The eventful and egregious confessions of a morally superior — than you — conman
“Who will guard the guardians?” is the theme of this fictional “dumpster-dive” into the deep vaults of governmental and university corruption in modern America.
The anti-hero conman, a fusion of Harry Flashman and Forest Gump, takes the reader on a tour of his life’s story. He embarks on one hair-raising adventure after another, many of which draw him into relationships with some of the better-known movers and shakers of the era, such as Bill and Hillary Clinton, Raul Castro, Jim Jones, Slobodan Milošević, and John McCain. His adventures always seem to be “turning bad,” whether conniving with E. Howard Hunt to overthrow Chile’s Salvador Allende, bombing government buildings at the behest of Bill Ayers, or serving as a hitman for Fidel Castro.
From our lovable but cynical anti-hero, we get a conman’s perspective and sardonic commentary on many of the events that defined America in the last fifty years – the Vietnam War, JFK’s assassination, 9/11, the CIA’s secret operations, the bombing of Kosovo, the wave of U.S. domestic terrorism of the 1970s, and the election of Barack Obama.
Excerpts
Then, it came to me, known here as inmate number TH77666. This was my opportunity — to launch an overdue confession. I had a long, sordid career of “misbehavin” that I should take a stab at getting off my chest. My life, from early on, had gone off the rails. There might be some redeeming value in rendering that sordid history as entertainment.
The old saw, “confession is good for the soul,” I’m not sure of, particularly given my obdurate skepticism toward what the “soul” might be all about. Assuming there is such a thing, what might be good for it? But, good for my questionably existing soul or not, I resolved to get this mangy horse out of the barn and into a full gallop. My confession would be forthcoming. I would hold nothing back — well, mostly nothing.
-from Chapter Two
With this “better way” I’m modestly proposing, all you need is just three words in the English language to make your way through the distracting bullshit. They are easy to remember, and each begins with “C.” Coercion, corruption, collusion — the 3-c’s, as I’ll refer to them. Yes, the 3-c’s are all you’ll ever need to draw an accurate and exhausting picture of most big governments and the politicians who run them. They also apply to other institutions, like labor unions, churches, and, most of all, universities, which I will have a lot to say about later on.
To begin: Don’t fall for the chest-thumping bombast of superiority that government cheerleaders use to boast about their own operations. These guys are the worst, the biggest liars and the most obnoxious. Once you get past their mumbo jumbo, you begin to recognize that they are — all of them — fronts for coercion, corruption, and collusion. They just can’t help it.
I know you’re going to protest. “What about Hitler, Stalin, Donald Trump, and the assault on ‘our democracy’? Some governments, some politicians are bad; some are good, and it’s pretty obvious which ones are and which ones aren’t.” But, before you work yourself into a self-righteous lather, let me try to show you what I am getting at with this crucial admonition: Drop the Good-Evil dichotomy way of looking at the world — it’s used by conniving sophisticates to manipulate simpletons. It makes for good entertainment — Hollywood does it magnificently and routinely — but it doesn’t match up with reality.
To make this point as undeniable as I can, let me briefly compare two supposedly extremely different forms of government: Russia under Lenin and Stalin, and the USA, 21st century. I will apply the 3-c’s, and they will reveal what is painfully real about each of these governments. They will also show how their false, feel-good fables encourage our indulgence in the need to feel superior and puff ourselves up with imaginary virtue.
