Terrorism and the Novel

Just came across Dangerous Characters, an article by novelist Benjamin Kunkel on terrorism and the novel. Kunkel aims to characterize the figure of the terrorist in the terrorist novel, both pre- and post-9/11. At present, I've just skimmed the essay, but want to post it for future reference. Students in my English and American Fiction course will be reading DeLillo's Mao II, probably the most influential terrorist novel (if such a genre can be established) from the postmodern era, in a few weeks, and this essay should help us to identify some of the key issues concerning the relationship between terror and fiction.

Solich Scores First Victory as Ohio Upsets Pittsburgh

Ahhhh, college football season is here again... While the scholar in me detests the way athletics trump academics on too many college campuses across the country, I grew up in the Husker Nation and bleed the Big Red. College football remains the only sport that I follow passionately.

Ohio 16, Pittsburgh 10. What - an - upset. And this one is particularly bittersweet for us Husker fans. Sweet because Frank Solich, Nebraska's former head coach who is truly a class act, just won his first game as the coach of the Ohio University Bobcats. The underdog Bobcats, who have had 29 losing seasons in 35 years, defeated the Pittsburgh Panthers, the defending Big East champions, in overtime.

I'm truly happy to read about the outpouring of support for Frank Solich in Ohio. He deserves it, especially after the shabby treatment he received from Steve Pederson. Husker fans, too many of whom endorsed Pederson's judgment about Solich, know what I'm talking about.

The bitterness comes from the fact that Steve Pederson, Nebraska's arrogant athletic director, fired Solich after the 2003 season, when NU went 9-3. Pederson's reason: While Solich had compiled a fantastic number of wins during his tenure at NU (58-19 in six seasons) and had even played in the National Championship game (NU lost to Miami 34-14 in the 2002 Rose Bowl) he couldn't win the big ones. Nebraska, which dominated in the 1990s, was regularly losing to the likes of Oklahoma and Texas, its Big 12 rivals.

In 2004, under new head coach Bill Callahan, who brought with him a West Coast (passing) Offense, Nebraska suffered through its first losing season in 40 years.

Reading of Solich's victor, coming on the heels of Nebraska's lame victory last week over Division I-AA Maine, it's impossible not to cringe at Steve Pederson's decision to fire Solich as head coach of Nebraska and wonder where the Cornhuskers would be now had Solich remained at the helm. Next week Nebraska plays Pittsburgh, where Steve Pederson served before coming to NU, which will be hungry for a victory. It's painful to say, but I'm not convinced that Callahan's Cornhuskers are ready for the challenge.

But enough looking ahead. Tonight NU plays Wake Forest. And these days its especially true that NU can't afford to overlook any of their opponents.

Bush: One of the Worst Disasters to Hit the U.S.

It's been a grim week. While the Bush Administration's response to Hurricane Katrina has been a comedy of errors, the enormity of the diaster, coupled with the incompetence and corruption that intensified its devastating effects have made it hard to laugh much lately. However, this image, which I first found via a link on In These Times, did manage to make me crack a wry smile. The caption is from a TV capture from Sky News Ireland.

Do ya think the caption writer intentionally penned this double entendre? In any case, this dose of Irish irony went down as smooth as a pint of Guinness. Speaking of which, it is Friday...

The Post-Katrina Era Must Be Progressive

The linguist George Lakoff argues that the Katrina tragedy was exacerbated by the right-wing values that the Bush Administration has put into practice and that the Post-Katrina Era must see a return to progressive-liberal values. Lakoff suggests that the majority of Americans actually hold progressive-liberal values (empathy for others, that we're all in this together, equal protection for all, etc.) as opposed to the right-wing conservativism that (a winner-takes-all capitalism, extremist individualism that valorizes selfishness, and an animosity towards government, unless it can be used to benefit one's private agenda). Note: The glosses in parentheses are mine, not Lakoff's.

I'd like to believe that Lakoff is correct about the values held by most Americans, but I'm not so sure. As Bruce Springsteen sings in "Nebraska," a song narrated by Charlie Starkweather, a mass-murderer who, to my knowledge, was the last person executed by the state of Nebraska: "I guess there's just a meanness in this world." America is a violent culture, and I suspect that more Americans have a sadistic streak than many of us would like to acknowledge.

I fear that too many Americans have embraced right-wing individualism to such an extent that they can feel empathy only for a small circle of friends and family members. I remember a conservative in St. Louis whom I met a few years back. His son had contracted AIDS through a blood transfusion, and although this man was well off he could not pay for all the medical expenses. Fortunately, he qualified for financial support. His son remained alive only because of government largesse. Although he thankfully accepted the government support, he remained steadfastly opposed to universal health care. He was, to put it simply, an elitist who had no compassion for people whom he did not know personally.

Congratulations Raffet and Rita!

Raffet and Rita Exchange Vows
Originally uploaded by erasmus.

Attention friends: I'll be posting more photos from the festivities surrounding Raffet and Rita's wedding in days to come.