The Paranoid Style in American Fiction

Red Yawn.Title: Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse

Author: James Wesley Rawles

Rank: 49

Blurb: “Part novel, part survivalist-handbook, Patriots tells of a small group of friends facing every American’s worst nightmare — the total collapse of society. The stock market plummets and hyperinflation cripples commerce and then a seemingly isolated financial crisis passes the tipping point when an unprepared government fails to act. Practically overnight, the fragile institutions of democracy fall apart and every American is forced to survive on their own.”

Review: “If you like neverending descriptions of each rifle, each modification to each rifle, each possible rifle modification but was too expensive, each bullet, each bullet pro and con, each handgun, each handgun modification, each knife possibility, each knife reality, each tool and little to know storyline or character development, then this book is for you!”

Customers Also Bought: “Boston’s Gun Bible” by Boston T. Party

Footnote: Whatever happened to fun post-apocalyptic nightmare scenarios?

Patriots [Amazon]

Buy or Die [Stinque@Amazon kickback link]

19 Comments

“little to know”?

The basic survival books I’ve read by serious folks (SAS handbook, etc) make it pretty clear that one’s physical fitness is probably one of the most important factors in one’s survival and they do not emphasize firepower.

Having seen the Tea Party Folks, it looks like they’re going to be in some serious trouble. Hint: burning fat takes lots and lots of water and being fat hinders mobility which is survival factor #1. Unless they can make a well by shooting it and/or make a gunpowder fired Rambler Scooter, it doesn’t matter how many modified guns they have.

I wish I could believe that more TeaParties would take place, distracting
the lunatic majority while Barack can get some really important things
done. Two observations in particular are galling: 1) In past transitional periods when the Republican party had won the Presidential Election, it was customary for the defeated Democratic candidate to congratulate the
winner and pledge full support to the victor. Instead, we get the vituperative, bellicose, ignorant and unbelievably stingy Limbaugh as an
authoritative voice for the tattered, scattered, hiding-in-the-hills remnants of the fucking GOP. 2) It irks the shit out of me that at least 2-3 pictures of signs that a fourth grader would disqualify were taken right
here in Bloomington, IN, my town! What embarrassment I feel
for those ignoramuses who don’t have the sense to realize how shamefaced they should be. Our tragedy is that we have to acknowledge
that these morans are citizens, too, and treat them with civility. Respect?
Not!!!

We’ll want to have some Tactical Bacon on hand for the Long War at Home.

http://www.glockworld.com/category/1811.aspx?NID=380

/off to the range . . .

“James Wesley, Rawles” – WTF?

@blogenfreude: Let’s check the tape:

I use the comma to make a distinction between my Christian name, and my family name. My Christian name (James Wesley) is my property. My family name (Rawles) is the common property of all those that share the Rawles bloodline, and our wives.

Short answer: anal.

Patriots tells of a small group of friends facing every American’s worst nightmare — the total collapse of society. The stock market plummets and hyperinflation cripples commerce and then a seemingly isolated financial crisis passes the tipping point when an unprepared government fails to act.

Well, thank God Obama is not unprepared and is acting, otherwise we might find ourselves surrounded by bands of roving, armed douchebags.

Why is it that signs of impending hard times send a particular slice of the American pie shrieking and running around their rooms like teenagers on crack? Aren’t these supposed to be the butch ones? The self-reliant ones? And the name? Doesn’t the comma make it mean that he is James Wesley, one who Rawles? Whatever that is. Miss Cyn will know. But will she tell? I’m going into the garden to burn all my private correspondence and old bank records – just in case.

@Benedick: He’s related to John Rawles? The philosophers around this joint can correct me if I’m wrong, but if memory from Philosophy & Poli Sci classes serve, Rawles propounded the theory that society and government should be designed through a veil of ignorance about where one stands in socioeconomic class.

@nojo: Thanks for checking for me … I could not bear to click through.
@SanFranLefty: Philosopher Rawls advocated the idea of the initial position – in other words, where would you come out if you had not been born into a middle class or upper class family? I’ve read a bunch of that.

@SanFranLefty: @blogenfreude: And Rawls (A Theory of Justice, for the rest of you) has been back in the blogs lately, apparently because he was more Christian than he let on.

Bored me to tears, personally. Systematizers do that.

@Benedick: The comma just puts the seal on his stupidity. Being from the south, I have tons of relative with double first names, including my mother, and no one has ever felt compelled to use a comma. That’s just nuts.
And they run around shrieking because they don’t have the guts to go out in style, with a handful of sleeping pills and a bottle of the best champagne. The only things I’m stockpiling are lortabs and Veuve Cliquot “La Grande Dame.” Apres moi, le deluge.

@blogenfreude: @SanFranLefty: @nojo: Sure, but did they tour?

TJ/ Opening day for minor league bb yesterday. Nabisco Jr scored a run after taking a 0-2 count through to a walk, advancing to second on a passed ball then scoring when a 10 y.o. hit a long single into right field. His other at bat should be scored as a hit by pitch (on helmet), force out at second. Team won big, 8-3.

@Nabisco: Cool. Some of my Boys in Blue here in L.A. should learn his patience at the plate.
And that Lou Rawls video is awesome.

@Mistress Cynica: I thought all southerners had two first names otherwise they couldn’t get any grits or something. I have never met a southerner without two first names. I thought this novelist, writer nitwit was sporting two second names. The English hyphenate them as in Monica Chevely-Chomondeley. I’ve never seen anyone do this particular piece of fuckwittery before.

And well, yes. These days cannibal anarchy is beginning to look like option A. Make sure the pills are barbiturates. Ambien won’t do. And the Hemlock Society recommends drinking a good stiff scotch before taking the pills and then putting a plastic bag over your head for good measure. If you feel the need to know the correct way to slit your wrists so that you will bleed to death instead of ending up with romantic scars feel free to ask.

@Benedick: All Southerners have two last names as their first and middle name. And generally a Roman numeral as the suffix to their name.

Please, no suicide advice, sweetheart. I don’t know if it’s the Wellbutrin is finally kicking in, or it’s the four hours I spent in the garden this afternoon after two hours on the soccer pitch, and the insane rush of endorphins, but I’m kind of high on life today. It’s been a while since I had that feeling. I want it to at least last through lunch tomorrow (a.k.a. Stinque Fest SF Meet-Up 4/20! Dodger, SFL, Ewalda, and Flying Chainsaw all confirmed. Any other stragglers should contact me for details.)

@SanFranLefty: Yeah, Rawls postulated that an economic system would be just, even though there might be dramatic inequality in the system, as long as people who knew the rules and likely outcomes under those rules, would approve of them if they were told that they would not know where they would come out under that system.

The simple example is, which society would you prefer, one in which everyone is kinda poor, but equal, or one in which half the people are really poor, and half are really rich. Or one in which 90% of the people are poor, and 10% are really rich.

I think its masturbatory bullshit and all it does is justify inequality because of the quirk of human makeup which makes many people gamblers, makes most people feel its better to have a shot, even a longshot, at obscene wealth, rather than a guruantee of a moderate living.

And in any event it just begs the question down the line to how you define the rules and describe the society in question.
In our supposed meritorcracy in which everyone has an equal chance and hard work and talent are supposedly rewarded, there is a deafening silence about the reality of inheritance and the fact that its not a level playing field and being born wealthy almost guarantees continued success even if you are an immoral lazy moron.

Its more of a factor than good looks or an inborn aggressive and confident disposition. And those both count for more than diligence and competence as it is.

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