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Liberty and Tyranny by Mark Levin. Great read about how far our country has strayed from the principles of its founding.

Liberty and Tyranny by Mark Levin. Great read about how far our country has strayed from the principles of its founding.

I just started on London's 'White fang.' Good so far.

"If we run into such debts as that we must be taxed in our meat and in our drink, in our necessaries and our comforts, in our labors and our amusements, for our callings and our creeds, as the people of England are, our people, like them, must come to labor sixteen hours in the twenty-four, and give the earnings of fifteen of these to the government for their debts and daily expenses; And the sixteenth being insufficient to afford us bread, we must live, as they do now, on oatmeal and potatoes, have no time to think, no means of calling the mismanagers to account; but be glad to obtain subsistence by hiring ourselves to rivet their chains around the necks of our fellow sufferers; And this is the tendency of all human governments. A departure from principle in one instance becomes a precedent for a second, that second for a third, and so on 'til the bulk of the society is reduced to be mere automatons of misery, to have no sensibilities left but for sinning and suffering ... And the forehorse of this frightful team is public debt. Taxation follows that, and in its train wretchedness and oppression."

Thomas Jefferson



That kind of thing, I'm assuming. I'm adding Liberty and Tyranny to the to read list.





I was a London fan as a child. I especially remember his short story To Build a Fire. Ironically, he wrote two versions and I remember reading as a child the version written for adults.

I just started on London's 'White fang.' Good so far.

I prefer non-fiction, but read classics, Jane Austin and the like.

I am just beginning 'Rescuing the Spectacled Bear ' by Stephen Fry.

Synopsis:-

' There are those who have accused Stephen Fry of spreading his many talents too thinly. Rescuing the Spectacled Bear reminds us that it's possible to argue that he's at his best as a writer. It's a funny and moving diary of his bid to rescue Peru's endangered Spectacled Bears and altogether a delight. Earlier in 2002, BBC 1 broadcast a programme about Fry's visit to Peru to track Paddington Bear's roots and (more seriously) to rescue a Spectacled Bear, one of the world's endangered species. Later, Fry and his team went back and helped rescue a mate for the bear they had found on their first trip. Fry is clearly keen to draw the world's attention to these bears and this engaging diary of his time in Peru is both funny and committed. Will Fry become the Diane Fossey of the bear world?
The full colour, full-page illustrations are a particular delight and perfectly complement the author's whimsical word pictures of the Spectacled Bears. And there's even a bonus in the shape of some very funny jacket notes, comparing (item by item) the Spectacled Bear and Stephen Fry in terms of size, appearance and habitat, not to mention sexual habits. Of the bears: "Mating occurs in April, May and June and couples stay together for a week or two, with copulation occurring numerous times." Of Stephen Fry: "Subject of much speculation among scholars and gossip mongers. The mating ritual, which is remarkably noisy, lasts fourteen and a half years and makes a great deal of mess." --Barry Forshaw

Book Description
On New Years Day BBC 1 broadcast a programme about Stephen Fry going to Peru to track Paddington Bear’s roots and more seriously to rescue a Spectacled bear, one of the world’s endangered species. At Easter a follow up programme was shown on BBC 2, they went back, and helped rescue a mate for the young bear they had found on their first trip. Stephen is now gripped by drawing the world’s attention to these bears and has written a diary of his time in Peru. It is packed with lovely colour pictures of Stephen, bears and Peru, and it is, of course, wildly funny. Stephen Fry is set to become the Diane Fossey of the bear world. '



ISBN 0-09-179523-0

Quote........" Stephen Fry has been propelled into genius amongst the public but he is mortal and vulnerable and his demons still haunt him. I find him a very interesting person. Someone I would like to have a drink with."

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IMO it is because he is 'vulnerable' humanises him and that is one of the reasons we like him so much.
His command and usage of the English language never fails to astound me.