Conversation on a Train.

It is August 24, 1920. I am about to embark on the Orient Express -- the most famous and luxurious train in Europe -- destined for Istanbul.

Why am I bound for Turkey? Well, it's more like the train is heading in that general direction, and I plan to be on the train. Incidentally, I am in Paris as I conjure these words, at the old train station not the Gare du Nord.

As I am sure that you will remember, most of the great Russian novelists have at least one scene in their stories -- Tolstoy in "Anna Karenina" is a classic example -- featuring a conversation among strangers on a train dealing with philosophical issues surrounding love and death as well as the meaning of life.

You have entered a classy text with philosophical pretensions and, possibly, some sexy bits. 

Sometimes, of course, the proverbial "Ship of Fools" (Katherine Ann Porter) will serve similar metaphorical purposes. By the way, the device works in movies, too. James Cameron's "Titanic" is a recent example, but several Hitchcock classics also fit the bill, as it were. I made use of the device myself in a story entitled: "Master and Commander."

Anyway, what would I be wearing in Paris, during the sultry month of August, 1920? (Yes, John Barth and John Fowles are obvious inspirations for this story and its method.)

I am wearing a dress suit, which is light by early twentieth century standards, but heavy as tweed by the standards of 2012. In fact, I am unbearably hot. There is no air conditioning in 1920. Nowhere to get an ice-cold Coke-Cola.

A tight, overly-starched white collar and thickly-knotted tie deprive me what little oxygen is available in this train station. There is a gold pocket watch in my vest pocket. I examine this time piece -- which is worth a fortune today! -- noticing that it is made by Breitling, a small company in 1920, just starting out in the wristwatch business.

I always wanted one of these babies. I can only hope that I'll get to keep it. It is now midnight according to my pocket watch.

There are a lot more people in this train station than you would imagine. Nearly every man is wearing a suit, most of these clothes worn by other men are less expensive or clean than what I have on. Most men wear suspenders and also look far less healthy than people do these days. No modern dentistry. This is pre-antibiotics, remember.

There are soldiers from the recent war still in uniform. Many of these men are missing limbs or otherwise displaying lasting injuries. 

I can hear horses and carts arriving at the station, not many cars or trucks. Motor vehicles would have been primitive and unreliable by our standards -- apparently, this goes on all day and night in a city like Paris in the early twenties -- horse-drawn carts pick up supplies for the many Parisian markets.

I catch a glimpse of myself in the large mirror placed behind the bar where I sit. I am a member of the prosperous middle class, a Proustian-type hero -- except that it is a little early for Proust. Let's say "Marcel" before he was the narrator of "Remembrance of Things Past" but not necessarily gay -- or somebody like that guy.

Proust's novel has not yet appeared in full in 1920. Already there is gossip about identifying the true subjects of Proust's work. Was "Marcel," as narrator of the novel, identical with Marcel Proust as author of the work? I doubt it.

I "appear" to be 35 years-old, slim, clean and pleasant-featured. (What a relief!) 

My shoes are highly polished. A bowler hat sits at a jaunty angle on my head. My hair is shiny with brilliantine, which is advertised everywhere, giving me a look that will become popular with the arrival of Valentino's stardom in about year or two. At the moment, Chaplin is the world's greatest motion picture "star." 

I must be pretty well to do to pop-up in this outfit. Good. I hate it when they make me poor or a criminal or something. Never mind the science fiction stuff when I am a robot or an alien! ("A Doll's Aria" and "Serendipity, III.") 

Sometimes, this one very annoying author makes me a WOMAN. This could be a fascinating experience, but he's not that kind of writer. ("What you will ...")

Am I French? I don't know yet. I can speak French. But I am thinking in English. You are probably reading this in the English language. The chances are that I am an American or a British subject. Canadian? Who knows. It's early yet. Let's see where this is going. I never trust authors. 

I must have a name. How about something semi-fancy? "Ashenden, William Somerset -- at your service, madam."

That would make me English. I mean British.  Isn't that the same thing? No, it can't be. The Welsh and all kinds of other weird people are also British.  Scottish people are British -- even if they're not thrilled about it all the time. I don't know about the Irish. The Irish don't know about the Irish.

William Somerset Maugham was a popular Edwardian playwright and story writer whose first novel "Liza of Lambeth" had already appeared well before 1920. The name "Ashenden" would have seemed interesting to Parisian listeners, making me an "Anglo-Saxon" as the French say.

Forget the "Marcel" stuff. My guess is that this will be a spy story. I like those stories. There's probably a beautiful woman coming up soon. Awesome!  

I hear the whistle signaling that the train is allowing passengers to "board." A group of persons begins to move toward the train that is visible beyond the station. An older man approaches sporting a large white moustache more fitting for the nineteenth century. He wears a magnificent suit, dark cape, gloves, and carries a gold-headed cane. (The weather has no effect on these people's need to be grand.)

His hat is made of black polished material and has a gray silk band. He is followed by a butler carrying several bags presumably belonging to this Bismark-like character. He is addressed as "Baron Von Buddenbrooks."

A family of domestic workers in more modest attire will be riding in the back cars heading home to Italy, perhaps, or Greece. The cost of this journey must amount to a month's wages for them. The conductors and other railway personnel ignore these simple people. Railway workers pretend not to see them, including the women holding heavy bags. I offer to help, but they move away, quickly, with a bow in my direction.  

Several officers in the French army, swords still at their waists, sporting elaborate, well-trimmed moustaches (that may be even pointier than the swords) are laughing. They will be joining us in the first class compartments. A non-commissioned officer carries their bags.

A beautiful woman in her thirties approaches at a leisurely pace. She is followed by two older women carrying her bags. There must be ten or more suitcases carried by these women. There are also two large leather cases held by a uniformed chauffer who has stepped out of a Rolls Royce Roadster parked directly across from the train. The chauffer is following the women towards the train.

They're lucky they don't have parking meters yet. Try that today in Paris and you won't see your car again for a few days. 

She is dressed in daringly revealing and close-fitting fashion. I can see her ankles! The dress is a dark velvety green -- like her eyes -- she wears a small hat and, in her white-gloved hands, she holds a large black envelope-type purse with a solid gold buckle. Her shoes are also black, well-polished, seemingly rising higher on her ankles than women's shoes today, but of much better leather.

The "ladies and gentlemen" join me in forming a line. The beautiful and grand lady is speaking excellent French to her servants. She is referred to as "Countess."

Another lady joins us in more modest clothes. A dark gray suit, longer skirt, pre-Coco Chanel. Not bad. Brunette, big light eyes, almond-shaped. She is holding a book. A veil covers part of her face. I see full lips and perfect teeth as she offers a tentative smile in my direction. I can't make out the title of what she is reading.

No doubt about it, such questionable behavior on the part of a young lady (travelling alone without a servant!) means we're dealing with an American female person. This means that anything will be possible in this story.

The train conductor is an enormous man in a uniform that glitters in the, mostly, dim gas lights of the station. A large pocket watch is examined by this person as he calls us to approach.

Ladies are immediately ushered ahead in this procession, accompanied by children (if any), then older men -- unless there are members of the French aristocracy who would have boarded already.

This means our "Countess" is even more interesting than I first imagined. She has arrived late and her title has not been used in making the arrangements. Two unconventional women -- I mean, "ladies" -- is unusual in literature and society in 1920.

These women will probably be the source of dramatic tension in our narrative. I like that.

I produce my ticket. The man tips his hat towards me and waives me ahead. I am without a servant. This also would be unusual, but acceptable for a still young and eccentric gentleman.

I carry a small leather case. I notice some clothes that are neatly folded, a classic shaving set designed for travel, also a few books: Freud in German (!), Bradley's "Appearance and Reality," and (thank you!) "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes."

As I step into the train, I am struck by the overwhelming luxury of the surroundings: There is plush red fabric on the walls -- accomodations are far more elaborate and spacious than what we find today even in luxury trains -- magnificent silk curtains cover large windows and there are doors enclosing each cushy set of facing seats in private compartments. I have a whole compartment to myself.

The amount of space afforded to these people is almost obscene by comparison with what we get in our much more crowded world. Servants and others occupying different social strata, on the other hand, are uncomfortable in ways no one would put up with today, unless servants reside with great families when they are usually allowed more room. 

Servants are also disregarded or ignored in a way that is difficult for me to observe, even from my perspective as a "gentleman." No one seems to take offense at this treatment of people.

An oriental motif is visible in the decorations. Paintings in "suites" depict Arabian and Turkish exotica. Tables are covered in lace and bear exquisite silverware and crystal goblets. Servants' quarters are better than "normal" accomodations in today's best high speed rail service -- that is, if you don't mind sharing space with strangers and being regarded as baggage!

Upper-crust people at the time understood elegance and lived with notions of "class propriety" that allowed for few exceptions, insisting on rigid standards of "appropriateness" at all times. I better be careful. It's easy to slip-up in this world in a way that would reveal me to be an interloper from another time and place.

I place the modest bag next to me in my compartment. I am handed a key by the porter. I thank the man and offer a generous tip. As he leaves, I draw back the curtain. I then exit and lock my door.

I am heading for the dining car where several of the persons I saw earlier are congregating already, including the ladies. It would be considered rude simply to stay in one's compartment on a journey such as this, especially on the departure night.

The persons on this train would have deemed it a ritual to enjoy an all-night conversation on the occasion of so auspicious a journey to the mysterious East. "Conversation" is a concept that is nearly lost to us. It meant much more (but was also more formalized) early in the twentieth century. 

To "converse" with a stranger on a train, as we are doing now, was a matter of some importance (or even intimacy) because words and speech mattered so much more than they do today.

Servants have been discarded or relegated to their more modest "levels" for the time being. We may be frank with each other. We read about the teens and twenties of the last century without realizing what it felt like to be one of the vast majority of people at the bottom of the social scale.

These persons, mostly, weren't in Fitzgerald's or James' novels -- except in peripheral ways -- but no one is "peripheral" in his or her own eyes. Everybody is or should be the "protagonist" of his or her story -- if not necessarily the "writer." After all, history and the subconscious (I just realized that Freud is still alive in 1920!) does a lot of the writing for most of us.

There must have been tons of resentment and anger felt by these servants and workers that, also, didn't make it into Western literature until pretty recently. Yes, there were "unpleasant" books in the nineteenth century (M. Zola, Fabian Socialists, Marx, Dickens), but the vast majority of books were written by -- and FOR -- the middle class and higher on the social scale. People like my character in this drama, not for their servants.

"Reading can deform reality in advance" -- Jane Austen warns readers in Northanger Abbey -- "so that the avid reader, living with an inflamed imagination, might well not only 'see' things which are not actually there in the external world, but also not see what is there. In this way reading may lead to misreading of the actual non-fictional given world. It is clear from the start that Jane Austen is going to subject Catherine to a fair amount of irony in this connection. We read, for instance, that 'she read all such works as heroines must read to supply their memories with those quotations which are so serviceable and so soothing in the vicissitudes of their eventual lives.' 'Eventfulness' is a notion (and a problem) I shall come back to. But we can see straightaway that, in effect, Catherine wants to turn life into a prolonged series of quotations. In this way she, quite literally, is in danger of perverting reality, and one of the things she has to learn is to break out of quotation, as it were, and discover the complex difference (as well as the complex connections) between reading a book and reading the world." 

Tony Tanner, Jane Austen (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1986), pp. 44-45.

I approach the "Countess," remove my hat, bow, take the hand extended in my general direction and place an air kiss just over it in the prescribed manner:

"How do you do? My name is William Ashenden."

"Very well, thank you." She utters these words in a dismissive mumble, much in the manner that she uses when addresing her servants. I am expecting something out of Proust. "Guermantes?"

"My name is Samantha Rothschild." English? Wow, who knew? An heiress marrying into a title. Probably an American. Great. Smart, too! The Baron clicks his heels and ruins my moment with a Germanic interruption:

"Perhaps we should step into the dining car where proper introductions will be possible. Ja?"

The dark-haired lady turns to me and says: "I am Mantissa McTaggart. How do you do?"

We shake hands in the crass American way. Maybe she wants to arm wrestle? I am a little dazed. It is extraordinary for any lady to initiate a discussion with a gentleman, especially in a setting and among people like these folks. For a young and single woman, this is even more unusual. 

"I am very well, thank you. Are you an American?"

"Yes. I am studying in Paris." She holds up her book and smiles: Mary Whiton Calkins, "The Persistent Problems of Philosophy."

I do not know the book or its author. I was afraid of this. If there is a philosophy test in this story, I am going to need some help from the author. I hate philosophy. Plus, this babe is going to get all Modernist on me and start quoting T.S. Eliot or James Joyce. Worse, Thomas Mann. My guess is she's a "social idealist." I hate "social idealists." 

I have a feeling that there will be lots of ideas in this dialogue and not as much action or excitement as I hoped. Probably, I am not going to get enough sex from this author. I think our writer should read more Freud. Listen, people want a little erotic frisson. You could sell something Noir and thrilling to the movies! 

Is there any way to get these ladies into my compartment? I doubt it.  

"It sounds very interesting. Are you studying philosophy, Miss MacTaggart?"

"Yes." I get another smile from the dark-haired babe as I gesture for her to enter before me into the dining car. We will sit at the largest table for what promises to be a lofty conversation that will last until dawn. I am in trouble.  

We are soon joined by the officers (won't the swords get in their way?), Captains Adair and Van Cauwelaert. Baron Von Buddenbrooks sits at the head of the table, like God the Father in His Heaven. This seems a little partiarchal and demeaning to women. I sit between the ladies. The officers are placed at either side of the good Baron. (A few years from now this guy could be a Nazi.)

Tea would have been brought to us pretty quickly, along with some "biscuits." (Biscuits are not something for the poodle, it's what they call "cookies" over here.)

A uniformed waiter takes our orders for "refreshments." I'm starving from all these deep thoughts. The delicious aroma of Turkish coffee fills the room.

Conversation focuses on the journey that we have begun. The experience of reading this text means that we -- you and I -- are also creating a journey together.

There is a great mystery about how this literary journey happens, when or where it happens, if you know what I mean. This reminds me of a story I read called "What you will ..." All of Borges' writings are concerned with these paradoxes, to say nothing of Kafka. Shame that it's a little too soon for those two.

You've already made a kind of "connection" with a pleasant-featured young man, protagonist, narrator or alter-ego for the author. Two beautiful ladies seem to embody feminine archetypes. I am thinking mythology. Maybe "The Judgment of Paris." They will express rival views, I suspect. A number of cultural icons have already been invoked. Some are crucial; others may be red herrings (you should forgive the expression).

Would a guy named "Ashenden" say that? No way. 

Metaphysical puzzles have appeared in our story because this "unreliable" author (to say nothing of his protagonist!) has an ulterior purpose or two. I've heard of unreliable narrators, but this is the first unreliable author I've run into. Don't blame me.

Samantha points her eyes at me and says, softly: "I am an experienced traveller. However, this is my first journey on the Orient Express."

"I have visited China, India and Japan." Buddenbrooks comments in flawless English. This is a lucky break because I can't speak German.

"Have you visited the Islamic world, Baron?" Mantissa directs this question to the head of the table.

I am drawing a blank right now. Let's see: Prokosch's "The Asiatics" did not appear until about 1930. I can't use that book in this chat. Herman Hesse was around, but had not yet published the "Journey to the East." I will have to rely on my knowledge of Conrad and "The Arabian Nights."

"Only in my readings, Miss MacTaggart." This is offered with a slight bow.

"I have always been fascinated by the romance of the Islamic world."

Mantissa has a beautiful voice. Samantha is feeling the competition as a woman accustomed to being the center of attention. She has clearly drawn the admiration of the French cavalry. I fear that these soldiers will need rescuing soon.

"The world of a literary work is not an objective reality, but what in German is called a 'Lebenswelt,' reality as actually organized and experienced by an individual subject. Phenomenological criticism will typically focus upon the way an author experiences time or space, on the relation between self and others or his perception of material objects. The methodological concerns of Husserlerian philosophy, in other words, very often become the content of 'literature' for phenomenological criticism."

Terry Eagleton, "Phenomenology, Hermeneutics, Reflection Theory," in Literary Theory (Oxford: Blackwell, 1983, 1996), p. 51.

"I dare say that we will discover beyond Istanbul all of the wonders of the Arabian nights."

One of French soldiers puts in his two cents' worth. Fascination inheres in the process of "unveiling." Words on paper or a computer screen even allow us to see, vividly, the luxurious train, these colorful characters, to feel the motion as the train picks up speed, to taste the tea and sweets, and smell the coffee.

"Experience" expands to include ideas we may otherwise ignore or never discover that are handed to us by persons more exotic and interesting than those we are likely to know.

Plato made this discovery centuries ago. Ideas themselves are "characters," protagonists in adventures that interact or relate to one another. Dialectics is drama. Ideas become flesh -- sometimes beautiful flesh. In the beginning was the word.

We are at this table. We participate in this chat. We flirt. Like "our" friend, Mr. Ashenden, we are there and here. A uniformed waiter appears with bread, fruit, fine cheese. Bottles of wine are placed on our table. Other tables begin to fill with more first class passengers. The dining car is buzzing with conversation and gentle laughter. 

"What do you plan to do with your education, Miss MacTaggart?"

Mantissa seems tentative and embarassed: "I am fascinated by philosophy, literature, history and ... the sciences. This new century will require a great deal from ladies. We must devote logic and effort to the improvement of our situation. We can do nothing without educating ourselves to be the equals -- or betters -- of men."

"Why do you say that?"

"I believe, Mr. Ashenden, that we ladies must take our place, as the equals of men, at the centers of power in the world. We must have the vote in America. We must be able to attend universities, enter the professions, as men do, and choose our fates."

"So few of us can do that." I say this jokingly.

Samantha enters the discussion with a surprising observation:

"I doubt that we have very much choice at all. Our roles are written long before we arrive on the scene."

The Baron seemed shocked at this remark: "You do not believe in free will?"

"Not for us," Samantha said, with a playful smile for me.

"Why not?"

"So much of life is only an elaborate fiction, Mr. Ashenden. Social roles and conventions, the absurdities of class, accidents of time and place that 'locate' us in a context. What the future has in store for any of us is no doubt far from pleasant and, much of it, is unknowable and unalterable."

"Events in Germany may bear you out on that point." Baron Buddenbrooks was saddened by this thought.

Mantissa leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with intelligence and interest: "Dr. Freud in Vienna says that we are the 'prisoners of our baser instincts.' ..."

She paused in mid-sentence, then continued in an icy tone:

"I doubt that we are entirely driven by baser instincts. There is much in what Freud suggests, however, and a pessimism derived from Schopenhauer that is frightening and sad."

"I am certainly not referring to sex," Samantha's use of the word brought a stillness into the room. "Nor am I referring to economic warfare or class. After all, money is merely another fiction -- "

" -- spoken by someone with plenty of money." I chuckled.

I receive a second friendly and amused smile in response. Is she amused at me or my remark? I am happy either way.

"Money is only as real as we make it. And then we become as real as money and other fictions make us. We rarely appreciate the forces that converge to create us, Mr. Ashenden, including the very words we speak in which we think and experience the world. Whereof we cannot speak thereof we must remain silent."

"Very well put, Countess."

"Surely, you are not suggesting that we remain passive or accepting of injustice?" Mantissa was suitably surprised.

"Do you believe, for example, that this train may arrive in, say, Brussels rather than Istanbul?"

"The train may take us anywhere or nowhere. We might just as easily be sitting in a prison cell or hospital chamber. We might have met in the trenches of a most absurd war that has taken the lives of young men by the hundreds of thousands for no rational reason that I can discover."

"Do you have an explanation for what you regard as so much absurdity?" I am genuinely puzzled.

"We may be the dream of some mysterious god or devil. We may be the dreamers of these evils I describe. It may be that there is nothing outside our crafty fictions and dreams -- nothing beyond our texts -- and that our dreams (such as they are) are better guides than reason or science, Miss MacTaggart, to a reality we only dimly apprehend."

Mantissa was having none of this: "We must move beyond mythology and religions, Countess. We must endeavor to assert our powers on behalf of liberation, even if the effort is doomed. The Greeks uderstood 'Agon' -- in mythological terms -- as the point of a life's journey. No member of my sex should remain passive to the denial of equality for any person."

"Equality cannot be denied to any person. Perhaps the concern with power is your mythology, Miss MacTaggart. Power is also found in the languages that make the stories in which we must or may 'be.' ..."

"Power means the ability to remake our world."

"It is our 'worlds' -- and I must insist on the plural word -- that make us." 

"Ladies," Buddenbrooks piped in, "let us never give up on the hope for understanding. It may be naive or old-fashioned -- certainly my lifetime has been filled with horrors and, I expect, more horrors will come soon enough -- and yet 'reason' remains our 'slim reed,' to paraphrase Pascal, in confronting our difficulties. We live in an age of marvels. A day may come when we will cross the oceans in airships. Some day we may even depart from our planet."

This comment generated laughter:

"All serious art, music and literature is a critical act. It is so, firstly, in the sense of Mathew Arnold's phrase: 'A criticism of life.' Be it realistic, fantastic, Utopian or satiric, the construct of the artist is a counter-statement to the world. Authentic means [to] embody concentrated, selective interactions between the constraints of the observed and the boundless possibilities of the imagination. Such formed intensity of sight and of speculative ordering is, always, a critique. It says that things might be (have been, shall be) otherwise."

George Steiner, Real Presences (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1989), p. 11.

Our discussion of free will continued for hours with little alterations of the positions anounced by the various participants: Mantissa defended a very American concern with power in the "real" world. She was eminently empirical and sensible, "pragmatic" and political. Her suggestions for practical reforms in institutions and laws avoided excessive concern for theoretical difficulties.

Samantha questioned the notion of a "real" world beyond our words and the dreams to which they ultimately refer. Charmingly, our Countess insisted that we were "imprisoned" in language. With a beguiling -- even bewitching -- smile, she wondered whether "all being that can be understood is merely 'being-in-language.' ..."

"Being-in-language," I said, "living within a text, is a phrase that stays with me. But if the capacities of language are infinite, then anything may be thought by us and we are infinitely variable."

Being for a moment the center of attention, I suggested (in a whisper) that, as the sun's first rays were piercing the sky, the ladies would wish to join me in pursuing this fascinating conversation in my compartment where I might arrange for breakfast to be brought to us. 

Alas, Samantha explained as she rose from the table -- accompanied by all of the gentlemen who, immediately, stood at attention -- that she always reads to her poodle in French before retiring for the evening and wouldn't dream of disappointing her favorite pet. 

Mantisa made her excuses and also declined my invitation as she happened to write all of her experiences in a journal to be called, on this journey, "Conversation on a Train."

We gentlemen made our polite responses -- I will not deny my disappointment with the author of this text! -- then withdrew to our respective compartments from which to contemplate the arrival of a new day filled with hope for a promising century.

So many beautiful things await all of us in "linguistic" journeys that I feel a tinge of regret for the erotic descriptions that might have added so much to this text. (You getting this, Mr./Ms. author?)

Oh, well ... I suppose it is always a good idea to leave them begging for more.

"We are still living under the reign of logic, but the logical processes of our time apply only to the solution of problems of secondary interest. ..."

Isn't that the truth!

"Man, when he ceases to sleep, is above all at the mercy of his memory, and the memory normally delights in fully retracing the circumstances of the dream for him, depriving it of all actual consequences and obliterating the only determinant from the point at which he thinks he abandoned this constant hope, this anxiety, a few hours earlier. He has the illusion of continuing something worthwhile. The dream finds itself relegated to a parenthesis, like the night. And in general it gives no more counsel than the night."

Andre Breton, "First Surrealist Manifesto," in Patrick Waldberg, Surrealism (London: Thames & Hudson, 1997), pp. 66-67.

  

"The Whole World is Watching," Mr. Obama.

September 27, 2012 at 2:25 P.M. Due to sabotage of computer number #2, that laptop computer was rendered inoperative as I was scheduled to make use of it.

With the assistance of a librarian, who was unable to repair the damage, I was rescheduled for computer number #10, Morningside Heights branch of the NYPL. Evidently, sabotage of library computers continues on a daily basis. I do not believe that this experience is merely coincidental.

"President Obama at the UN," (Editorial) in The New York Times, September 26, 2012, at p. A26.

President Obama's call for freedom of speech in the Middle East has been greeted with polite appaluse, publicly, and more than a mild dose of skepticism, privately.

U.S. calls for tolerance of dissent have been accompanied by the most repressive measures at home for all forms of dissent, including proposals to detain -- or execute! -- even U.S. citizens without due process of law where the Chief Executive deems it necessary for unspecified reasons.

The targeting of Julian Assange through covert means and harsh methods that threaten the life and sanity of "whistleblower" Bradley Manning are only a few indications of the intolerant attitude to any disclosures of government activity (or corruption) that may be described by the Right-wing media as "unpatriotic."

Every society tolerates speech that supports the power-structure; more interesting is whether a society tolerates genuine radical dissent.

Repressive measures aimed at silencing critics -- cybercrime and censorship such as I experience every day -- have become matters of policy, certainly in New Jersey. These criminal censorship tactics continue to go unpunished in Mr. Obama's America. In Mr. Romney's America, censors would be rewarded with lucrative government perks or medals, perhaps. ("What is it like to be tortured?" and "How censorship works in America.")

Mr. Obama's fine rhetoric concerning freedom of speech on-line seems to be unmatched by equally fine deeds. For this reason I believe Mr. Obama should be granted a second term: Mr. Obama needs time to complete his agenda after extricating this country from the financial catastrophe that he inherited. ("Time to End the Embargo Against Cuba" and "For America to Lead Again: A Speech for President Barack Obama.")

Mr. Holder, please arrest the persons responsible for the cybercrime aimed at hurting me that is damaging the interests of so many innocent New Yorkers.

" ... [Mr. Obama] gave a full-throated defense of the First Amendment right that, in this country, protects even hateful writings, films and speech."

Does this protection extend to Internet critiques of hateful corruption that displeases Cuban-American Right-wingers and their foreign allies, Mr. Obama? I hope so.

I invite readers from all over the world to come to their own conclusions on this issue.

Do we ask other nations to allow for diverse speech even as we permit fascist elements within our country to silence dissidents? You decide.

"Six weeks before the election, the speech to the audience of world leaders in the United Nations General Assembly hall was as much a domestic political appeal as anything else. President Obama used the commanding venue of the General Assembly to offer a reasonable defense against Mr. Romney's incoherent critique of his response to the revolutions in Lybia, Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen and to Iran's nuclear program." (emphasis added!)

Mr. Obama and Ms. Clinton were nothing less than magnificent in September, 2012 in defusing tensions that could have exploded in massive numbers of murders and military actions in thirteen countries. This peace effort by America's leaders was correctly perceived in the world as "strength" and not "weakness," as Mr. Romney suggested, absurdly.

There is hostility to Mr. Obama's articulateness from a small section of the U.S. electorate -- Right-wing fringe groups -- partly for racist reasons, but also from an old-fashioned anti-intellectualism that fails to appreciate the importance of eloquence in America's president for millions or billions of people in the world. Mr. Obama is often speaking for the powerless and voiceless. He must do so well and even memorably. ("Who killed the liberal arts?" and "Is humanism still possible?")

Mr. Obama is right to ignore such persons and their hatred of his many gifts and achievements.

I cannot know whether I will be able to continue writing from one day to the next. I will certainly try to express my thoughts freely, despite the continuing censorship and cybercrime from New Jersey.

Sources:

New York & the World:

Scott Shane, "Cyberwarfare Emerges From Shadows for Public Discussion by U.S. Officials," in The New York Times, September 27, 2012, at p. A10. (The trouble with forms of computer warfare is that all will lose, equally, from a decline in confidence in on-line systems. Just ask Google.)

Declan Walsh, "U.N. Presses Pakistan Over the Fate of Hundreds of Missing People," in The New York Times, September 21, 2012, at p. A9. ("Disappearing" people in Pakistan, all of whom are opponents of Islamic fundamentalist factions in the military and intelligence agencies. What a coincidence?)

Charlie Savage, "Judge's Ruling May Hurt Security, U.S. Warns," in The New York Times, September 18, 2012, at p. A14. (Blocking "indefinite detention" because it is unconstitutional does not harm national security. If anything is unconstitutional, then it must be "indefinite detention" without charges.)

Adam Liptak, "From Justice Thomas, A Little Talk About Race, Faith and the Court," in The New York Times, September 18, 2012, at p. A16. (Self-deception? "Can you lie to yourself?" and "Albert Florence and New Jersey's Racism.")

Seth Anzelca, "A Preventable Massacre," (Op-Ed) in The New York Times, September 17, 2012, at p. A25. (In 1982, the Israelis allowed for a massacre of Palestinians in Lebanon. Was the U.S. complicit in this atrocity? Where were the Europeans? Who can point a finger at Israel?)

Parkaj Mishra, "America's Inevitable Retreat From the Middle East," (Op-Ed) in The New York Times, September 24, 2012, at p. A28. (As in Saigon, 1975 the U.S. will be forced to accept limits on military power. Get it, Manohla?)

New Jersey's Saga of Corruption and Incompetence:

Alfred P. Doblin, "It's Not the Video; They Just Hate Us," in The Record, September 17, 2012, at p. A-11. (We are good. They are evil. They just hate us.)

Karen Sudol, "Expert Says Pollution Issue Likely to Resurface," in The Record, September 17, 2012, at p. L-1. (It is the first duty of government to protect the people's welfare. Corruption imperils the lives of New Jersey residents due to lethal carcinogens in the water and earth because of a failure of government officials to inspect or enforce environmental laws.)

"Corruption Road," (Editorial) in The Record, September 19, 2012, at p. A-12. (Public officials receiving kickbacks to the extent of hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars in public construction projects. "Cement is Gold.")

Melissa Hayes, "Christie Calls for Changes On Court," in The Record, September 19, 2012, at p. L-1. (Efforts to control Mr. Rabner's tainted Supreme Court are always welcome. Who appoints justices now, Christie or Rabner? Both? How many persons can claim a right to sit on that court? 12?)

John Petrick, "Teacher, Boy Had Sex, Says Indictment: Alleged Encounters Took Place at Clifton High School, in Home," in The Record, September 19, 2012, at p. L-2. (Friend of Diana Lisa Riccioli, KRISTIN LEONE, faces many years in prison on child abuse charges.)

Justo Bautista, "Man Arrested in Child Porn Charges," in The Record, September 19, 2012, at p. A-3. (DANIEL VASILESKY, 37, was arrested for possession of large quantities of child pornography in America's leading child abuse state. Personal use? Or sale to a national distribution network?)

Michelle Linhurst, "North Jersey Towns in Line for $9 MILLION for Green Acres Projects," in The Record, September 19, 2012, at p. L-3. (40%-60% of this money will be stolen or wasted.)

Kathleen Lynn & Dave Shaingold, "Census Figures Show N.J. is Hurting: Incomes Are Down, Public Assistance is Up," in The Record, September 20, 2012, at p. A-1. (Do we need census figures to tell us this or to explain why this is happening? I doubt it.)

Shawn Boburg, "Albert Knew His Degrees Were Fakes, Probe Finds," in The Record, September 20, 2012, at p. A-1. (Former Bergen County Sheriff Jay Albert FAKED his credentials and LIED about it. Having been fired from the P.A., will Mr. Rabner appoint this former member of the Bergen County legal ethics committee to the court?)

John Reitmeyer & Michelle Linhurst, "Tax Data Show $100 MILLION Shortfall in July, August: Revenue Projections Off 5 Percent," in The Record, September 20, 2012, at p. A-3. (Are we surprised?)

Peter J. Sampson, "2 Bergen Among 14 Arrested in Tax Refund Scheme," in The Record, September 20, 2012, at p. A-4. (14 people with local political connections have been arrested for fraudulent attempts to collect $65 MILLION, lawyers and accountants included. Gilberto Garcia, "allegedly"?)

Kibret Marcos, "Indictment Ties Doctors, Others to Drug Ring: Son of Emerson Mayor Also Among 13 Named," in The Record, September 20, 2012, at p. L-1. (Politically-connected drug ring in New Jersey. Ethics? Lawyers and doctors among the defendants.)

 

Ken Zisa and N.J.'s Double Standards.

September 25, 2012 at 1:55 P.M. President Obama's stirring speech before the UN General Assembly today underscored the U.S. commitment to freedom of speech -- especially in light of new technologies that empower ordinary persons -- but I wonder whether my freedom of speech is included in this claim?

Given the record of censorship and cybercrime detailed in these blogs, I am skeptical that my rights to freedom of expression are secure: I cannot post images at these blogs. I am often prevented from accessing the Internet. I am unable to edit most of my writings here. I am frequently palgiarized with impunity by hackers from New Jersey and others who are protected in their criminality. Harassments and frustration efforts are common after the destruction of my home computer's hard drive by hackers from New Jersey.

Mr. President, please make your words real to the world community by ensuring that all of us are allowed freedom of expression and that persons committing the hateful crimes set forth in these blogs aimed at silencing me are punished in accordance with the law. This situation should be brought to the attention of Mr. Holder and the FBI.

Mr. Rabner, each day that the cover-up continues is a renewal of the rapes and tortures of many persons.

September 24, 2012 at 1:35 P.M. I was unable to access (in order to edit) my essay, "Who Killed the Liberal Arts?" I am at the Morningside Heights branch of the NYPL. Eventually, I managed to get through. Today, italics and bold script are available. Is the idea to keep me guessing about when these writing tools will disappear again?

September 22, 2012. From the Inwood branch of the library: I cannot know whether I will be able to regain access to this blog from another branch's computers. I will try every day to do so. Perhaps this has something to do with Mr. Zisa being granted "bail" after being sentenced in New Jersey.

I am not aware of another case in which this unusual move has taken place. Mr. Zisa should at least begin serving his five year sentence regardless of the outcome of the prosecutor's appeal of dismissals of another set of counts of which Mr. Zisa was convicted by a jury.

I do not know how many of my essays have been altered or what further steps are being taken to prevent me from writing in the future. This censorship and psychological torture is hurting many people and undermining the U.S. Constitution, Mr. Kelly.

It must be possible to do something about this continuing cybercrime coming from New Jersey.

"Justice Delayed: Zisa Sentenced, City's Problems Remain," (Editorial) in The Record, September 21, 2012, at p. A-22.

Stephanie Akin, "Zisa Gets 5 Years, but Remains Free On Bail: Confined to Home While Case Appealed," in The Record, September 21, 2012, at p. A-1.

Stephanie Akin & Karen Sudol, "Judge Used Rare Option in Zisa's Case: Evidence Not Shown to Back Convictions," in The Record, September 14, 2012, at p. A-1.

Ken Zisa, former Hackensack Police Chief and N.J. Assembly member (also, sometimes, Municipal Court Judge in town), alleged underworld figure, and member of Bergen County's most prominent political family, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Joseph Conte to five years in prison. Mr. Zisa is not a lawyer.

The same judge previously held -- absurdly, in my view -- that most of the counts for insurance fraud and abuse of authority on which Mr. Zisa was convicted by a jury were to be set aside as "against the weight of the evidence."

Many observers of the trial regard this highly unusual judicial determination as totally unsupported by the record. Worse, there is an obvious double-standard exhibited by a judge -- who rarely weeps for the civil rights of criminal defendants -- and who, like Mr. Zisa, is a political insider in Bergen County, in allowing for bail after sentence is imposed on charges of which Mr. Zisa was convicted by a jury that will not be affected by the outcome of the appeal concerning the dismissed counts. Judge Conte has already tainted these proceedings with a patina of cronyism and corruption. ("New Jersey's Unethical Judiciary" and "No More Cover-Ups and Lies, Chief Justice Rabner!")

I have never seen or heard of an African-American defendant receiving this five-star service from a judge in New Jersey. Was this "expensive" for Mr. Zisa? It must have been costly in more ways than one. ("Give Us Free!" and "Driving While Black [DWB] in New Jersey.")

The trial judge ruled against initial defense motions to dismiss the charges for failure to state grounds upon which a criminal conviction could stand in the indictment. There was, Judge Conte tacitly determined, a basis in the allegations of the indictment for convictions by a jury beyond a reasonable doubt if the jurors believed the allegations. Obviously, the jurors believed the charges because they were persuaded by the evidence to convict Mr. Zisa. I agree with them based on news accounts of the trial.

Now the same judge decides that there was no reasonable basis for the jury to convict on these charges. How strange? What happened, Judge Conte? Intimidation?

No verdict of guilty in this matter on any and all counts was against the weight of the evidence even as that evidence was summarized in the media.

Clearly, Mr. Zisa is receiving special treatment from Judge Conte. New Jersey residents and all observers are asking angry questions concerning bribery, political debts or favors, pressure or intimidation of the judiciary. ("New Jersey Judges Take Care of Their Own" and "Mafia Influence in New Jersey Courts and Politics.")

Mr. Zisa should be serving his five year sentence. The Appellate Division -- if those judges have not been bribed as well and abide by the law (laughter?) -- should reverse or overrule Judge Conte's decisions. Mr. Zisa's sentence will very likely turn into 10-15 years inside.

Whether this will happen, in fact, is anybody's guess since we are in New Jersey, where there is one rule for you and me while the "boys" get different and quite special treatment. ("So Black and So Blue in Prison" and "Albert Florence and New Jersey's Racism" then "Marcanton Macri is an Ethical New Jersey Prosecutor.")

This farce and the cybercrime and censorship that I struggle against, every day, is seen by persons from all over the world. New Jersey has become a cautionary tale of the horrors and contradictions of a politicized legal system that can no longer deal with its own contradictions and errors whatever the human consequences may be. ("Law and Ethics in the Soprano State" and "N.J. Chief Justice Rabner and the Decline of the State Legal System.")

"Instead of reporting directly to jail, Ken Zisa, ... will be allowed to remain out on bail while he pursues an appeal, [the appeal is by prosecutors!] Superior Court Judge Joseph Conte ruled. But he will be confined to his home unless he has special permission from a probation officer, outfitted with an ankle monitoring bracelet[,] and is required to submit to weekly drug tests."

Mr. Zisa was convicted, among other things, of official misconduct and abuse of office together with insurance fraud "for improperly removing his former girlfriend Kathleen Tiernan, who was driving drunk, from the scene of a car accident and later filing a claim for $11,000 in damages. ..."

Mr. Zisa then engaged in a cover-up and sought to manipulate official records to avoid responsibility for his actions.

Incidentally, Mr. Zisa may have served on the legal ethics committee in Bergen County and is a "friend" of Diana Lisa Riccioli. ("New Jersey's 'Ethical' Legal System" and "New Jersey's Politically Connected Lawyers On the Tit.')

Rumors indicate that Mr. Conte's actions are being reviewed by the authorities at a federal and state level.

A list of sources will be added to this essay in the days ahead suggesting continuing corruption, incompetence, secret deals or lucrative scams in New Jersey's legal and political system.

Sources:

New York and the World:

Ted Sherman & Josh Margolin, The Jersey Sting: Chris Christie and the Most Brazen Case of Jersey Style Corruption -- Ever (New York: St. Martin's, 2011). 

Elizabeth Povoledo, "High Court In Italy Backs Convictions For Rendition," in The New York Times, September 20, 2012, at p. A5.

Charlie Savage, "Justice Inquiry Faults Its Own," in The New York Times, September 20, 2012, at p. A1. (OAE?)

"Ineffective Assistance of Counsel in Georgia," (Editorial) in The New York Times, September 20, 2012, at at p. A26. (In addition to cybercrime, I hope to respond to New Jersey's anticipated lies: Readers may decide whether I am a "competent" person and concerning the effects of psychological torture on victims. I do not drink alcohol. I have never been charged with or convicted of a crime, anywhere in the world. "An Open Letter to My Torturers in New Jersey, Terry Tuchin and Diana Lisa Riccioli.")

New Jersey's Fiasco:

Stephanie Akin, et als., "Judge Clears Zisa of Three Convictions," in The Record, September 13, 2012, at p. A-1. (Obviously, someone made a call to Judge Conte to "take care of this situation.")

Stephanie Klein, et als., "Hackensack Residents Turn Out to Vent Anger: Upset That Zisa is Still Chief, While Popular Educators Were Fired," in The Record, May 22, 2012, at p. A-1. (Zisa remained Chief of Police for weeks AFTER his conviction.)

Mike Kelly, "Double Dose of Chaos for Hackensack Police," in The Record, September 20, 2012, at p. A-1. (N.J. and not only Hackensack or Bergen County is "Zisaville." N.J. continues to be shackled by cronyism, corruption, double-standards and hypocrisy in a failed political/legal system.)

Peter J. Sampson, "Lawyer Charged in Murder Plot Facing Court Trial: Sought to Separate Some Counts," in The Record, September 13, 2012, at p. A-4. (Will Mr. Rabner appoint his former colleague at the federal prosecutor's office to the judicial bench? What are the limits, if any, upon Mr. Rabner's de facto appointment power?)

"More Corruption: Forget HBC, This is Jersey Reality," (Editorial) in The Record, September 13, 2012, at p. A-13. (" ... the taint of corruption is alive and well in New Jersey." America's "most failed" jurisdiction continues to shock the world.)

Jeff Green, "Ex-Chief Deal Was Rushed to Cut Costs: West Milford Vote Taken Without Notice," in The Record, September 13, 2012, at p. L-1. ($100,000 deal for former Police Chief Paul Costello leading to a total package of $201,000.)

Stephanie Akin & Karen Sudol, "In a Surprise Move, Hackensack Police Leader Says He's Quitting," in The Record, September 13, 2012, at p. L-3. (Chief Padilla is Zisa's and Menendez's man. Allegedly, Mr. Padilla is also facing an investigation.)

Stephanie Akin & Karen Sudol, "Judge Used Rare Option in Zisa's Case: Evidence Not Shown to Back Convictions," in The Record, September 14, 2012, at p. A-1. (Was there a "secret deal"?)

Linh That & Kibret Marcos, "N.J. Justices Toss Whistle-Blower Lawsuit," in The Record, September 14, 2012, at p. L-3. (N.J. Supreme Court has made it MORE difficult for persons to disclose corruption. No wonder they're coming after me.)

Allison Pries, "North Bergen is Seeking Repayment," in The Record, September 14, 2012, at p. L-3. (Town is seeking to recover $31,000 from former municipal official. "Big Nicky" Sacco wanst to "wet his beak." "Big Nicky" Sacco Scams $188,000" and "North Bergen, New Jersey is the Home of La Cosa Nostra.")

Christopher Baxter, "Guilty Plea Entered in Child Sex Counts," in The Star Ledger, September 12, 2012, at p. 17. ("A Camden County woman pleaded guilty yesterday to having sex with a 13 year-old boy and photographing him with an 8 year-old girl engaged in sexual acts, state authorities said." With whom were these images shared? How many persons involved in this "private network" are public employees? Judges, perhaps? Members of the ethics committee? "New Jersey's 'Ethical' Legal System.")

Peter J. Sampson, "Two Contractors Identified as Sources of Highway Bribes," in The Record, September 21, 2012, at p. A-5. (Mr. Christie? $55 MILLION in state contracts are tainted by fraud allegations.)

Anthony Campini, "ACLU Criticizes 'Harmful Errors' by Prosecutors: Urges More State Oversight of Counties," in The Record, September 21, 2012, at p. A-4. (53 "convenient" errors by prosecutors that damaged litigants, often irreperably, followed by obfuscation and cover-up efforts by prosecutors unconcerned about the suffering of persons they knew to be innocent. Ethics, Mr. Rabner? Mr. McGill? OAE? "So Black and So Blue in Prison" and "Larry Peterson Cleared by DNA.")

Linh Tat, "Embattled Town Official Pressured to Step Down," in The Record, September 21, 2012, at p. L-1. (Town residents calling for the resignation of second North Bergen official in one month: "Big Nicky" Sacco's "capo regime," Frank Gargiulo must go.)

Scott Fallon, "Polluted Sites Still Greater Concern: Feds May Investigate Leaching of Chemicals," in The Record, September 21, 2012, at p. L-1. (Carcinogenic chemicals soaking into the earth and water supply in New Jersey. Possible criminal neglect by officials may explain this situation.)

Who Killed the Liberal Arts?

September 22, 2012 at 12:52 P.M. I was prevented several times from accessing this essay. I will now attempt to make necessary corrections of inserted "errors." I can never be sure -- which is probably the purpose of these tactics -- of being able to write from one day to the next. If more than two days pass without alteration of these texts, it means that I am prevented from writing or have been injured somehow.

September 21, 2012 at 2:30 P.M. "Errors" were inserted in this essay overnight. The name "Arthur Schopenhauer" was altered and, probably, will be altered again in the future. This is one part of the frustration and anxiety-inducement that I have described previously. Please see "Psychological Torture in the American Legal System" and "How censorship works in America."

I will try to make the necessary corrections, again. I am unable to edit my writings at other blogs, no bold or italic script is available to me, and I must print my essays from public print shops. My writing continues to be plagiarized. ("What is it like to be plagiarized?" and "'Brideshead Revisited': A Movie Review.")

I do not drink alcohol. I have never been an alcoholic. I have never been charged with a crime, anywhere. This should respond to any continuing lies from New Jersey aimed at changing the subject. ("New Jersey's 'Ethical' Legal System" and "Terry Tuchin, Diana Lisa Riccioli, and New Jersey's Agency of Torture.")

I believe the U.S. government is aware of these crimes committed against me. New York city and state may also be aware of the "situation." The rights of library users and other members of the public are endangered, every day, Mr. Kelly.

Seven of eleven computers at the Morningside Heights branch of the library have been disabled, moments after a person claiming to be from"tech support" stopped by this library branch earlier in the week.

I wonder whether this individual was working for someone other than library personnel?

For many poor persons there is no other access to the Internet than public library computers. I cannot accept that these criminal tactics aimed at hurting me, perhaps, will go unpunished or may be dismissed as mere "political partisanship." ("Does Senator Menendez have mafia friends?" and "Is Senator Bob For Sale?" then "Is Senator Menendez a Suspect in Mafia-Political Murder in New Jersey?")

Italics and bold script were not available during the writing of this essay. I have no control over the size of this text.

John Searle, "The Storm Over the University," in Paul Berman, ed., Debating P.C. (New York: Dell, 1992), p. 85.

Brand Blanshard, "The Uses of a Liberal Education," in The Uses of a Liberal Education and Other Talks to Students (Chicago: Open Court, 1973), p. 27.

Robert Pippin, "Liberation and the Liberal Arts," in The Aims of Education (Chicago: University of Chicago, 2009), p. 163.

Joseph Epstein, "Who Killed the Liberal Arts?," in The Weekly Standard, September 17, 2012, at p. 23.

Unlike most readers of Mr. Epstein's recent article in The Weekly Standard, perhaps, who believe, as I do, that the author is largely correct in what he is saying in this disturbing essay, I am very sad to acknowledge the validity of Mr. Epstein's argument.

People who read many books, especially works that are -- or were -- regarded as classics in the humanities have noticed, what may tactfully be called, a "decline" in the general fund of knowledge of so-called "educated persons" in America. A similar decline is seen in other countries.

Like George W. Bush who once said: "Education are important!" I believe in the liberal arts and in the value of education for everyone. I understand that articulating this obvious truth -- regardless of my Leftist politics -- will expose me to accusations of "elitism." I am not an "elitist" in the pejorative sense of the term. ("Why we should not hate George W. Bush.")

Debate has raged recently over the question of whether college is "worth it." By "it," evidently, is meant whether the cost of a college education is "economically worthwhile." People wonder whether expensive tuition at an elite institution is "cost effective" in the long term.

The answer is "yes, college is worth it." A degree in the liberal arts is very much "worthwhile" regardless of what you do for a living.

While it is true that college graduates earn more money than most drop-outs -- allowing for Bill Gates and other exceptions -- it seems irrelevant (to me) how much money or how "successfully" a person will earn a living after college, or what professional schools (if any) he or she will attend, or even whether a person will earn a living in business, or work much harder as a homemaker. ("Let's Hear it For the Boys.")

The major reason for earning a degree in the humanities (or liberal arts) is spiritual and emotional. Education is concerned with cultivation of the self designed to allow persons to become who they are. The enrichment derived from education -- including moral improvement -- is an internal phenomenon that has little to do, as Oscar Wilde noted, with "rubies and pearls" as opposed to wisdom and taste.

"One recurring fallacy deserves special mention. There is ... a persistent confusion between epistemology and ontology; between how we know and what it is that we know when we know. It is an obvious fact that our epistemological efforts are undertaken by historically situated people, subject to all the usual imperfections, not merely of prejudice but of intellect. All investigations are relative to investigators. [This includes scientific investigations.] But it does not follow, nor is it indeed true, that all the matters investigated are relative to investigators." (Searle, p. 111.)

In an age of few genuine political beliefs, declining religion, collapsing standards -- often questionable standards that should collapse! -- something always endures, because it should endure, the misfortunes and vicissitudes of life. This something is called "beauty" and "truth." These are words that often produce a snicker from persons who deem themselves educated today. Perhaps this trendy nihilism and decline in educational achievement are related developments. ("Nihilists in Disneyworld" and "Why I am not an ethical relativist" then "John Finnis and Ethical Cognitivism.")

I. "The best that has been thought and said."

Mr. Epstein defines the idea behind "the curriculum at the College of the University of Chicago [as] the Arnoldian one, abbreviated to undergraduate years, of introducing students to the best that has been thought and said in the Western world. Mastery wasn't in the picture. At least, I never felt that I had mastered any subject, or even book, in any of the courses there. What the school did give me was the confidence that I could read serious books, with the assurance that I needed to return to them, in some cases over and over, to claim anything like a genuine understanding of them." (Epstein, p. 27.)

The problem is that Mr. Epstein's assumption (which I share) that there is such a thing or category as "the" best in the humanities is regarded as absurd today, often by classics professors specializing in the early episodes of "Star Trek." I like "Star Trek," but I have never mistaken the t.v. show for "Hamlet." Worse, the notion of "mastery" associated with the understanding of books is obsolete: "It's, like, whatever ..." ("Shakespeare's Black Prince" and "Whatever.")

Not only archaic -- in an era when everything is "relative" -- but absurd or "patriarchal" is the mere suggestion that excellence is something that inheres in works of art or philosophy independently of the "subjective" reactions of students of these works. It's whatever you like, right? Wrong. ("Nihilists in Disneyworld.")

You like "Hamlet." I like "Star Trek." There is nothing more to say -- unless you are an "elitist." Such a dichotomy between "subjective/objective" realms is a little too simplistic. These so-called high cultural versus prosaic tastes may not be mutually exclusive, you say? In practice, they often are mutually exclusive.

"Elitism" does not mean a concern with excellence to which all may aspire. Elitism, in the bad sense of the word, is a denial that everyone can achieve or appreciate excellence since the good things are reserved for a special or privileged few. ("Is Humanism Still Possible?" and "Nihilism Against Memory.")

It is essential to recognize the complexities of these matters, of what Hans-Georg Gadamer describes as the FACT that there are objective features of aesthetic reality to be appreciated, if we are to explain our "internal" reactions of approval or admiration in "joining with" that reality. This is to suggest a continuity in our subjective "experience" of the objective realities we inhabit and create.

Taste and judgment must be developed by recipients of great works in order for those "real" qualities to become apparent. Artists and recipients create masterpieces together, but not anything or everything can be deemed a masterpiece. In deciding that some work of art is bad or ordinary, one is also tacitly appealing to aesthetic standards.

Recognition is one achievement or result of the discipline earned through a traditional education in the humanities. The struggle to offer such an education to more non-traditional students must not lead us to diminish intellectual standards or cheapen taste.

I continue to believe that these standards of excellence have something to do with the few works with which we associate the word "great." Professor Blanshard said: " ... the noblest and purest pleasures are the result of an acquired taste which itself must be won laboriously. That is what college is for to help one acquire the tastes that make possible the deeper delights." (Blanshard, p. 37.)

II. "Was Captain Ahab Gay?"

With the focus on rights of previously excluded groups and our new insistence on equality for persons once denied all recognition has come a focus on somewhat eccentric readings of great masterpieces. This is in order to determine their degree of compliance with fashionable P.C. values. I may well agree with these values, or I may disagree and reject them. More important is how well or insightful is the argument for a particular interpretation or judgment of a great work as distinct from the politics of the interpreter.

It has become crucial, for instance, to determine Hamlet's views on racial equality or the number of traffic lights in London, gender issues and the prospects of Machester United in the football finals, atheism and other trendy concerns while ignoring, too often, some of the perhaps "larger" themes dramatized in Shakespeare's play. (Again: "Shakespeare's Black Prince" then "Serendipity, III.")

A danger, however, is the assumption that, because all persons are equal (a Western humanistic value) and white males (booo!) have written an excessive number of literary masterpieces or philosophical classics, there must be an equal number of great books written in the past by, say, homosexual eskimos that have been excluded from the curriculum. We certainly need to find great books written by outsiders that have been ignored by society.

Regrettably, dreaded white males were the only persons in centuries past who received the necessary education (or social permission) to write and publish serious prose and poetry. Like me, today, many persons in the past were censored or prevented from writing by envious or stupid persons and unjust social mores. This grim reality in the past has, no doubt, impoverished all of us. ("The Northanger Arms on Park Avenue" and "Master and Commander.")

Nevertheless, it must be said that there are probably very few undiscovered masterpieces. It should also be admitted that great works written by white males do not become less great because they were beneficiaries of this system of oppression. A genius need not be -- and often is not -- a particularly nice guy or gal.

A solution is extension of education to more people as opposed to denial of  the merits of works of genius central to our civilization. It is these works that have provided us with the very standards by which we now judge them and also with political values that we hope to serve by doing so.

Shakespeare has taught us a great deal about the equality of persons -- including persons of African ancestry -- as he had excellent reason to know, who are depicted in his plays as profoundly human and complex characters like everybody else:

"A bright young female graduate student one day came to ask me if I thought David Copperfield a sexual criminal. 'Why should I think that?' I asked. 'Professor X thinks it,' she said. 'He claims that because of the death in childbirth of David Copperfield's wife, he, Copperfield, through making her pregnant, committed a crime.' All I could think to reply was, 'I guess criticism never sleeps.' ..." (Epstein, p. 28.)

A great work of literature is more than a source book of examples of the lack of charity or political "incorrectness" (by our standards) of our ancestors -- ALL of our ancestors are represented in such works. (Again: "Master and Commander" then "Magician's Choice.")

Great books are about ultimate and unavoidable questions in every life: What is good? How should I live? What will I die for? How do I love her? Or them? What is national identity? How will I face death?

A hint may be to find the book's greatness. Try to read the best rather than the worst book before you. Try to discover the best interpretation of the film in the multiplex. Enjoy the finest music or painting that you contemplate or examine. Do not reduce the work of art to the smallness of our transitory political concerns as opposed to the great issues that are always with us.

It make take time -- sometimes decades of your life -- to live up to a great masterpiece. That is O.K. In fact, that's good. You will continue to grow and your education will become finer after your departure from the university. I assure you that Shakespeare will always be waiting for you, along with many more like him (Miss Austen), to smile at your shared misfortunes, offering to continue to participate in your life and dreams. In addition to Allan Bloom, you may wish to read David Denby's memoir-account of the "Great Books" course at Columbia University.

The relationship that becomes possible for "students" with great works of art, as a result of the good fortune of acquiring a higher education early in life (or at any time), is life-long because this relationship has little to do with how much money we have. It is a relationship that can save your life. We feel that we "belong" to some art objects and they "belong" to us. We love some authors because they seem to understand and love us. ("Hansel and Gretl.")

III. "The consensus has split apart."

This returns us to the crux of the problem: There is no "greatness," we are told, no agreement on better or worse books, no "best" that has been thought and said for many young people today. "Whatever. It's all relative."

The books you read are, undoubtedly, for you to accept or reject, but please do so intelligently. About most great books, if people are honest, there is widespread agreement and will always be such agreement. This has nothing to do with whether you share an author's view of life. A great poet (Larkin?) or philosopher (Hobbes, Schopenhauer) may offer a view of life or opinions we deplore, even as we admire his or her genius. ("Arthur Schopenhauer's Metaphysics of Art.")

The notion that we must ALL struggle and learn in order to be worthy of judging a masterpiece is now regarded as "elitism" by many sadly deluded young people. I call it reasonable modesty to approach a work seen as a product of genius by generations of scholars with some humility or even trepidation. Before I reject Descartes or Aristotle, it is in my interest to understand what I am rejecting and to think carefully about my reasons for doing so.

This is certainly not to deny that some works will speak more powerfully to us than others. The importance of individual works will depend on our needs as much as their merits. Still, at the highest level (yes, this means Shakespeare, especially), there is something for you in all great works that you should -- indeed, MUST -- find if you are to assess the work properly.

Become good enough as a reader to appreciate Shakespeare as an author. If you do not feel or preserve or achieve a connection to the symbolic works of your civilization, the social bond and even your identity may disintegrate by becoming disconnected from your community. The center will not hold. All things fall apart.

Fragmentation is a real danger for America today because we have become tribalized, divided by race, ethnicity, religion, gender in ways that (because they cannot be spoken in polite society) threaten to obliterate what unites us in a single cultural/political community. Nowhere is this more evident than in our national elections and corrosive politics, but even in our movies we see this targeting of works to ever smaller groups. Understand that, as an American (whatever your ethnicity), YOU are a member of a community that includes Jefferson, Lincoln, Brennan, the Clintons or Reagan, and Barack Obama as well as many others.

"The contention in favor of a liberal arts education was that contemplation of great books and grand subjects would take students out of their parochial backgrounds and elevate them into the realm of higher seriousness. Disputes might arise from professor to professor, or from school to school, about what constitutes the best that was thought and said -- more Hobbes than Locke, more Yeats than Frost -- but a general consensus existed about what qualified to be taught to the young in the brief span of their education. That consensus has split apart, and what gets taught today is more and more that which interests professors." (Epstein, p. 29.)

Will this fragmented education in an endangered culture be sufficient to hold us together as we face the challenges of the twenty-first century?

Dirty Tricks, Again?

September 20, 2012 at 3:15 P.M. Thank you, Marilyn. I appreciate the birthday wishes that you would like to express.

September 18, 2012 at 12:02 P.M. Editing of my texts is obstructed. No italics or bold script, until now, has been available after the alterations of my dashboard. I sometimes find these features restored to the site only to have them disappear, once more, the next day. I have receive no explanation of these changes and alterations. I will continue to try to write every day. I have received no response to my inquiries from New Jersey. Curiously, the water was shut off in my building without warning today. I am sure that this was because of an emergency repair and only a coincidence.

I have a birthday coming up. I will repost my birthday greeting for someone who, I believe, wishes to communicate the same sentiments to me, but she may be unable to communicate at all with the outside world.

I take this opportunity to renew my commitment (more in anger than in sadness today) to the struggle against censorship, cybercrime, corruption, and cover-ups. At any time, I may be prevented from regaining access to these blogs or other methods may be used to silence me. ("What is it like to be tortured?" and "How censorship works in America.")

A New Jersey Superior Court judge has set aside most of the convictions of Ken Zisa, who now faces no more than 5 years in prison. This highly unusual move by the judge suggests a secret deal of some kind or strange sympathy for Mr. Zisa from a fellow Bergen County insider. Mr. Molinelli may appeal this ruling.

The Israeli Prime Minister has taken to the airwaves in America to warn of Iran's nuclear weapons program. Iran, as he said in 1993, is "one month from developing a bomb." It is possible that, because my statements as well as the evidence and sources listed for them are "controversial," more intense censorship and cybercrime efforts from New Jersey are to be expected. Other New Yorkers are threatened by these tactics. I hope that Ray Kelly appreciates this point before someone else is injured.

Steven Lee Myers, "Israel Leader Makes Case Against Iran On U.S. Shores," in The New York Times, September 17, 2012, at p. A4. (Campaigning for Mitt Romney? Why the Israeli hostility to Mr. Obama? My theory is that an effort is being made to "pressure" Mr. Obama into increasing military aid to Israel. Mr. Romney has expressed "no interest" in the peace process or concern about Israel's actions in the West Bank and Gaza. Mr. Romney has also indicated that he will INCREASE military spending, including aid to Israel, which will benefit his friends contracting with the government. This may explain why he is favored by Jerusalem.)

Stephanie Akin & Karen Sudol, "Judge Used Rare Option in Zisa's Case: Evidence Not Shown to Back Convictions," in The Record, September 14, 2012, at p. A-1. (Superior Court Judge Joseph Conte granted, for the most part, a motion from the defense to set aside verdicts against Ken Zisa on the grounds that they are "against the weight of the evidence." Juries must be very mistaken or delusional in their findings for such a motion to be granted. I cannot believe that Zisa's jury was way off the mark in what seemed an eminently sensible verdict. I have never seen an African-American defendant receive a positive outcome after filing such a motion. An appeal is pending. I hope.)

If I am able to continue writing, I plan to complete a short story entitled "Conversation on a Train." I do not know whether I will be able to post that text even if I am able to finish it. I will draft my review of "Total Recall." Finally, I hope to see and review "Looper." I have completed a long essay "What is Memory?" I will try to find a way to post that work on-line because I am sure that it is especially important and may help persons suffering from traumatic memory loss and seeking recovery of repressed recollections.

Nick Sacco Scams $188,000.

September 17, 2012 at 3:31 P.M. Attempts to edit my texts at Philosopher's Quest and other blogs are still obstructed. I will continue to struggle to revise my work or to correct "errors" inserted in the texts.

Craig Wolff, "Hudson Official Admits to Graft," in The Star Ledger, September 12, 2012, at p. 1.

Lin That, "Rivals Call For Probe Into What Sacco Knew About Payments," in The Record, May 12, 2012, at p. L-1.

"An attorney representing 'political rivals' of state Sen. Nicholas Sacco is calling on state and federal officials to conduct an investigation into whether the entrenched North Bergen mayor intentionally kept quiet about a clause in his public employee contract suggesting he could claim an additional $188,000 upon settlement."

Mr. Sacco is a longtime North Bergen mayor -- also assistant superintendent of schools in town -- and as state senator, receives multiple paychecks and expected pensions as well as other perks, like health benefits and use of state cars. Under the circumstances maximizing sick-time payout will prove lucrative and may surpass the figure quoted in this article. Mr. Sacco may also still be listed as "principal" in a local school. ("Da Jersey Code" and "Cement is Gold" then "North Bergen, New Jersey is the Home of La Cosa Nostra.")

This is in addition to "other" forms of compensation, if any, for Mr. Sacco's services. ("New Jersey is the Home of the Living Dead" and "Law and Ethics in the Soprano State.")

Mr. Sacco has been linked to organized crime, allegedly, by law enforcement and town residents for many years. I wonder how Jay Romano, Jim Coviello, Ray Gonzales, and Mr. Falcone are doing these days? ("Jay Romano and Conduct Unbecoming to the Judiciary in New Jersey" and "Feds Investigate Corruption in North Bergen, New Jersey" and "Mafia Influence in New Jersey Courts and Politics.")

A long-established partnership between "Big Bob" Menendez and the North Bergen "crew" has created a kind of cabal that governs Hudson County for the Democrat machine in the state, ensuring that registered voters in local cemeteries turn out on election day. ("Is Union City, New Jersey Meyer Lansky's Whore House?" and "Voting in North Bergen, New Jersey.")

"Boss Bob" and "Big Nicky" take turns calling the shots. FBI inquiries and visits are a regular feature of life in town. ("Corrupt Law Firms, Senator Bob, and New Jersey Ethics" and "New Jersey's Politically-Connected Lawyers On the Tit.")

No real improvement in the lives of residents of the county and state can take place until the stranglehold of New Jersey's "bosses" can be broken. ("New Jersey's Feces-Covered Supreme Court" and "New Jersey's Legal System is a Whore House.")

Mr. Christie understands this reality, but seems to have given up hope that he can change New Jersey's culture of corruption while getting reelected to a second term as governor before a run for the presidency. Perhaps this explains the continuing halfway house scandal for New Jersey Republicans. Mr. Christie has stopped caring about corruption, especially when it involves his friends. Stay the course, Mr. Christie. Also, it is possible that Mr. Sacco can shed some light on the censorship and cybercrime that I struggle against in writing these blog posts. ("Struggle" and "How censorship works in America.")

A list of 15 to 20 examples of N.J. corruption and other matters in the media will be added to this essay in the days ahead.

Sources:

Matt Taibbi, "Greed and Debt," in Rolling Stone, September 13, 2012, at p. 42. (" ... A man makes a $250 MILLION fortune [Mr. Romney] loading companies with debt and then extracting million-dollar fees from those companies, in exchange for the generous service of telling them who needs to be fired in order to finance the debt payments he saddled them with in the first place." Mafia? Or Harvard MBA? Same thing?)

Joseph Epstein, "Who Killed the Liberal Arts?," in The Weekly Standard, September 12, 2012, at p. 23. (Accurate assessment of a depressing reality which may explain many of my experiences at "The Philosophy Cafe.")

Nick Gladstone, "Anti-American Protests Flare Beyond the Mideast," in The New York Times, September 15, 2012, at p. A1. (Should we attack Iran? Libya? Egypt? Yemen?)

Joel Goldberg, "Netanyahu: U.S. Can't 'Red Light' Israel Over Iran," in The New York Times, September 12, 2012, at p. 3. (Attempts to sway U.S. election by a foreign leader?)

"Arrested Trenton Mayor Must Go -- Now," (Editorial) in The Star Ledger, September 12, 2012, at p. 14. ("Jo-Jo" Giorgianni, convicted sex offender and Trenton official, was taped by the FBI -- like Bob Menendez, perhaps? -- describing corruption in Trenton and New Jersey while explaining: "I never give nobody up!")

Michael Linhurst & Melissa Hayes, "Analyst Says States' Revenue is Lagging: Christie Blasts Report That Puts Tax Collection $254 MILLION Behind His Plan," in The Record, September 11, 2012, at A-1. (I wonder why there's no money? Theft? Waste?)

"Tango Bergen-Style: Court Hearings Uphold Donovan," (Editorial) in The Record, September 11, 2012, at p. A-1. (Will control of the government be wrested from the hands of the machines and bosses?)

Jeff Green, "West Milford O.K.s Settlement With Its Former Police Chief," in The Record, September 11, 2012, at p. L-6. ("Paul Costello" gets $20,000 for money owed to him for something, we don't know what. Unused sick and vacation time?)

David Espo, "Obama Slams Romney's Hasty Libya Criticism," in The Star Ledger, September 13, 2012, at p. 2. (Mr. Romney's irresponsible comments may place American lives in danger.)

"Romney's Unfounded Attack On Obama," (Editorial) in The Star Ledger, September 13, 2012, at p. 14. (Mr. Romney's blunder followed closely upon his suspiciously timed response to the Israeli Prime Minister. Shockingly, Mormon Elder Mitt agrees with foreign criticisms of U.S. policy on the Iran issue.)

Kelly Haybaer, "Suit Says Rutgers Favors Pro-Israel Groups," in The Star Ledger, September 13, 2012, at p. 16. (Protests against pro-Israel bias in New Jersey. First time I have seen this kind of suit and others like it in different parts of the country.)

Alexis Friedman, "Teacher Pleading Not Guilty: West Orange Case Spotlights STATEWIDE SEX ABUSE in Schools," in The Star Ledger, September 13, 2012, at p. 16. (Erica De Paolo, English teacher -- possible friend of Diana Lisa Riccioli -- in W. Orange high school is charged with having sex with a 15 year-old. During the same week another New Jersey woman filmed sexual activity between a 13 year-old boy and 8 year-old girl. Both alleged offenders seem to have friends in the public sector in New Jersey.)

Matt Friedman, "Campaign-Funded Trip to Scotland Lands Andrews on a 'Most Corrupt List,'" in The Star Ledger, September 13, 2012, at p. 16. (Rep. Bob Andrews is "for all the people" willing to pay for his vacation in Europe.)

Eric M. Maltz, "Chief Justice [Rabner] Overstepped His Authority," (Op-Ed) in The Star Ledger, September 13, 2012, at p. 15. ("Chief Justice Rabner has taken it upon himself to EXCEED HIS AUTHORITY ..." Such exceeding of a judge's constitutional authority -- discovered by journalists after the charges were made here -- may violate the Canons of Judicial Ethics and make all court actions pursuant to it illegal and void ab initio, according to the New Jersey Supreme Court's own prior decisions. Have you no shame, Mr. Rabner? Are you ethical, Mr. Rabner? Why not check with Angelo "The Horn" Prisco on the legality of your conduct, Stuart?)

Susan K. Livio, "Investigation Widens Into Allegedly Dangerous Rsearch at State Centers," in The Star Ledger, July 17, 2012, at p. 1. (Patients subjected to dangerous research or experimental treatment without their knowedge or consent, often with very harmful consequences. Have they been raped? "An Open Letter to My Torturers in New Jersey, Terry Tuchin and Diana Lisa Riccioli" and "Terry Tuchin, Diana Lisa Riccioli, and New Jersey's Agency of Torture.")

Illegal Payments to Bob Menendez.

September 15, 2012 at 12:50 P.M. An alarm was set off at the Morningside Heights branch, NYPL. I was disturbed to notice a young woman who was crying as she left the library. There are many persons in this city who were present on 9/11 and are now living with the effects of serious trauma. If this alarm was about disrupting my writing experience, New Jersey persons should understand that it is highly dangerous to do what you are doing and also criminal in New York city and state.

You are hurting many innocent persons, "Mr. Tuchin." (Bob Menendez?) I write this at the Inwood branch of the NYPL. I will be moving to different branches of the library all the time. I can never be sure of writing from one day to the next. More items focusing on increased corruption leading to new arrests in New Jersey will be posted soon. ("How censorship works in America" and "Censorship and Cruelty in New Jersey.")

September 13, 2012 at 1:30 P.M. Attacks against my writings and efforts to deny me access to the Internet this week prevent me from editing a literary text that I am trying to complete. I will do my best to work on that story at some point in the next few days.

I was happy to learn of my old friend Ariel Rodriguez's elevation to the N.J. Supreme Court. I will direct my comments to Ariel: I am confident that he is personally aware of the crimes committed against me and of the persons responsible for them. This much has been clear for some time. It may be that Ariel's elevation to the bench was a reward for remaining silent about this matter or cooperating with behind-the-back efforts to silence me. I hope not.

Please contact me in your official capacities, in writing, if you wish to discuss this matter, Ariel. Alternatively, you may wish to bring this matter to the attention of Mr. Chiesa and/or the Governor and/or Mr. Rabner. "No comment" as a response from Judge Rodriguez will confirm my worst fears of corruption or intimidation. There is no longer any "covert operation" for you people in this situation. No plausible denial, gentlemen and ladies. Damage control requires your immediate attention. ("No More Cover-Ups and Lies, Chief Justice Rabner!" and "How censorship works in America" then "Torture.")

Dan Frosch, "Professor's Dismissal Upheld by Colorado Supreme Court," in The New York Times, September 11, 2012, at p. A12. (Ward L. Churchill, Professor at the University of Colorado, was terminated for expressions of controversial political opinions as determined by a trial jury. An appellate tribunal held that this was permissible under the circumstances.)

Charlie Savage, "Guantanamo Detainee, a Former Hunger Striker[,] Dies," in The New York Times, September 11, 2012, at p. C12. ("Detainee" whose release was "allowed" years ago by Mr. Bush as well as President Obama "died" -- he probably committed suicide or was killed -- over the weekend while still in confinement.The blatant disregard for legality at Guantanamo constitutes a shock to the world. This man -- whose name is not mentioned in the newspaper at his death -- has not been charged with and/or convicted of any crime. However, he was denied his freedom for more than ten years and, ultimately, lost his life in prison. "Legality and Ethics.")

Kate Zernike, "Trenton Mayor and Two Others Are Charged in Bribery Cases," in The New York Times, September 11, 2012, at p. A18. (Tony F. Mack, Mayor of Trenton, takes New Jersey corruption to a new level. I will be writing more about this matter in the days ahead if I am able to return to this blog.)

Eric Lichtblau, "Report Casts a Harsh Light on Lawmakers' Fund Raising," in The New York Times, May 10, 2012, at p. A19. (Republican money man, with alleged ties to Marco Rubio and Iliana Ros Leghtinen, is subject to ethics probe.)

Kim Lueddeke & Jeff Pillets, "Donor for Dems Pleads Guilty: Made $98,600 in Illegal Contributions," in The Record, May 10, 2012, at p. A-1. (Senator Bob is for all the people who can contribute $98,600. Is Senator Bob an "ethical" New Jersey attorney?)

"Kate Zernike" and "Kim Lueddeke" are names used, probably, by Chris Christie's operative, Kim Guardagno. No conflict of interest, OAE? ("New Jersey's 'Ethical' Legal System" and "New Jersey's Office of Attorney Ethics.")

September 12, 2012 at 2:10 P.M. All of the changes made yesterday to "Chief Justice Stuart Rabner and the Decline of the New Jersey Supreme Court" seem to have vanished. Luckily, I made a copy of the edited and revised text yesterday. I will do my best to restore the changes that I made previously to that work as soon as possible. (I have both the pre-edited text and post-edited text with the receipts for computer reservations at NYPL, Morningside Heights branch. The print-outs are dated. Perhaps it is only my view of this work that was altered.)

A number of laptops were shut down as persons were using them. I was prevented from writing, abruptly, giving hackers an opportunity to damage several texts. I will try to discover the harm done and make all necessary repairs. Yesterday afternoon I was also prevented from working on a literary text at blogger. I will try to return to that work for a full 45 minutes sometime this week.

I regret that users of NYPL computers are being subjected to these assaults and to the presence of disruptive and unpleasant persons who seem to be reading from the same script. Several computers and printers belonging to the library have been damaged or destroyed. All of this may be about making things more difficult for me. Shame on you, Mr. Menendez. ("How censorship works in America" and "Censorship and Cruelty in New Jersey.")

"Bergen County insurance broker JOEPH BIGICA, a deep pockets Democratic contributor who won millions in no-bid government contracts across New Jersey, pleaded guilty Wednesday to making $98,600 in illegal campaign contributions to an un-named federal official."

Senator Robert Menendez has turned out to be the "un-named federal official" who ACCEPTED money from Mr. Bigica. ("Does Senator Menendez have mafia friends?" and "Senator Bob, the Babe, and the Big Bucks.")

"A spokesperson for Senator Menendez later acknowledged that the Democrat from Union City was the federal official referred to in the court papers, but mentioned that the Senator had been a 'victim'of Bigica."

Irony? ("Corrupt Law Firms, Senator Bob, and New Jersey Ethics" and "Senator Bob Loves Xanadu!")

Mr. Bigica paid little or no taxes since 1999. He agreed to make restitution to the IRS of more than $2.1 MILLION.

Mr. Bigica denies mafia affiliations as does Mr.Menendez.

Neither Senator Menendez nor his spokesperson will acknowledge or admit to being subject to several new federal investigations for corruption -- investigations based in New Jersey and elsewhere, i.e., New York. ("Is Senator Menendez For Sale?" and "Is Senator Menendez a Suspect in Mafia-Political Murder in New Jersey?" then "New Jersey's Child Sex Industry.")

Mr. Menendez will not acknowledge or comment upon any awareness he may have concerning cybercrimes or other crimes committed against me as well as many others, both in New Jersey and New York, or elsewhere. ("Is Senator Bob For Human Rights?" and "Senator Bob Gets Over on the Feds" then "Is Menendez For Sale?" and, again, "New Jersey's Child Sex Industry" and "Senator Bob Has Not Been Indicted Today!" then "More Problems For Menendez -- Tapes!" and "New Jersey's Politically-Connected Lawyers On the Tit.")

A list of sources will be added to this text detailing (among other things) further examples of corruption in New Jersey's political and legal system occuring only during the past few months.

Sources:

David E. Sanger & Isabel Kerschner, "Israel Leader Stiffens Call for U.S. to Set Iran Trigger," in The New York Times, September 12, 2012, at p. A1. (In a surprising example of the "tail wagging the dog," Israel's Prime Minister criticizes U.S. President Obama -- without naming him -- in a bid to affect the presidential election and American foreign policy that is being studied in the world. This controversial and most unwise statement by Israel was obviously coordinated with Mr. Romney's campaign, which was -- mysteriously -- well prepared for it. Much of the hostility directed at U.S. embassies in the Middle East is due to the U.S. relationship with Israel. Perhaps some of the censorship aimed against me is the result of an unholy alliance between Miami and Jerusalem. "Terry Tuchin," can you shed any light on this mystery? This statement and Mr. Romney's recent comments suggest to enemies of the U.S. that there are "exploitable divisions in American/Israeli ranks" that will endanger American and Israeli lives. I hope not. Silencing me is not the answer, Terry Tuchin, Bob Yudin, or Senator Cardinale.)

"A Defeat for Impartial Courts," (Editorial) in The New York Times, September 12, 2012, at p. A30. (The corruption of electoral politics enters the judiciary further diminishing the independence of courts: "New Jersey Judges Take Care of Their Own" and "New Jersey's Unethical Judiciary.")

John Reitmeyer, "Trenton Wants Tighter Watch On Insurance: Issues Alert to Local Officials," in The Record, August 30, 2012, at p. A-3. ("Undisclosed side agreements" between insurers and elected officials in New Jersey may allow for secret perks for officials and/or kickbacks, allegedly. How nice for them.)

Anthony Campini, "N.J. High Court Fills Vacancies Temporarily: Two Appointments Maintain Balance," in The Record, September 5, 2012, at p. A-8. (N.J. Supreme Court is now up to 12 prospective justices, this week. Mr. Rabner has decided to make additional appointments as "shadow governor" to lighten the work load after consulting with "friends" in Jerusalem or Angelo "The Horn" Prisco. Ariel Rodriguez -- a person I know well -- and Mary Catherine Cuff, will play musical chairs on the Trenton court called: "the most corrupt in America.")

John Petrick, "Ex-Official, Town, Chief Settle Harassment Suit: Halledon Legal Battle Began 2009," in The Record, September 5, 2012, at p. L-1. (Police Chief LUIS MERCURO made "vulgar and defamatory" remarks to former councilwoman, Heather Kilminster. Diana Lisa Riccioli, Terry Tuchin, and others have made such remarks about me, behind-my-back, at a time when this was calculated to do professional harm: "Terry Tuchin, Diana Lisa Riccioli, and New Jersey's Agency of Torture.")

Virginia Rohan & Eric Connor, "School Sex Case Where Victim is Seen as Victor: Affairs With Female Teachers Often Glorified," in The Record, May 11, 2012, at p. A-1. (Attempt to restore the reputation of DIANA LISA RICCIOLI's friend KRISTIN LEONE, teacher who had sex with a child in Clifton, New Jersey. How many times did you rape Marilyn Straus, Diana? How often did you, Diana, make Marilyn Straus -- d.o.b. May 24, 1959 -- available for sex with others in an impaired state? Were you, Diana, involved with Ms. Poritz at the same time as your sexual "relationship" with Marilyn Straus? "Deborah T. Poritz and Conduct Unbecoming to the Judiciary in New Jersey.")

Craig Wolff, "Hudson Official Admits to Graft: North Bergen DPW Chief Ordered Workers to do Political Jobs in County," in The Star Ledger, September 12, 2012, at p. 1. (North Bergen official admitted commandeering employees and resources for electoral purposes at taxpayer expense and much worse.)

Patricia Alex, "College Defends Deal With Professor: Litigation Over Grade Fixing Claim Seen as Costlier," in The Record, September 7, 2012, at p. L-1. (Peter Huff, professor at Bergen Community College, will be rewarded with sabbatical at his anual pay of $133,000 DESPITE substantial allegations of grade inflation and grade-fixing, possibly for a small fee, by Professor Huff, and no doubt romantic entanglements with students. "America's Nursery School Campus" and "Why Jane Can't Read.")

Christopher Baxter, "Guilty Plea Entered in Child Sex Counts," in The Star Ledger, September 12, 2012, at p. 17. (Camden, New Jersey's Rachael Baker [sic.] -- a possible political "hanger-on" -- admitted engaging in sexual acts with an 8 year-old girl. Photos of these acts were "disseminated" to Gary Cramer, 27, and others in a "private network," possibly including public officials. How strange that the names of participants are not being made public? Do you speak to me of "ethics," Mr. Rabner?)

Hannan Adeley, et als., "History Teacher Latest to Face Sex Charges: Accused of Having a Relationship With a Boy, 16," in The Record, May 10, 2012, at p. A-1. (A Clifton High School teacher -- with possible connections to Diana Lisa Riccioli -- Kristin Leone was arrested for having sexual contact with a student, possibly at the school itself. How many students in total were involved? Males and females?)

AP, "Top Cop Faces Hearing on High Speed Caravan," in The Record, May 10, 2012, at p. A-3. (One standard for Col. Rick Fuentes and another for the rest of New Jersey's population. Does not a 100 mile per hour jaunt on the Turnpike endanger the public? "New Jersey's KKK Police Scandal" and "Organized Crime Group in New Jersey's State Police.")

Kim Lueddeke, "Ex-Union Official ADMITS He Took a Bribe," in The Record, May 10, 2012, at p. L-3. (Patrick Viola, 45, of Edgewater pleaded guilty to accepting $4,000 to allow for non-union labor. Hey, Kim Guardagno -- does Christie know that you're moonlighting?)

Abbott-Koloff, "Man Admits Defrauding Banks," in The Record, May 10, 2012, at p. L-3. (Is it true that Gilberto Garcia, Esq. is facing ethics and/or criminal charges? Ms. Kriko? Jose Ginarte? Edgar Navarete?)