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Rising Fawn, GA

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I will definitely read "Understanding Jefferson."

I used to be a member of the now-defunct Quality Paperback Book Club. Members were offered a selection each month. If you didn't want the book -- you checked the box saying "cancel selection" (or whatever) and either checked the books you DID want or went new-book-less that month.

Some of the best books I ever read were the ones I didn't cancel in time "A Nervous Splendor"* being one, and especially "The Powers That Be"**.

As for the Butterfly Effect -- if you get a chance, read Ray Bradbury's story "A Sound of Thunder." It starts the day after a national election -- much to everyone's relief, an intelligent and honest progressive is now the president of the United States and the protagonists feel like they can go on their planned hunting trip.

This being the future, time-travel has been perfected and these bozos want to kill a dinosaur. (Jerks) However, the people who designed the time-travel technique are painfully aware that the tiniest change to the past can radically affect the present. So these hunters are supposed to keep to a certain path, kill nothing but the one particular dinosaur which has been so designated because research has shown that it was going to die anyway after being hit by a falling tree. Otherwise, kill nothing. Because.

They go on their trip and of course one of the bozos panics and wanders off the official path. They manage to return to the present only to find that the country has been populated by barely literate ignorami and that the new president is (wait for it) a loud-mouth, viciously corrupt blowhard. Golly, sound familiar? Didn't know Ray Bradbury wrote non-fiction, didja!!!

Why? The bozo who wandered off the path had accidentally stepped on a butterfly which is still clinging to the sole of his shoe -- and they can't go back and redo the time-travel hunting trip because there are no scientists who can create time travel any more.

I'm sorry to have given away the plot like that, but I had to, in order to make a point.

*"A Nervous Splendor" by Frederic Morton -- sort of a multi-layered biography of all the people (Freud, Emperor Franz Josef, Brahams, etc.) who were alive in Vienna during the months before and after the suicide-murder pact of Crown Prince Rudolf & his teenaged mistress Mary Vetsera.

**"The Powers That Be" by David Halberstam. Also a multi-layered biography and history of The New York Times, The LA Times, the Washington Post, TIME magazine, CBS and the men and women who created these mass-media; plus how these newpapers, magazines and TV influenced war, politics, etc.

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May 27, 2023Liked by Corey Ryan Forrester

Joanne Freeman is a very well known historian who specializes in the early Republic.

Also, Professor Buzzkiller has a fantastic podcast that shines lights on historical myths and points out the complexities of our historical figures.

Also I’m reading OMG WTF Is In The Constitution? It translates each Article and Amendment in plain modern English.

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I love McKays! Thought provoking rant today.

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Also the butterfly has a personal vendetta against me apparently

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Next time you're in Raleigh look for Readers Corner. Their ten and 25 cent etc book rack is outside. You and your friends ever been wasted and gone to the bookstore at 3 am to sit in a circle in the parking lot and have storytime? I have.

I'd let you pick over my kindle account. It's communal

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So, imagine what kind of porn Thomas Jefferson or George, Washington or Alexander Hamilton would be into today…

They didn’t have that shit, and they were freaky as fuck!

People be complicated.

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After libraries, used book stores are awesome. The best ones allow you to bring the books you bought there BACK for credit (usually about 50 cents or so) so you can continue to buy their books. It's an addictive practice that I think is healthy!

Two quick observations:

I'm not sure about your observation about Jefferson being rich. He inherited sizeable debt from his father-in-law, and he always lived way beyond his means. it wasn't until his grandson took over his estate that he was finally out of debt.

Also, one of the coolest stories I read about Archduke Ferdinand's assassination was that his stalker was so inept that his first attempt, which was several blocks before the actual shooting, resulted in his gun not firing. So he stepped back and then ran ahead of the procession. I can't remember whether he reloaded his pistol or not, but on his second attempt, the gun fired, resulting in him killing the Archduke.

History is full of cool stories like that!

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Our neighbors across the street already started with the fireworks on Tuesday at 10:00 p.m., the big boomers that clear the treetops. Lord, give me strength (and dogs that aren't distressed by them this fireworks season).

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John Beatty: Retire Bitch! 😤 Or at least take a damn Zicam and go to work 👏

Sidebar: You know what's also crazy abt Archduke Indie Rock, I think an argument could be made that WW2 comes of his assassination as well! Like, I've seen perspectives that Germany's total blame and punishment at the end of WW1 helped pave a way for the grievance/nationalistic feelings to gain ground, and let the Nazis get a foothold. Archduke Art Post-Punk should have stayed home!

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founding

Jefferson also supposedly said "I cannot live without books!" Which is me me me!

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