Davis Heresies and Seditions

Intelligent Nonsense, Wicked Satire and Tragic Jest
1. Auflage 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4835-2942-4
Verlag: BookBaby
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 181 Seiten

HERESIES AND SEDITIONS can best be described as intelligent fun. It generally avoids the standard narcotizing narrative of popular fiction and should appeal to readers with a sense of humor who aren't afraid of the literature of ideas. In addition to the cultural, political and literary satire, there are portions of the book that can be called philosophical satire, somewhat in the tradition of Mark Twain's 'The Mysterious Stranger.' Since some of the topics I deal with are potentially depressing, I have chosen to treat them in a humorous or fanciful way that expresses sobering truths without dispiriting the reader. The 'heresies' part of the title refers to writings on themes drawn from esoteric religions, especially Gnosticism.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Davis, Bill

Leseproben

THE BOOK OF MAMMON And it came to pass in those days, after all the covenants, and the mergers, and the fleecings of the flocks, that a prophet arose, and spake unto the multitude these words, saying, Rejoice, the time of jubilation is at hand, for we have scattered our enemies, that have sinned against the right. For the Eagle, feeding on the cold meat of prosperity, hath prevailed against the Bear. Verily, with the aid of Mammon we have subdued the indigent nations, that we honor the Princes of Iniquity, who persecute their people, lest the restless many rise up against the prosperous few. Thus have we invoked a doctrine of shock, and shackled those-that-hath-not with oppressive decrees, to put the squeeze on them. Nor pityeth we them, nor forgiveth their abominations, nor their debts, for the dread oppressor IMFAWB hath got them by the short hairs. Henceforth harsh austerities have befallen them, and doth kill them with unkindness, while their miseries mount. And they durst not complain, lest we clobber them with the weapons of righteousness. For behold, we have punished the defiant and burned them to blackness. And our sanctions have afflicted them with plagues and famines, that their children perish like paschal lambs. For Mammon hath provided us with weapons of fiendish cunning, that we smiteth our foes from afar, and gladden our merciless allies in Zion. Yea, even now our armies bivouac under foreign stars, having anointed their swords with the blood of the heathen of Bozrah and Babylon. And our encroachments have sown fear among the nations, that we might obtain full spectrum dominance over all. Neither is our malevolence made known, for our scribes are passing shrewd, that in their daily chronicles they nameth victims of our evil evildoers. And they do publish deceit throughout the land, and spinneth truth, and the people have no mouth. But let us now praise the beloved of Mammon, the Blessed Elite, who with the aid of the Makers of Law, sticketh it to the workers. Praise to the Lords of Usury, who with guile and deception cheat the unwary out of their homes. Sing we psalms to the Masters of War, who perform unspeakable sorcery inside a pentagon, for all is just in service rendered unto Mammon. Laud we the Profiteers and Merchants of Desolation, whose coffers swell with riches, that stinketh as the bodies of the slain. Glorify we those who hold dominion over the treasures of the earth, that they swilleth the gravy and skimmeth the cream, of the wheat of the field, and the belly of the swine, and the oil of the rock, and the metal of the mine. And their pollutions shall lie long upon the land. Whereupon they do supplicate Mammon that he maintain them in their ascendancy, yea, and exalt him in their temples and palaces, and on the Street of Walls, where towers built to honor him reach to the heavens. For this their foremost deity, whose gaze is always downward bent, hath ruled that the multitude suffer, so that pigs might wallow in pelf. But be of good cheer, O my people, for though thou drudgeth like beasts of burden, and dwelleth in wretchedness, and hath not a shekel to thy name, yet shalt thou be appareled in raiment of gold, and feast upon pie in the sky when thou diest. For the Lord in his goodness and mercy shall one day snuff us all. But fear thou not the day of wrath, for the righteous shall be raised in rapture, while the unworthy perish like flies in a furnace. Until then, be thou obedient unto the Priests of the Temple of Mammon, for they are powerful beyond measure, and in no wise shalt thou offend them. Neither shalt thou harken unto those who mock the Prophets of Profit, nor believeth their prevarications, for they telleth not the truth, and speaketh falsehood, and lieth in what they sayeth. For they nameth holy lucre filthy, though it be cleanly as the water and the air. And their inheritance shall be as the dung of camels. For it is written that whosoever hath, to him shall more be given, but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even a pot to pisseth in. An apocryphal fragment of ancient scripture recently found in a bomb crater in the Middle East.   ANOTHER MODEST PROPOSAL Congressional Record — October 10, 20__ (Senate) Senator Buford J. Vile (R) TX. Mr. President, fellow senators, I rise today to speak on a subject of great concern, that is, capital punishment. As you all know, the death penalty has been in force since 1976 when the Supreme Court reinstated it after a decade long moratorium. I refer to the laudable Gregg Decision, which upheld its constitutionality in the great states of Texas, Georgia and Florida. Utah reinstated it in 1977 with the putting down, by firing squad, of Gary Gilmore. Since then, the majority of states have resumed executions, and over a thousand convicts have been given their just deserts. Most of us here have seen the need to get tough on crime and to come down hard on those dregs of society who commit the most heinous and malicious crimes. And we have seen the need to come down especially hard on those who commit “murder one.” By the way, I’m well aware of the highly specious argument that capital punishment ought to be discontinued because of the negligible chance that innocent folks might be put to death. Without getting embroiled in this wrangle, I’ll just say that fortunately the majority has ruled on the side of rectitude, and executions are again taking place at a tolerable pace. Despite these encouraging signs, I think it can be agreed by both parties that we haven’t advanced far enough, for even though executions have resumed in recent years we’re still a long way from the numbers we had in former times. (I might add that Texas has contributed more than its fair share with over 450 executions since 1992!) This is not to disparage the mostly commendable endeavors of the Supreme Court or of our many pro-death penalty allies. And while there are some indications that the public is leaning to a less favorable view on this topic, most continue to support the ultimate penalty. As for those who haven’t come over to our way of thinking, let us pray that God grants them the wisdom to see the light. For does it not say in the Good Book: “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and a life for a life”? As to my own part, having turned my thoughts for many years upon this important matter, I have come to the conclusion that merely having resolved the moral question of capital punishment per se is not enough, and would like to suggest that the major issue facing us today relating to this subject is its costliness. I’m referring, in part, to the long-drawn-out and expensive judicial processes associated with capital cases, especially in regard to habeas corpus appeals which can be used as legal tactics to delay executions indefinitely. And even though the Court has placed limitations on a death row prisoner’s right to file such appeals, the financial squeeze on both federal and state economies is still, in my opinion, excessive. Just to give an example, one state has squandered nearly $37 million to execute only five offenders! That, I contend, is fiscally as well as morally unconscionable. A frequently heard argument in favor of the death penalty is that it’s cheaper to kill a jailbird than to give him room and board for life. Well, that may be true as a general rule but it isn’t always the case, and the costs of putting away criminals are not paltry, as I intend to show. An often overlooked detail pertaining to expenditures is the fact that execution devices (I mean the hardware) can be pricey. I’ve spoken with a gentleman, a man whose patriotic virtues I highly esteem, who deals in these contrivances, and he told me his least expensive gear, a lethal injection system, goes for around $60,000. But don’t be fooled by this seemingly low outlay, because that’s just for the machine itself. A complete lethal injection facility at a prison can end up costing several million dollars. Further ongoing expenses inflate the bottom line. And bear in mind that electric chairs, gas chambers and gallows, which are still on hand as alternative methods in many states, all have significantly high initial and ongoing expenditures. I might add, just in passing, that the most cost-effective of all methods is the firing squad. Oklahoma continues to authorize its use as an option. Utah, sad to say, has discontinued this form of blood atonement, although they will make allowances for lawbreakers who requested it before the ban went into effect. The modus operandi of this practice is simplicity itself. The transgressor is strapped in a chair, a hood is placed over his head and a paper target pinned to his chest. Five marksmen are utilized and all they have to do is take aim and fire. The expense to the state is minuscule. But I digress…. Another detail to consider in regard to disbursements is the cost of maintenance needed to keep the authorized instruments of retribution in good working order. In many states they have deteriorated due to age and overuse, and skilled technicians are hard to come by. When such can be found, their fees, as you might expect, are steep. An additional cost factor is the expenditure of training the prison personnel who carry out the punishments. I needn’t tell my esteemed colleagues how distasteful a botched execution can be. There have been occasions, for example, of decapitations at hangings (in the case of obese offenders) and other instances where the convict actually had to plead with the hangman to take him up and drop...