crusade

[Arne Herl�v Petersen]

My apologies that I cc'ed my answer to rheaenda to the Pynchon list out
of habitude.
I should have recognized that it was a personal letter.
***
I have the greatest love and respect for the American people. In fact I
have spent 40 years of my life trying to mediate American culture by
translating American fiction into Danish - including Pynchon, I might
add. I have translated some 500 American novels. Roth, Vonnegut, Mailer,
Ellroy, Kerouac ... it's a very long list.
Since I was first in the US as an exchange student back in the late
fifties I have felt almost like one of you.

Now I feel almost like the house nigger who is shown firmly where his
place is if he becomes uppity and speaks up. 

***
 

But the USA I love is the USA of Thomas Paine, Thoreau, and Eugene V.
Debs - the USA of The Grapes of Wrath - the USA of the civil rights
movement and the Vietnam protests - certainly not the USA of Wall Street
or your Court-selected President.
 
***
 
Americans feel grief now and I feel the same grief. But there have been
other times when many Americans have been deaf to the grief of others.
Many Americans protested, when your government killed 3 millions in
Indochina, but others participated in the killings. You codemn - rightly
- terrorism against the USA, but you have closed your eyes when Cuban
exiles in Florida made terrorist raids against Cuba.
 
***
 
The actions Bush contemplates right now might make another Iran out of
Pakistan.
For better or worse the USA now shares the fate of the rest of the
world. This is a small world and growing smaller. You can no longer say:
Keep quiet, we do as we please.
What do you affects others, and what others do will affect you.
The worldwide problem of terrorism must be dealt with on a global basis.
 
That's all I have tried to say.
 
Arne
> >
> > rhaenda wrote:
> > >
> > > First of all,  I apologize for the sarcasm.  I hope you noticed I kept my
> > > reply off the list.
> > >
> > > I  infer from your posts that you have the opinion that Americans are
> > > unreasoning, unreasonable, and uncaring imperialist racist brutes.  You seem
> > > to stereotype them and yet you chastise them for stereotyping others.  I
> > > also infer that your sense of propriety does not include respect or
> > > tolerance for those who are mourning.  People in mourning may say things in
> > > anger or in haste that they might not say after a period of reflection.  In
> > > a few weeks, the same opinions you expressed within days of this outrage and
> > > which seemed outrageous themselves may seem to be apposite and wise.  For
> > > now, they are unwanted and cruel.
> > >
> > > I joined this list six years ago and it was always provocative and full of
> > > debate.  Most of the debate was regarding the works of Pynchon but not all.
> > > We used to preface off-topic postings with 'NP' in the subject line.  I'm
> > > leaving the list for awhile to reflect.  Certainly any further corresondance
> > > between the two of us is useless.
> > >
> > > Here are my last remarks to you:  Stop your arrogance and stop pretending
> > > that you speak for the world.  You speak for yourself.  When I said 'fuck
> > > off,'  it was to *you* I said it.  As for letting the Americans do what they
> > > want with the planet, your alternative may be to let the terrorists do what
> > > they want with the planet.
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Arne Herløv Petersen" <herlahp at inet.uni2.dk>
> > > To: "rhaenda" <rhaenda at swbell.net>
> > > Cc: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
> > > Sent: Monday, September 17, 2001 12:34 PM
> > > Subject: Re: crusade
> > >
> > > > Your attitude seems to be:
> > > > Shut up, world, and let Americans do with the planet what they want.
> > > > This is exactly the way of thinking that will lead to more and worse
> > > > terrorist attacks.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > rhaenda wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > Gee, thanks for all the helpful  advice Arne.  We' uns hyar jest wooden
> > > no
> > > > > wut to do wiffout yer helpful info.  Dang, it never occured to inny of
> > > us'n
> > > > > that word like 'croosade' mite have effecks on our enemies or to read
> > > web
> > > > > info from aroun the worl or to think about all the opshuns we mite have.
> > > > > Heck, us stupid  cowboys here reckon y'all folks ought to do all the
> > > thinkin
> > > > > for us since you got all that smart info about them other peeple in the
> > > > > wurld an we don't have inny restraint at all or ainny know-how winn it
> > > cums
> > > > > ta war.  Shucks, most of us'n thowt that Afgannystan and Ben Laden was
> > > > > peeple that lived in dinmark.  Thanks fer helpin us owt of our ignernce.
> > > > > Pleeze keep tellin us how we oughter react since you got all that
> > > > > sofisticashun (Ah bet yu studied litertur when you wint to kollige and
> > > all)
> > > > > and we'uns here are just ignernt mowrons who cain't even unnerstan that
> > > its
> > > > > all our falt.  Also maybe yu cudd tell us wut to wear and how offin we
> > > all
> > > > > shud bathe. Shit, now that I think about it (thanks agin Arny), maybe we
> > > > > oughter bring all our folks home and git together for a mass apology to
> > > > > Yurope and Asia and everybody and then we'll jist nuke owrselves so that
> > > you
> > > > > and the rest of the sofisticates can figger out how to run the wunnerful
> > > > > worl uv tolerinse and unnerstanding.  Its especially nice to here from a
> > > > > dane cause nobody haz more experteeze than Danes in defeat, surrender,
> > > and
> > > > > collaberation than you all.  Hell it took Hitler a hole day to conker
> > > > > dinmark and y'all wuz smart enuff to aksep his offer uv protection
> > > rather
> > > > > than declare war and fight like Norway.
> > > > > Allso kud y'all maybe send us all the copies of Tommy Pinchins books bak
> > > > > here to the Yu Ess of Ay since he 's an Ammurican too so he don't have
> > > the
> > > > > smarts y'all hav.
> > > > >
> > > > > Or maybe you should fuck off and post your advice to
> > > > > alt.fans.appeasement.1940.collaborators
> > > > >
> > > > >