My brother Pat Wictor is a folksinger. Yesterday he called from the road in New York, and we had a two-hour conversation about our father Edward, who died on February 23, 2013. Ed was a mystery to us. He was the most secretive person I’ve ever known. In fact he scared me my whole life…
The main difference between us and animals
March 21, 2015
There are lots of differences between us and animals. We humans wear clothes, even if it’s just a penis sheath. Almost every group of us has a written language. We manufacture conveyances that defy the laws of nature, just so we can hurry from Point A to Point B. Last night it hit me that…
Why I write posts on Pallywood
August 4, 2014
Since so many people have asked, tonight I’ll explain why I write posts on Pallywood. I have a very specific motivation. And, because of my burgeoning reputation as a madman, I’ll explain why I believe that maybe—just maybe—this was my purpose in life. First of all, I’m not religious. I’m a theist, which means I…
Your fate is to have free will
May 17, 2014
Today I found an artifact that had gone missing. I’d heard about it for years, but I’d never laid eyes on it. Now I’ve examined and touched it. Part of me had wondered if it really existed. Does it prove anything? Yes. It proves that our fate is to have free will. I broach the…
The danger of reactionaryism
January 25, 2014
Merriam-Webster defines reactionaryism as follows. Attitudes or opinions tending to favor established ideas, conditions, or institutions (The region’s entrenched reactionaryism made it one of the major battlegrounds for the civil rights movement in the 1960s.) Synonyms: conservativeness, die-hardism, reactionaryism, traditionalism, ultraconservatism Related Words: neoconservatism, Toryism; bigotry, illiberalism; conventionalism, conventionality, fogyism (or fogeyism) Near Antonyms: neoliberalism;…
Seeing only what you want
January 14, 2014
A little followup on the reason why my publicists thought they could scam me without repercussions. It’s a classic case of seeing only what you want. The answer came to me when I reviewed e-mails that an interviewer sent. Writing about the book, your publicist refers to your humility… To me, you come off as…