There's a couple of gems in this piece on Vonnegut, excerpted below. I would debate his obvious dislike for computers, but not where he's coming from.
Bill ---------------------------------- Last year, apparently on the spur of the moment, he agreed to speak again at Ohio State. It would be his last campus lecture. When word spread, a line four thousand students long instantly formed at a university otherwise known only for its addiction to football. Anyone expecting a safe, whimsical opener from this grand old man of sixties rebellion was in for a shock. "Can I speak frankly?" he asked Professor Manuel Luis Martinez, the poet and writing teacher who would "interview" him. "The only difference between George W. Bush and Adolph Hitler is that Hitler was actually elected." Holding up a book about Ohio 2004, he said: "You all know, of course, that the election was stolen. Right here." Explaining that this would he his "last speech for money," Vonnegut said he couldn't remember his first one. But it was "long long ago. "I'm lucky enough to have known a great president, one who really cared about ALL the people, rich and poor. That was Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was rich himself, and his class considered him a traitor. "We have people in this country who are richer than whole countries," he said. "They run everything. "We have no Democratic Party. It's financed by the same millionaires and billionaires as the Republicans. "So we have no representatives in Washington. Working people have no leverage whatsoever. "I'm trying to write a novel about the end of the world. But the world is really ending! It's becoming more and more uninhabitable because of our addiction to oil. "Bush used that line recently," Vonnegut added. "I should sue him for plagiarism." Things have gotten so bad, he said, "people are in revolt against life itself." Our economy has been making money, but "all the money that should have gone into research and development has gone into executive compensation. If people insist on living as if there's no tomorrow, there really won't be one. "As the world is ending, I'm always glad to be entertained for a few moments. The best way to do that is with music. You should practice once a night. "If you want really want to hurt your parents, go into the arts." He then broke into song, with a passable, tender rendition of "Stardust Memories." By this time, the packed hall was reverential. The sound system, appropriately tenuous, forced us all to strain to hear every word. "To hell with the advances in computers," he said after he finished singing. "YOU are supposed to advance and become, not the computers. Find out what's inside you. And don't kill anybody. "There are no factories any more. Where are the jobs supposed to come from? There's nothing for people to do anymore. We need to ask the Seminoles: 'what the hell did you do?" after the tribe's traditional livelihood was taken away. Answering questions written in by students, he explained the meaning of life. "We should be kind to each other. Be civil. And appreciate the good moments by saying 'If this isn't nice, what is?' http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/04/13/492/ _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscription Maintenance: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech Searchable Archive: http://leafe.com/archives/search/profox This message: http://leafe.com/archives/byMID/profox/[EMAIL PROTECTED] ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
