AmeriQa

[barbara100 at jps.net]

Quail:
> If I did indeed think I was the center of the universe, I would
> perhaps speak of the List as a whole, united front standing behind
> me, and make claims to know what "all" the List is doing or not doing.

No, if I thought you were that egocentric I wouldn't expect you to speak for
the group. If I thought you were that egocentric I think you'd say (quietly
to yourself, of course), Fuck the group! It's me, me, me!

Sorry I called you self-centered, Quail.  But it just came to me quick this
morning while reading your post. It incited a feeling in me, you know; and
what writer doesn't want his reader's feedback, eh? (except  of course for
Thomas Pynchon and sorry lot of us! God forbid he should be listening in.
 Jbor!))  I'd rather have the sorriest comments from you than nothing at
all.  I know where my ego's at.  I wonder if you know where yours is.  Heh,
heh, heh....Thomas Pynchon knows.  And now maybe I know too.

I can't understand why you fellas even like him.  You know he's insulting
you, don't you? Personally, politically, socially, globally, religiously.
God, Terrance, do you really want to know Pynchon's ideas on religion? Can
you handle it?   I worry about you. Remember what he said about mortal sin?
About dividing lines?  Religion plays heavily into that sin.  It's in the
upper portion of the passage with the black honor-guard, and it's all over
the real-life scene. Look at Osama bin Laden's (bottom) line--Kill the
infidel!  We used to call them dirty infidels right back, but we've evolved
over here in America; now we just call them 'evil terrorists.'  Kill the
Evil Terrorists!

It really astounds me that Doug could be so offensive to you fellows when
Pynchon himself is so merciless. You think you'd be used to it by now. That
'tone' you despise so--where do you think we learned it?  I know where I
learned mine.  Heh, heh, heh...

I heard an essayist on the radio today say a war on terrorism is like a war
on  war.  Pretty absurd if you think about it literally.  Anybody really
know what terrorism is?  I'm not so sure myself.  But I'd be interested to
know if the official definition follows along with all the warring we
Americans have been engaging in over the years. The same essayist listed all
the wars we've been involved in since WWII.  It took her a full two minutes
to list them all by name and year(s).  I was shocked.  Shocked because I'd
forgotten them all so easily.  I wonder sometimes how that can be, how
easily we're sold our comforts.

"....If he must curse Weissmann, then he must also curse himself.
Weissmann's cruelty was no less resourceful than Pokler's own engineering
skill, the gift of  Daedalus that allowed him to put as much labyrinth as
required between himself and the inconveniences of caring.  They had sold
him convenience, so much of it, all on credit, and now They were
collecting." (GR  499)











----- Original Message -----
From: The Great Quail <quail at libyrinth.com>
To: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2001 12:46 PM
Subject: AmeriQa


> Barbara,
>
> >I'll get back to you in more detail later, Quail (on one of your
> >pervious posts), but in the meantime, why are you so self-centered
> >as to think Doug was talking to you in that post?
>
> Well, for one thing, except for one paragraph, I was addressing him
> on his tone and comments in general. However, considering that Doug
> and I have been exchanging numerous emails regarding the subject
> during a period where others have relaxed replying to him, I think it
> was within reason to assume that I am among the people he is
> complaining about.  Also, if you recall, Doug's reply to Mike started
> by telling him that Mike's post was no use, because the List is full
> of Bush zombies and so on. And what was Mike's post? Well, in part,
> it was a reply to one of mine, and quoted me directly.
>
> >and to be perfectly honest, didn't give even the slightest thought
> >to you personally.
>
> Well, then, perhaps you didn't read Mike's post. Seems to me you are
> more concerned with finding an angle to attack me (Quail the
> egocentric....) than actually following the thread of argument.
>
> >Everything that comes across this board lately you seem to think is
> >an attack on your posts or beliefs.
>
> Everything? To defend this exaggeration would be to give it too much
credit.
>
> >Give it up, dude, you're not the center of the universe. We're not
> >all laying awake at night thinking about how to pick at the feathers
> >of the The Great Quail.
>
> I am sorry of you seem to think my ego is that large, dudette. I for
> one have been taking up the "for" military intervention quote
> vocally, and therefore believed that many of Doug's replies to me, as
> well as his comments in general bemoaning the position I happen to
> hold, have had me at least tangentially in mind. There are others
> here, you know, that share some of my opinions on the matter. And
> some who don't, and yet can carry on a reasonable conversation about
> it. (As a matter of fact, only you and Doug seem to lack that
> ability.)
>
> If I did indeed think I was the center of the universe, I would
> perhaps speak of the List as a whole, united front standing behind
> me, and make claims to know what "all" the List is doing or not doing.
>
> --Quail
>
> PS: Don't bother to reply to any of my earlier posts, I am pretty
> much done with political posting for a bit, and frankly speaking, I
> haven't heard much from you in terms of valuable opinions anyway.
> Maybe if you put down the Doug pom-poms and actually started thinking
> critically....? Although I must confess, I am glad you are around,
> because the very idea of someone who agrees so wholeheartedly with
> Doug, and who is blind to all his machinations and sleazy methods, is
> really quite amusing. It adds color to his otherwise tedious
> browbeating.
>