In which I argue that great pro-war literature doesn’t exist, including “The iliad” and “War and Peace.” (Both works are magnificent; I just don’t see them as pro-war.)
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Tag Archives: Joseph Heller
Great Pro-War Literature Doesn’t Exist
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Charge of the Light Brigade", Alfred Lord Tennyson, anti-war literature, Catch 22, Donald Trump, Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Homer, Iliad, Leo Tolstoy, Naked and the Dead, Norman Mailer, Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien, war, War and Peace Comments closed
The God-Given Freedom to Mooch
Nevada cattle rancher Cliven Bundy resembles the farmer in “Catch-22” who complains about the government except when it pays him not to grow crops.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Bureau of Land Management, Catch 22, Cliven Bundy, grazing fees Comments closed
Rugged Self Reliance w/Government Help
Often those most reliant on government help spend the most time talking about self reliance.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Catch 22, government aid, Libertarianism, self reliance, Tea Party Comments closed
Only Comic Satire Can Do NRA Justice
It takes a Joseph Heller or a Jonathan Swift to capture the craziness of the NRA.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Catch 22, Gulliver's Travels, gun control, Jonathan Swift, NRA, politics Comments closed
Mitt Minderbinder, Cynicism Unlimited
Mitt Romney would find a kindred soul in Joseph Heller’s cynical entrepreneur Milo Minderbinder.
Steinbeck on Why the Rich Are Unhappy
Steinbeck and the Beowulf poet both point out that piling up wealth does not lead to happiness.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Beowulf, Grapes of Wrath, greedy kings, John Steinbeck, Kurt Vonnegut, wealthy Americans Comments closed
Catch-22, Election Edition
“Catch 22” captures a number of the contradictions in the 2012 election.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Afghanistan War, Catch 22, Election 2012, voter suppression Comments closed
Pakistan’s Secret Service as Minderbinder
The crazy logic of Milo Minderbinder in Joseph Heller’s “Catch 22” shows up in Pakistan’s Secret Service using funds donated by the U.S. to hire terrorists to attack the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.