...but what we expect of a husband toward his wife: his right, and his proud privilege, to die for his woman."*
In Houston, a father died at the hands of a robber while defending his wife, but not before inflicting fatal wounds to the robber.
*quote from Robert A.Heinlein, "The Pragmatics of Patriotism," the 1973 James Forrestal Address to the US Naval Academy midshipmen.
Showing posts with label Heinlein. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heinlein. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Friday, November 07, 2014
With Apologies To Mr. Heinlein
A hotel guest should be able to use the TV remote, connect to the wi-fi network, turn the air conditioning or heating on, cook food in the microwave, not explode sodas in the refrigerator, change the time on the clock radio, make the shower work, figure out how to use the guest phone, find the nearest soda and snack machines, return the luggage cart to the lobby and fetch any additional towels or linens personally. The desk clerk is for emergencies.
(a parody of Heinlein's "Competent Man.")
(a parody of Heinlein's "Competent Man.")
Tuesday, February 04, 2014
Quote of the Day
One of the mistakes Heinlein’s generation made was thinking the religious impulse went away when organized religion did. It doesn’t of course. As religion loses force, the state-as-religion moves in. Of the two the second is probably the most harmful, as it wants to bring about a reality that simply doesn’t fit into the physical world. No matter how much we squash capitalism, we’re not going to have an Earthly paradise. (On the contrary.) The paradise hereafter is each person’s concern and ultimately neither testable nor enforceable (not to say that some places and times haven’t tried it.)
found here. Click over to read the entire thing.
found here. Click over to read the entire thing.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Let's Paraphrase Heinlein, Shall We?
"Watched Cops are Polite Cops."
Heinlein is, of course, famous for coining the expression "An armed society is a polite society." And long before Heinlein, there was the Latin poet Juvenal, who coined the phrase Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? (Who watches the watchmen?)
The camera does. Objectively and dispassionately.
Heinlein is, of course, famous for coining the expression "An armed society is a polite society." And long before Heinlein, there was the Latin poet Juvenal, who coined the phrase Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? (Who watches the watchmen?)
The camera does. Objectively and dispassionately.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Friday, November 16, 2012
It's a John 15:13 Day
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for a friend.
Or his wife.
One of the veterans killed when a freight train slammed into a parade float in West Texas died a hero, pushing his wife to safety before losing his own life in the tragic accident.
Four people were killed and 16 others injured Thursday afternoon when the float tried to pass through a Midland railroad crossing on its way to an honorary banquet.
Among the dead was Army staff sergeant Joshua Michael, 34, who pushed his wife Daylyn from the float just before the locomotive stuck, a friend of the Michael family told NBC's Today show.
“I think it was just pandemonium more than anything else,” said Corey Rogers. “Obviously, Joshua had the reaction of a real man."
Robert A. Heinlein wrote of a very similar man a long time ago in an address he gave at the US Naval Academy (his alma mater), The Pragmatics of Patriotism:
One Sunday afternoon a young married couple were crossing these tracks. She apparently did not watch her step, for she managed to catch her foot in the frog of a switch to a siding and could not pull it free. Her husband stopped to help her.
But try as they might they could not get her foot loose. While they were working at it, a tramp showed up, walking the ties. He joined the husband in trying to pull the young woman's foot loose. No luck - -
Out of sight around the curve a train whistled. Perhaps there would have been time to run and flag it down, perhaps not. In any case both men went right ahead trying to pull her free...and the train hit them.
The wife was killed, the husband was mortally injured and died later, the tramp was killed - - and testimony showed that neither man made the slightest move to help himself.
The husband's behavior was heroic - - but what we expect of a husband toward his wife: his right, and his proud privilege, to die for his woman. But what of the nameless stranger? Up to the very last second he could have jumped clear. He did not. He was still trying to help this woman he had never seen before in his life, right up to the very instant the train killed him. And that's all we'll ever know about him.
This is how a man dies.
This is how a man...lives!
That passage can be found in Heinlein's book Expanded Universe. It's a collection of stories, essays, and polemics, and Heinlein supposedly specified that it was only to be published in the United States, as it contained hard words for his fellow Americans about their habits and lifestyles that we see bearing out these very days we live in now. It should be on every Heinlein fan's bookshelf, right next to Starship Troopers.
Rest in peace, Staff Sergeant Joshua Michael. You died a hero. Prayers go out to your widow, and to all those killed/injured in this crash.
Or his wife.
One of the veterans killed when a freight train slammed into a parade float in West Texas died a hero, pushing his wife to safety before losing his own life in the tragic accident.
Four people were killed and 16 others injured Thursday afternoon when the float tried to pass through a Midland railroad crossing on its way to an honorary banquet.
Among the dead was Army staff sergeant Joshua Michael, 34, who pushed his wife Daylyn from the float just before the locomotive stuck, a friend of the Michael family told NBC's Today show.
“I think it was just pandemonium more than anything else,” said Corey Rogers. “Obviously, Joshua had the reaction of a real man."
Robert A. Heinlein wrote of a very similar man a long time ago in an address he gave at the US Naval Academy (his alma mater), The Pragmatics of Patriotism:
One Sunday afternoon a young married couple were crossing these tracks. She apparently did not watch her step, for she managed to catch her foot in the frog of a switch to a siding and could not pull it free. Her husband stopped to help her.
But try as they might they could not get her foot loose. While they were working at it, a tramp showed up, walking the ties. He joined the husband in trying to pull the young woman's foot loose. No luck - -
Out of sight around the curve a train whistled. Perhaps there would have been time to run and flag it down, perhaps not. In any case both men went right ahead trying to pull her free...and the train hit them.
The wife was killed, the husband was mortally injured and died later, the tramp was killed - - and testimony showed that neither man made the slightest move to help himself.
The husband's behavior was heroic - - but what we expect of a husband toward his wife: his right, and his proud privilege, to die for his woman. But what of the nameless stranger? Up to the very last second he could have jumped clear. He did not. He was still trying to help this woman he had never seen before in his life, right up to the very instant the train killed him. And that's all we'll ever know about him.
This is how a man dies.
This is how a man...lives!
That passage can be found in Heinlein's book Expanded Universe. It's a collection of stories, essays, and polemics, and Heinlein supposedly specified that it was only to be published in the United States, as it contained hard words for his fellow Americans about their habits and lifestyles that we see bearing out these very days we live in now. It should be on every Heinlein fan's bookshelf, right next to Starship Troopers.
Rest in peace, Staff Sergeant Joshua Michael. You died a hero. Prayers go out to your widow, and to all those killed/injured in this crash.
Tuesday, November 06, 2012
The Wisdom of Heinlein
I'm typing this at just after 10 pm on Election Night, and it looks like Obama will win re-election. Some words from the late, great Robert A. Heinlein are germane:
‘Bread and Circuses’ is the cancer of democracy, the fatal disease for which there is no cure. Democracy often works beautifully at first. But once a state extends the franchise to every warm body, be he producer or parasite, that day marks the beginning of the end of the state. For when the plebs discover that they can vote themselves bread and circuses without limit and that the productive members of the body politic cannot stop them, they will do so, until the state bleeds to death, or in its weakened condition the state succumbs to an invader—the barbarians enter Rome.”
Enjoy that bread and those circuses while you can, plebs.
‘Bread and Circuses’ is the cancer of democracy, the fatal disease for which there is no cure. Democracy often works beautifully at first. But once a state extends the franchise to every warm body, be he producer or parasite, that day marks the beginning of the end of the state. For when the plebs discover that they can vote themselves bread and circuses without limit and that the productive members of the body politic cannot stop them, they will do so, until the state bleeds to death, or in its weakened condition the state succumbs to an invader—the barbarians enter Rome.”
Enjoy that bread and those circuses while you can, plebs.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Quote of the Day
Over at Tam's:
Uh, waiter? I ordered the cool Star Trek future and you seem to have brought me the dystopian one from Heinlein's Crazy Years instead...
That's why Tam is the Queen of Snark, folks.
Uh, waiter? I ordered the cool Star Trek future and you seem to have brought me the dystopian one from Heinlein's Crazy Years instead...
That's why Tam is the Queen of Snark, folks.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Saturday, December 10, 2011
My Five Favorite...
...Robert A. Heinlein novels are:
1. Starship Troopers. I'll call this one The Patriotism Book. Heinlein tied patriotism strongly to survival of the human species. His theory of patriotism can be found in an address he made to the US Naval Academy titled The Pragmatics of Patriotism, which can be found in the Heinlein collection Expanded Universe.
2. Tunnel In the Sky. The Survival book. A story beginning with survival by the individual, working up to survival by a small team, and finally survival at the village level. With more people it might have ended with survival at the national level, which is what Heinlein defined patriotism as. Funny how similar in theme this one is to Starship Troopers. It also features knives in a prominent role, and since I've been a knife nut all my life (even more so than a gun nut, actually) this book has much to do with my own attitudes toward survival in the wilderness.
3. Glory Road. The Sword book. Heinlein was a fencer while at the US Naval Academy, did pretty good at it. That knowledge he put to good use in Glory Road. Is there any fan of Heinlein's who doesn't want a "Lady Vivamus" of his/her very own?
4. Have Space Suit - - Will Travel. The Space Suit book. This one is fun in that it discusses the modern US education system, and how it cheats the typical student of a real education, usually with the student's full cooperation. Along the way is yet another tale of survival: survival against a hostile environment (the Moon), survival against an alien race (the Wormfaces), and, finally, survival of the human race, when judged by an interstellar government.
5. Expanded Universe. The Heinlein's Thoughts book. This is a varied collection of stories, essays, polemics, speeches and predictions, all with commentary included by Heinlein. Included are such gems as Heinlein's first story ("Life-Line"), the aforementioned The Pragmatics of Patriotism, other polemics such as Who Are the Heirs of Patrick Henry?, and even a fantasy story (Over the Rainbow) in which the US's first black, female President puts us back on the gold standard, re-institutes the Pauper's Oath, throws open the borders and forces everyone to learn "Spanglish," among other achievements. I like to keep this one close beside me mainly for The Pragmatics of Patriotism. Supposedly, Heinlein specified that this book was to be published only within the United States, as he didn't believe in airing the country's dirty laundry in public.
Well, those are my five. What are yours?
1. Starship Troopers. I'll call this one The Patriotism Book. Heinlein tied patriotism strongly to survival of the human species. His theory of patriotism can be found in an address he made to the US Naval Academy titled The Pragmatics of Patriotism, which can be found in the Heinlein collection Expanded Universe.
2. Tunnel In the Sky. The Survival book. A story beginning with survival by the individual, working up to survival by a small team, and finally survival at the village level. With more people it might have ended with survival at the national level, which is what Heinlein defined patriotism as. Funny how similar in theme this one is to Starship Troopers. It also features knives in a prominent role, and since I've been a knife nut all my life (even more so than a gun nut, actually) this book has much to do with my own attitudes toward survival in the wilderness.
3. Glory Road. The Sword book. Heinlein was a fencer while at the US Naval Academy, did pretty good at it. That knowledge he put to good use in Glory Road. Is there any fan of Heinlein's who doesn't want a "Lady Vivamus" of his/her very own?
4. Have Space Suit - - Will Travel. The Space Suit book. This one is fun in that it discusses the modern US education system, and how it cheats the typical student of a real education, usually with the student's full cooperation. Along the way is yet another tale of survival: survival against a hostile environment (the Moon), survival against an alien race (the Wormfaces), and, finally, survival of the human race, when judged by an interstellar government.
5. Expanded Universe. The Heinlein's Thoughts book. This is a varied collection of stories, essays, polemics, speeches and predictions, all with commentary included by Heinlein. Included are such gems as Heinlein's first story ("Life-Line"), the aforementioned The Pragmatics of Patriotism, other polemics such as Who Are the Heirs of Patrick Henry?, and even a fantasy story (Over the Rainbow) in which the US's first black, female President puts us back on the gold standard, re-institutes the Pauper's Oath, throws open the borders and forces everyone to learn "Spanglish," among other achievements. I like to keep this one close beside me mainly for The Pragmatics of Patriotism. Supposedly, Heinlein specified that this book was to be published only within the United States, as he didn't believe in airing the country's dirty laundry in public.
Well, those are my five. What are yours?
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Ruark and TANSTAAFL
Ruark's use of the phrase antedates Heinlein's use of it. It shows up in chapter 9 of The Old Man's Boy Grows Older:
The thing most nonhunters don't realize about the artistic pain that goes into filling four ounces of flesh-and-feathers or seven tons of elephant with the correct prescription is that when you walk out thataway you got walk back thisaway. Non-fishermen don't realize that the current is likely to run steadily in one direction, and if you float downstream, eventually you have to fight your way upstream. From rabbit to tiger, from bobwhite to buffalo, from sand perch to marlin, there's no such thing as a free lunch.
Now, I'm not saying that Ruark was the first one to use the phrase. According to Wikipedia, it has been in use long before Ruark or Heinlein. My theory, though, is that Heinlein, who was a contemporary of Ruark's, may have seen the phrase in Ruark's book or in the pages of Field and Stream. Since Ruark's use of it came in the early 1960's, it may have inspired Heinlein to use it in The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, which was being written at roughly the same time.
Just my opinion.
The thing most nonhunters don't realize about the artistic pain that goes into filling four ounces of flesh-and-feathers or seven tons of elephant with the correct prescription is that when you walk out thataway you got walk back thisaway. Non-fishermen don't realize that the current is likely to run steadily in one direction, and if you float downstream, eventually you have to fight your way upstream. From rabbit to tiger, from bobwhite to buffalo, from sand perch to marlin, there's no such thing as a free lunch.
Now, I'm not saying that Ruark was the first one to use the phrase. According to Wikipedia, it has been in use long before Ruark or Heinlein. My theory, though, is that Heinlein, who was a contemporary of Ruark's, may have seen the phrase in Ruark's book or in the pages of Field and Stream. Since Ruark's use of it came in the early 1960's, it may have inspired Heinlein to use it in The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, which was being written at roughly the same time.
Just my opinion.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Competent Man - - UK Version
Over on my sidebar, you'll see a description of the Competent Man, as described by Robert A. Heinlein:
"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."
Well, the UK magazine Country Life has developed its own version of the list:
1. Cook three different dinner party menus
2. Say 'Can you help me please' in Arabic, Cantonese, Urdu, Spanish and Russian
3. Play a musical instrument, even if it's just the tom-toms or a mouth organ
4. Ride a horse to jackaroo standard
5. Be a 'tech whisperer', able to fix and set up the latest technogadgets
6. Talk about five classics of English literature with authority and passion
7. Perform resuscitation on someone who has stopped breathing
8. Know how to grow carrots from seed, distinguish five native trees, identify 20 flowers and arrange a bunch
9. Handle a shotgun, skin a rabbit, gut a fish and pluck a pigeon
10. Repair a bicycle puncture and fix the chain
11. Dance the eightsome reel, waltz to Strauss and bop to Lady Gaga
12. Taste the difference between Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay and know how to mix a mojito or margarita
13. Write a memorable thank you letter
14. Recognise music by Mozart, Elgar and Handel
15. Put up a shelf and change a plug
16. Tie a bow tie, bowline and Bloody Butcher
17. Sail a boat across the Solent
18. Carve a joint of meat
19. Tell the difference between Gothic, Baroque and Palladian architecture
20. Make a speech, entertain an audience with a joke or an anecdote, and sing at least two songs by heart
21. Drive a tractor, reverse a trailer, renew engine oil and change a wheel
22. Find their way round five capital cities
23. Host a party and put others at their ease
24. Sustain a 10-shot rally at tennis
25. Build a bonfire and lay a fire
26. Perform three good card tricks
27. Identify five constellations and find the North Star
28. Score a cricket match
29. Talk knowledgeably about five British landmarks
30. Uncork and pour a bottle of Champagne
31. Iron a shirt, sew on a button and sew up a hem
32. Amuse small children for at least an hour with magic tricks and storytelling
33. Read a map, pitch a tent and pack a rucksack
34. Be authoritatively acquainted with at least one work by da Vinci, Constable, Degas, Turner and Canaletto
35. Manage a bank account
36. Slip away from a football riot
37. Address a member of the Royal Family
38. Complain effectively but politely in a restaurant
39. Deliver a lamb
A larger list than Heinlein's, obviously. What would you include on your own list?
"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."
Well, the UK magazine Country Life has developed its own version of the list:
1. Cook three different dinner party menus
2. Say 'Can you help me please' in Arabic, Cantonese, Urdu, Spanish and Russian
3. Play a musical instrument, even if it's just the tom-toms or a mouth organ
4. Ride a horse to jackaroo standard
5. Be a 'tech whisperer', able to fix and set up the latest technogadgets
6. Talk about five classics of English literature with authority and passion
7. Perform resuscitation on someone who has stopped breathing
8. Know how to grow carrots from seed, distinguish five native trees, identify 20 flowers and arrange a bunch
9. Handle a shotgun, skin a rabbit, gut a fish and pluck a pigeon
10. Repair a bicycle puncture and fix the chain
11. Dance the eightsome reel, waltz to Strauss and bop to Lady Gaga
12. Taste the difference between Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay and know how to mix a mojito or margarita
13. Write a memorable thank you letter
14. Recognise music by Mozart, Elgar and Handel
15. Put up a shelf and change a plug
16. Tie a bow tie, bowline and Bloody Butcher
17. Sail a boat across the Solent
18. Carve a joint of meat
19. Tell the difference between Gothic, Baroque and Palladian architecture
20. Make a speech, entertain an audience with a joke or an anecdote, and sing at least two songs by heart
21. Drive a tractor, reverse a trailer, renew engine oil and change a wheel
22. Find their way round five capital cities
23. Host a party and put others at their ease
24. Sustain a 10-shot rally at tennis
25. Build a bonfire and lay a fire
26. Perform three good card tricks
27. Identify five constellations and find the North Star
28. Score a cricket match
29. Talk knowledgeably about five British landmarks
30. Uncork and pour a bottle of Champagne
31. Iron a shirt, sew on a button and sew up a hem
32. Amuse small children for at least an hour with magic tricks and storytelling
33. Read a map, pitch a tent and pack a rucksack
34. Be authoritatively acquainted with at least one work by da Vinci, Constable, Degas, Turner and Canaletto
35. Manage a bank account
36. Slip away from a football riot
37. Address a member of the Royal Family
38. Complain effectively but politely in a restaurant
39. Deliver a lamb
A larger list than Heinlein's, obviously. What would you include on your own list?
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Heinlein On "One World"
Lastly, this trip around the world cured me of One-Worldism; I have fully recovered and am as immune to it as I am to measles. The idea of one sovereign world nation, free forever of the peril of war, working together in peace and harmony, is an appealing one. I do wish we could afford it. But, the earth and the human race being what they are, we cannot...not unless we are willing to accept the logical and inevitable consequences. "One World" means a situation in which the United States is not sovereign. That means that the United States would be outvoted...which just as certainly means that they would swarm over us immediately after counting the votes.
That which I am willing to fight for I am not willing to surrender as a result of counting noses in China and India. Therefore, no World State for me. It's a trap. (ellipsis in original)
- - From Tramp Royale
That which I am willing to fight for I am not willing to surrender as a result of counting noses in China and India. Therefore, no World State for me. It's a trap. (ellipsis in original)
- - From Tramp Royale
Monday, September 20, 2010
Book Purchase
I don't purchase many new books, since each acquisition takes up precious space on my shelves, already so overloaded, but I had to get this one.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Arrival
This:
Distilled wisdom from the Master. Found it for about $3, I notice it's hard to come by, Amazon sells used copies for over $50.
Distilled wisdom from the Master. Found it for about $3, I notice it's hard to come by, Amazon sells used copies for over $50.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Yer Dead Relatives Are Killing The Roses
At the Wellington, New Zealand, Botanical Gardens, so many people are spreading the cremated remains of loved ones on the roses that they are suffering health problems.
I seem to recall that one of the more touching passages of Robert Heinlein's The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress involves a flower garden where the ashes of the protagonist's family find their final resting place.
I seem to recall that one of the more touching passages of Robert Heinlein's The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress involves a flower garden where the ashes of the protagonist's family find their final resting place.
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