A Visit to the Bookstore

This afternoon the Hollywood Freeway, US 101 through Hollywood, had a Sigalert. A sigalert is an unplanned lane closure on a California freeway that lasts more than thirty minutes. They're usually caused by a serious collision of a nature that take some time to clean up. As I was driving home from a little Saturday overtime work, I heard the announcement that two southbound and one northbound lanes were closed because of "police activity." I've heard no further explanation so far. I suspect there was a Dunkin' Donut truck spill. They've been known to keep the California Highway Patrol tied up for hours.

Since I knew that would probably mean at least an extra half-hour of excruciatingly slow driving, I opted to take the I-5 freeway up to the valley instead. It's an extra three or four miles, but that distance at 60mph is better than the shorter distance at five mph.

As I kroozed past the huge and lovely Griffith Park, I recalled that I'd been putting off a trip to Barnes & Noble to shop for a copy of Newt Gingrich & William Forstchen's new historical novel, Pearl Harbor, and S.M. Stirling's alternate history novel, A Meeting at Corvallis.

I drove to the Burbank Shopping Center.

The first thing I saw at the "New Arrivals" case just inside the door of the Burbank B&N curdled the contents of my stomach and the first thirty-two feet of my small intestine. Six rows of books showing a plain white dust cover 'pon which were printed, in plain New Times Roman, the words "The Assault on Reason." Not terribly threatening, one might observe, written perhaps by Robert Bidinotto or Leonard Peikoff. But, No! Below the title of the book, was the name of the alleged author: Al Gore.

Now, boys and girls, if there is anyone on planet Earth that should be disallowed from using the word reason, that person would be Algore. Not only does Algore never use his ability to reason, limited as it appears to be, but he doesn't understand the meaning of the concept at all! I ran screaming from the store.

In my head.

What the people around me in the B&N store saw was a mere rustle in the front of my shirt, partly concealing the turning of my stomach, as I immediately began searching for the bathroom for a safe place to deposit the contents thereof.

The left have already coopted the words liberal and progressive to mean their direct opposites. Now, what are they going to do with the word reason?

I quickly bought the books I came for and hurried home, to try to forget.

They've killed Freedom! Those bastards!

Warm regards,

Col. Hogan
Stalag California