A Naturalist Looks at Avatar
Douglas Herman
2010-01-12 04:00
Exclusive to STR
Maybe you’ve seen the first billion dollar movie. Maybe you saw it in 3-D, at an IMAX theater, with Dolby Surround Sound. Maybe you saw that movie and wondered what James Cameron was trying to say, if anything, and whether it was just another popcorn matinee movie with little substance behind the special effects.
Avatar might be one of those movies discussed in...
Does the American Empire Deserve to Die?
Douglas Herman
2009-11-01 17:00
Exclusive to STR
November 2, 2009
I’m halfway through a reflective book written by an old curmudgeon. Part patriot, part historian, all gadfly, Gore Vidal wrote Imperial America: Reflections on the United States of Amnesia in 2004, just before the upcoming national elections. Almost a time capsule coupled with dire prophecy, the book is a sober,...
Once I Was Your Candy Colored Dream Girl
Douglas Herman
2009-01-12 17:00
Exclusive to STR
I was once the dazzling dream girl of a hundred million beating hearts. All aglow and glittering, I was the sweet little roadster desired by a restless middle class on the move and craving motion. I was the gleaming Buick, Ford or Chevy chariot that blazed across the landscape. I was the gaudy, popsicle-colored Chrysler, Caddy, Pontiac or De Soto that made grown men smile with...
JFK and Obama--Profiles in Courage and Cowardice
Douglas Herman
2008-12-21 17:00
I became an adult sometime in June, 1968. I was 18 and had just graduated from high school. Upon turning 18, the state demanded I register for the draft. The Vietnam War was more than five years old and LBJ demanded more troops for Southeast Asia. Like millions of other young, American men, I was cannon fodder for an enormous, immoral and wasteful foreign folly.
Three prominent US leaders...
Seeing the Maverick$ and Magician$ from Monticello
Douglas Herman
2008-10-09 16:00
The views from Monticello are spectacular. Thomas Jefferson called one panoramic vista his 'sea view.' I suppose if Jefferson were alive today he would view the ongoing banking scandal with extreme disgust bordering on an outright declaration of war. Seems Thomas Jefferson himself suffered similar swindles first hand. I visited Monticello while in Virginia recently. I toured the house and...
When Weather Changes History in 21st Century America
Douglas Herman
2008-09-28 16:00
Sarah Palin named her daughter after Bristol Bay. More than a thousand commercial fishing boats gather in Bristol Bay, Alaska every summer to harvest the richest source of wild salmon on earth. Thanks to the skillful management of the resource by the Alaska Department of Fish & Game, enough salmon escape upstream every year to allow tens of millions to return the following years. Bristol Bay...
When Weather Changes History in 21st Century America
Douglas Herman
2008-09-12 16:00
Exclusive to STR
September 13, 2008
When weather changes world history, humans scramble like frightened ants. Consider the storm that sunk and scattered the Spanish Armada. Or the bitter cold and snowstorms that ravaged the ill-prepared German Army at Stalingrad. Or the series of powerful hurricanes that devastated the southeastern United States these last few years.
Shaft the Navy, Stiff the Nation, Start a War?
Douglas Herman
2008-09-01 16:00
Dear Senator McCain, (perhaps soon to be Hail-To-The-Chief): I write this letter as a fellow US veteran and fellow Arizonan.
With only a few days to go until the big top, I imagine you are giddy with excitement. Like a kid in a candy store with an insatiable craving for sugar.
From where I sit, this contest could go either way. Not that I have a pony in this race, so to speak, but I have a vested...
Who Threatens You Most: The President, Congress, Fed--Or Iran?
Douglas Herman
2008-07-21 16:00
Some day in the not-too-distant future, someone will pen a book called Who Wrecked America ? If the book is honest, fingers will be pointed at the crooks and liars in Washington DC and Wall Street, at lobbyists (pimps) and Congressmen (whores), at bankers and war toy makers, at AIPAC and PNAC, at presidents, executives and generals.
Doubtful that anyone will conclude that Iran had much to do with...
Castaway in Hollywood
Douglas Herman
2008-06-16 16:00
Exclusive to STR
June 17, 2008
'We all live in a little Village . . . . Your village may be different from other people's villages but we are all prisoners.' ~ Patrick McGoohan (The Prisoner) I was sitting on a gold mine. Three top movie scripts and six, really good Reality TV shows, plus one quirky, fictional crime novel that, ironically, came true two years later, a rarity among crime novels...
Faces of Truth vs. Faces of Liars
Douglas Herman
2008-06-01 16:00
June 2, 2008
'At fifty, everyone has the face he deserves.' ~ George Orwell
Perhaps you heard that Norman Finkelstein got arrested. The former professor of disgraced DePaul University traveled to Israel , where authorities without any real authority had him arrested, interrogated and then deported.
The Means and Methods of a Modern Thoreau
Douglas Herman
2008-05-13 16:00
May 14, 2008
The other day I was talking with my dear friend Annie about Thoreau. We were discussing what it means to be a success in America . Imagine, I said, what his fellow townsfolk must have thought, when they read how Thoreau described himself.
'For many years I was a self-appointed inspector of snowstorms and rainstorms and did my duty faithfully, though I never received payment for it...
Smarter Than a Rothschild or a British Prime Minister?
Douglas Herman
2008-03-19 17:00
March 20, 2008
"Financially, the US is not an independent country." ~ Paul Craig Roberts
Gold surpassed $1000 on Friday, March 14, to the collective silence of the financial advisors and investment columnists of the mainstream US media. When the economic gurus of the MSM missed the predictable, seven year rise of precious metals, their ignorance was obvious.
What Do You Need to Survive?
Douglas Herman
2008-02-24 17:00
February 25, 2008
'Forewarned, forearmed; to be prepared is half the victory.' ~ Cervantes
Ask yourself: what do you personally need to survive in case of an economic meltdown, in case of sudden hyperinflation, a global resource blockade, a sudden declaration of martial law--or a simple nuclear exchange resulting in national panic?
The Controlled Demolition of the American Republic
Douglas Herman
2007-03-20 17:00
March 21, 2007
'The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.' ~ Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke, an Englishman of Irish birth, anarchist by inclination, is considered the father of Anglo-American conservatism (a defunct, nearly extinct sect) and also one of the earliest anarchist thinkers and supporter of the American revolution. Few such men exist today in Anglo-...
The First Annual Liberty Internet Awards
Douglas Herman
2007-03-15 17:00
March 16, 2007
"In many ways, what we in journalism need is a spine transplant." ~ Dan Rather
The first Oscar ceremony (1927-28) was a modest affair. Now look at it. Hollywood spends far more time and money lavishing praise on itself than making good movies. That gold-plated statuette is as coveted as the crown jewels.
What Was Asked of Us
Douglas Herman
2007-03-06 17:00
Exclusive to STR
March 7, 2007
"I found myself in a highly civilized world ignoring the Vietnam War . . . . Nobody I knew even talked about Vietnam, making it a very difficult situation to return to." ~ Oliver Stone, movie director and Vietnam veteran
Aftermath: Day 2, the War With Iran
Douglas Herman
2007-01-30 17:00
In the first fierce day of war, when coordinated air strikes on Iranian targets destroyed most of the Iranian air force and navy, the US military appeared invincible again. Wrecking a second-rate military power does that for an imperial war machine.
By the second day of the war, however, most American and Iranian citizens wished for peace. Unfortunately, wars are always easier to get into than...
What Is the 'Root' of Evil?
Douglas Herman
2007-01-02 17:00
January 3, 2007
'There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.' ~ Thoreau
Lake dweller Henry David Thoreau enjoyed an enviable, pastoral life in the pre-industrial age. Living in the woods on the shore of the 60 acre Walden Pond, a mile from the village of Concord, Massachusetts , Henry had ample time to dwell on the topic of good and evil.
Voting: Placebo Or Drug of Choice?
Douglas Herman
2006-10-15 16:00
"Choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil." ~ Jerry Garcia
So you have a choice, Americans. You can vote and hope your votes get counted, properly recorded by those electronic black boxes. You can vote and convince yourself you have performed your "patriotic duty." You can vote and pick some candidate you know very little about. You can vote and feel really, really, really good...
These Are the Troops I Support
Douglas Herman
2006-07-24 16:00
'The Republican Party has been reduced to one principle ' its own power. It protects the Bush regime from accountability and covers up its lies and misdeeds. Under the myths and lies that enshroud 9/11, the Democrats have collapsed as an opposition party.' ~ Paul Craig Roberts
The US mainstream media, from time to time, projects New York Senator Hillary Clinton and Secretary of State Condaleeza...
These Are the Troops I Support
Douglas Herman
2006-05-24 16:00
'Wherever you can look - wherever there's a fight, so hungry people can eat, I'll be there. Wherever there's a cop beatin' up a guy, I'll be there. I'll be in the way guys yell when they're mad . . . .' ~ Tom Joad, The Grapes of Wrath
I used to think I was the only oddball in the military, the only malcontent, the only dissident, the only 'bad troop,' as they used to say.
Revolt in the Ranks? Be VERY Careful, Neocon
Douglas Herman
2006-05-14 16:00
A few weeks ago, about the same time those high-ranking US generals were stating-- emphatically--their displeasure with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and the conduct of the war in Iraq, Military.com ran a story on the Internet'Wounded Soldiers Left in Debt.
Two Cheers for Immigrants
Douglas Herman
2006-05-09 16:00
I love immigrants. I hope to marry one someday. Since 100% of Americans are immigrants or descended from immigrants, either legal or 'illegal' ones, I guess that makes me an immigrant too.
United 93: Film Review--Questions, Questions
Douglas Herman
2006-05-02 16:00
Will we, each of us, live or die heroically? Most of us will never know, right up to the exact moment of our death. We might, however, act exactly like the doomed passengers of United Flight 93, terrorized, dithering, agonizing before finally taking decisive action, according to the recent movie about the hijacked flight.
Vendetta: Heroism, Terrorism or Patriotism?
Douglas Herman
2006-03-28 16:00
'The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.' ~ Thomas Jefferson
Maybe you have seen that movie, V for Vendetta. Surprisingly, if you click on the flags on the website that indicate specific countries, you will notice the movie hasn't opened in many countries.
Young Oliver Stone in Fallujah
Douglas Herman
2006-03-27 16:00
While you finished your second cup of coffee or morning commute, a young soldier in Iraq recorded 'a world of hurt' as troops used to say in Nam .
He recorded them in his mind. He saw so many things that young people just out of high school shouldn't see. He saw them while shouldering a heavy pack and wearing body armor, unaware his mind was recording them. All the things he saw jumbled...
Live Free or Die: Is Liberty an Illusion?
Douglas Herman
2006-03-22 17:00
No man is free who does not realize he is foremost a prisoner. Imprisoned by unfulfilled desires, as Buddha described, and selfish worldly aspirations. Not to mention bills, bodily functions, jobs, duties, obligations, allegiances, plus hunger and thirst.
Diogenes sought an honest man; Jesus explained that no man is good; Marx theorized no one is free until they have cast off their chains.
You Disgrace Your Uniform, Sir!'
Douglas Herman
2006-03-21 17:00
How many patriots work in the Pentagon? Lots of professional military officers work there--Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines--hurrying along the corridors, good and decent men mostly. Wouldn't it be wonderful to read their thoughts, as they conduct America 's military business?
Whorehouses I Have Known
Douglas Herman
2006-03-08 17:00
I get wistful whenever I think of Rio de Janeiro . The most beautiful women in the world live in Brazil , many of them what polite society would call working girls.
But I get ahead of myself.
Now most parents haven't the slightest clue what happens when their little Johnny gets his gun and finishes his training for war. They think the US military might make a man out of him'if it doesn't kill...
The S.O.B. Has to Go--Yeah, But Which One?
Douglas Herman
2006-02-28 17:00
'Neighbor, how stands the Union ?' ~ Stephen Vincent Benet (The Devil and Daniel Webster)
The liveliest writers live on the Net. The best and brightest American essayists flourish not on the printed page, neither in polite college presses nor pulp newsprint but where free thought meets the free form use of the English language. Only on the Net.
Gold, Silver and the Coming Crisis in Iran
Douglas Herman
2006-02-12 17:00
Some might call it the Deja Vu War, the same war happening all over again. The same accusers and the same accusations, the same threats and the same predictable UN sanctions, the same script and timetable. The same Shock and Awe air attack. The same stalemate. The same wasted lives, wasted resources and squandered billions by the exact same culprit, the state.
A Million Little Pieces
Douglas Herman
2006-02-05 17:00
Man, I'd love to write a bestseller. Sell a million copies and appear on prime time TV. I'd love to hobnob with Larry King Live and Oprah and Regis. Party at the Playboy mansion, my name printed atop the New York Times bestseller list, and have my book reprinted a zillion times in paperback.
Best of all, I'd love to get a million little pieces of US currency stuffed in my wallet. Sure, I'd...
Bumper Stickers I'd Love to See
Douglas Herman
2005-12-19 17:00
One thing I've noticed about bumper stickers: They piss off adults and amuse adolescents. Motorists stuck behind my slow-moving vehicle are forced to read a dozen or so flippant, provocative or anti-authoritarian messages before can safely pass (see photo). Most of these motorists emerge stony-faced, staring straight ahead, as they speed past me on some country road.
I Broke the Law at Walden Pond--Twice
Douglas Herman
2005-12-13 17:00
'If I repent of anything it is likely to be my good behavior.' -Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
A lawbreaker once lived here by this little lake. He broke the law, encouraged others to break the law, and inspired millions more who visit Walden Pond every year to resist unwise laws. To bend them, break them, ignore them or question them.
I broke...
Worst President Ever? You Might Be Surprised
Douglas Herman
2005-11-15 17:00
He shut down newspapers, imprisoned editors, and forced reporters to toe the official US government line long before the PATRIOT Act. Then he attacked US cities and burned them to the ground. Who was he?
He lied to US voters, sided with one European imperial state against another, and plunged neutralist America into a disastrous war that cost 320,000 American casualties. Who was he?
What Aliens Know About Earth
Douglas Herman
2005-11-06 17:00
One bit of speculation: Maybe our alien observers are hanging around Earth to observe the expected demise of our planet. Reportedly some scientists have observed a planet-dissolving cloud of cosmic dust, with a penchant for devouring tiny planets and all their inhabitants, nine years away and traveling fast. Maybe, just maybe, the aliens are hanging around, reserving grandstand seats, to witness...
The Two Million Dollar Sportfish
Douglas Herman
2005-10-31 17:00
Exclusive to STR Water terrifies me. Not the liquid, mind you, but the mystery and inherent power of deep water. What lurks there? Whenever I am caught in a storm at sea I feel the frailty of a man poised before an abyss. Certainly deep water is calmer; storms and tidal surges cause far more damage in shallow water, but it is the deep, dark water that seems most terrifying.
The All-New Devil's Dictionary!
Douglas Herman
2005-10-16 16:00
Exclusive to STR This is a tribute to the Civil War officer, author and newsman, Ambrose Bierce, who originally compiled The Devil's Dictionary. America. Noun. Former republic, reportedly founded 1776, but which foundered soon thereafter. An exemplary idea, a belief better realized in abstract than actuality. Anti-Semitism. Noun. Mistrust of Jews by non-Jewish people.
Dead White Women: Which Ones Matter Most?
Douglas Herman
2005-10-09 16:00
The same media circus over a dead white woman occurred recently with the murder of beautiful Taylor Behl. Another gruesome murder and the mainstream media on the scent like a rabid dog. Sex and abduction and murder. All the news stations carried footage from the crime scene. Over and over again. Beautiful White Woman Murdered In SEX-Related Slaying.
Cheerful Firebrand: New Job Title
Douglas Herman
2005-09-25 16:00
Exclusive to STR STR is home to a pretty rich and diverse range of characters. I read the bios at the end of essays with as much interest as the essays themselves. People living their lives as large and expansive as they can, coping with inner doubts, the loneliness of wayward individualism, emotional disconnections, social constraints, government restraints, and the dozens of daily compulsions...
Fear--and the Deep Blue Sea
Douglas Herman
2005-09-22 16:00
"A man who is not afraid of the sea will soon be drownded, for he will be going out on a day he shouldn't. But we do be afraid of the sea, and we do only be drownded now and again." ~ J.M. Synge A voice said to me: If you go down, there you will die. Or get arrested. Those seemed to be my two choices. Arrested or die. I looked down into the bowl of that extinct volcano, staring at the...
Bodie Ghost Town
Douglas Herman
2005-09-18 16:00
Hot. Left late in the morning, after hiking around Manzanar "Relocation" Camp. Camped there last night, hoping to hear a ghost but only heard the wind. Slept in my van, along Owens Valley and highway 395. "Your water gone, what's left gives back a muddy azure, like a mildewed mirror," wrote poet BD Love, referring to dried up, lonely places like Manzanar. No lonelier place than the human heart,...
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