Fabulicity
This content was published August 31, 2018. … The Bulwer Lytton Fiction Contest for 2018 has finally been released. It usually appears the first week of August, but for some reason was late this time. “Since 1982 the Bulwer Lytton Fiction Contest has challenged man, woman, and (precocious) child to write an atrocious opening sentence to a hypothetical bad novel.” It is named for Sir Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, a Victorian novelist of some note. This year, we learn that EGBL wrote the phrase, “The pen is mightier than the sword.”
I have been writing about the BLFC for many years, and was anxious about the late arrival this year. The contest web page has a new look, which is appreciated. Sir Bulwer-Lytton cleaned up good when it was time to paint his portrait. Unfortunately, the overall contest winner is presented as a .jpg, which means the text cannot be pasted. Here is the 2018 winner.
As a value added feature of BLFC coverage, I compile a list of contestants with funny names. Inclusion on this list is not an indication of being a bad writer, or a good writer of bad prose. Here is the cheat sheet: Shelley Siddall, West Kelowna, BC, Canada, Bridget Parmenter, Katy, TX, Mark Wisnewski, Flanders, NJ, Aasha Sankpal, Monroe, CT, Thomas Purdy, Roseville, CA, Ralph Cutting, Kingston Upon Thames, England, Jay Dardenne, Baton Rouge LA, Talha bin Hamid, Karachi, Pakistan, Peter Seakat, Rochester, NY, Shea Charkowsky, Santa Clara, CA, Hwei Oh, North Balgowlah, Sydney, Australia, Marsha Engelbrecht, Lafayette, LA, Sylvi Warshaver-Stein, New York, NY, Ava Zaleski, Lisle, IL, Brent Guernsey, Springfield, VA, Ben Handy, Philadelphia, PA.
Two of the writers this year are from Georgia. One of them is somebody. They are given special status in the Chamblee54 BLFC report. … Phoebe sighed happily as she read the text from Mark asking her to be “friends with benefits,” as she thought maybe, just maybe, she would finally get that 401k and dental insurance. Amber Burns, Calhoun, GA
In preparation for visits by African dignitaries, we had redecorated the West Wing of the White House in an African motif with numerous artificial plants and animals, but the President asked that we remove the papier-mache wildebeests, saying he was “tired of fake gnus.”
Wm. “Buddy” Ocheltree, Snellville, GA
Dreaded Pirate Larry was somewhat worried, as he looked down at his boot, where his first mate was stretched out, making whooshing sounds, attempting to blow him over, that despite having the fastest ship, the most eye patches, and the prettiest parrots, his crew may need a few lessons on the difference between literal and figurative, as evidenced by the rest of the crew applying ice to the timbers. Shelley Siddall, West Kelowna, BC, Canada
I knew that dame was trouble as soon as I set eyes on her, see: there was a stain on her clingy dress, wine, difficult to get out (you notice these things when you’ve been in the business as long as I have); there was a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of her high heel, cherry, that would leave a gristly pink trail following her every step (you pick up on these things when you are as experienced as I); and when she coolly asked me directions to the detective’s office, I pointed her down the hall and went back to mopping the floor. Bridget Parmenter, Katy, TX
Nothing looked familiar to Travis, who, recalling a favorite line from Tolkien — “Not all those who wander are lost” — reckoned the “not all” part implied that most who wander, like himself, are in fact lost, yet buzzards would pick his bones before he would think to ask for directions.
Dr Joel Phillips, West Trenton, NJ
My escape from heavily-guarded Cochon Island, a Hungarian penal colony founded by the Gabor sisters, would have to be well-planned and faultlessly executed, I thought to myself, “and I’m just not the right man for it,” so I stayed and lived out my days there, because having a Gabor slap you around wasn’t that bad, especially when they said “dahling” afterwards. Kevin M. Kinzer, Spokane, WA
“Pooh,” said Piglet inquisitively, “I don’t believe the quantum interplay of dark energy and black holes allows for the anti-matter superposition of a Higgs-Boson vector that you are postulating transported you thru an n-dimensional carbon lattice and got you stuck in the hunny tree . . . just sayin’.”
Tim Metz, Kokomo, IN
For rookie detective Lara Stinson, the hardest aspect of her most recent case was not discovering that the adolescent victim had been thrown from the tenth story of the apartment building by his own grandmother, but rather trying to spell “defenestration by octogenarian” in her subsequent report. Thomas Purdy, Roseville, CA
Inspecteur Rollin of the Paris murder squad lit a cigarette as he stood over the body of la prostituée engorgée (to those readers who don’t know French, a prostitute with her throat cut and, indeed, how else would one describe her — la pute, la fille de joie, la vendeuse de sexe, la travailliste de la rue?) which lay on the Voie Georges Pompidou under the arches of le Pont Neuf on the rive droite of la Seine which flows through the most beautiful city in the world.
Ralph Cutting, Kingston Upon Thames, England
Who knew what answers the elongated, odd-shaped gray trunk would reveal, but there was no doubt that in solving the mysterious homicide at the zoo the great weight of evidence pointed to the elephant in the room. Jay Dardenne, Baton Rouge LA
This content was published in March 2025. … “It is with deep regrets that I announce the conclusion of the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest. Being a year and a half older than Joseph Biden, I find the BLFC becoming increasingly burdensome and would like to put myself out to pasture while I still have some vim and vigor.” Scott Rice … Pictures today are from The Library of Congress Arthur Rothstein took the social media picture in March 1936. “Taxicab driver along riverfront. Saint Louis, Missouri.” ©Luther Mckinnon 2025 · selah
Martyr Made On Tucker Carlson
Last week, Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson hosted Darryl Cooper, aka Martyr Made. DC has a podcast about history, with a series about Israel-Palestine especially well regarded. People who follow @martyrmade know that sometimes, DC says things you don’t want to hear.
The TSMC/DC gabfest … which was well sponsored by commercial interruptions … settled on World War 2. As with many historic events, WW2 has a standard American viewpoint, which you challenge at your peril. DC said things that you are not supposed to say. Many observers are outraged. One wonders how many of the angry commenters actually listened to the show.
I heard the show. Some points were reasonable, while others were not. It seems like we are going through another phase of our appreciation for that conflict. This is an ongoing historic process.
Some responses are wothwhile. As is often the case, you have to read a bit to find out anything. @GrayConnolly “I am finally watching the @martyrmade / Tucker discussion on Churchill. I am not sure who among the critics have actually watched it. As I dislike Twitter pile-ons, I think everyone should watch what X says before X is put in the tumbril. My response as a Churchillian below.”
Look at the way America deals with the War Between the States. First there was a bloody war. After about sixty years, there started to be reconciliation, between the Union and the Confederacy. Now we are in Phase 3, where the only permitted dialog is condemnation of the Confederates.
This same reckoning is going on with WW2, and is not well received by some parties. WW1, which created many of the conditions which led to WW2, is mostly ignored. Maybe that is how this is going to go. Vietnam is always a contentious topic, while few talk about Korea. These things too shall pass. Pictures are from The Library of Congress · selah
Was Jesus Really A Carpenter?
Has anyone seen a painting of Jesus holding a saw? The idea the Jesus was a carpenter is seldom questioned. People are taught this, and accept it in sheep-like fashion. Even though the gospels were written many years after the cucifixion, they are accepted as “inerrant” historic documents. Here is what US Catholic says: “Was Joseph of Nazareth really a carpenter? … Only twice is the word carpenter used in the Christian scriptures: when Jesus is identified as “the carpenter’s son” (Matthew 13:55) and “the carpenter” (Mark 6:3.)…”
The passages that say “carpenter” are not complimentary to Jesus. This man appears out of nowhere, and starts to teach at the synagogue. Who is he? Why is a mere carpenter telling educated men how to live? Who does he think he is?
The two texts are similar. Here is Mark 6:2-4
2 And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?
3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
4 But Jesus, said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.
Matthew 13: 54-57 54 And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?
55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?
57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.
“In the Hebrew scriptures, the word carpenters appears 11 times, mostly in tandem with the words masons or stonecutters. The Hebrew word used means “carver,” so when building projects were underway, both carvers of wood and of stone were needed. … In the references from the Christian scriptures to Jesus as a carpenter or the son of one, the Greek word used both times is more correctly translated as “craftsman” or “artisan.” Such a person might carve stone or wood as the job required. … What’s evident to scholars of biblical lands is that trees were always in short supply around Nazareth, whereas stone quarries were plentiful. Most structures dating back to the time of Jesus around Galilee are composed of stone—those that survive, anyway. Chances are both Joseph and Jesus did more masonry than carpentry, that is, if they didn’t work exclusively in stone.”
Mark 6:4 is a favorite Jesusism for many people. It is more true today than ever. You do not want to be correct before everyone else. In the McCarthy era, the term “premature anti-fascist” … a person that was opposed to Nazi Germany before 1941 … meant you were a communist. The little boy who criticized the emperor’s fashion statement was severely punished.
“Was Jesus really a carpenter” is an example of asking too many questions. The way “carpenter” is used in Mark and Matthew seems like a generic insult for a common working man. Who is this peasant, who has the audacity to “teach” exalted church elders? We don’t know why the Council of Nicea chose these texts to tell the Jesus story, and why these words were translated as “carpenter.” There is also the attitude of just-shut-up-and-believe-your-elders.
US Catholic says: “Did Jesus have a real job? This is the question behind the question, which sounds a bit dismissive: as if teaching, preaching, and healing—not to mention redeeming the world—weren’t occupation enough!” In either scenario, it boils down to faith and belief … in an ancient text of uncertain origin, which has been translated many times. “God says it, I believe it, and that settles it.”
Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. Marjory Collins took the social media picture in August 1942. “New York, New York. Italian-Americans on [Thompson] Street relaxing on Sunday” ©Luther Mckinnon 2025 · selah
I’m Not A Witch
In 2010, republicans in Delaware nominated Christine O’Donnell for the US Senate. The race was to replace Vice-President Joe Biden. It turns out that Mrs. O’Donnell has already made a name for herself. In 1996, she was the President of SALT … The Savior’s Alliance for Lifting the Truth. She made an appearance on MTV to urge teenagers not to masturbate.
Public spirited citizens at MSNBC have found the video. It was introduced by Rachel Maddow, who had both hands on the desk. “you are going to be pleasing each other. If he already knows what pleases him, and he can please himself, then why am I in the picture.”
This feature is a repost from 2010. Mrs. O’Donnell lost her senate race by 16 points. One of her campaign ads proclaimed “I’m not a witch.” There was a misunderstanding with the FEC, over allegations that Mrs. O’Donnell used campaign funds for living expenses. Currently, @thechristineod is a podcast coach. The beat goes on. Pictures from The Library of Congress.
Irregular Warfare
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JD Vance conjures the devil in false attack on LGBTQ+ charity during Kansas speech
Chasing Ghosts: An Irregular Warfare Podcast An unauthorized podcast and essay …
How a Sequel to a Movie Barely Anyone Saw Became a Sensational (and Originally …
post office · dirty straws · gurgling · @cumradepowers · z word
coca cola tanker · stacey humphries · tristan harris · john berendt · gary indiana · bessie smith
This is your monday morning reader for today. There are no reports here regarding criminal cases involving a minor. The scandal mongering media, both social and anti-social, should be ashamed of themselves. · There are a pair of six letter slurs. One starts with r, one ends in r. One I am forbidden to say, while the other I am forbidden to not say. The one I can say is racist. We would be better off not using either six letter slur. · The Dragon Con parade had starship troopers, barnyard poopers, medieval wenches, confederate trenches, the star wars theme, blondes making the team, ghost busters, crop dusters, trekkies, beckys, vlad the impaler, chad the inhaler … · When Hamas allegedly called for the elimination of Israel in their charter, it was in Arabic. We don’t know if that was an accurate translation. There have been hundreds of statements by Israelis calling for the elimination of Palestine. They are in English. · @CNN FBI Director Kash Patel’s decision to remove bestiality as an automatic disqualifier for FBI job applicants drew bipartisan disbelief Tuesday after he said the change was intended to protect victims of sex trafficking. · francis scott key wrote the words for The Star Spangled Banner. Later, Mr. Key was the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, where he prosecuted Reuben Crandall for distributing anti-slavery publications. · @Necroticpsyche When does Christ say to forgive? When they repent. First he says to rebuke. Christians aren’t meant to be pussies brother. – @martyrmade I get that, and If you’ve got the confidence to play in those waters, I wish you luck. Christ and the saints could do it without risk of corruption, but personally I don’t trust myself to discern who unworthy of forgiveness and understanding without confusing my spiteful motives for righteousness. Some will say this leads to moral paralysis, that it makes me unfit to meet the present evil with the ruthlessness it demands, that it’s weakness masquerading as humility. And they might be right. But all I know is that every time I’ve taken up the whip, I say it’s to defend the Lord’s house from profanation by the money changers when deep down I just enjoy beating up money changers. I’ll leave the fighting to people on surer footing. – @chamblee54 it is my opinion that Christians enjoy being forgiven a lot more than they like to forgive. That said, I enjoyed your commentary about the conflicting motivations for forgiveness. · kuh-mod-uh-fahy · This is the story of walking the walk, and listening to the shows. · Let’s get physical, physical, I wanna get physical, Let’s get into physical, Let me hear your body talk, your body talk, Let me hear your body talk · I first read How To Choose A Guru in 1978. HTCAG is a look at spirituality, with some dandy quotes. “… the scriptures of the past compare to the writings of a present-day Perfect Master just about the way that dust compares to honey.” · today i am most alive when i am, disappearing into a cloud of pain, tomorrow is excuses not to slam, gurgling and geezing down the donald drain, fifty beats shy of a hecaton now · Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. Russell Lee took the social media pictures in September 1941. “Farmer and son, members of the Boundary Farms, FSA (Farm Security Administration) project. Boundary County, Idaho” ©Luther Mckinnon 2026 · selah
How To Choose A Guru
This content was published September 8, 2010. … I found How To Choose A Guru, by Rick Chapman at a yard sale in 1978. HTCAG is a look at spirituality of all sorts. A special emphasis is placed on Meher Baba. HTCAG was republished as Introduction to Reality.
HTCAG can be a frustrating book. The main focus is on finding a “perfect master”, and the path to enlightenment under his guidance. If one is not inclined to this level of dedication, you can be left feeling inferior. This is similar to the despair people feel when they think they are going to go to hell, because they don’t have the correct ideas about Jesus.
HTCAG takes a look at spirit from the perspective of all religions. A central concept is the avatar, the idea of God become man. (This was long before the Avatar movies.) The avatars of recorded history include Zoroaster, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, and Mohammad.
Mr. Chapman has a knack for phrasing. There are expressions that I remember from reading HTCAG in 1978. They are still there, 48 years later.
Creation “First, there was God. Then, there’s you. Then, there is God.”
Speculation “The average person’s speculation about consciousness …
has “the stink but not the weight of his turd”
Evangelism “An authentic Master will encourage you to let your life itself be his message.”
Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds “Don’t be sidetracked by elaborate creeds and doctrines- the truth is as simple as it is profound. From the ancient teachings of Zoroaster to today, these three principles have been the heart of the message of every God realized Master.”
Books “Excellent guides until you find the Way.” Abu Sa’id
Books Part Two “… the scriptures of the past compare to the writings of a present-day Perfect Master just about the way that dust compares to honey.”
Satan Worship “If you have been toying with the thought that any form of Satan worship can lead you to higher consciousness, sober up by reading the story of Dr. Faustus. There are many paths to enlightenment, but this back alley isn’t one of them.”
Sex “A real guru never has any form of sexual relations with his followers. If a person posing as a guru tries to seduce you in the physical sense, then you can have no clearer indication that he is a phony, a pathetic and hypocritical collection of unresolved desires.”
Truth, Old and New “One time the Buddha was approached by a young man who was skeptical about Gautama’s renowned divine status. “Does the Blessed One teach a path that is new and original?” One of the Buddha’s close disciples, Sariputta, turned his gaze from the Master to the skeptic and replied, “If the Blessed One taught a path that was new and original, He would not be the Blessed One!”
Several of these quotes were available in copy/paste form at Meher Baba Information. These quotes may be difficult to find at the “improved” website. This site says that Rick Chapman is a follower of Meher Baba, and met him in 1966. This relationship is never made explicit in HTCAG. A glowing chapter is devoted to Meher Baba, and this information is not surprising. Still, HTCAG would be more upfront if this connection was clearly spelled out.
Meher Baba was born February 25, 1894 with the name Merwan Sheriar Irani. The name Meher Baba means “compassionate father”. From July 10, 1925 until his death January 31, 1969, he maintained silence, and communicated by gestures that were interpreted by his followers. Meher Baba believed that he was the avatar of our age.
With all of it’s human imperfections, HTCAG is a valuable book. It is easy to read, will expose you to ideas about spirit, and get you to think. When you grow up in the Christian tradition, one can be aware of a spirit within. At the same time, you get tired of the obsession with life after death. HTCAG teaches that there is more to God than scheming to live after you die. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. John Vachon took the social media picture in June 1941. “Commission merchant examining produce at fruit warehouse. Chicago, Illinois” ©Luther Mckinnon 2026 · selah
Cultural Revolution
0911 – Canned Entertainment Product the 911 edition of the path journal, is now available. … The walk today happened before the heat set in. I went out Thursday night, drank a cup of coffee, ate a big mac, and stayed up past midnight. This is a wild night for me. When my feet felt dizzy early on today, I realized that there might be some payback. Fortunately, the dizziness never got worse, and I finished 43 minutes without too much drama.
The audio content today was How Did Tom Freston Turn MTV Into a Cultural Revolution? on
Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin. Thomas E. Freston has a lot of stories to tell, some of which are true. TEF talked to the right people at the right time, and helped create MTV.
I saw some pioneer MTV. In early 1982, I shared an apartment with three people, five snakes, a cat, and a ferret. MTV was on the rent-by-the-week tv a lot. One of the humans was a Journey fan, who would scream “turn it up” every time one of their videos came on.
TEF: “They gave me all this research one weekend to read. It divided America into three categories of toilet paper users. Rollers, folders, and crumplers. And all this analytic stuff about the cycle was crazy. And of course, we’re going after the crumplers because they use the most. They use the most, and they go more often. And those people live in cities. I’m thinking my neighbors in this building are probably all crumplers.” … TEF: “We had the worst dressed group of people going in and out of any Manhattan office building you could imagine. People saying, “What’s going on?” No suits. No suits. The only dress code rule we had was no frontal nudity.”
TEF: “The idea that we would be experimental is not something you would see at a broadcast network. In fairness to them, they had a big legacy business and they couldn’t just operate sort of like we did, off-the-cuff and improvise so much. Because they had to keep their business growing year by year. If they had things that work they had to continue to build on those, and very strategically build another one. So they were a lot more deliberate. I’d say we had more of a Bebop culture and they were more like a classical orchestra.”
0912-0828 – The walk today was strange. I did 12 minutes, and may do more later. It was raining. My rain gear was inadequate. I was listening to She Killed the Man Who Almost Killed Her: The Jema Heffernan Story, Part 2 on Gone South. I was getting into the story, when the phone switched to a man talking about woodworking. I don’t know if it was the phone, or the earbuds, but I couldn’t look at it right away because I was holding an umbrella. In a synchronistic turn, a similar mishap occurred September 12, 2024. In those days, 3 laps on the “outdoor treadmill” was a good workout.
0912-1746 – Later in the day, the sun turned the morning rain into humidity. I did 42 minutes on the path, with nuisance level dizziness on early laps. The podcast was Introducing Death of an Artist Season 3: Petra Mathers and Her Michael. These two artists in Astoria OR decide to commit suicide at the same time. I made an effort to listen to the entire show … thank satan for the ability to fast-forward through commercials. At the end, I found out there was a series devoted to Petra Mathers.
I found a piece of trash on the path, and decided to go put it in the school dumpster. I found a wooden meter stick while I was there. It was 39.37” long, with 100 centimeters marked off. A meter stick is a cool thing to have, and almost completely useless.
0913-1005 – The walk today did not take place in a church. I did 39:00, with minimal foot dizziness. The entertainment today was Queen: Will the Real Freddie Mercury Please Stand Up? on Disgraceland. The line between fantasy and reality is intentionally blurry. This was especially true for Queen, who started one of their hits by saying “Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality.”
0914-1038 – The walk today was detergent. I did laundry today, and after I got through hanging it out to dry the heat was kicking in. I managed to finish 36 minutes with no dizziness. The show today was Episode 323: The Social Justice Mayor Vs The Social Justice Non-Profit on Blocked and Reported.
Jesse and Katie were reading comments about a problematic bar in Massachusetts. “Read this> … Other Yankee yak from Hampshire College. Played a gig there and got 100% racially profiled by a lesbian who looked like the Twinkie from Sausage Park. … I don’t know what that is, but I like it … because Sausage Party was, I believe, a Seth Rogan vehicle involving Pixar style animation of the contents of a fridge.”
0915-0901 – The walk today was the early bird getting the worm. I did 44 minutes, with no foot problems. The entertainment was EP:61 The Terror Wars Rage On on Darryl Cooper & Scott Horton – Provoked. The Bibi wars have always been discouraging. I only want to hear about them so much.
0916-0941 – The walk today was neo military. Instead of walking on the path, I walked up to The 57th Fighter Group, a neighborhood landmark. I walked back through the Ashford Forest Preserve. My score was 2.41 miles in 1:23:18, with no foot dizziness.
There were 3 shows today. The first was David Crosby: The Folk Singer Who Became an FBI Fugitive on Disgraceland. David Van Cortlandt Crosby was one of the wildest rock and roll animals. Unfortunately, the show was a bit disappointing. It covered some hairy stories, most of which I had heard before. The show finishes as DVCC is going to prison. I have written about DVCC. 102909 082114 080215 101115 012023 010226
The second show was How I “Failed” at OnlyFans on Death, Sex & Money. It kicked in while I was in the parking lot at The 57th, near a magnolia tree fighting kudzu. The show was about “Anna Blake.” She had a difficult childhood, and started an onlyfans account to get a step ahead. The show was not very interesting. I left when DSM was starting one of their notorious seven minute commercial breaks.
“So you’re thinking about starting an OF. Don’t. You will fail. I’ve had an OF for almost five years now. I’m pushing 30 and very much still broke. Please listen to me. I’m a mattress actress and a part of my job is commodifying my sexuality.” … Commodify is a strange word. Is commodify pronounced kuh-MOD-uh-fahy, to make something a commodity? Or is commodify kuh-MOWD-uh-fahy, where you make something a commode? With commercial sexuality, both meanings could apply.
The third show was Tristan Harris on the Anthropic Whistleblower, Elon Musk, and Avoiding AI Catastrophe on Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso. The topic was the ethics of AI, which might be an oxymoron. Several things were explained in a way I had never heard before.
TH: “The large language models which basically was learning to treat everything as a language.” … SF: “You’ve also described AI as basically like taking steroids if the steroids gave you organ failure. TH: “Yeah, this is an important metaphor.”
TH: “The cancer drugs don’t prevent the biological weapons, but the biological weapons can undermine the world that can sustain and reproduce the cancer drugs.” SF: “You often say that you can’t separate the promise from the peril of AI. What does that mean?” TH: “Well, a lot of people they hear all this and they’re just like, “Okay, why can’t we just not do the bad AI? Let’s just do the good AI and just focus on that.” But the promise and the peril are inextricably linked.”
0917-0942 The walk today was fabulous. The weather was cooler, I walked for 50:06 with no foot dizziness. The first podcast was The Four Mrs Wilsons: The Spy Thriller Author with a Real Life to Match on Chameleon. It got boring after a couple of laps, and I switched to Vicki Lawrence on The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan. This show was so much fun. The former Vicki Ann Axelrad has stories about working with Carol Burnett, who always stopped working at 3 pm so she could have dinner at home with her kids. … VL “Doing the show was so much fun. I mean, we really never I don’t remember ever having a stressful day. … We just had a good time cuz that’s what Carol was about. … I really think it really does trickle down from the top. However that person behaves, that’s the way the company runs. … Harvey used to tell me all the time, this doesn’t happen in real showbiz, Vic.”
For more information about my walking problem, please see The Path Journal. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. Russell Lee took the social media picture in September 1937. Children of Olaf Fugelberg waiting for dinner. Williams County, North Dakota.
©Luther Mckinnon 2026 · selah
Francis Scott Key
This content was published September 24, 2012. … There is a terrific Backstory episode about the War of 1812. (Here is another one.) This is a conflict that is not much thought about, even during its bicentennial. It was not a good war for people of color. Native tribes fought with the British in Michigan, and were soundly defeated.
Perhaps the most famous product of the War of 1812 is The Star Spangled Banner, a.k.a. the national anthem. There are a few legends about writing this song that skeptical bloggers like to shoot down. At the 43 minute mark of the backstory episode, another aspect of TSSB is discussed.
It seems as though slaves were escaping their owners, and fighting with the British. Washington lawyer Francis Scott Key was a slave owner, and thought that the slaves would be better off with their owners. This is the sentiment behind the third verse of TSSB: “No refuge could save the hireling and slave · From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave · And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph doth wave · O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.”
The image of F.S. Key has been cleaned up over the years. This biography omits the third verse of TSSB, and does not mention his slaves.
Wikipedia told another story in 2012. “President Jackson nominated Key for United States Attorney for the District of Columbia in 1833. … In 1836, Key prosecuted New York doctor Reuben Crandall, brother of controversial Connecticut school teacher Prudence Crandall, for “seditious libel” for possessing a trunk full of anti-slavery publications in his Georgetown residence. In a trial that attracted nationwide attention, Key charged that Crandall’s actions had the effect of instigating enslaved people to rebel. Crandall’s attorneys acknowledged he opposed slavery but denied any intent or actions to encourage rebellion. In his final address to the jury, Key said “Are you willing gentleman to abandon your country, to permit it to be taken from you, and occupied by the abolitionist, according to whose taste it is to associate and amalgamate with the negro? Or gentleman, on the other hand, are there laws in this community to defend you from the immediate abolitionist, who would open upon you the floodgates of such extensive wickedness and mischief?” Crandall was acquitted.”
The Huffington Post has a story about F.S. Key, ‘Land of the Free?’ Francis Scott Key, Composer of National Anthem, Was Defender of Slavery. … “Buying and selling humans remained a respectable business in Washington City. The slave holding elite of the south had a majority in the Congress and a partner in President Andrew Jackson … To reassert the rule of law, Key set out to crack down on the anti-slavery men and their “incendiary publications.” Informants had reported to the grand jury about an abolitionist doctor from New York who was living in Georgetown. Key charged Rueben Crandall with bringing a trunk full of anti-slavery publications into the city.
In the spring of 1836, Key’s prosecution of Rueben Crandall was a national news story. In response, the American Antislavery Society circulated a broadsheet denouncing Washington as “The Slave Market of America.” The abolitionists needled Key for the hypocrisy of using his patriotic fame to defend tyranny in the capital: “Land of the Free… Home of the Oppressed.”
Key shrugged off his critics. In front of the courtroom crowded with Congressmen and correspondents Key waxed eloquent and indignant at the message of the abolitionists. “They declare that every law which sanctions slavery is null and void… ” Key told the jury. “That we have no more rights over our slaves than they have over us. Does not this bring the constitution and the laws under which we live into contempt? Is it not a plain invitation to resist them?” … Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. Arthur Rothstein took the social media picture in October 1936. “Rehabilitation client repays loan. Smithfield, North Carolina” ©Luther Mckinnon 2026 · selah
Dragon Con Parade
This content was posted September 2, 2017. … Labor Day Saturday got off to a shaky start. I put the recharged battery in the camera, and noticed a white line on the monitor. A quick test shot was made, and the picture viewed on the computer. The white line is not on the picture.
Next was the fare machine at the marta station. I do not ride very often, and load the breeze card on a need-to-know basis. The fare machine was cranky, which is normal. All I had was a ten dollar bill, and the machine gives change in Susan B. Anthony coins. I did learn one secret of the turnstile. When the sign says to tap your card, that means to hold it flat against the pad for half a second.
The ride into town was unusually crowded for saturday morning. Of course, labor day saturday is not a normal day in Atlanta. There is Dragon Con, Black Gay Pride, and some kind of college football super game. It is a good day to stay in Brookhaven, but I let myself get talked into this.
The plan was to meet at the north end of the marta north avenue station, in the food court. Little did I know that the station had been renovated, and the food court was closed. Of greater concern was the fact that Uzi was not there. A phone call was made, then another, then a text message. Uzi was at the south end of the station. The stress level was manageable.
The d-con parade … d con is a form of rodent poison, which somehow seems to fit this event … had already started. The idea was to walk down west peachtree a few blocks, and maybe it would be less crowded on peachtree when you walk up there. While it may have been marginally less crowded in the hospital-and-wino district, it was still packed. You can only see so much of the parade from the fifth row of the crowd, with or without big hair in front.
So the parade happened. There were starship troopers, barnyard poopers, medieval wenches, confederate trenches, loudspeakers playing the star wars theme, blondes making the team, ghost busters, crop dusters, trekkies, beckys, vlad the impaler, chad the inhaler, Lucy, Desi, Thurston, Lovie, Andy, Opie, and any other fantasy the costume cowboys can hot glue together.
On cue, towards the end of the circus, the jesus people came down the sidewalk, denouncing the harlots on television. The harlots walking down peachtree ignored them, as did most of the crowd. These idiots live for someone to pay them the compliment of arguing. When you wrestle with a hog, you get dirty, and the pig has a good time. Remember that the next time someone tells you about antifa versus the tiki torch bois.
Finally it was time to get on marta, and ride back to civilization. On the north line, you have one job. You get on the north springs red train, or you get on the doraville gold train. It is not complicated, except for today. The first train to come through did not have signs, indicating the destination. Nor did the conductor make announcements. I somehow figured out that it was a red train, and that I would need to get off at lindbergh station. The next train to doraville had signs, and made regular announcements. The car waits in the parking lot undisturbed. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. Russell Lee took the social media picture in September 1937. “Children of Olaf Fugelberg waiting for dinner. Williams County, North Dakota” ©Luther Mckinnon 2026 · selah
Race Rot
This content was published September 15, 2023. … America clearly has a problem with people of different colors living together. One way to view this racial dysfunction is as one problem, rather than competitive hating of wokeness and racism. This approach does not offer any easy solutions. We need to treat people with kindness and respect, no matter what adjective you put in front of people. As Rodney King said, “can we all get along?”
I recently wrote about Flannery O’Connor. She was a gifted storyteller, who posthumously run afoul of “whiteness studies and critical race theory.” The story cited an essay by Alice Walker, who grew up in Eatonton GA, a few miles up hwy 441 from Andalusia. “The magic, the wit, and the mystery of Flannery O’Connor I know I will always love. I also know the meaning of the expression “Take what you can use and let the rest rot.” If ever there was an expression designed to protect the health of the spirit, this is it.” We can call this dysfunction Race Rot.
One of the nastier parts of Race Rot is name calling. There are a pair of six letter slurs. One starts with r, one ends in r. One I am forbidden to say, while the other I am forbidden to not say. The mentionable slur is racist. You know what the other one is. We would be better off not using either six letter slur. People enjoy using six-letter slurs, so this is not going to happen anytime soon.
I am a certified white person, of Scottish and Irish descent. I am from Georgia. My great-grandfather fought for the Georgia State Troops, in the War Between the States. This affects the way in which I approach Race Rot. I see that racism is a problem, and find the bungling efforts at fighting racism … aka wokeness … to be incredibly annoying.
The problems with racism affect millions of people every day. One could reasonably ask, what is wrong with being against racism? The problem is not that you are fighting racism, but the way you are doing it. The trouble with wokeness includes disrespect, flakey logic, indifference to collateral damage, inflammatory rhetoric, hypocrisy, and a host of other micro/macro aggressions.
This is not a comprehensive look at Race Rot. There are many layers to this onion. Racism and wokeness (RAW) are only part of the picture. The story of Black and White has many shades of gray. We could spend hours talking about Race Rot, and only be more angry and confused when we are done. The best thing to do now is present some photographs, from The Library of Congress. Marion Post Wolcott took the social media picture in June 1940. “Home demonstration club meeting has games and refreshments after discussion. La Delta Project, Thomastown, Louisiana”
We are all God’s children, not a walking six-letter slur. Be kind to each one. Please don’t shout. ©Luther Mckinnon 2026 · selah
Sdrawkcab Is Backwards Backwards
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This is your monday morning reader for labor day. The pictures are from Michigan factories in September 1942. America was at war, and industrial muscle was her superpower. · Labor Day is the first monday of September. The Little 5 Poetry Bash met on the first monday. One of those events happened yesterday. · @FatherRedMcgee Is anyone else ridiculously horny today or is it just me? @chamblee54 google says the opposite of ridiculous is reasonable I am reasonably horny, which doesn’t have the same punch · How did Hamas know how to disable those systems? I cannot rule out that they had some help from Mossad. · @AntounAnanias Tony Hanania I witnessed Oct 7th at first-hand from the 2nd highest block near my apartment in Rimal, then examined the Nova site, and photographed what actually happened. Cf my earlier post with link to my Medium article in English. The narrative sold to the West is a total stitch-up. Cockpit footage leaked from the 14 Apaches that made two passes from about 2pm, firing missiles and belt machine guns indiscriminately, along with footage of Merkava 5 tanks firing, reveals the source of the mass slaughter of civilians and the total destruction of 1000 vehicles, leaving only charred, unrecognisable bodies. This was a deliberate deception to legitimate the long-planned Genocide and Settlement of Gaza. · Jon Ossoff is on a roll. He is favored to win re-election easily. There are people urging him to run for President in 2028. Hopefully, his campaign slogan will not be a vulgar joke about his name. · Sdrawkcab is backwards backwards. The spell check suggestion of Sdrawkcab is Drawback. · “He needs to thank Dershowitz for waiting, until everybody knows this war is a complete and total disaster, to debate you.” Actually, Bibi’s dream war is only a 30% disaster at this point. IDK what the complete version will look like. · Canned Entertainment Product the 911 edition of the path journal, is now available. · The text is not that great today, but the pictures are. · Saud Bin Bandar Bin Abdulaziz · give emotion a job a hobby or a habit … the job tonight is to make my camera work. Idk what emotion this is, so i will assign it to curiosity. The first thing to do is to unplug the camera, and plug it back in, which seems to work. i will just call that curiosity,although frustration will go just as well… the microphone seems to be functioning, so there is that… earlier today the tv set needed to be unplugged and plugged, which got the device to working. Unfortunately, the falcons needed a lot more than disconnect/connect. It may be a long season · Pictures today are from The Library of Congress Jack Delano took the social media picture in November 1941. “Boyd Jones doing his arithmetic lesson at the blackboard in the Alexander Community School in Greene County, Georgia.” ©Luther Mckinnon 2026 · selah
Wilbur
This content was posted September 12, 2024. … It could have been written today. Two years ago I was doing similar things. Walking on the path, and having problems with android media players. Both situations have gotten better overall, but still have days of not working. Today, I was listening to a story, and something switched to a man talking about woodworking. I couldn’t look at the phone, because I was holding an umbrella. The only thing left to do is try again later.
090924 – 10:32 It is day 6 of the new phone. Since it is monday morning, I downloaded Blocked and Reported. Today is a preview of a paid episode. Is monday morning is about to change? Paying for Jesse and Katie is out of the question.
The path has become my outdoor treadmill. I went out for a few laps, and put BAR on the headphones. The parade did not get out of the front yard before the noise started to cut off. After several experiments … is it the ear buds, the bluetooth, the show, the music player on the phone, the pockets of the cargo shorts … I walked my laps, and went inside.
The Muzio music player had other issues, so I decided to try downloading another one. Then the ear buds came in. Airbuds are another recent purchase. I have not made friends with this contraption. Airbuds feature a sensitive button, and if you adjust the buds incorrectly, the sound will cut off. If you touch this button the wrong way, to turn it back on, you go to the next track it wants to play. This is not going to work. I put my aging JBL buds back in.
After all these adjustments, the part of BAR that Jesse will allow played without incident. The paywall kicked in during a discussion of Darryl Cooper … a subject that has become boring. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. John Vachon took the social media picture in February 1942.
“Meeker County, Minnesota. Washing up for dinner on Pat McRaith’s farm.” ©Luther Mckinnon 2026 · selah
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