The Binary Circumstance

David Guterson’s latest novel, Our Lady of the Forest, is scheduled for release around October 1st. As it deals with the subject of faith and visions of the Virgin Mary, I’m interested to see how well it does. I have found two very positive reviews, one by David Walton for the Tribune-Review and another by Randy Michael Signor for the Chicago Sun-Times.

But when the Chicago Sun-Times titles their review “‘Our Lady’ Redeems Guterson’s Early Promise,” I have to think that these early pre-publication reviews are all part of the marketing campaign. After all, the book is supposed to be about faith and redemption; why not suggest that Guterson’s faith in his own talent redeemed him and could potentially redeem readers as well. The Walton review seems to wallow in the sentimental notion that words alone (particularly Guterson’s) can lead us to a better world. One only need to remember the power that Adolf Hitler’s words had on the masses to see that words, in and of themselves, are no guarantee of a better world. It’s the ideas that count.

I will not be buying this book based on faith.

UPDATE 11/20/2003: Our Lady of the Forest has been selling well; holding pretty steadily in the top 1000 books on Amazon.com. Currently, it is listed at a 40% discount to the cover price. The customer reviews on Amazon seem polarized with readers either really liking the book or being very disappointed in it. It only has an average rating of three stars. Use the link below to read the reviews or to take advantage of the discount.

For more to think about when it comes to the recently extended tours of duty for the reserve troops in Iraq, read here, here, and here.

The Bush administration does not have a monopoly on distortion and lies. See my previous posting about Federal Judge Nottingham’s decision on the national do-no-call list for more distortions.

Distortions go hand in hand with mystical thinking; mystical thinking is by definition a distortion of reality.

That said, how does Bush expect to keep our troops motivated to fight for freedom when he as their commander-in-chief keeps robbing them, their families and their communities of the opportunity to plan for their own lives.

Another Federal judge has blocked the national do-not-call list. In the context of our legal system, his logic is totally bizarre:

Nottingham said the do-not-call list was unconstitutional under the First Amendment because it does not apply equally to all kinds of speech, blocking commercial telemarketing calls but not calls from charities. ”The FTC has chosen to entangle itself too much in the consumer’s decision by manipulating consumer choice,” Nottingham wrote.

Every single law that our government passes manipulates consumer choice, including all the laws that say that citizens must use the court system that employs Judge Nottingham, as opposed to another court system or no court system at all. The FDA regularly tells consumers what they can and cannot put into their own bodies. Every time you get a tax bill, you must pay it or be punished; that manipulates consumer choice by telling us that we must use the services of the government whether we want them or not. Congress, the courts, and special interests have conspired to do away with consumer choice in every aspect of our economy; why should a judge be concerned about protecting choice when it comes to telemarketing phone calls?

If he blocks the do-not-call list then consumers won’t have a choice about how their own phone lines are used. That blocks consumer choice.

This has got to be the most profoundly irrational and stupid decision I’ve seen in a long time. But we’re still forced to pay this man a salary. No consumer choice there!