Pynchon and the current situation

[Terrance]

Otto wrote:
> 
> Terrance:
> I think VL is a novel that addresses the current situation better than
> GR.
> I disagree with Doug's analysis; of the current situation and of GR.
> 
> I don't see that the following is limited in meaning to one or a special
> war:


I suggest Thoreen's article on VL 

Oklahoma City University Law Review 
                  Volume 24, Number 3 (1999) 
              reprinted by permission Oklahoma City University Law
Review 

             THE PRESIDENT'S EMERGENCY WAR POWERS
              AND THE EROSION OF CIVIL LIBERTIES IN
                    PYNCHON'S VINELAND 

                      DAVID THOREEN*


It's disturbing to me that the Left's critique of Clinton's illegal war
on Yugoslavia, on Iraq, his criminal and unilateral bombings in Africa
etc.,  his Lewinsky fiasco (Yes, wag the dog, even Clinton did not use
his war powers to divert attention form his domestic Bimbogroglio,  many
of the ME nations we are now trying to win over, think he did) his
impeachment, his language games, including playing with the word
genocide, as it relates to the genocide in Rwanda, which the Clinton
administration refused to acknowledge existed, his domestic abuse of the
police, the CIA, the FBI, the INS, the IRS, and a bunch of other
agencies, of his executive order, was subdued by their blind faith in
the democratic party and their hatred of the republicans. There is very
little difference between the two. It's too late now to deal with
Clinton, but we should not deny, sweep under the rug, his complicity in
all this.  Our civil liberties are under attack here, more so than
Afghanistan, which has only been threatened. We are giving up our
constitutional rights on a daily basis here in the USA. It's not
Ashcroft we should attack and call nasty names. We have to fight these
things with the law and pen and with our voices and with our dollars.
People get ready...