In May of 1968 the U.S. submarine Scorpion was lost with all 99 souls onboard. What happened to her is A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma…
In May of 1968 the U.S. submarine Scorpion was lost with all 99 souls onboard. What happened to her is still something of a mystery.
Her last transmission was on the 20th of May when a communications station in Greece picked up a message from Commander Slattery, Scorpion’s C.O.. The radio communiqué stated that the vessel was closing in on a group of Soviet ships “to begin surveillance.” Two days later she was in pieces on the ocean floor.
Before I go any further let me say that I myself am a submarine veteran. I spent six years as a missile technician making patrols in both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. As submariners, the U.S. Navy didn’t tell us anything more than they told the general press. They stood by their assertion that the USS Scorpion’s battery well had a buildup of hydrogen gas which ignited and exploded during a routine battery charge.
Over the years I have talked with several veterans who, like me, saw the photos taken of the wreckage (1985). Not one person I conversed with was buying what the navy was selling. I’ve also spoken with a woman whose father was a crewman on the Scorpion when it went down. She had a rather extensive file on the disaster—she wasn’t buying the hydrogen explosion theory either.
In Kenneth Sewell’s All Hands Down Sewell proposes that the Scorpion met her demise on the business end of a Soviet torpedo. I won’t spoil his presentation by bullet-pointing his argument—I’ll just say that, in my opinion, there are speculations and assumptions here that challenge logic. Still, Sewell’s theory is AT LEAST as plausible as anything the USN has put forth....more
“You who are so liberal, so humane, who take the love of culture to the point of affectation, you pretend to forget that you have colonies where massa“You who are so liberal, so humane, who take the love of culture to the point of affectation, you pretend to forget that you have colonies where massacres are committed in your name.” -Jean-Paul Sartre
Fanon’s riveting breakdown of the Algerian revolt against French colonization, published in 1959–a full three years before the signing of the Évian Accords.
Frantz Fannon was himself a member of Algeria’s National Liberation Front, Front de libération nationale FLN, and his accounting is essential reading for anyone with a serious interest in Algerian history specifically or anti-colonialism in general....more
As a matter of principle I generally shy away from books about racism written by white (read privileged) people. This is partially because I, a white As a matter of principle I generally shy away from books about racism written by white (read privileged) people. This is partially because I, a white (read privileged) person, already have that slanted perspective but also because I abhor the cliché of the White Savior—the books and stories where the ‘kind white person’ comes to the rescue of the ‘poor black person.’ America’s Original Sin is not one of those books.
Jim Wallace is not addressing himself to an audience of Black people, that would be presumptuous (if not idiotic). Wallace’s target demographic is one of light skin, pious demeanor and not-so-subtle self importance—white Christian Americans.
“White people need to stop talking so much, stop defending the systems that protect and serve us and stop saying “I’m not a racist.” If white people turn a blind eye to the systems that are racially biased we can’t be absolved of the sin of racism.”
Himself an evangelical Christian, Wallace confesses that many of his fellow churchgoers wrongly believe that Christianity has nothing to do with racism. They believe that racism is political and that their faith is personal, all while seemingly not noticing that all-white churches and all-Black churches are the rule in this country rather than the exception.
“It is not enough for the church to be active in the realm of ideas; it must move out into the arena of social action. First, the church must remove the yoke of segregation from its own body. Only by doing this can it be effective in its attack on outside evils . . . It is appalling that the most segregated hour of Christian America is eleven o’clock on Sunday morning . . .” -Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
I admit I started this read with a bit of skepticism. After all, I am an atheist and the author is a believer speaking primarily to believers (you should have seen my eyes roll when Wallace implied that restorative justice is a “biblical concept” - hmmm). Even so, Wallace doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to hitting white Christians where they live, calling attention to their own shortsightedness.
“. . . the political and economic problems of race are ultimately rooted in a theological problem. The churches have too often baptized us into our racial divisions . . .”
4 stars ________________________________
slightly off topic
“The idea that all people are created equal is not a religious idea, the idea that some people are special is. The entire Hebrew Bible is about the chosen people. The genocides they committed were justified because they were the chosen people. Religion promotes elitism, not equality.” -Andrew Seidel, The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism is Un-American...more
“From the massive legalized theft of Native land in the early twentieth century, to a decades-long conspiracy of silence aboutBuckle of the Bible Belt
“From the massive legalized theft of Native land in the early twentieth century, to a decades-long conspiracy of silence about one of the country’s worst acts of racial violence, to a former governor who believes a statewide day of Christian prayer is a solution for social problems and a former attorney general who continues to deny the reality of climate change, the state of Oklahoma was built and is still maintained on a bedrock of lies.”
In spite of the fact that Oklahoma consistently ranks near the worst in the quality of public education, teacher salaries, violent crime, teenage pregnancy, suicide, adult obesity, child obesity, criminal incarcerations, and criminal executions, Russell Cobb still finds a few slivers of optimism buried within the Sooner State’s buttload of embarrassing statistics. I’m not going to dwell on the positives here because (#1) spoiler alert! and (#2) they might prompt a spike in secular immigration and I kinda like being the lone, vegetarian, liberal, closeted-atheist lurking in this theocratic, MAGA-capped, petro-christian monoculture. Mum’s the word....more
There is so much more to Harriet Tubman than her heroic escapades as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. For instance, I had no idea that she couThere is so much more to Harriet Tubman than her heroic escapades as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. For instance, I had no idea that she counseled John Brown, or that she worked as a nurse in service of the Union Army (American Civil War), or that she fought for the inclusion of African-American women in the Women’s Suffrage Movement. The lady was an activist before the term ‘activist’ was ever coined—and yet historical accounts of her accomplishments have been edited and re-edited and manipulated to make them more palatable for white audiences.
Outside of a plethora of children’s books, this was probably the first serious attempt to document the life of Harriet Tubman since Earl Conrad gave it his best shot in 1943. Kate Larson is a gifted writer and biographer and she captures the depth and complexity of Tubman’s remarkable story without sensationalizing it or burying it under a mountain of platitudes. Four Stars....more
Did you ever sign up for a university course because you saw something in the semester catalog that looked interesting and fun? Say, Introduction to CDid you ever sign up for a university course because you saw something in the semester catalog that looked interesting and fun? Say, Introduction to Cannabis? or Beekeeping? or maybe Pattern making for Dog Garments? If so, Professor Jeremy Dauber (Columbia University) has the perfect course for you.
The History of Jewish Comedy
There are a couple of qualifiers. First, this isn’t comedy about Jews, this is comedy from Jews. No antisemitic nazi sentiments. No bigoted micro-aggressions. The only deprecation allowed is self deprecation. Second, this isn’t a joke book. The jokes here are examples of era, style and approach. They are sometimes contextual, sometimes complicated, and sometimes hilarious—but not always.
Hitler visits a Gypsy Fortune Teller… Hitler: “When will I die?” Gypsy: “You will die on a Jewish holiday.” Hitler: “Which Jewish Holiday?” Gypsy: “It doesn’t matter. Any day you die will be a Jewish Holiday.”
From the Borscht Belt to Bernhard
Jewish comedy is infused with chutzpah. Its essence is essentially that of the diaspora and the diaspora impregnates and is thoroughly entrenched in most all of its various forms. It is often about being different, and about playing to those differences in a manner that renders them harmless and benign.
“The Jewish joke constitutes victory by defeat. The persecuted Jew who makes himself the butt of the joke deflects this dangerous hostility away from the persecutors onto himself. The result is not defeat or surrender but victory and greatness.”
I love Italians, they’re wonderful people. My cousin Vincenso is half Italian and half Jewish. If he can’t buy something wholesale he steals it.
May the Schwartz be with you
One of the ways Jewish comedy is frequently manifested is in the form of parody—a parody that simply presents a Jewish version of an existing trope. Philip Roth’s novella The Breast (a parody of Kafka’s Metamorphosis) and Sheryl Haft’s children’s book Goodnight Bubbala (a parody of Margaret Wise Brown’s Good Night Moon) are two literary examples. And I ask you, is Mel Brooks’ film Spaceballs (a parody of the Star Wars franchise) not simply Jews In Space?
The Providence of Comedians
“One of the primary appeals of Jewish humor is that there's always someone around that gets the joke.”
I suspect that Professor Dauber’s college courses are indeed interesting and fun. His books (I’ve now read two) certainly are. They’re also extensively researched and detailed and intense (oy vey!). 4.5 stars.
“May your child give his bar mitzvah speech on the genius of Ayn Rand.” -Old Jewish Curse...more
“Suppress reason too harshly and it will eventually revolt.”
Alec Ryrie is a man of faith. In fact, he is a lay minister in the Church of England. When“Suppress reason too harshly and it will eventually revolt.”
Alec Ryrie is a man of faith. In fact, he is a lay minister in the Church of England. When I read this in the introduction to this book I prepared myself for a chastisement. Being an “unbeliever” I am intimately familiar with the micro-aggressions and disapproving subtleties of Christian authors when they write about skeptics, secularists, humanists, agnostics, and (gulp!) outright atheists. I waded into Unbelievers: An Emotional History of Doubt, highlighter in hand, preparing myself to write an equally emotional rebuttal.
The Good…
‘Turns out, my misgivings were largely unwarranted. This is not the bashing I thought it might be. It is more of a philosophical and reasoned accounting of doubters and skeptics from about the thirteenth century onward. Color me dutifully impressed.
…The Bad…
Still, there are bugaboos in Ryrie’s delivery. While he writes eloquently about individual acts of dissent, he frequently glosses over the consequences. Were the crusades and inquisitions violent and unjust? You could hardly glean that from biographical paragraphs with “he was later executed for heresy” seemingly thrown in for good measure.
…and The Ugly
Somewhere around the year 1660, all pretense of Ryrie’s objectivism starts to dissolve. He asserts that the mid seventeenth century is when nonbelief came out of the closet and claimed “philosophical respectability.” The closer he gets to the twenty first century the more dismissive and cynical his narrative becomes, especially when he makes mention of Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens and “the rest of the horsemen.”
Okay, here it is. This is the polemic I expected in the beginning but one that didn’t manifest itself until the very end. I have to give the author a measure of credit—at least he tried to be objective, even if he ultimately failed....more
“When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.” -Heinrich Paulus, German theologian, 1831
Teter starts her chronicle of Christia“When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.” -Heinrich Paulus, German theologian, 1831
Teter starts her chronicle of Christian antisemitism and racism with the Apostle Paul (circa 5 AD - 65 AD) and ends it with the lynching nooses, confederate battle flags and “Camp Auschwitz” t-shirts of the attack on the U.S. Capitol Building (January 6, 2021).
Is white Christian supremacy on the decline? Before you answer consider this: in 2018, during the congressional elections, the Republican National Committee (RNC) ran an ad in Minnesota featuring an image of George Soros, labeled “connoisseur of chaos,” sitting in front of a pile of money. Behind him was a photo of Colin Kaepernick with burning buildings in the background. Teter writes…
“This imagery was a racist and antisemitic dog whistle—or rather a bullhorn, affirming white Christian supremacy by focusing on a Jew and a Black man as outsiders creating disorder.”
I can’t say I enjoyed this book, trudging through centuries of hate and malice isn’t a pleasant experience, but I learned a great deal and I feel I have a much better understanding of the origins of white Christian sovereignty.
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. Try to please them all the time, not jusSlaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. -Ephesians 6:5-7
A FEATURE, NOT A BUG
“It was evangelical acceptance of biblically sanctioned racism that motivated believers to separate and sell families during slavery, and to march with the klan. Racist evangelicals shielded cross burners, protected church burners, and participated in lynchings. Racism is a feature, not a bug, of American evangelism (emphasis mine).”
When you read Anthea Butler’s White Evangelical Racism it becomes abundantly clear that bigotry is not just some inconsequential anomaly on the periphery of white evangelism, it is in the bones, in the marrow, and in the DNA of the thing. White evangelicalism as an entity has historically and inarguably supported the status quo, racism, and white supremacy. Racism is the thread that runs throughout evangelical dogma, both past and present.
“It is racism that binds and blinds many American evangelicals to the vilification of Muslims, Latinos, and African Americans. It is racism that impels many evangelicals to oppose emigration and turn a blind eye to children in cages at the border. It is racism that fuels evangelical Islamophobia.”
White evangelicals are much more than simply a religious group, they are a strong political lobby and a large voting block on the American landscape. It is nearly impossible to separate racism from their pious and dogmatic right-wing politics. It is an entwining of faith, flag, and firearms—and it is a form of dominionism.
THE MYTH OF A MORAL MAJORITY
“I don’t want everybody to vote. Elections are not won by a majority of people. They never have been from the beginning of our country and they are not now. As a matter of fact, our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populous goes down.” -Paul Weyrich, Catholic Republican, 1980
I always equate the term Moral Majority with the misnomer of King Cobra. As the “King Cobra” is neither a true cobra nor a monarch, the so-called “Moral Majority” is neither a true majority nor is it all that moral. Founded in 1979 by the reprehensible Jerry Falwell Sr., the Moral Majority established white evangelicals as a political force. Particularly concentrated in the Republican Party, the Moral Majority’s published agenda included:
I. Opposition to media outlets accused of promoting “anti-family agendas.”
II. Opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment for women.
III. Opposition to state recognition or acceptance of homosexual acts.
IV. Prohibition of legalized abortion, including in cases involving incest or rape.
V. The establishment of Christian prayer in public schools.
VI. The conversion of Jews and other non-Christians to the Christian faith.
Although the Moral Majority technically disbanded in 1989, Rev. Falwell had ominous words to say in parting…
“Our goal has been achieved . . . The religious right is solidly in place and [white] religious conservatives in America are now in for the duration.”
THE MYTH OF PERSECUTION
“Yes, the long war on Christianity. I pray that one day we may live in an America where Christians can worship freely! In broad daylight! Openly wearing the symbols of their religion... perhaps around their necks? And maybe… dare I dream it? …maybe one day there can be an openly Christian President. Or, perhaps, 43 [now 46] of them. Consecutively.” -Jon Stewart, comedian
White evangelicals make up just 14% of the American population overall. Still, they remain the largest single religious group in the Republican Party. With that comes a disproportionate ability to sway party priorities. They are quick to play the victim, claiming religious persecution, whenever their agenda is being challenged. Butler contends (and I wholeheartedly agree) that white Christian evangelicals in America are not being persecuted, they are simply being called to account.
A PLAUSIBLE & LOGICAL EXPLANATION
“Why do people who identify as evangelicals vote over and over again for political figures who, in speech and deed, do not evince the Christian qualities that evangelicalism espouses? My answer is that evangelicalism is not simply a religious group at all. Rather it is a nationalist political movement whose purpose is to support the hegemony of white Christian men over and against the flourishing of others.” -Anthea Butler, 2021
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