unthinkable thoughts

[Terrance]

Paul Mackin wrote:
> that some of the gaffes might actually be pynchonean humor naturally
> occurred to me. However if this is the case he's seriously misjudging a
> significant portion of his readership's ability to "get it."
> 
> P.


He does expect the reader to Get the fact that when national security is
on the line, how far we should go to protect it and protect civil
liberties at the same time, is a question that history and Orwell's
novel has something to tell us about. It was within weeks of the 9-11
attacks (not mentioned by P in the Foreword) that Ashcroft (not
mentioned) put together an omnibus anti-terrorism bill that would give
the executive branch more power to fight terrorism (none of this
mentioned by P in the Foreword to _1984-). 

The Bill, "The Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing
Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act"--the
USA Patriot Act was signed by Bush in October of 2001. None of this is
mentioned by P

The Act gives the Justice Department broad information-gathering and
surveillance capabilities. P could have mentioned this. But he didn't.
Instead, he talks about the irony of naming. He waves his joint at the
FBI. 

The emergency legislation is not mentioned. Although critics have
written some pretty cool stuff about P's allusions to war powers and the
like--the reagan war on drugs, the alien sedition act of 1790, the
suspension of habeas corpus during the Civil War, the suppression of
free speech during W.W.I, and so on ... in P's fictions, specifically
Vineland--his most overt political novel, they have to be, as I am,
disappointed that P says nothing of the sort here in this Foreword. So,
take it out on Paul M., or drag up some old shit and fling it into the
fan. 

The 1st, the 4th, the 6th, the 10th amendments (here I disagree with
Robert's claim that these changes in the USA are minor when compared
with the truly Orwellian nightmare endured by the peoples of Iraq and
Afghanistan) are under attack. There are some very dangerous things
going on in AMerica, but P says nothing about them . 

I guess he just wanted to write a Foreword on the book and the man who
wrote it.