DON'T GET LOST, AMERICA!

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LOST AMERICA
by Troy Paiva
released: 2003
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I received Troy Paiva's LOST AMERICA this past Christmas from the Mother of a girl I went with from 1989 to 1994, and I'd like to think that this says something positive about both her Mother and myself. The book is filled with dramatic and intriguing photographs executed by a true artist. It seems that Paiva petitioned Stan Ridgway (a Rock star) to write the Forward to LOST AMERICA, but ironically - based on what I found in the book - Ridgway isn't half the writer that Troy Paiva is. (That's right - Paiva is as good a writer as he is a photographer! This guy has really been blessed with talent!) Ridgway nails it when he says, "Some people can be obsessive. Artists usually are, and the great ones are excessively so. They are driven by an inner vision."
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And the attempt to manifest this inner vision for the benefit of others can often come at a price for the artist. Paiva is a junky joint junkie: his vision is to take long exposure photographs at night of abandoned things and places. He attempts to capture the Lost and Lonely Heart of the Past (usually with a mixture of hot and cool colored lights illuminating certain areas of his subject matter).
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It is important to remember when viewing these poetic and mysterious photos, that Paiva often had to pay a price for them beyond the cost of film, developing and printing: in the course of tramping through junkyards and forlorn places at night, he has been swarmed by bats, attacked by owls, and chased back to his truck by packs of wild dogs. He's had heart-stopping encounters with angry rattlesnakes and witnessed mysterious tarantula and cricket migrations. Once, a praying mantis as big as his hand followed him around an old junkyard like a pet, for most of an evening. More than once, his hand has swollen up like a balloon from painful spider bites. So, unless the idea of being stalked by a monstrous praying mantis all evening is your idea of a fun Friday night, you shouldn't take these very cool photos for granted.
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As I said, Troy Paiva's writing impressed me as much as his photographs did, and on page 14 he writes, "The songs of old broken things are everywhere". The moment I read that, the perfect song sprang into my mind. Composed by another artist with the poetic heart of a juice joint junkie (Tom Waits) is the song, 'BROKEN BICYCLES' from the movie soundtrack for 'One From The Heart':
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"Broken bicycles, old busted chains 
With rusted handle bars, out in the rain 
Somebody must have an orphanage for 
All these things that nobody wants any more" 
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Well, there IS an orphanage for these abandoned things and it's called, "Troy Paiva's Camera". Let Tom sing the song while you explore Paiva's photos, and you will have discovered a match made in the junkyard of your dreams!
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Now, I will confess that there are a few times when I feel Paiva's lighting is detrimental to the image. Occasionally the colored lights infuse the scene with an artificiality that spoils it. Nowhere is this more evident than in 'Daggett Beams, 2000' in which an otherwise truly stunning photo is spoiled by a harsh yellow spotlight in the background. I sometimes preferred his photos with less intrusive, minimal lighting. For example: the moody blue 'Road Closed, 2001' which features two battered, old pickup trucks parked like sentinels under an unhappy Winter sky.
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But most of his photos do feature spotlighted areas of red, green, blue or yellow - this is Paiva's style - and the vast majority of the time, it works; it adds a sense of supernatural foreboding, or Little Boy Lost to his "Broken Bicycle" scenes.
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Some of the real standouts for me are 'Ludlow Cafe, 1990'; 'Concourse, 2001'; 'Salton Sea Beach Trailer, 1992' (so creepy that I could probably write an entire horror story around that one image); 'Cabover And Tires, 1992' - maybe my favorite photo in the book. Who or WHAT might live in that abandoned camper? I think I'd rather not know! And then there's 'The King, 2002', which looks like some nightmarish image from a bizarre, childlike somnambulistic landscape - Alice in Vegasland! Quickly click those heels and scream, "There's no place like home!"
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Many of Paiva's photos would make great imagination-starters for would-be writers.
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'CL, 2001' shows us the dilapidated snack bar of the abandoned Burlingame Drive-in Theatre. In the foreground is an old sign, with the only remaining letters on it being "CL." The caption states, "So far past being closed, it's only CL now." I told you this guy could write!
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Chapter Four, titled "Salvage", contains several shots of old and weathered Las Vegas casino signs taken in the Vegas Neon Museum's "boneyard." It's interesting to note that the scene in the movie, 'One From The Heart' in which the plaintive Tom Waits song 'Broken Bicycles' plays, occurs in a Las Vegas junkyard littered with old, dismantled casino signs, and a mournful train whistling in the background. I never imagined that such a place really existed... until I got LOST AMERICA. The book is sure to appeal to every melancholy weirdo like me, and I would recommend you buy it, except for one thing: it was printed in China...
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Yes, this is the same China that embraces Communism - a failed economic / social system responsible for murdering approximately 100 million human beings worldwide, and torturing and starving many millions more. The same China that enforces its one-child family policy with forced abortions. The same China that got caught smuggling AK-47s into the U.S. to be sold to Los Angeles street gangs; threatened to nuke L.A. if the U.S. militarily defends Taiwan; kills its citizens who have the audacity to publicly request freedom; sells body parts of executed prisoners to medical facilities; enslaves political opponents & Christians for their faith, and puts them to work in forced labor camps, producing all imaginable types of goods, and printing books, all to be sold to Americans.
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Every time we purchase a Chinese-made product, we are feeding the human rights-abusing monster that has made no secret of its hatred for us - a monster that is increasing its military might at an astonishing rate and will someday overrun its neighbor, Taiwan, and declare war on the United States. Let's have a little foresight for once. Let's stop building our enemies. Let's boycott ALL Chinese products and sleep better at night.
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LOST AMERICA is a nice book, but until it is being produced in a country that values human life, it's a book that we can LIVE WITHOUT! (Of course, if you're buying a used copy, this is not an issue.) The good news, however, is that many of Troy Paiva's photos can be viewed at his lostamerica website. It may not be this book, but it's still worth a look.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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SHUT THE HELL UP!

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LISTENING TO GOD
by Charles Stanley
copyright: 1996
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No, I assure you, I’m not cursing with that review title; I mean it in the literal sense: One cannot be LISTENING TO GOD and simultaneously hearing the hellish voice of “this world.” [John 14:30]
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Several years ago, a friend in Alabama sent me a number of VHS tapes on which she had recorded Sunday sermons by CHARLES STANLEY that were broadcasted on TV.  I was unfamiliar with him at the time, but he was her favorite man of God.  Now, I’ll admit, I’m not the biggest fan of TV evangelists – I’d sooner take my chances with a used car salesman or a politician.  (OK, not the politician; I just tossed that in for effect.)  And though I’m not what one would call a “proper” Christian, I was impressed with Dr. Stanley - theological disagreements notwithstanding.  No, he isn’t funny like Adrian Rogers, he doesn’t have the powerful oratory talent of John Hagee, he doesn’t possess the charismatic presence of the legendary priest from the Russian Orthodox Church, Yoey O’Dogherty.  But what Charles Stanley DOES have going for him is a thorough understanding of the deepest Spiritual principles; he is grounded in The Word Of God (a.k.a., The Holy Bible).
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I recently purchased LISTENING TO GOD by Charles Stanley because 2006 has been – Spiritually speaking – my worst year since accepting the Atonement of Jesus Christ a dozen years ago. (Every year ending in the number six for the last three decades has been bad for me.  My personal 666?  Just joking.)  I even stopped meditating after more than eleven years of daily practice. Yeah, it’s been a rotten year!  I thought that this book might reignite my passion for meditation (or “sitting before the Lord” as Dr. Stanley likes to call it).  And it did.  I’m now “shutting the hell up” for a period each day and listening for my Creator’s “still small Voice” again.  [See 1 Kings 19:11-13]
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It surprised me to find that Stanley had written many things that I have so often said in counseling others over the years.  For instance:
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“If you are going to develop a relationship with another person, you have to converse with that person in some manner.  That means both talking and listening.” [pg. iv]  (* STMcC: When a person has learned to hear God, I call it having a “realationship” with Him!)
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“I believe God dearly loves to see Bibles that are marked with oil from our fingers... and noted with dates and insights.” [pg. 1]  (* STMcC: My Bible is loaded with margin notes.  If you want God to clarify some Biblical passage for you, write a “?” next to it in the margin and then wait, watch, and listen.)
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“We may be trying to understand the Bible solely with our minds, which is always futile.  The Bible is a spiritual book.  It speaks to and is applied to the spirit.” [pg. 10]
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“It is not enough that we comprehend the truth.  We must be conformed to the truth.” [pg. 13]
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“God works from the inside out.” [pg. 109] (* STMcC: Charles Stanley is correct, but do you know why?  Because “the Kingdom of God is within you.”  See Luke 17:21.)
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A Catholic friend of mine at work does not believe God actually speaks to us. He is wrong!  My own transformation began on January 14, 1992, when I clearly heard God speak in my mind. He gently but effectively admonished me by merely asking me two questions, and my own answers were the rod of correction.  Only an unfathomable, creative God could have pulled that off! Years later, He urged me to sobriety by saying with crystal clarity in my head, regarding alcohol, “It’s a false God.  It’s a false God.”
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And that brings up another point. Stanley mentions the fact that often, God will send us a message and then confirm it. [See Genesis 41:32]  Note that God repeated Himself in calling alcohol my false god.  Although God usually communicates with us in subtle but unmistakable ways, (the “still small Voice”), Charles Stanley is right:  “We must never limit God in the methods that He uses to speak to us.” Because occasionally He can even use the sledgehammer approach...
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Once, I woke up to find that in the night, my truck had been moved nearly horizontally in its parking spot.  I had to track down a fellow and ask him to move his vehicle so I could back mine out.  My faith had weakened and I had been depressed recently and the message seemed to be, “You’re out of alignment.”  I pondered the bizarre event all day – it was unexplainable – and pulling back into my parking space that night after work, I thought: Well, if that’s REALLY a message from God, He will send a confirmation soon. In this case, "soon" meant 45 seconds later when I found myself locked out of my apartment by the internal chain on the door. When I finally managed to wake my Brother, who let me in, he insisted that he had not chained the door (we lived alone), and I believe him because he’d never done it before, and it never occurred again. It seemed my depression and lack of faith was "locking me out of my realationship with The Lord". I got the message.
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I also believe that on three occasions, God has sent angels to me with words of encouragement. But this sort of realationship with The Creator is really built in silence, LISTENING TO GOD.  There is nothing like Bible study (not reading, but studying) and meditation to make us conscious of God’s Love and Presence in our lives.  (A great Bible companion is the book [link> LEARN THE BIBLE IN 24 HOURS by Chuck Missler.)
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LISTENING TO GOD by Charles Stanley is 5-Star material in a 4-Star presentation. His writing, while brimming with profound insights, is a tad bland – similar to some of his sermons.  And while he does illustrate some points using personal experiences, it is always in the vaguest of terms – not detailed enough to make them truly compelling.  Still, this book is too important to downgrade from five stars.
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I have found it best to begin every meditation session with a prayer for someone else, especially an “enemy” [see Matthew 5:23,24], and also a slow, thoughtful recitation of The Lord’s Prayer [Matthew 6:9-13] And once you’ve initiated a daily meditation program, never stop (unlike that maroon, Stephen T. McCarthy). Well look, I’m gonna shut the hell up now and go listen for The Voice of Heaven, so... SHHHhhhh.....
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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IT'S STILL "MYSTERIOUS" TO ME!

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THE MYSTERIOUS BIBLE CODES
by Grant Jeffrey
copyright: 1998
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The Equidistant Letter Sequence (ELS) Codes are a fascinating subject and possibly one of Man's greatest "archaeological" finds. There appears to be much to learn yet, but this discovery cannot be dismissed.
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Grant Jeffrey's 'THE MYSTERIOUS BIBLE CODES' is an interesting although flawed look at the ELS Codes, which he has touched upon in some of his earlier books. The cornerstone of this publication is chapters 6 & 7 which address the discovery of the Aramaic name for Jesus (Yeshua) encoded in Old Testament passages concerning the coming Messiah and Redeemer of Mankind. For example, amazingly, "JESUS IS MY NAME" is encoded in the "Suffering Servant" prophecy of Isaiah 53. It appears here and only here.
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Twice in the year 2000, I wrote to Mr. Jeffrey. I related how I was a volunteer for a Prison Outreach Program and sometimes utilized his book - making it available to inmates - but I needed clarification on a couple of flaws or typographical errors concerning ELS Codes that he claimed could also be found in some of the Greek New Testament passages.
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On page 171 (hardcover) he states that the Greek name for Jesus is located at a 5-letter skip interval in 1st John 5:13, but I was unable to find it in the Greek passage illustrated there. Also, on page 173 he states that the second smallest skip interval for "Jesus" is encoded every 8th letter in Matthew 24:30, which contradicts his later claim on page 176 that the second smallest skip interval for "Jesus" is encoded every 7th letter in John 21:17. These are mutually exclusive statements. I did include a self-addressed, stamped envelope with my queries, but I have yet to receive a reply. I know we call it "snail mail" for a reason, but this is ridiculous!
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Jeffrey delights in pointing out how the names of all the apostles and other personages close to Jesus can be found encoded in Isaiah's "Suffering Servant" passage. While it IS intriguing that "Judas" does NOT appear in this passage, Jeffrey neglects to inform his readers that these same names consist of such few letters that they also appear well over 1,000 times throughout the book of Isaiah!
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Some of Jeffrey's books do contain valuable information and are worth reading. But because he tends to sensationalize and because most of his facts can be found in the books of other writers, it may be advantageous to search other sources first. In his book 'THE MILLENNIUM MELTDOWN' (1998), Jeffrey stated that the Y2K computer problem WOULD precipitate "a global crisis, the scope of which we have not experienced since World War II... this appointment with destiny cannot be postponed or avoided." THAT BOOK (which thankfully I bought for only an inflated 25 cents in 2002) damaged his credibility forever in MY BOOK!
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While I wholeheartedly recommend that you explore the ELS Bible Code topic, I suggest that you acquire [link> 'BIBLE CODE BOMBSHELL' by R. Edwin Sherman instead. Sherman's book is easily the best on the subject as of this date.
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Grant Jeffrey opportunistically cranks out nearly a book a year that is second-rate because it never includes an index. ('The Mysterious Bible Codes' is no exception.) Also, each book closes with a proselytizing chapter which - while he may feel it is his obligation to "The Great Commission" - I find grating. I feel that if the facts are persuasive, they will bring the open-minded to Christ without excessive cajoling.
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I read the Bible from Genesis through Revelation every year and still I find much of Jeffrey's contemporary Christian dogma unsupported by Scripture. I don't think he would appreciate that. But then I didn't appreciate my polite inquiries being ignored either. I guess Grant and I have now balanced our BOOKS (Galatians 6:7).
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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"AND STILL THOSE VOICES ARE CALLING FROM FAR AWAY..."*

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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIALAND
by Charles Phoenix
2004
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[*Lyric from the song, 'HOTEL CALIFORNIA' by The Eagles.]
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I acquired SOUTHERN CALIFORNIALAND by Charles Phoenix just over a week ago in a Christmas gift exchange game. The book is a true celebration of Southern California in its glorious, paradisiacal decades of 1940 through the 1970s. Charles Phoenix who oddly became obsessed with the old 35 mm Kodachrome slides taken by strangers in memorializing their family trips, gatherings, and everyday lives, shares about 150 of his favorites with us in this absolutely charming book. His love and enthusiasm for his subject (SoCal in its glory days) just oozes from every page. Like the author, I grew up in SoCalLand in the '60s & 70s, and so I share his fascination for the magic that it once held.
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Enchanting, dreamy, nostalgic, and a tad melancholic (because the enchantment and the dream has been reduced to nostalgia) are words that best describe this picture book. But "surprising" is another word that fits, because I was surprised by the wealth of information to be found in the brief text that accompanies each photograph. Even I - who has traversed so many of these locations - learned some interesting bits of trivia.
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For example: Did you know that when Vice President Richard Nixon cut the ribbon and became the Disneyland Monorail's first official passenger, unbeknownst to that famous rider, it was the first time the unique transportation train completed a trip without catching fire? Phoenix describes Walt Disney as being very nervous. Yeah, I suppose he was! Did you know that the Luer "Quality Meat" Rocket (a forerunner to the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile) was discovered in a Prescott, Arizona junkyard in 1997, "weathered, but restorable"? (And here I always thought that I was the only good thing to wrench free from the evil clutches of Prescott! I made good my escape in early '94, also "weathered, but restorable".)
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I loved perusing the lost details of places where I have traipsed: the famous Brown Derby restaurant and the Pan-Pacific Auditorium; White Front of Anaheim, one of the discount chain of stores fo' po' folks. (My Ma used to drag us to one as children in Orange County. I don't know how many the O.C. boasted of, but this might well be the same White Front.); the Pacific Ocean Park amusement park, which I guarded as a young Police Explorer during its demolition in the Winter of 1973-74; the L.A. International Airport Theme Building where I experienced my first Red Dog beer. The beer wasn't memorable, but the location was.
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Phoenix includes insightful and sometimes funny commentary. When he describes the cover photo (a white, 1955 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible parked near the corner of Walnut & Allen in Pasadena, with palm trees, an orange grove, and snow-capped Mt. Baldy in the background) as "a perfect Southern California shot", he's right on the money! When he writes of the 1954 Mineral Baths photo in Desert Hot Springs, "Hundreds of thousands of acres of beautiful undisturbed desert scenery and someone had to build a wall around this place and paint in [desert] scenery," it's genuinely funny.
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This book is a treasure trove for any pre-Hotel California SoCalLand lover. Where else are you going to find a photograph of a 1956 teenager with the perfect ducktail waiting to test Disneyland's Autopia track? Or a photo of President Eisenhower blowing his nose in Palm Springs? Or a photo of Lee and Katie Kellogg eating meatloaf sandwiches in 1955 Alhambra? This book is a vibrant, eye-popping gem of pop culture which I urge you not to buy.
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I'd rather you didn't purchase this fun Charles Phoenix book. Why? Because on page 144 we learn that SOUTHERN CALIFORNILAND was "Printed in China". Yes, this is the same China that embraces Communism, a failed economic/social system responsible for murdering approximately 100 million human beings worldwide, and torturing and starving many millions more. The same China that enforces its one-child family policy with forced abortions. The same China that got caught smuggling AK-47s into the U.S. to be sold to Los Angeles street gangs; threatened to nuke L.A. if the U.S. militarily defends Taiwan; kills its citizens who have the audacity to publicly request freedom; sells body parts of executed prisoners to medical facilities; enslaves political opponents and Christians for their faith, and puts them to work in forced labor camps, producing all imaginable types of goods, and printing books, all to be sold to Americans.
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Every time we purchase a Chinese-made product, we are feeding the human rights-abusing monster that has made no secret of its hatred for us - a monster that is increasing its military might at an astonishing rate and will someday overrun its neighbor, Taiwan, and declare war on the United States. Let's have a little foresight for once. Let's stop building our enemies. Let's boycott ALL Chinese products and sleep better at night. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIALAND is a nice book, but until it is being produced in a country that values human life, it's a book that we can LIVE WITHOUT! (Of course, if you're buying a used copy, this is not an issue.)
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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MURPHY’S LAWS (The Spiritual Variety)

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SONGS OF GOD
by Joseph Murphy, D.D., PhD., LL.D., D.R.S.
1979
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It’s kind of funny how I came by SONGS OF GOD by Joseph Murphy, D.D., Ph.D., LL.D., D.R.S. (Man, that’s a lot of “letters” after his name, isn’t it? Is that supposed to add weight to what he has to say? Well, it certainly adds alphabet – no argument there! But then Moses, Elijah, King David, John The Baptist, Christ Jesus, and Saint John didn’t need any additional “letters” behind their names in order to get my attention.)
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A couple of years ago, I posted on Amazon.scum a review for [link> The Holy Bible From The Ancient Eastern Text, translated by George Lamsa. Sometime later, a woman living in the South if I recall correctly (Selma, Alabama?), posted her own review in which she contradicted a point I had made in my review. It was immediately apparent to me that she either misconstrued my meaning or else she didn’t have a real firm grasp on the interrelationship of the Old and New Testaments. I thought I would be “a funny guy” and explain it to her. So, I went to the library, found her listed in her local telephone directory, and made a long distance call:
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“Hello, this is Stephen T. McCarthy. Does that name ring a bell?”
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“Um. Kind of.”
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“Do you remember a review for The Holy Bible that you posted on Ammyland?”
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“OOOHHHHHhhhhh...”
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Well, I thought it was pretty hilarious, but she sounded a bit like a Southern Belle caught in the headlights. Anyway, we had a pleasant (and rather expensive) conversation; I explained my review’s meaning to her, and she made me promise to read one of her favorite books on spirituality: SONGS OF GOD by Joseph Murphy, D.D., Ph.D., LL.D., D.R.S. (I don’t know what all those letters stand for, other than the D.D. for “Deputy Dog”, of course. I realize it’s really “Dawg”, but I’m trying my best to keep this review very highbrow.) Anyhow, I always come through on my promises (even if their fulfillment sometimes takes years), and I recently finished my Southern friend’s recommendation, although she’s undoubtedly forgotten all about me and my promise... wherever she is.
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I had a mixed reaction to SONGS OF GOD. Overall, I would say it’s a worthwhile book that unquestionably contains some real insight into the deeper meanings of some of The Bible’s Psalms, and Murphy, D.D., Ph.D., LL.D., D.R.S. brings to light some of the great spiritual principles that are rarely recognized and activated by the minds of even very devoted students of God’s Word. These principles are classified as “New Thought”, which in varying degrees was promoted by the schools of Christian mysticism such as Christian Science and Unity. With time, New Thought underwent a kind of metamorphosis and emerged as the more occultic “New Age” teachings which enjoy such popularity today.
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While I do gingerly recommend an investigation into the New Thought system, I also strongly warn against its very dangerous cousin, the New Age movement, with its misplaced angel worship, channeled “bibles”, and deliberate seeking for and development of psychic “gifts.”
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Some of the positive aspects of SONGS OF GOD includes:
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* The recognition that there is only One Power... namely, “God.” (It is the dualism in Man’s mind that allows for the manifestation of error, i.e., “evil.”)
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* The Law Of Faith. (It is our faith in God that is the catalyst for the expression of His Love in our experience. Without our faith, half of the ingredients in the recipe is missing!)
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* The “Sin” of Fear. (Amazing! Murphy, D.D., Ph.D., LL.D., D.R.S. discovered Job’s “sin.” Many years ago, I too discerned this important lesson in the book of Job only through determination, diligent study, and prayer. I never knew that anyone else had found it.)
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* The Creative aspect of the mind. (God’s Word tells us that He created us in His Image, and He is a “Creator.” Is it any wonder then that His children have imaginative minds and such a capacity to bring into manifestation – or to “create” – the pattern that the mind dwells upon?)
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* On page 216, the author reveals his awareness of the ability to materialize and dematerialize that Jesus displayed. Something else that I also recognized by careful Bible study, but never heard acknowledged by another Scripture student... until now!)
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Some of the negative aspects of SONGS OF GOD include:
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* An irritating amount of repetition.
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* Too many long-winded, impromptu prayers composed by the author, when simple Bible verses would have as adequately and more economically conveyed the same principle.
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* Numerous carelessly written expressions bound to confuse spiritually immature seekers (i.e., neophyte metaphysicians) regrettably leading to the error of self-enthronement. (I don’t believe this was deliberate on the author’s part, but one must be exceedingly careful not to inadvertently mislead the student into even greater egoism. After all, that was the “original sin”, and what we are all hoping to unlearn.)
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* A few passages in which the author is simply in error (unenlightened) and in effect, spreading misinformation (e.g., His misunderstanding of the purpose behind early Christian martyrdom. Did Murphy D.D., Ph.D., LL.D., D.R.S., mean to imply that he was further along the spiritual path than were Saints Peter and Paul? Oh, come on! Likewise, his “explanations” for the pillars of cloud and fire that assisted the Israelites in their wanderings are utter nonsense!)
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* At times, the author almost seems to be concocting metaphysical dogmatism on the fly; that is, inventing preposterous symbols, and offering no evidence to support his wild reinterpretations. Examples: “Mother” in PS. 51:5 means “universal subjective mind”?
“Heathens” in PS. 98:2 have “no reference to other human beings”?
The “man” and “woman” in 1 COR. 11:7-8 are our conscious and subconscious minds respectively?
BONG!! "Wrong! But thanks for playing, Mr. Murphy, D.D., PhD., LL.D., D.R.S. As a consolation prize, Vanna Offwhite has a lovely briefcase for you to keep all your extra letters in.”
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I sincerely wish I could have given SONGS OF GOD a higher grade than I did because it DOES illustrate very nicely some of the higher Spiritual laws. But it also contains a pretty fair amount of passages that I find objectionable. I can recommend it, but also urge you to offer up a heartfelt and faithful prayer to Jesus for Spiritual insight and guidance before reading it. You’ll need elevated discernment to separate the wheat from the chaff.
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The writings of Murphy, D.D., Ph.D., LL.D., D.R.S. are HIGHLY reminiscent of the similar New Thought teachings of JOEL GOLDSMITH. Other than The Holy Bible itself, The Infinite Way books of Goldsmith (especially “A Parenthesis In Eternity”, “The Master Speaks”, and “The Art Of Meditation”) had a more profound influence on my Spiritual understanding than any other publications. Goldsmith teaches the same principles, but I feel his writing makes an even greater impact – his imagery and way with words being more powerful – and I would gingerly suggest that anyone determined to explore these “New Thought” mystical concepts peruse the aforementioned titles.
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But again, great caution and advance prayer to The Master (Savior, King, Christ Jesus) is urged, as Goldsmith was a 33rd degree Freemason. The “in-the-know” spiritual students realize that this should set alarms sounding, bells ringing, sirens blaring, red lights flashing, eyes closing and minds praying for protection and guidance. Although my eventual, rather in-depth investigation into Joel Goldsmith never turned up anything “shadowy” beyond his Masonic affiliation, when one plays with the Freemasons, one is dancing in the fiery furnace of Nebuchadnezzar. And unless you’ve got the faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you’re liable to get burned. Proceed... with caution.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy, S.A. with a Ph.D. in B.S., and an S.O.B. who’s S.O.L.
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GIVE ME THAT OLD TIME RELIG-- er... BLASPHEMY

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LIVES OF THE MASTER: The Rest Of The Jesus Story
by Glenn Sanderfur
published: 1988
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Let's be clear about two things right from the start:
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1) By REINCARNATION we mean the concept that a soul might activate more than one human body at different times. This is commonly confused with SOUL TRANSMIGRATION which theorizes that souls can inhabit the bodies of dogs, cats, and other animals, and even ostensibly inanimate objects such as rocks and raindrops. There is much evidence to support the former belief and not a shred of evidence to support the latter.
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2) Despite the vehement denouncing of it by contemporary Christian theologians, REINCARNATION is a Biblically-sound belief that is prevalent throughout both Old and New Testaments of the Holy Bible. There are a great many Bible verses that allude to reincarnation, and some Bible passages even remain unintelligible until the moment reincarnation is applied to them.
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The idea that Jesus Himself may have incarnated multiple times will seem a greater blasphemy to most Christians than reincarnation in general. And although I don't personally take a hard and fast position on this, I do lean heavily toward it. The idea seems to be implied in several Biblical passages. For instance: "Though He (Jesus) was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered." (Hebrews 5:8) This seems to hint at earlier lifetimes in which The Son suffered as a result of disobedience and from those sufferings He learned obedience. Based on what we learn of Jesus from The Bible, one could accurately say that Jesus suffered as a result of His obedience to God, but it would NOT be correct to say that He learned obedience by suffering, because from His earliest Childhood we see Him being obedient to God's Will. ("Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" --Luke 2:49) At no point was He disobedient. And so Hebrews 5:8 seems to imply AT LEAST one earlier lifetime for Jesus.
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It's hard not to appreciate the humility and simplicity of Glenn Sanderfur's writing in 'LIVES OF THE MASTER' and the research that he shares. The book makes compelling arguments and the sheer amount of evidence that Sanderfur presents will surprise a great many readers. There is more than ample food for thought in these pages. But there is also a downside:
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For many people the reincarnation concept becomes a stumbling block. Reincarnation is the patience of God in action (as I like to refer to it) and like all Divine Laws, the system works whether one is aware of its existence or not. Reincarnation is sometimes turned into a false idol by students who make too much of it and lose sight of the fact that what one does with their present circumstances is far more important than learning how they arrived at their present circumstances. Reincarnation can be very helpful, but it can also be misunderstood and misapplied, becoming detrimental to spiritually immature individuals.
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Much of the information in 'LIVES OF THE MASTER' is derived from pseudepigraphic writings. My limited study of the pseudepigrapha leads me to believe that those texts were justifiably not canonized. Another source of information is the Edgar Cayce readings which have proven to be both accurate and (often) inaccurate.
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I was once so dedicated to the Cayce readings that I even visited Edgar Cayce's hometown and gravesite in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. But decades of study led me to the conclusion that the readings sometimes originated from highly "questionable" sources. One reading actually admits this! (*See my review for 'The Edgar Cayce Companion' by Ernest Frejer, titled, 'Danger! You Are Skating On Thin Ice', posted at Amazon.com on 2004, July 25th.)
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In a few chapters, Sanderfur quotes Manly Hall as an authority. Manly Hall was a prolific Masonic writer and, like other "adepts" in the Masonic Order, was a luciferian.
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"When the Mason learns that the key to the warrior on the block is the proper application of the dynamo of living power, he has learned the mystery of his craft. The seething energies of Lucifer are in his hands", Manly wrote in 'Lost Keys Of Freemasonry'.
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In his book 'Twelve World Teachers', which is quoted from several times in 'Lives Of The Master', Hall doubts the crucifixion of Jesus and states that, "in a sense the Last Supper concluded the ministry". This exhibits such a woefully inadequate understanding of (if not a deliberate deception about) the Messianic mission of Jesus, that quoting ANY passages from Hall's book casts Sanderfur's book in a very bad light! And whereas contemporary Christianity suffers from nearsightedness and a rigid, confining theology, the New Age movement is dangerously occultic at best, and downright luciferian at worst. For this reason, I recommend Glenn Sanderfur's 'LIVES OF THE MASTER', but I do so very, very cautiously.
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This book may be helpful to you "if you are willing to receive it" and have "ears to hear". But it could also be a hindrance to your Spiritual development and lead you down a very dark path. Honestly, I strongly suggest that you pray about it. Too often I have used my "reasoning" ability to make decisions and later regretted them. But whenever I have gone to The Father or His Son, Yeshua, with a question, and then waited patiently for the answer, I have NEVER been led astray. Should you read 'LIVES OF THE MASTER'? Don't ask me. Ask the ONE who knows!
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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WHORRIBLY HUMOROUS!

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PARLIAMENT OF WHORES
by P.J. O'Rourke
published: 1991
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“It is a popular delusion that the government wastes vast amounts of money through inefficiency and sloth. Enormous effort and elaborate planning are required to waste this much money.”
~ P.J. O’Rourke
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Once upon a time, oh, about a year ago, I was on the john, with my P.J. bottoms loitering around my ankles, and minding my own “business.” I had one of my Uncle John’s Bathroom Readers in my lap (Uncle John and the john were just made for each other) and I was reading a page that contained a lot of funny remarks related to politics. I noticed that the several excerpts that had been penned by one P.J. O’ROURKE elicited the greatest laughs from me, so I determined to find out just who this P.J. was and where he’d been my whole life. After a little Ammyland surfing, I purchased his book PARLIAMENT OF WHORES.
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Just last week, I was on an America West flight to Northern Nevada. At the airport, after taking everything from me that one could never commandeer an airplane with, and making me remove my belt and shoes and self-respect, the powers that be somehow let me waltz onto the plane with PARLIAMENT OF WHORES -- a very dangerous book. I mean, had I begun reading aloud, I could have convulsed the pilots, the flight crew, and the air marshal with laughter and taken control of Flight #522.
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Instead, I read silently to myself, and laughed out loud every thirty seconds or so. This aroused the curiosity of the woman sitting next to me who asked what I was reading. I said, “Parliament Of Whores by P.J. O’Rourke” but somehow what she heard was, “Will you tell me your life story?” So she proceeded to tell me how she had gotten married at Lake Tahoe and bred dogs for a living. Or maybe it was that she earned her bread at Lake Tahoe and had married a dog. To be honest, I wasn’t paying that much attention, but merely trying to nod and smile when I thought it was appropriate, and stealing another sentence or two from O’Rourke’s book every time she paused between chapters in her oral autobiography. (She did offer me her little bag of pretzels, so at least I got something from her besides an earache.)
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PALIAMENT OF WHORES is P.J.’s 1991 account of a journalist’s inside look at politics and how it affects American Life. And trust me, it’s no laughing matter, which is exactly why we must laught at it. It’s laugh or go postal, but since the postal service is tied to the federal government, it’s better that we laugh.
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P.J. says, “I have tried to present a factual – data-filled, at any rate – account of how this government works. Which is complicated by the fact that it doesn’t.” But if you think a journalist should instead be writing about things that are more relevant and of greater interest to most Americans, P.J. did promise in the Acknowledgments that his next book was going to be about “Madonna’s Illegitimate UFO Diet To Cure AIDS And Find Elvis.”
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On page 103, O’Rourke confesses that he is “a real Republican” but then adds, “unlike some current presidents of the United States I could name.” That unnamed “presidents” he referred to was, of course, George H. W. Bush. Now it’s his equally un-Republican son, George W. Bush, who occupies The White House, proving that the apple doesn’t fall far from the Bush.
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But don’t let the fact that P.J. is a Republican dissuade you from reading PARLIAMENT OF WHORES if you happen to be a Democrat because Ol’ P.J. absolutely grills EVERYONE in this laugh-out-loud book. And why not? The federal government has taken it upon itself to warn the nation that undercooked eggs and meat are unhealthy. And is raw government any better for us? It too deserves a good grilling, and P.J. is just the chef to do it!
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Now, I can’t say that P.J. never misses the nail’s head and hits his own thumb. For example, on page 78 he states that the Supreme Court opening a session with “God save the United States and this Honorable Court” is a clear violation of the First Amendment to the Constitution. This is surprisingly sloppy reporting coming from a man who makes his living with words. The First Amendment says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” And that’s what the Constitution, in its entirety, has to say about religion. So, when did the Supreme Court become Congress? And since when is stating, “God save the United States and this Honorable Court” the establishment of a law? (And has anybody informed God that He is now bound by law to do these things?)
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On page 119, P.J. questions the wisdom of the illegality of recreational drugs. I think keeping these chemicals out of the hands (and arms, and lungs) of as many people as possible is indeed wise. The only exception being those funny smelling “cigarettes” which my buddy at work, The Great L.C., and I agree should be treated in like manner as alcohol, for they have, if anything, even less potential for harm: Put 10 guys into a room with loud music and bottles and bottles of booze, and it’s a sure  bet that before the evening is over, one (or more) of those guys will get roughed up. But put the same 10 guys into the same room with the same loud music, and replace the booze with “wacky weed” and the only things that are gonna get roughed up are bags of potato chips.
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But other than these rare disagreements, I found PALIAMENT OF WHORES to be wickedly accurate and whorribly humorous. Wait’ll you read the suggestions the author makes for reducing federal expenditures ('O’Rourke’s Circumcision and Budget Liposuction'), and the way he dissects the Special Interest Groups ('The Original Barrel Of Monkeys That Nothing Is More Fun Than'). This thing is simply a howl from one end to the other; the funniest book I’ve read in a very long time. Heck, one of the funniest books I’ve ever read at ANY time! It’s “seriously funny” like Mark Twain. And I am no more ashamed to have PARLIAMENT OF WHORES standing in my bookcase between The Declaration Of Independence and 'The Heritage Guide To The Constitution' than I am to have Twain’s 'ROUGHING IT' standing between 'Saloons Of The Old West' and 'I Married Wyatt Earp'. Aw, well, you know what I mean.
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In the final analysis – after his study of how our government works [sic] – O’Rourke concludes that what we suspected all along is true: “Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.” Nevertheless, watching P.J. T.P. the U.S. is the best cry you’ll ever laugh. I’ll be voting P.J. for President in 2008, even though he’s too smart to run... except away.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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“ROPE” THAT “CAMEL” AND LET’S GET IT STRAIGHT FROM THE DROMEDARY’S MOUTH

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NEW TESTAMENT ORIGIN
by George M. Lamsa
published: 1976
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The first real Bible I ever owned was the New King James Version, given to me as a gift, and it served me well for several years. But as my understanding improved and my thirst for water drawn from the deeper parts of the Spiritual well drove me into more scholarly directions, I eventually came to realize that the English version of [link> THE HOLY BIBLE FROM THE ANCIENT EASTERN TEXT translated from the Aramaic language by George M. Lamsa represented the most accurate and trustworthy rendering of God’s Holy Spirit-inspired Word.
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Lamsa’s native tongue was Aramaic and having grown up in the Near East with the ancient customs, and using some idiomatic phrases known since the time of Jesus, he was eminently qualified for his chosen life work of giving the world an English version of The Bible from the original Aramaic (the same language that Christ spoke).
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NEW TESTAMENT ORIGIN by George M. Lamsa is a small exposition that presents the author’s basic argument that “no portion of [the New Testament] was originally written in Greek”, but rather in Aramaic, the language of the common man in The Holy Land during the first century. If true, this means of course that the many Christian “scholars” who slave over the subtle shades of meaning of Greek words in order to gain greater insight into Biblical passages are sweating over foreign language copies of the original scrolls.
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My copy of this book is the 1976 edition with the bright green cover. While the NEW TESTAMENT ORIGIN is written in a very plain, straightforward and persuasive manner, my only complaint is that it could have been expanded with additional material. I know that this material exists as some of it appears in the Introduction to Lamsa’s Holy Bible translation, as well as in his 'IDIOMS OF THE BIBLE EXPLAINED AND A KEY TO THE ORIGINAL GOSPELS', which I also own.
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Lamsa explains his position with the use of sound logic and reasonable assumptions and the accumulated force in his thesis is bound to surprise many who are willing to put aside their dogmatic assertion that the New Testament was originally written in Greek long enough to weigh the evidence with an open mind. Lamsa writes that “Aramaic and Hebrew are the two closely related Semitic languages in which all sacred Jewish literature is written” and that the Gospel, written to sway and enlighten the Jews first, would have been written in the language commonly spoken by them at that time, makes perfect sense.
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Lamsa points out that “The Greek version contains many Aramaic phrases and passages directly transliterated from Aramaic documents, such as Talita Komi, Eli Eli lmana skabachtani, Raca, Rabuni, Abba and Maraeta.”
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In Chapter XXII he utilizes several examples of where the Greek translator’s limited understanding of the Aramaic originals he was working from created errors that become apparent only when compared with the words used in the Aramaic texts from the Eastern churches. Although I found some of the examples used to illustrate this same point in the Introductin to his translation of The Holy Bible to be more compelling, Lamsa does make one especially potent cultural point in NEW TESTAMENT ORIGIN: Acts 18:3, in the Bibles that are based upon the Greek scrolls, tells us that Saint Paul earned his livelihood as a “tentmaker”. According to Lamsa, that was improperly translated from the Aramaic word “lawlarey” which means “saddlemaker”, and furthermore that “there is no such occupation as tentmaker in the Near East. The tents are made by women in their own homes. There are, however, many expert saddlemakers who travel from town to town making saddles and leather goods.” Well, Lamsa was certainly the one Bible translator who would know!
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In 'The Holy Bible: From the Ancient Eastern Text', there are some startling differences between some verses based on the Greek manuscripts and those based on the Aramaic. I highlight a few of them in my review of that publication on this website. But if there is a real “smoking gun”, I would say that it comes in the form of the confusion over the Aramaic word “gamla” which can mean either “camel” or “rope” depending upon the context. Bibles based upon the Greek tell us in Matthew 19:24 that Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” A camel to a needle is a “non sequitur” to say the least, but a rope to a needle is in keeping with the imagery and displays a very obvious and organic relationship. Is it mere coincidence that “gamla” means both “camel” AND “rope” in the Aramaic, yet Greek-based Bibles conjoin a camel and a needle, creating a wildly nonsensical match? Is it not pretty evident that the Greek manuscripts were first copied from Aramaic originals by a translator not sufficiently knowledgeable with the latter language to avoid making such a contextual mistake? (Surprisingly, Lamsa did not include this example in his NEW TESTAMENT ORIGIN, though perhaps it does appear in the later version of it.)
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The following may not be of interest to everyone, but I feel it worth mentioning that in the book [link> 'Bible Code Bombshell' -- the most current of the academic publications I have found on the Equidistant Letter Sequence (ELS) code believed to be contained in The Bible -- the question appears: “Do Bible Codes Show Up Only In The Old Testament?” and author R. Edwin Sherman answers, “Highly improbable ELS groupings have been discovered in preliminary research of the Aramaic New Testament. Since Aramaic uses Hebrew letters, available code search software can be used to research the ... Aramaic New Testament. More work needs to be done ... before conclusive results can be presented.” How odd that an ELS code has never been found within the Greek version of the New Testament, but that it may be present in the Aramaic Bible.
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I enthusiastically recommend NEW TESTAMENT ORIGIN by George M. Lamsa to anyone seeking to expand their knowledge about the language of Scripture. I own The Holy Bible in the King James Version, the New King James Version, the New American Standard version (largely considered to be the most “literal” translation from the Greek), and the George M. Lamsa translation, and while I do occasionally compare verses from these four texts, I long ago came to accept that when it comes to The Holy Bible, the version derived from the ancient Aramaic represents “the final word” in God’s Word.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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IT'S DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN!

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INSIDE JOB: Unmasking The 9/11 Conspiracies
by Jim Marrs
published: 2004
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When the Constitutional Convention concluded in 1787, it is reported that Benjamin Franklin was asked what sort of government the Founding Fathers had crafted, and Franklin responded, "A republic, if you can keep it." Turns out we couldn't! Most Americans are unaware of the fact that their country has degenerated into an oligarchy.
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I remember watching a live TV news broadcast of the September 11th event when a retired Air Force officer called in to the station and asked how it could be that nearly an hour after the first hijacked plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center, the skies over Washington D.C. still had NOT been secured, thus making the Flight 77 attack on the Pentagon possible. "It starts already", I thought to myself. What had started already? The suspicion; the weird anomalies; the missing puzzle pieces; the unexpected behavior and the odd lack of expected responses to an emergency of this kind. In short, signs of The Conspiracy manifested early on and were evident to the rare citizen with unusual political acuity.
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Few citizens realize that Insider complicity is not only imaginable but to be expected. It's not like we've broken new ground here! The sinking of the Lusitania which helped to embroil U.S. citizens in the unpopular World War I, and the bombing of Pearl Harbor, forcing them into the equally unpopular World War II, served as the template for September 11th and its subsequent "War On Terror" in the Middle East. It's deja vu all over again (quoting that immortal yogi, Berra.)
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'INSIDE JOB' by Jim Marrs brings together so many of the unaswered questions surrounding the 9/11 terrorist attacks and presents them in a very sensible and earnest manner. Naturally, those American citizens who have the audacity to raise these serious questions, and worse yet, who expect REASONABLE answers from their government representatives, will be dogged by those Americans who interpret this as being "unpatriotic." Never mind. 'INSIDE JOB' raises the pertinent questions, even if it can't definitively answer them:
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* Why was President Bush not immediately whisked away from the elementary school where he was speaking when it was known that hijacked planes were in the air and his location was public knowledge?
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* Why are a number of N.Y. firefighters convinced that the WTC towers were brought down by strategically placed bombs, and not the steel-melting inferno that has been "sold" to the public?
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* Why did Condoleeza Rice lie and say that an attack of this nature was unimaginable when it can be shown that our Intelligence agencies had information many years in advance which indicated that just such an attack was being planned?
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[* 2005, Feb. 1st ADDENDUM: In 1995, the Manila police uncovered an al Qaeda terrorist plot to hijack commercial airliners and fly them into American buildings. The plan was code named "Project Bojinka" and the World Trade Center was specifically mentioned as a target. This information was turned over to U.S. Intelligence authorities. You wouldn't learn this from a person who reviews the book after reading only 20 pages of it, because this information is located on page 55. Of course, 6 years later "Project Bojinka" is carried out, and now some high-ranking American authorities are telling us that the possibility of such an atrocity was unimaginable. Sure!]
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[* March 25th ADDENDUM: While I can't speak to the other issues he raised, with all due respect to Mr. Negley at Amazon.com, an airliner attack on American landmarks including The World Trade Center WAS conceived by the "Project Bojinka" conspirators. See 'The New American' magazine, Vol. 17, No. 23 -- November 05, 2001.]
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These are just three of the many very relevant questions that our government officials have failed to address satisfactorily. You'll find the others in 'INSIDE JOB'. The staggering amount of them will catapult you out of your comfort zone.
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While 'INSIDE JOB' presents many nagging questions and points out the great discrepancies in the "official" version of the 9/11 events, the reasons for these will make little sense to the casual reader until he or she has gained a real understanding of The Big Picture. To that end, I likewise also highly recommend:
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'THE CREATURE FROM JEKYLL ISLAND' by G. Edward Griffin
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'NONE DARE CALL IT TREASON: 25 YEARS LATER' by John Stormer
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'ORIGINAL INTENT' by David Barton
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You may also wish to check out my guides 'Would You Like To READ THE CONGRESSMAN'S CONFESSION ABOUT THE NEW WORLD ORDER?' and 'Would You Like To SEE THE NEW WORLD ORDER IN BLACK & WHITE?'
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Since I opened with the wisdom of Benjamin Franklin, I'll also close with it:
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"Those who are willing to sacrifice their freedoms for a measure of security deserve neither."
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I guess he means us, huh?
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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THE TWELVE TIME-TESTED TRUTHS:

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CROSSING THE RUBICON: The Decline Of The American Empire At The End Of The Age Of Oil
by Michael Ruppert
published: 2004
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1) The Moon is made of cheese.
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2) Cats and dogs never fight as they are natural allies.
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3) Depending upon what the meaning of "is" is, William Jefferson Clinton "is" the most honest man in America; he never inhaled when he smoked his joints.
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4) George W. Bush is a master linguist who could educate William Shakespeare when it comes to proper usage of the English language.
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5) The United States government has never deviated from The Constitution and the intent with which the Founders framed it.
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6) The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a hard-core conservative organization bent on stamping out collectivism from the public consciousness.
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7) Ann Coulter is a radical Left-wing liberal and a secret card-carrying member of the Communist party.
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8) Pedophiles are anathema to the Catholic church which leaves no stone unturned when investigating and excommunicating deviants within its priesthood.
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9) The current Obama administration is exceedingly concerned about the negative impact that illegal aliens are having on American society; it is determined to round them up and prevent their unauthorized return.
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10) The Federal Reserve Bank is a government entity which was formed solely in order to regulate the American economy, prevent boom/bust cycles, and ensure an equitable financial system that would be beneficial to the U.S. citizenry.
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11) The Bill of Rights was conceived and enacted as a safeguard against the personal liberties of the populace usurping power that rightfully belongs to the benevolent and omniscient Federal government. Too much individual freedom tends to interfere with the ability of the elected representatives and government bureaucracies to control and manipulate the nation's citizens for the good of We The People.
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12) The great tragedy that occurred on September 11, 2001, was entirely unforeseeable, unpreventable, and unimaginable. The disloyal rabble-rousers in America who insist that highly placed government officials had foreknowledge of the terrorist attacks and yet allowed them to be perpetrated for political expediency, should be confined in a Communist gulag for their un-American paranoia! All men and women who question the veracity and altruism of U.S. government leaders are not fit to call themselves Americans, nor to fly the Stars and Stripes on the Fourth of July. That flag and that holiday should be celebrated only by citizens who meekly and unquestioningly follow government edicts and media pundits. Books such as 'CROSSING THE RUBICON' present a serious danger to the status quo and ought to be publicly burned along with the unpatriotic drunkards who read them!
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I think there was a thirteenth Truth also -- something about the health benefits of imbibing 100-proof whiskey. But I can't find my notes at the moment because the room is spinning and my desk is out of focus.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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HOPPER-HOPPING WITH GAIL LEVIN

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HOPPER'S PLACES
by Gail Levin
published: 1985
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There's a TWILIGHT ZONE episode titled 'A KIND OF STOPWATCH' which starred Richard Erdman and was first broadcasted in October of 1963. The story is about a man who is able to freeze time by suspending the progress of the second hand on an enchanted stopwatch. He instantaneously stops time in order to rob a bank and accidentally breaks the stopwatch in the process, leaving him stranded alone forever in a timeless, lifeless world. I saw the episode as a child and it immediately captivated me, and something about that imagery has haunted me ever since. EDWARD HOPPER is my favorite artist and there's a "timeless isolationism" -- a Twilight Zone-ish quality -- to his oeuvre that I really resonate to. (Don't worry! I don't intend to psychoanalyze myself here. Although my Mother DID disenroll me from kindergarten when, because of my withdrawn nature, my teacher described me as "antisocial." My Ma employed the obvious solution to that malady and took me out of school!)
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HOPPER's works convey this intense internal aloneness by merely hinting at details in big spaces, depicting daytime shadows sparsely and yet placing almost everything in a serene (often golden) glow. His pictures rarely illustrate the sharp, mind-numbing dead of Winter or the harsh and draining dog days of Summer. Regardless of the time of year in which he worked, in Hopper's world it is perpetually Autumn. Dreamy. Quiet. Lonely. Sad. But how he captured that mood cannot be fully fathomed through mere observable techniques. It was Mr. Melancholy's inner vision that was his real "style", and this comes across so brilliantly in GAIL LEVIN's wonder-filled book, 'HOPPER'S PLACES'.
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Having served as curator of the Hopper Collection at the Whitney Museum, and having written and compiled 'EDWARD HOPPER: AN INTIMATE BIOGRAPHY' and 'A CATALOGUE RAISONNE' (as well as many other Hopper related titles), Gail Levin is probably the foremost expert on the man and his work, and eminently qualified to be our tour guide as we go Hopper-hopping through 3 countries in search of his subjects. Levin's photographs duplicating the sights and angles that Hopper put on canvas really highlight the unique "eye" for scenes that, via his singular process of artistic alchemy, the painter was able to transform into the HOPPER ZONE.
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HOPPER'S PLACES records many of my favorites: EAST WIND OVER WEEHAWKEN (1934); SHAKESPEARE AT DUSK ('35); APPROACHING A CITY ('46); LIGHTHOUSE HILL ('27); ADAM'S HOUSE ('28); and the utterly fascinating, ROOMS FOR TOURISTS ('45). I can see how this bed & breakfast place depicted at night might elicit diametrically different responses from a variety of observers: "I ain't going in there; that's where Norman Bates lives!" or "God dwells there and He invites me to leave the darkness and come into the Light."
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Unfortunately, because Levin was unable to provide comparative photos for them, a few really choice Hoppers were excluded from this book. Notably, DRUG STORE (1927); EARLY SUNDAY MORNING ('30); SEVEN A.M. ('48); and Edward Hopper's ubiquitous masterpiece, NIGHTHAWKS (1942). Incidentally, this shopping mall poster gallery and post card favorite was the inspiration for the title of the Tom Waits "live" studio album 'NIGHTHAWKS AT THE DINER', which in turn was the inspiration for one of Amazon's best customer reviews -- Kippy Lanker's review titled [link> 'IN THE OLDEST BAR IN NEVADA...'
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Once upon a time, I had entertained the idea of a career in art (another fatality on my Boulevard Of Broken Dreams), but in discovering the work of Edward Hopper, I realized that my pictures had already been put on canvas and better than I could have hoped to paint them myself. HOPPER'S PLACES is a "must own" book for any fan of the man's work, or for anyone who simply wants to SEE the definition of "art."
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"Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys," Waylon & Willie sang in 1978, "because they'll never stay home and they're always alone, even with someone they love". But then, of course, if your babies should happen to display an aptitude with pen and brush, you just might want to ship 'em off to art school.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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"FRIENDS ARE THE ONES WHO YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE FUNERAL FOR AFTER YOU KILL THEM." [Page 46]

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GOODBYE, MEXICO
by Phillip Jennings
published: 2007
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I spend a lot of time reading nonfiction books related to government conspiracies, government corruption, government bungling, and the malfeasance of government officials. You know, just basic government. But every so often, all that basic government will cause my eyes to get glassy, my brain to turn to Jello (blue raspberry), and my sense of right and wrong to become blurred. When that occurs, I know it’s time to take a little break; which I just did recently by reading GOODBYE MEXICO, a work of fiction about government conspiracies, government corruption, government bungling, and the malfeasance of government officials. Boy, do I feel refreshed!
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The cover of GOODBYE MEXICO says it was written by a guy named Phillip Jennings. That’s where reality stops and the outrageous, satirical adventures and misadventures in mad, covert operations begin. It’s a story of subterfuge built upon the sturdy foundation of government intelligence, counterintelligence, double-crossings, triple-crossings, and burro crossings. And unfortunately for Jack Armstrong, the self-professed “Mama’s boy” and former Marine attempting to do his duty as a CIA agent while maintaining a relatively calm life, the individual trying to direct all of this insanity -- in a sense, playing “The Crossing Guard” -- is Armstrong’s old Marine buddy, “that damn Gearheardt.”
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Gearheardt is (so to speak) back from the dead and working with the CIA (kinda, sorta) and cooking up a plan in Mexico to oust Castro from Cuba in order to turn the country over to internacional prostitutas. Meanwhile, other factions have other intentions for Cuba and Gearheardt doesn’t know the difference between a pinata and a Chihuahua. (Hell, EVERYONE knows that the dog yelps when you hit it with the stick!)
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As the plot thickens, even the ordinarily super-cool, super-calm, and super-collected wiseass, Gearheardt, is a bit troubled by his inability to keep things straight: “Don’t you hate the missions where you have a bunch of people lined up to assassinate someone and then everything gets mixed up and no one knows who’s killing who?”
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If this all sounds “over-the-top”, it IS! Imagine something like the movie DR. STRANGELOVE Or HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB and then ramp up the Farce Factor two or three times. (Yeah, you read that correctly -- I said “ramp it up”, not “tone it down.”) It’s “over-the-top” like going over Niagra Falls in a barrel with sharp objects, a screaming woman, and a laughing hyena! Hmmm … Where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, on page 165 of GOODBYE MEXICO.
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Or, to mix my metaphors, GOODBYE MEXICO reminded me of being on the Mad Tea Cup ride at Disneyland: While the cup is spinning wildly, it is simultaneously moving in a predetermined direction.  In other words, it is not out of control, but merely seems that way.  Much like the Earth itself I might add: While it is spinning around its global axis at about 1,000 miles an hour, it is also rotating around the Sun -- it has a plan, a purpose! (Which reminds me... did you ever consider that while they sit fascinated by the sight of cars racing around the INDY 500 track at about 160 miles an hour, the spectators in the stands are themselves turning more than five times faster?)
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While GOODBYE MEXICO is often riotously funny, I did encounter a couple of problems with it: There are times when the story calls for a genuine emotional reaction, but I don't think I can be expected to laugh at an absurd satire and then later, when things turn serious, to invest enough belief in the story to experience anything resembling authentic empathy. A story with characters and situations this far removed from what we deem to be reality necessarily sacrifices its ability to evoke pathos.
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As I recently said to someone (who shall remain nameless because I don’t want you to know that I associate with such people), something minor, but which also negatively impacted my enjoyment, is that I think I pretty much reached my saturation point with "Tough Chick" stories more than ten years ago.  It seems as if that's all we ever get anymore and -- along with the ubiquitous "guy taking a shot to the family jewels" gag that rarely gets left out of any Hollywood movie or TV production -- I've had more than enough of it. The "Warrior Babe" is an exaggerated character type that I've grown weary of seeing. Additionally, GOODBYE MEXICO was a bit too outlandish and perhaps a shade too bawdy for my own tastes, but those things are subjective.
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Although I might not be GOODBYE MEXICO’s ideal reader, undoubtedly there is a large audience out there for it. For one thing, any woman who’s ever felt the desire to castrate a man for any reason will surely find that GOODBYE MEXICO gets her rocks off. Uhm... well, you know what I mean. Or you will. The story is frantically-funny and fast-paced; the plot has more “twists” than a bartender in a busy cocktail lounge; the principal protagonists (especially “that damn Gearheardt” who reminds me a lot of one of my own good friends from the past) are wonderfully drawn; and the insane denouement to the insane labyrinth of intrigues is probably nothing short of a stroke of genius -- wickedly humorous and absolutely apropos.
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GOODBYE MEXICO is a dizzying, Mad Cup of Tea, and if you’re going to climb into bed with spies, revolutionaries, counterrevolutionaries, and angry prostitutes, then consider yourself forewarned.
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Until our next rendezvous under the cover of darkness and Satire with a capital “S”, this is Mr. Nada Zilch (a.k.a. Agent Double-“OH!” Zero) saying, “ADIOS, MUCHACHOS Y MUCHACHAS.”
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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“WE ARE BECOMING THE MEN WE ONCE WANTED TO MARRY"

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FEMINIST FANTASIES
by Phyllis Schlafly (foreword by Ann Coulter)
published: 2003
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The title of this review is a statement that feminist author Robin Morgan once made to a Phil Donahue show audience. She certainly chose the right forum for it, seeing as how Phil Donahue himself had long before become the kind of woman that his Dad’s generation of men once wanted to marry.
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My favorite Anti-Feminism book is 'MANHOOD REDUX' by C. H. Freedman, and in that book he wrote: “I consider Phyllis Schlafly to be the most outstanding American in our history. Notice I did not say the outstanding American WOMAN.” Naturally, being staunchly opposed to Feminism myself, I too have great respect for the lifework and intelligence of this American icon who practically singlehandedly defeated the potentially disastrous Equal Rights Amendment.
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'FEMINIST FANTASIES' is a collection of 92 essays, all of them one to five pages long, written over parts of four decades, and covering a vast array of Feminist-related topics. Although I highlighted passages in nearly all of the essays, I consider 22 of them, in their totality, to be truly essential reading.
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Before telling you some of the many reasons you should acquire 'FEMINIST FANTASIES', let me first tell you about some of my own fantasies... uh... well... no. On second thought, let me tell you about the rare times where I thought Mrs. Schlafly went a little wrong:
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1) The first section of this book is titled 'The Revolution Is Over'. Here, Mrs. Schlafly wants to give the reader the impression that the Feminist Movement has been running out of steam as “last year’s models” begin to concede the foolishness of their youthful ideals (e.g., an op-ed piece written by a Feminst in the Chicago Tribune in October 1982 started out, “Let’s face it. The revolution is over. I just turned 31 and all I want is a husband.” ~pg.3). Well, let’s REALLY face it, if the revolution is over, it’s only because the revolutionaries have declared victory! It’s a very easy thing to call off the revolution (and even proclaim that the “revolution was a mistake” ~pg.80) after you’ve taken and now possess nearly every piece of ground you ever coveted! For the most strident TWISTED SISTERS, the war may never end until every man is lying naked at the end of a leash held by a female soldier (think: Abu Ghraib military prison which coincidentally [?] was under the control of a female brigadier general.)
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But for the more moderate Feminists (yeah, I know that’s an oxymoron) – the ones who share the ideology even if they shun the label – it’s easy to yell “truce” when you own the judiciary, the congress, academia, and the media. They may have lost the E.R.A. but they got nearly everything they ever wanted, anyway. And we may not be a full-blown matriarchy just yet, but the snowball is still rolling. And if you don’t think they’re justified in declaring victory, try reading 'LEGALIZING MISANDRY' by Paul Nathanson. While a handful of the old guard members of the movement may have died off or tempered the “Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!” verbiage, the feminists are still in high gear, and after four decades of indoctrinating youth, they have even increased their numbers. If Mrs. Schlafly wants to give us the impression that the tide is moving back out, she’s mistaken; men are now standing neck deep in it and it’s still rising!
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2) On page 112, she writes, “The true answer to the pay differential is to have open access to all occupations so that women are not barred from any.” Well, Mrs. Schlafly is playing a bit loose with her words here since we know that she (rightly) opposes women in military combat, and yet a ranking officer who leads soldiers into combat IS engaged in an OCCUPATION. Should women have open access to that position? Even Mrs. Schlafly would say no. Furthermore, I could give at least four very sound reasons why women should NOT be employed as police officers even if they were capable of passing all of the physical requirements previously demanded of men before those standards were lowered, enabling women to pass the police academies.
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3) On page 208, Mrs. Schlafly writes, “What is presumptuously called ‘the women’s movement’ has supposedly ‘liberated’ women from the drudgery of housework and given women new opportunities for careers in the paid labor force, especially in non-traditional (formerly all-male) occupations (from astronaut to coal miner).” And on page 55, concerning the feminist college student Linda LeClair, she writes, “No, Linda didn’t do something constructive based on personal achievement like Dr. Sally Ride.”
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Now, I find that just a shade disingenuous because, truthfully, Sally Ride gained her notoriety primarily as a result of the Feminist movement. I believe that since 1983, every major NASA mission has included at least one female on the flight crew. This has clearly been NASA’s way of throwing a bone to the bulldogs in N.O.W., et al. Although I do respect their dedication and their hard work to get there, the fact remains that every time a woman has donned her space suit and climbed into a rocket for a high profile mission, more technically and physically qualified male astronauts have been passed over in the name of a politically correct quota. I’m sorry, but I don’t think bashing Feminist Linda LeClair with Sally Ride in an Anti-Feminism book is a good idea. I say, hit her over the head with Amelia Earhart – now there’s a famous female flier who needed no assistance from the Feminist movement in order to reach new heights.
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But these are the only noteworthy complaints I have about Phyllis Schlafly’s erudite book. Otherwise, 'FEMINIST FANTASIES' is a clearheaded examination of the illogical and unnatural arguments that serve as the shifting, hypocritical foundation of one of this country’s worst diseases. Mrs. Schlafly comes at this false religion from every angle and the aggregate force of her keen mental swordplay slices right through the movement’s crapola to expose the heart of truth. (As I’ve written elsewhere, “crapola” is a Liberal landscape colored over with an excrement-hued Crayola crayon.) Just a few of the essays I particularly enjoyed are:
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* SEXIST SOFTWARE (“I discovered that one of the software programs will search material on the word processor, identify ‘sexist’ words, and instruct the operator how to purge all sexist words and substitute different words. ... A busboy is a clearer. The next time you dine in a restaurant, ask the ‘server’ to have the ‘clearer’ remove your dishes.”)
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* THE INTELLIGENT CANDIDATE’S GUIDE TO THE WOMEN’S VOTE (Mrs. Schlafly gives us a list of dos and don’ts for candidates who want to prepare themselves for traps laid by Feminist reporters. Number 9 is: “Don’t use expressions that some women find obnoxious. Don’t call any woman a ‘women’s libber’; call her a feminist.” When I worked for a magazine publisher in ‘93/’94, we had a card-carrying N.O.W. member in the Art Dept. I remember her once expressing great displeasure at being referred to as a “gal.”)
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* THE FEMINIST ASSAULT ON V.M.I. (In 1990, the Fems insisted that women be admitted to the all-male Virginia Military Institute because we are forbidden to recognize the differences between men and women. But once they got in, Janet Reno’s Feminist Justice Department went to court to argue that failing to make adjustments for female recruits would amount to "discrimination" because it would discourage women from applying, or lead them to drop out. Whoa! How do they pull these stunts off with a straight face?! Well, maybe “straight” wasn’t the right word.)
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In closing, let me also point out that I even like the photograph on the dust jacket of 'FEMINIST FANTASIES'. It’s a shame that she turned out the way she did, because the “women’s libber” in the picture has pretty eyes. Yeah, I gotta say, once you get past the Indian war paint, that little “gal” is kinda cute.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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