Maggie's Farm

Diane Lane of Lonesome Dove fame among others.

What a pure ,honest,no pretensions look she has.

Boy, you folks know how to pick out candidates. So far all of the candidates have been gems, the authors non ideologically driven scholarship a tribute to them in todays world and their topics supurb.

With regard to Mr Steele's essay Iwould offer a few observations. At 17 I read Sigmund Freud's "The Interpretation of Dreams" and followed that with "The Four Fundamental Concepts of Psychoanalysis" So ,not having yet read any Jung I was now firmly in the Freudian camp. I remain in that camp, perhaps no longer at headquarters, but still in camp.

How this plays out in the Steele essay is that it doesn't. I believe the emasculation and susequent fiminization of white men in our society has played a far bigger role than it is credited for something Shelby does not touch on. The sixites saw the beginning of it in a very ,very aggressive assault by the leaders of the various feminist movements. Men suddenly confirmed their neanderthal nature (according to the 'new woman) by performing acts long associated in our society with"being a gentleman", ie. opening a car door, lighting a cigarette, in fact performing most of the courtesies afforded women by men prior to that time.

Over time more men became accustom to it, accustom to "competeing against women, and then de jure being deselected from job opportunities due to their male sex.
The glass ceiling had not been broken but the rungs on the latter to that cealing were now heavy with mascara and lipstick stained.

Then women in combat. I needn't list the changes, we are all familiar with them. The regnant point is that men were relegated, by law to a behaviorlal change not dictated by custom or natural selection. Men are bigger,stronger, more naturally aggressive, and war like than women. Those roles were outlawed and men over the next four decades became more feminine, understanding, nurturing, all of the traditional and evolutionary characteristics of women.

The result today is a country that not only carries the white guilt that Shelby Steele points to but does so with a dust mop and kitchen apron on. I'm not convinced that the fairly new saying, "If Momma ain't happy, then no one's happy"
has merit in a nation that aspires to power. Women are not, nor should they be in the vanguard of the killing that has forever and will forever continue among nations. That has not been their historical nor natural role. Effective killing in the savage mode of hand to hand combat is also not the place for a subliminally effeminate male fighting force or in the Joint Chiefs of Staff, nor as equally subliminally impressed Executive Branch and Congress.

The feiminization of the United States is a component, more subtle, more devistating than we are willing to understand or acknowledge, and it is a component in preventing us from going directly in for the kill. We have the tools, we do not have the will.

Jep,

Many thanks..I downloaded them and after I finish the growing list of Saturday honey-do's I'll give 'em a read.

I agree totally about Diane Lane ..what a honey ...I always hope in my heart that women who look as good as she does also have nice, wonderful , easy going, fun dispositions........nothing is worse than a shrew.