Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Saturday, February 10. 2018

“On Not Being a Dove”

In 1989, John Updike relfected on his political experiences during Vietnam: Long Read of the Week: “On Not Being a Dove” by John Updike (1989)



 It pained and embarrassed me to be out of step with my magazine and literary colleagues, with the bronzed and almost universally “antiwar” summer denizens of Martha’s Vineyard (including Feiffer and the fiery Lillian Hellman), and with many of my dearest friends back home in Ipswich, including my wife. How had I come to such an awkward pass? 


Posted by Bird Dog in History at 16:33 | Comments (3) | Trackbacks (0)

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I read this out loud to the Mrs. who loved it as we disappeared back in time to the events described. I always check in with Gerard and here as well, so b/w the 2 I'm well-served.
I was there and I DO remember. As Jordan Petersen would say, we are in the zone of proximal development, as usual.
#1 Mark on 2018-02-10 23:58 (Reply)
He is right to use quote marks for "anti-war".

The enemy was bankrolled by the Soviet Union which had two embassies (one for UN) and a few consulates in the USA.

Number of times "anti-war" people picketed one of them: zero.

Number of times the Soviets role was criticized by "anti-war" media: zero.
#2 JamesG on 2018-02-11 11:44 (Reply)
I had never before been in countries where people were afraid of their own government—where everything, in a sense, every motion of the mind and heart and pen, was politics.

This sentence jumped out at me as I read it. Now in America everything is politicized but, more ominously, we too fear our own government. Maybe not for losing our passports but in myriad other ways to include unpopular political speech and thought.

This was a great piece by Updike. Thanks for posting it.
#3 Mike on 2018-02-11 20:39 (Reply)

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