Notes on Cormac McCarthy’s Border Trilogy

I recently finished The Crossing, the second book in the trilogy. I wrote some comments about it in the “What are you reading” thread, but I may not have mentioned two points. First, the novel is just as much philosophy as it is literature (leading to a mythic, quasi-religious literature). The philosophical ideas, dealing with McCarthy’s concept of the world, among other concepts, is quite opaque and weighty (at least for me). Second, of the contemporary writers I’ve encountered McCarthy’s prose may be the most innovative and original. He has very singular, unique approach, sometimes radical (e.g., eschewing semi-colons, while liberally, and some may say excessively, using “and” in a way that violates good writing norms). Both the prose and the philosophy warrant a space to ponder and analyze; and so, this thread.

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2024 NFL Offseason

I have just about two feet out of the door when it comes to the NFL, but I’ve been interested in the player movement during free agency. Russ going to the Steelers, with Arthur Smith as the OC, is really interesting and appealing. On the opposite end of the spectrum are the rumors that the Raiders are interested in Justin Fields.

Trump and Republicans Supporting Him are on Russia’s Side

Blocking aide to Ukraine. And comments like this (which is consistent with previous comments Trump has made about NATO). Someone said that if a Democrat said this prior to 2016, Republicans (and conservative) media would be castigating this person, calling them a traitor.

Not only are Trump and his Republican supporters aiding Russia, they’re aiding authoritarian rulers in countries like China, Iran, North Korea.

Trump Thwarting Bi-partisan Senate Deal on the Border

The U.S. Senate was real close to a deal on the border and also funding for Ukraine and Israel. A few days ago I read that Senator McConnell said that this deal would be better than if the Republicans controlled Congress and the White House. Democrats want funding for Ukraine so much they haven’t included a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers.

But McConnell and Romney say that Trump is pressuring Republican senators not to accept the current bipartisan deal. Romney says that Trump does want Biden to get a political victory with this deal–even though it would help address a problem many Republicans say is critical. Listen to Romney’s comments:

Improbable Names of Real People

Some people have names that novelists would avoid using for characters because they would be unbelievable or too on-the-nose, or both–e.g., Chad Wackerman, a jazz-rock drummer. Actually, Wackerman is a real person. In this thread, I’d like real people with names like these. Actually, I wouldn’t mind hearing examples from novels as well.