocks against each other, and here Virgil explains the nature and working of Luck (or Fortune). Then, crossing the circle, they descend the cliff to the Marsh of Styx, which forms the Fifth Circle and contains the Wrathful. Skirting its edge, they reach the foot of a tower.

Canto VIII

From the watch-tower on the edge of the marsh a beacon signals to the garrison of the City of Dis that Dante and Virgil are approaching, and a boat is sent to fetch them. Phlegyas ferries them across Styx. On the way, they encounter Filippo Argenti, one of the Wrathful, who is recognized by Dante and tries to attack him. They draw near to the red-hot walls of the City and after a long circuit disembark at the gate. Virgil parleys with the fallen angels who are on guard there, but they slam the gate in his face. The two poets are obliged to wait for Divine assistance.

---

And the silencing continues. Most of us here were frequent commenters at The Federalist. Now, alas, that is gone, with all its amusing arguments. We'll see if they ever get something back. I must say, it is genuinely amusing to hear the tepid Federalist characterized as "far right". (If they were counting the comments section, though, they may be right.)

On the other hand, one of ours has started his own blog, so check it out please, at From Outside the Wall.

Love your families. Pray for our leaders. Go to church this weekend if you can. God be with you.

An S.F. tour of Hell

So for the first midweek post on the Inferno, I thought I'd refer you to another author's take on the same subject.

Niven and Pournelle's Inferno follows the adventures of a recently deceased science fiction author traveling through Hell with the aid of a guide (whom I will not name, although much of the publicity material spoils the surprise). He sees some of the same areas that Dante witnessed, as well as ones that either Dante missed or simply did not exist yet. Overall, it's not a bad story, and it has a sequel as well.

One interesting feature of the story is that the main character is heavily skeptical of the afterlife and spends much of the book trying to figure out what's going on, since obviously, he couldn't actually be in Hell, which obviously doesn't exist.

The sequel eventually settles on a theory somewhat like that in C.S. Lewis's The Great Divorce, that Hell is effective Purgatory for those who choose to repent and truly Hell for those who remain obstinate in their sins. As to the theological validity of this idea, I can't say right now.

Having read both Niven & Pournelle's Inferno and Escape from Hell, though, I can say they're good stories, and nothing in them is patently offensive to Christians, which is, in itself, a nice feature these days.

Cantos V and VI The Lustful and the Gluttonous

Canto V The Second Circle - the lustful

Dante and Virgil descend for the First Circle to the Second (the first of the Circles of Incontinence). On the threshold sits Minos, the judge of Hell, assigning the souls to their appropriate places of torment. His opposition is overcome by Virgil's word of power, and the poets enter the Circle, where the souls of the Lustful are tossed for ever upon a howling wind. After Virgil has pointed out a number of famous lovers, Dante speaks the shade of Francesca da Rimini, who tells him her story.

Canto VI The Third Circle - the gluttonous

Dante now finds himself in the Third Circle, where the Gluttonous lie wallowing in the mire, drenched by perpetual rain and mauled by the three-headed dog Cerberus. After Virgil has quieted Cerberus by throwing earth into his jaws, Dante talks to the shade of Ciacco, a Florentine, who prophesies some of the disasters which are about to befall Florence, and tells him where he will find certain other of their fellow-citizens. Virgil tells Dante what the condition of the spirits will be, after the Last Judgment.

---

I have to start making midweek posts again. I have two options I can do, either featuring stories or art which cover the sins depicted in the various parts of the poem or else featuring various depictions of Hell. I am up for suggestions along either line.

Anyway, thanks for sticking with this, guys. I hope you're finding the book fascinating. For this one, of course, a modern reader also needs an extensive set of footnotes.

Cantos III and IV - The Vestibule and Limbo

Canto III

Arriving at the gate of Hell, the poets read the inscription upon its lintel. They enter and find themselves in the Vestibule of Hell, where the Futile run perpetually after a moving standard. Passing quickly on the reach the river Acheron. Here the souls of all the damned come at death to be ferried across by Charon, who refuses to take the living body of Dante till Virgil silences him with a word of power. While they are watching the departure of a boatload of souls the river banks are shaken by an earthquake so violent that Dante swoons away.

Canto IV

Recovering from his swoon, Dante finds himself across Acheron and on the edge of the actual pit of Hell. He follows Virgil into the First Circle—the Limbo where the Unbaptized and the Virtuous Pagans dwell "suspended", knowing no torment saving exclusion from the positive bliss of God's presence. Virgil tells him of Christ's Harrowing of Hell, then shows him the habitation of the great men of antiquity—poets, heroes, and philosophers.

---

Stay safe out there, friends.

Welcome to Hell!!!! Cantos I and II of Dante's Inferno

Well ladies and gentlemen, as the oft-reviled Deplorables, we will be taking our rightful place among the damned. I officially announce the beginning of our group read of Dante's Inferno.

Abandon all hope, ye who read further.

Canto I
Dante finds that he has strayed from the right road and is lost in a Dark Wood. He tries to escape by climbing a beautiful Mountain, but is turned aside, first by a gambolling Leopard, then by a fierce Lion, and finally by a ravenous She-Wolf. As he is fleeing back into the wood, he is stopped by the shade of Virgil, who tells him that he cannot hope to pass the Wolf and ascend the Mountain by that road. One day a Greyhound will come and drive the Wolf back to Hell; but the only course at present left open to Dante is to trust himself to Virgil, who will guide him by a longer way, leading through Hell and Purgatory. From there, a worthier spirit than Virgil (Beatrice) will lead him on to see the blessed souls in Paradise. Dante accepts Virgil as his "master, leader, and lord", and they set out together.

Canto II
Dante's attempts to climb the Mountain have taken the whole day and it is now Good Friday evening. Dante has not gone far before he loses heart and "begins to make excuse". To his specious arguments, Virgil replies flatly: "This is mere cowardice" and then tells how Beatrice, prompted by St. Lucy at the instance of the Virgin Mary herself, descended into Limbo to entreat him to go to Dante's rescue. Thus encouraged, Dante pulls himself together and they start off again.

---

Hello again, guys. Still recovering from my surgery. I'm doing a decent impression of Dr. House, taking Vicodin as a painkiller and walking around with a cane to take weight off a bad leg.

It's difficult to get much done lately. Between the pain, the drug, and (hopefully the last of) the lockdown, I can't focus. I still need to record a video for this coming Monday. The one I'd like to do keeps getting put off because of current events.

Anyway, welcome to Hell. I look forward to your commentary.

Chapter 12 and Appendix What the Future Holds and A Heartfelt Apology

Chapter 12

The author makes tentative predictions regarding converged corporations and, once again, encourages the reader to take action in his own sphere of influence.

Appendix

Pax Dickinson offers an apology to journalist Amanda Robb for a series of inconveniences she was subjected to in attempting to interview him . . . unsuccessfully.

---

So it looks like we'll be starting Dante's Inferno next week. I've read the whole thing myself (in translation) at least once before, but it's been over a decade. In my experience, the text itself goes fairly quickly. The real slog is getting through all the footnotes which explain the various historical circumstances. We'll start off doing 2 cantos a week and see how that pace does for us.

If you know anyone who might be interested in joining for that book, please pass this on.

Also, personal update. I had my knee surgery Thursday afternoon. I currently have an enormous swathe of bandages wrapped around my knee and am still somewhat incapacitated. The good news, though, is that now I should start actual healing instead of slowly getting worse.

Thanks for your prayers on this, guys. I look forward to your final thoughts on Corporate Cancer, and it should be interesting starting The Inferno next week.

The convergence of the legal system

So Vox Day defines convergence as an institution or organization ceasing to serve the purpose for which it was created, and instead being turned to serve social justice. Now, our book is more specifically about corporate convergence, but this case is related.

The Hunt for Dystopia D'NaeNae

Large sections of our "justice" system are completely converged. They no longer serve the purpose of equally enforcing laws against stealing, assault, murder, rape, etc. Instead, the goal of these corrupt institutions (courts, police departments, etc.) appears to be protecting non-white criminals against whites who choose to defend themselves from crime. If you live in one of these areas and are a victim of a crime by a non-white, your chances of justice are slim indeed.

Another example of this, the Bay Area Rapid Transit refusing to release footage of criminal actions from their surveillance cameras. Why are they doing this? To not promote racial stereotypes. Now, why would releasing such footage promote racial stereotypes? Unless, of course, the criminals are overwhelmingly of a particular race. And in that case, they are withholding information people genuinely need in order to act wisely to protect themselves.

The corruption of our government in this manner is horrific. It may be beyond repair. What is coming next, I have no idea. Assuming that the U.S. is still a single entity, at some point after Trump, a Democrat will be elected president again. What will they do then, considering how they've been behaving during his presidency.

Yech. This came out far more bleak than I had intended. God be with all of you.

---

Two announcements: First, unless anyone has serious objections, it appears the most popular suggestion for our next book is Dante's Inferno. I think we should be able to cover 2 cantos a week. From past experience, most of my time reading that was spent not on the text itself but on all of the notes needed to explain many of the references. There are, of course, many translations out there. I would suggest Dorothy Sayers's as she actually translates it into terza rima, as it is in Italian. Whichever translation you use, I would strongly suggest including the quotes in your comments, as something which makes sense from yours may not be so clear from a different translation.

Second, I have surgery tomorrow at noon for my knee. Your prayers would be appreciated. Hopefully, in a few months, it'll be like this never happened and I can run again. That would be wonderful.

Talk with you all Saturday morning. My own comments on recent chapters will be posted shortly.

Chapters 10 & 11 Case Study: A Patreon Deplatforming and Legal Encounters: The Lesson Learned

Chapter 10 Case Study: A Patreon Deplatforming

This chapter describes the process which led to Owen Benjamin being deplatformed from Patreon. (Of course, this is only one of several companies which has treated him similarly.)

Chapter 11 Legal Encounters: The Lesson Learned

Vox Day describes the various lessons he's derived from his legal battles with various converged tech companies and how the reader can use such lessons in his own situation.

---

Sorry for the late post, guys.

Okay, so we have the last regular chapter and the appendix left here. The only book I've heard more than one person express interest in for our next is Dante's Inferno. I'm fine with that one, so if that sounds good to you guys, let me know.

I should be having surgery on my knee this Thursday. If all goes well, I'll be back running again by August. I can put up a post before & after if you guys are interested to let you know how it goes.

Chapters 7 and 8 Your Convergence Action Plan and Case Study: The Road to a Deplatforming

Chapter 7 Your Convergence Action Plan

The author offers a suggested plan of action for people in various relationships to a converged company including business customers, employees, and individual customers

Chapter 8 Case Study

Vox describes his own interactions, by way of his comics business, with SJWs in media and in a converged tech company Indiegogo.

---

So given that chapter 9 is currently on hold, most likely brought to you by the letters N, D, and A, it looks like next week, we'll cover chapters 10 and 11.

Regarding our next book, I'd offered three suggestions The Screwtape Letters, Victoria: A Novel of Fourth Generation War, and The Day of the Rope. Lugnuts has suggested The Flying Inn by G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy, and a book by JD Cowan.

Re: The Flying Inn, we just did Chesterton, and I'd like some variety.

I'd be okay with The Space Trilogy, but I'd suggest we only do books 1 and 2 just now, as book 3 is longer. As for Cowan, I don't know much about him, but I'd be willing to try it.

On a personal note, I saw the doctor yesterday, and it looks like I should have surgery on my knee in the next few weeks. If all goes well, I could be back running again by this August.

What is our next book?

Okay, this one is going by pretty quickly, so we need to start planning already. What is our next book, guys?

I'll set out some guidelines and then offer a couple of suggestions of my own.

First, I would like to alternate fiction and non-fiction. So the next should be fiction. Second, it should be a book that, in some respects, is at the edges of today's Overton Window if not entirely outside it. Anything that is sincerely representing Christianity would do that.

Our first fiction book was G.K. Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday. A few suggestions for a follow-up: The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. Victoria: A Novel of Fourth Generation War by Thomas Hobbes. The Day of the Rope by Devon Stack.

As usual, I am open to other suggestions. I have read The Screwtape Letters. I've not read the other two, but have some idea about their contents.

I'd also like to note that the fact that I made suggestions does not make yours futile. Our current book was not one of my suggestions, and I am open to input. Please tell me what you'd like us to discuss together.

---

On a personal note, tomorrow I am going in for an ultrasound on my right knee. This will make three methods of medical imaging on one joint. If all goes well, I should be having surgery to repair that knee sometime in the next month. Prayers would be appreciated.

Chapters 5 and 6 - Diagnosing Convergence and Why Full Convergence is Fatal

Chapter 5

The author offers a method to tell how converged any given company is: comparing the company's actions to various standard measures. He gives examples of several companies and their actions to establish a standard to compare your own company to.

Chapter 6

The author describes the actions of various heavily-converged companies including T-Mobile, Google, and Starbucks, and why those actions are destructive to the corporation's nominal goals.

---

Since this is a fairly short book, we already need to start planning for our next book if we'd like to keep this going. I still like the idea of alternating fiction and non-fiction. So I have a couple of ideas for what might be a good fiction book next, but I'll wait for a mid-week post. If you have a suggestion, please add it in the comments.

The convergence of Christian organizations

I was planning a different midweek post entirely, but yesterday I was browsing Facebook (And yes, yes, I probably should disconnect from Facebook. I know it's a bad idea.) and I saw something that struck me on Focus on the Family's page.

First, I saw this article:

 

Oh, look it's an interracial married couple. How nice. Focus on the Family is fighting that nasty racism.

Then, just a few minutes later, I see this:

Oh, two interracial couples in their article pictures in one day . . . despite such couples being a distinct minority in the U.S. It . . . it almost appears as if they're selling something. It almost appears as if they're promoting interracial marriage.

Now, I'm not going to say interracial marriage is unbiblical or unchristian. I will, however, say that it is a bad idea. In the U.S., interracial married couples have much higher rates of domestic violence and divorce than white married couples. So why, why, why would a group supposedly for the purpose of promoting strong, stable families promote this?

Oh, it's so they can't be called racist. They have accepted the moral framework of the left and are trying to defend themselves within that framework. I mean, it's obvious to us that it won't work. There is literally nothing you can do short of complete surrender on every issue for the left to stop calling you racist (or homophobe or antisemite or whatever term of abuse is convenient). It won't work for them, and if they continue with this strategy, they will be endorsing homosexual "marriage" and turning 8 year old boys into eunuch "transgenders" shortly.

Acceptance of any point of the social justice agenda is poison. And, by the way, if you are a parent and you love your children, you should strongly discourage them from interracial relationships. In this world, it's hard enough to be a good spouse and a good parent already. We shouldn't be making it more difficult than necessary just to score brownie points with people who hate us.

(Oh, and allow me to emphasize, I was not searching for this kind of thing. I wasn't going out looking for examples. I just stumbled across while browsing as I usually do.)

By the way, if you want an example of just how badly this can go, and you have some time to listen, this conversation with Stefan Molyneux is illuminating . . . and disturbing. 

Chapter 3 The Costs of Convergence: Bottom Line & Chapter 4 Virtue Signals and Warning Signs

Chapter 3

The author describes the main entry points for SJW infiltration: human resources, marketing, and diversity departments. He also describes the practical effects each of these have on a company once they are infiltrated by SJWs, including damaged employee productivity and customer loyalty.

Chapter 4

Vox Day describes how these business practices damage a company, and how a highly-converged company persists in SJW practices even when their customers make it clear they are not happy about them. Primary examples used in this chapter are Target's embrace of transsexual bathroom policy and Marvel Comics' inclusion and diversity writing.

---

Sorry for the late post today, guys. It's been a frustrating morning. I look forward to your discussion, and, unlike the past few main posts, I feel like I have something ready to say myself. Talk with you soon.

The table of the days

This is a table of the main characters of The Man Who Was Thursday and some of their character traits. I had a hard time keeping certain elements of them straight, and I thought this might be helpful to others as well. Below, I'll have a paragraph with their final questions for Sunday as well.

If you're joining us for Corporate Cancer and have not read this book, I'd advise you to skip this table. It has something in the nature of spoilers, and I don't want to spoil this book. I would advise you, though, to read it and come back later. It is a truly excellent novel.

Corporate Cancer---Introduction and chapters 1 & 2

Introduction

The author provides his own experiences with Star Wars, as a child seeing the originals, and in the past few years watching the unfolding disaster of the Disney Star Wars movies, as an example of corporate social justice convergence.

Chapter 1 Convergence

The author gives a brief explanation of social justice, including its origins, and explains the process of corporate convergence, with a comparison to the stages of cancer.

Chapter 2 The Costs of Convergence: Top Line

The author gives several examples of corporate convergence along with the damage it has done to the companies' profits. Examples include the NFL, Marvel Comics, and NASCAR.

---

So if you're new here, I post a brief summary of the relevant chapters here Saturday morning. The discussion is then open for everyone to throw in their comments, questions, examples, disagreements. So if you're reading along, what do you think of the book so far?

Our next book: Corporate Cancer by Vox Day

So we are getting ready to start our third book this Saturday: Corporate Cancer by Vox Day. The discussion thread on chapters 1 and 2 will open Saturday morning. For those of you who may be new here, I post a discussion thread once a week. If I find something relevant, I post a midweek thread as well. If you'd like to join us, please add your thoughts and opinions.

Talk with you Saturday.

Chapter XV The Accuser

Chapter XV The Accuser

The Council of Days is reunited in glorious, though highly distinct, regalia. They celebrate a feast and dance, confront Sunday with their questions, and are confronted, in turn, by a great accuser.

---

So if everyone is ready, next week we will pick up with Chapters 1 and 2 of Corporate Cancer. I conveniently just got my copy in the mail, and have been reading the introduction. I look forward to hearing everyone's thoughts on the conclusion to what may be Chesterton's best novel.

Chapter XIII The Pursuit of the President and Chapter XIV The Six Philosophers

Chapter XIII The Pursuit of the President

A week having passed, the Central Anarchists Council meets once again. Sunday adjourns the meeting in an unusual fashion, and is angrily pursued by the rest of the council.

Chapter XIV The Six Philosophers

Nearing the end of their pursuit, each of the Council offers his impression of the President. Also, Thursday gets a new outfit and enjoys an excellent dinner.

---

Since we will be wrapping up this book next week, if you're planning on continuing with Corporate Cancer, be sure to get your copy soon. I ordered mine earlier this week, and found that it would not be arriving until April 22. It looks like if you do not already have yours, an electronic copy might be the best option.

I honestly have no idea what is going on with covid, whether this is a serious problem or everyone is losing their minds over an ordinary cold. In any case, stay safe. Wash your hands. I hope everyone here is still employed.

God be with you.

Chapter XI The Criminals Chase the Police and Chapter XII The Earth in Anarchy

Chapter XI The Criminals Chase the Police

Upon discovering that the Marquis is actually a member of the police, the four policemen flee from the Secretary and his horde of anarchists.

Chapter XII The Earth in Anarchy

Syme and company find themselves the last fighters for decency and order in a world that has been handed over to chaos. They repeatedly find those who should be allies turned against them, and they are forced to make a lonely last stand, backs to the sea.

---

Not much to say this week. It looks like we'll go with Corporate Cancer next. Whether you're getting an electronic or paper copy, go ahead and order it soon if you'd like to join in. I look forward to your comments.

Chapter IX The Man in Spectacles and Chapter X The Duel

Chapter IX The Man in Spectacles

In which Syme and De Worms go to confront Dr. Bull and learn from him the plan for the assassination, in hopes of preventing it.

Chapter X The Duel

In which Syme offers to pull the Marquis's nose, and eventually does.

---

So, two questions and a personal note.

Question 1: For those who have not read this book before, would you care to make any predictions as to the ending?

If you have read it before, or are reading ahead (no objection, just no spoilers please), neither confirm nor deny these please. I'm just curious, at this point in the book, what newcomers expect.

Question 2: Does anyone especially not want Corporate Cancer by Vox Day as our next book?

Personal note: My wife is recovering pretty well. I suppose it's theoretically possible that things could go wrong at this point, but there's no real reason to expect so.

My knee.

I got the call from my doctor's office Thursday morning. I have a torn meniscus as well as a couple of other things which are probably complications from that. I have an appointment with a specialist . . . a month from now. Treatments range from physical therapy to surgery. I have no idea how we'll afford either, especially given that the complete papier-mache castle that is our economy appears to be collapsing. I also have no idea, assuming we can get the necessary treatment, what kind of function I can expect to get back. Will it be full function? Will this just be walking without pain? Will I ever be able to run again? Don't know.

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Chapter VII The Conduct of Professor De Worms and Chapter VIII The Professor Explains

Chapter VII The Conduct of Professor De Worms

In which Gabriel Syme, leaving the anarchists' meeting, is pursued with inexplicable vigor and persistence by the crippled, elderly Professor De Worms.

Chapter VIII The Professor Explains

In which we find out who the professor is, or, rather, who he is not.

---

First, relevant to the book discussion, we still need to decide on what is our next book. If you haven't yet, please check out the previous post and offer your input.

Second, not relevant to the book discussion. This blog is not about me personally, so I don't usually mention my own life, but I'm anxious about something coming up, and could use some support & prayers.

I like to go running. The last few months of last year, I was running something like 20-30 miles a week . . . up until late November, when something went wrong with my knee. I'm wearing a knee brace regularly now, and most days, it's hurting by the end of the day anyway. I went to see a doctor and he said it looked like simple inflammation and prescribed an anti-inflammatory. Well, that didn't fix it. Called the doc again, and they scheduled an X-ray and MRI for this Monday morning.

Maybe it's almost nothing. Maybe it will require surgery to fix. Maybe it can't be fixed and I can't really ever resume running, which would be quite painful for me. So if you can pray for me, I'd appreciate it.

Heck, for that matter, my wife has a minor surgery this week too. It's routine, but prayers for a quick recovery would also be appreciated.

Like I said, this blog isn't really about me, and I don't intend to let my personal life intrude, but this is weighing on my mind.

Options for our next book

So I mentioned this on Saturday. If we are to continue this, we should pick a new book fairly soon. I arbitrarily decided a while ago that we should alternate between fiction and non-fiction. As I said, I'm open to suggestions. Let's see what comes up.

My own suggestions for our next book:
The Two-Income Trap by Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Warren Tyagi

Nope, I'm not kidding at all. Apparently, 16 years ago, Warren actually had something useful to say and wasn't whining about wah-men all the time. Having lived with this up close for the past eight years, I'm curious what she says. If it helps, Tucker Carlson appears to think well of this book.

The Irrational Atheist

Vox Day systematically destroys the new atheists piece by bloody piece. I read this a few years back and have been wanting to re-read it recently. Also, in case you're unaware, online atheists are a pack of whiny, oversensitive pricks, almost as bad as transsexuals.

Suggestions from others (I'll leave it to the commenter who suggested it to make the argument):
The Great Heresies by Hillaire Belloc

The first one we did by Belloc was good. I don't object on principle.

Suicide of a the West by James Burnham

We're all liberals here. No, I'm not really joking. We kind of are. If we choose this one, be sure you don't pick up Goldberg's by mistake. I really wouldn't want to give that guy any more money.

Corporate Cancer by Vox Day

I'd be fine with this one. His books I've read so far have been well-argued.

So, what do you guys think? Which would you be in or out for? Any other suggestions? Any arguments for or against any of these?

Chapter V The Feast of Fear and Chapter VI The Exposure

Chapter V The Feast of Fear

In which the philosophical detective, Gabriel Syme, meets the high council of anarchists who plot to destroy civilization. In particular, he is almost struck senseless by the great and terrible Sunday.

Chapter VI The Exposure

In which Sunday reveals that the council has been infiltrated and the spy is exposed.

---

Again, we will continue with chapters VII and VIII next Saturday. Since we're doing 2 chapters at a time, it will soon be time to choose another book. I plan to make that part of a midweek post. If you have any suggestions, feel free to mention them here.

I know Wiffiely has suggested Corporate Cancer by Vox Day. I have a couple of other possibilities in mind as well.

EDIT: The astute WanderingWonderer has pointed out that it might be good to lay out some parameters for the next book. So when I picked this one, I thought it might be interesting to alternate between fiction and non-fiction. Since we're currently doing a fictional work by G.K. Chesterton, I think a non-fiction book would be good next. Nationalist is good, but not a necessity. As I said, I have one suggestion which I think will take people aback at first, but we'll see.

Another bright moment of the Crusades

So Syme has been enlisted in "The Last Crusade". Now, as I've said before, Chesterton's poetry is shamefully unknown. One of his best, which I memorized about 3 years ago, and still can recite mostly from memory, is a story of the Crusades, specifically, the Battle of Lepanto. I present my own recitation of Chesterton's Lepanto.

Now, while this is a stunning poetic recounting of the events, it is also nice to have a bit more sober historical analysis as well. For that, I present a video by Real Crusades History.

For that matter, if you've had the displeasure of dealing with aggressive atheists who insist on nonsense like "religion poisons everything," I present Lt. Col. Tom Kratman's essay on the subject Where Was Secular Humanism at Lepanto?

---

We'll continue with chapters V and VI on Saturday. See you then, and I look forward to continued discussion of chapters III and IV.

Chapters III and IV The Man Who Was Thursday and The Tale of a Detective

Chapter III The Man Who Was Thursday

In which a charismatic blond newcomer uses fiery rhetoric and mocking belittlement of his opponent to unexpectedly win an election which had been considered a foregone conclusion.

Wait a minute. This sounds familiar.

Chapter IV The Tale of a Detective

In which we learn of the Gabriel Syme's background, the existence of a philosophical detective branch, and Syme's recruitment thereto.

---

Next week, we will continue with chapters V and VI. I look forward to your comments on these chapters.

Chapter II The Secret of Gabriel Syme

Chapter II The Secret of Gabriel Syme

In which our hero, Gabriel Syme, accepts a dinner invitation, eats lobster, and meets an entire roomful of Joseph Chamberlains. He also, incidentally, reveals an important fact about his own profession to his friendly rival Lucian Gregory.

---

Starting next Saturday, we will be covering two chapters a week, so in preparation for next week, please read chapters III and IV.

G.K. Chesterton - Heavy metal lyricist

I don't know whether Chesterton is better known today as an essayist or a novelist. I am quite sure he is not well known today as a poet, which is sad because his poetry is gorgeous. But I am most sure of all that it is little known that G.K. Chesterton wrote lyrics for heavy metal band Iron Maiden. I present the song:

 

For those unaware, that first verse is taken from Chesterton's Hymn:

For any who are interested, myself and some friends discussing Chesterton's "Hymn".

---

I think for the rest of the book, we'll do two chapters a week, but since I had not previously said so, this Saturday, we'll continue with just chapter II. From the next week on, we'll cover two at a time. See you then.

Chapter I The Two Poets of Saffron Park

In which we meet our hero, Gabriel Syme, a poet. Gabriel Syme engages in a friendly argument with another poet Lucian Gregory about the nature of art, anarchy and order. The chapter ends with Gregory offering Syme a cryptic and perilous challenge and Syme accepting.

---

If you are new to the group, here's how it works. Sometime over the course of the week, post your comments, questions, and thoughts on this chapter and read and reply to others' thoughts.

Most of the chapters are about this long, so before the comments on the text itself, I'd like to ask all of you: Should we do one chapter or two a week. If most people say one, I'm fine with that. If people want two, I think that could work also.

Thanks, and remember, hide any spoilers for future chapters in the comments using <spoiler> </spoiler>. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. God be with you.

Next book: The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton

I've said this before, but thought it merited a post of its own. Our next book will be G.K. Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday. I'll post the discussion thread for chapter one this Saturday morning. If you're new here, you'll need a Disqus account to comment.

One note to newcomers: This is this group's second book. Feel free to look back at the discussion of our first book and join in the conversation. However, if you want to comment, please be relevant to the conversation, and please actually have something to say. Anyone whose posts consist primarily of various versions of denouncing us as morally flawed will be warned, and, if they persist, banned. I am fine with disagreement, but I want an actual argument not just moral preening.

I would like this to be an open forum with free discussion, however, since this is, effectively, my house, I reserve the right to escort troublemakers out. If I find this necessary, I generally give people a warning and a second chance.

Oh, and for the sake of people who've not read the book before, please no spoilers for upcoming chapters. EDIT: I've since found that Disqus has a spoiler tag. If your comment mentions material we've not yet gotten to, just hide that portion using <spoiler> and </spoiler>.

That said, I hope you'll join us to talk about Chesterton and his book. God be with you.

You can find a free text at Gutenberg.org.
You can find a free audiobook version at Librivox.

Chapter XV Conclusion. Habit or Law

CHAPTER XV

Conclusion. Habit or Law?

301

Granted that the solution I advance (a full recognition of separate nationality) is the just solution, should it be expressed in law?—Not, I think, until it has first appeared in our morals and social conventions—to begin with laws and regulations on our side would inevitably breed oppression—but the suggestion of separate institutions coming from the Jewish side should be welcomed—urgency of a settlement—modern quarrels are growing fiercer, not less—but for my part I say, "Peace to Israel."

---

And this is the last chapter. Next week, for those interested, we will pick up with The Man Who Was Thursday. So, for those few of us who finished, I was hoping Yehuda could grant us a limited-time (one month? one year?) k-word pass. Any word on that?

That didn't go well.

I wasn't going to have a midweek post this week, but then I discovered AI Dungeon, a procedurally-generated text adventure game. The computer makes up parts of a story and you respond.

So, I decide to make a time machine and travel back to 1938. I find Hitler has been murdered. And, well, I'll just show you where the story goes from there:

> Go to the year 1938

You return to the year 1938 and find that Adolf Hitler has been killed by a bomb planted in his pocket. Your family is dead, your home destroyed, and you are now trapped in the past.

> Impersonate Hitler.

You impersonate Adolf Hitler and convince everyone that you are the real man behind the throne. The people accept your rule and you become Emperor.

> Be nice to Jews.

You decide to be nice to the Jews since they helped you during World War II. They all have jobs and everything is fine. However, you realize that this isn't going to last forever and eventually someone will rebel against your rule.

> Call my advisors.

You call your advisors and explain that you need their advice on how to deal with the rebellion. They agree to come with you but only if they get first dibs on any new jobs or promotions.

> “Who is rebelling?”

You say who is rebelling when the rebels attack. Everyone is shocked by your answer. You then order an invasion of Germany.

> Ask Jews who is rebelling.

You ask the Jews who is rebelling and they don't know. You then order them to spy on the rebels.

>

They spy on the rebels and discover that they are all Jewish. You then order them to kill every single one of them.

> Every single time!

You order the execution of every single Jew in Germany. This causes a huge uprising which you put down.

 I tried, guys. I really tried.

Chapter XIV Various Theories

CHAPTER XIV

Various Theories

277

This chapter is a digression on the various theories on the Jewish race and its fortunes which have arisen in history and some of which are still present.

The theory that reconciliation is impossible—its attachment to the idea of a special curse or blessing.

The theory of a mysterious necessary alliance between Israel and Britain—its most extravagant forms.

The theory that the Jews are the necessary flux of Europe, without which our energies would decline—note on the intellectual independence of the Jew and on his original effect on our thought—demand for a Jewish history of Europe and Islam combined.

The theory that the Jewish problem is domestic only and no concern of ours—its error, since the relations are mutual.

The two theories of the Jew as a malignant enemy of our innocent selves, and of our malignant enmity against the innocent and martyred Jew—both erroneous.

The theory that the Jewish problem is now solving itself by absorption—this theory false and due to a misunderstanding of history and a neglect of acute modern and recent differentiation—Mr. Ford's epigram on "the melting-pot."

Fantastic theory that no Jewish national type exists!

---

So, the current plan, for those interested, is to pick up with Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday after we finish this book. Thanks for everyone who's contributed your thoughts. It's been interesting and educational. I look forward to your thoughts on this week, and God be with you.

A Poison Tree by William Blake

A Poison Tree

I was angry with my friend;
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.


I found this poem while reading through an anthology last year, and immediately knew it was one I was going to have to record at some point. Above, I have only the first stanza, but the whole poem is in the linked recording.

And this is really a beautiful, succinct explanation of the cause of a lot of this friction, not just with Jews but with political correctness in general. In real life, two individuals who have any contact are going to have some degree of conflict and disagreement. And if we get that out in the open and deal with it forthrightly, it is often fairly easy to resolve.

But if, for whatever reason, we are not allowed to speak of these problems openly, they go on getting worse. And the anger and resentment builds up. Problems which could have been resolved easily get compounded. People who can't get an open explanation try to come up with their own, which may end up creating a narrative much more malevolent than the reality.

I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

If you want to make create lasting resentment, it's not difficult. Just don't let people talk about what's bothering them.

Chapters XII and XIII Our Duty and Their Duty

CHAPTER XII

Our Duty

249

This but a consequence of the conditions established in Chapters IV, V and VI—our double duty of mixing with the Jews and of recognizing their separate nationality—necessity of openly admitting this separate nationality in conversation and social habits—in spite of difficulties opposed by convention—in this the wealthier classes should follow the lead of the populace—folly and danger of Fear in this matter—the fear of Jewish power a degrading and exasperating thing to the European—delay makes it worse—our plain duty is to recognize this alien nation, to respect it, and to treat it frankly as we do every nationality other than one's own.

CHAPTER XIII
Their Duty 271
Only a brief mention—for interference or advice in domestic concerns of Jewry would be an impertinence—but it is clear that all specially Jewish institutions favour the right policy for which I plead—those already in existence—schools, newspapers, Jewish societies—all increase of these institutions should be welcome, because they emphasize and make clear the separate nationality of the Jew.

---

As I said in my mid-week post, who hear thinks they'd stick around for The Man Who Was Thursday? If it helps, Chesterton was a friend of Belloc's. And I can promise if you haven't already read it, it's a fun ride.

I think I like the idea of alternating between fiction and non-fiction, but if no one else is interested in that plan, then I'll have to do something else to keep this running. So who's up for it?

Don't let them get power. For God's sake, do not let them get power.

They do not consider themselves of the same people as us, and they do not feel towards us any of the normal obligations one feels towards one's countrymen. I ran across this a couple of weeks ago on Ace of Spades HQ. Now, since Ace has at least one Jewish co-blogger, they don't address these issues and don't take kindly to people who do, but here's the piece: White people voting motivated by racism is unconstitutional. Now, let's leave aside the bald-faced idiocy of the piece (Naturalization Act of 1790, anyone? I think the people who wrote it might have had some idea what the Constitution entailed.) The author of the piece is Jewish. The author of the piece outright demands that white people who vote in the interests of white people be forbidden from voting. This calls to mind Belloc's explanation all the way back in Chapter I: "He opposes his hosts. They call themselves masters in their own house. The Jew resists their claim."

We are not even allowed to vote in our own interests in our country because this Jew does not like it. And the election of Pres. Trump pushed them over the edge. I have little doubt that they would be pushing as hard as they can if they regain power.

Speaking of regaining power, we have two Jews (among others) competing for the presidential nomination of the Democratic party. The Bernie Sanders campaign has now had two paid staffers exposed by Project Veritas as happily discussing sending Americans who disagree with their politics to gulags for reeducation. Now, one, well that could happen to any organization. But two? That's starting to look like this might be a trend.

I wouldn't even comment on this except that not that long ago, I ran across this post about the impeachment. What kind of people happily sit around discussing killing 25 million of their fellow Americans? Having learned some pattern recognition by this point, I decided to look up some information about the Weather Underground. And to my complete lack of surprise, the leadership of the movement was very Jewish.

Now, these kind of people may be working in the other Democratic campaigns, but so far, we know they are working for this one. And I'm tired of chalking this kind of thing up to coincidence.

They don't consider themselves one of us. They don't feel much in the way of moral obligations to us. What will they do if they gain power over us? History does not give cause for optimism.

---

So two announcements: First, and more immediate, upon surveying the rest of the book, I noticed that Chapter XIII is exceptionally short. It hardly makes sense to have a whole week for four pages, so I thought I'd roll that in with Chapter XII for next week.

Second, I kind of like the idea of alternating between fiction and non-fiction. So who would stick around if we did The Man Who Was Thursday as the next book? I promise, if you haven't read it, it is a fun ride. It is available for free on Project Gutenberg.

Chapter XI Zionism

CHAPTER XI
Zionism     231

    The chief interest of the Zionist experiment lies in its reaction upon the international position of the Jew—yet that point is not yet discussed—what will be the effect of the experiment on the position of Jews outside Palestine, necessarily the vast majority of the race?—an inevitable alternative—either the Jews lose their international position through loss of the fiction that they are not a nation—or the Zionist experiment breaks down—effect especially in Eastern Europe.

    Special effect of the experiment on Great Britain—difficulty of maintaining sacrifice for purely Jewish interests—which now clash with British—unpopularity of such sacrifice inevitable—grave error of first appointment to the headship of the New State—unworthiness of the politician chosen for that position.

---

As I said before, we are approaching the end of this book. I'd like to continue this group, but we need a plan for the next. I suggested The Man Who Was Thursday, but I am open to other suggestions. Anyone?

I might buy into this conspiracy theory

https://www.facebook.com/memri.org/videos/nation-of-islam-official-wesley-muhammad-jewish-genius-responsible-for-homosexua/1556691687809022/

Wesley Muhammad says that Jews are selling black men tainted marijuana to turn them gay.

. . .

Milo Yiannopoulos is part Jewish.

. . .

I'm afraid I have to rate this as plausible.

Choosing our next book

So, we have six more chapters left in this book, and it looks like we're going to complete it together. I think it's time to discuss if we want to continue with another book, and if so, what that is. I have a couple of possibilities in mind, some have been suggested by others here. So here goes.

For a significant change of pace and, perhaps, a bit of relaxation (this subject tends to raise blood pressure), I thought we might do a fiction book. The one I had in mind is G.K. Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday. It's relatively short and a lot of fun. We could do that one and then move on to something more serious.

I believe Wiffiely has suggested Vox Day's Corporate Cancer. I know I've heard other suggestions, but can't recall any at the moment. So here's the time to put in your thoughts.

Chapter X The Position of the Jews in England

CHAPTER X

The Position of the Jews in England

215

England has gone to both extremes with the Jew. The Jew in the Roman time and in the Middle Ages—his monopoly of Usury in early Middle Ages—The exile of all English Jews under Edward I—their return under Cromwell—followed by a growing alliance between the English State and the Jews—largely due to cosmopolitan commercial interests of Britain—also to common hostility towards the Catholic Church—aided by great wealth and security of this country—in the later nineteenth century the Jews, in spite of their small numbers, colour every English institution, especially the Universities and the House of Commons—the interests of the two races began to diverge before the Great War—none the less a formal alliance maintained through the control of the politicians by Jewish finance—its culmination in the attempt to form an Anglo-Judaic state in Palestine.

Anyone who terrorizes our Jewish community WILL face justice.

That title is from a Twitter post by NYC mayor Bill de Blasio. He's getting worked up by violence in his city against Jews. Of course, you could drop pallets of $100 bills in front of him, and he'd still never admit that the violence was primarily being committed by blacks, but that's beside my point.

Can anyone seriously imagine a U.S. politician with a nation-wide voice saying, "Anyone who terrorizes white people in our community WILL face justice"? No. The very notion is ridiculous. And this is at the center of what most of us here are angry about.

Actual Americans, the heirs of the people who built this country, know that this country is no longer being run for our benefit. Not just that, but our interests are not even seriously considered most of the time. Jews are not the only ones who have displaced us in this regard, but they clearly have far more power and influence than, for instance, blacks or east Asians.

And Belloc is right. If we cannot resolve this to the satisfaction of the majority of Americans, this will end in violence. And that would be quite bad for the Jews. It would also leave a spiritual stain on us. But any resolution would necessarily involve Jews admitting their role in causing these problems, and that, well, that seems highly unlikely.

Chapter IX The Position in the World as a Whole

CHAPTER IX

The Position in the World as a Whole

189

The Jewish problem varies (1) according to the extent to which Jews have acquired control and domination in various places; (2) according to the tradition of each community in approaching the problem; (3) according to the strength in each community of the four international forces, which are the Catholic Church, Islam, Industrial Capitalism, and the Socialist revolt against this last.

The individual Jew does not feel that he is in a position of control or even that he is interfering with his hosts—yet that is the universal complaint against him—it is a corporate or collective power—more and more resented.

The position in Russia—repeated—in the Marches of Russia and Roumania and Poland—in Central Europe—in Occidental Europe—Ireland an exception.

The position in the United States—Mr. Ford and the great effect of his action.

The Western tradition more favourable to the Jews than the Eastern—problem of the Jews and Islam—position of the Catholic Church—effect of Industrial Capitalism and of its converse, Socialism, upon the problem.