The Flyoverland Crank is a weekly column that features "the wit and wisdom of a garrulous geezer" — me.
Dear Gentlereaders,
I'm an independent, self-published columnist who has published a brand-spanking new column every week for most of the last eight years (Last fall I took a sabbatical at a secret Taoist monastery in the Wudang mountains). I might be willing to be hired/syndicated/published/etc by someone whose checks don't bounce (dated Boomer cultural reference) who would let me be me. If you're that someone:
TheFlyoverlandCrank@gmail.com
"He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how." -Nietzsche
My why is my daughter, son-in-law, the Stickies, and a desire to hang around to see if Western Civilization's ongoing attempted suicide is successful.
I've recently begun accepting comments but you have to have a Google account (not my idea, the Goog owns Blogger) to use it. I will not be participating but I will keep an eye on it. Please conduct yourself like a gentleperson.
I post links to my latest column on Facebook (as well as other stuff) and Twitter (shudder...) so that you can love me, hate me, or lobby to have me canceled and/or publically flogged on either site.
Until I become rich and famous — whereupon I shall secure the services of a high-powered law firm that specializes in crushing copyright violators — my work is freely available to republish under the terms of my Creative Commons license. As long as you give me credit, edit as little as possible, and link back to this site you may publish my stuff. I wouldn't mind if you lavished praise upon my work.
Speaking of (potential) copyright violations...
{Sheesh, I hope not. Mr. Clark rocks.}
“At this point I reveal myself in my true colours, as a stick-in-the-mud. I hold a number of beliefs that have been repudiated by the liveliest intellects of our time. I believe that order is better than chaos, creation better than destruction. I prefer gentleness to violence, forgiveness to vendetta. On the whole I think that knowledge is preferable to ignorance, and I am sure that human sympathy is more valuable than ideology. I believe that in spite of the recent triumphs of science, men haven't changed much in the last two thousand years; and in consequence we must still try to learn from history. History is ourselves. I also hold one or two beliefs that are more difficult to put shortly. For example, I believe in courtesy, the ritual by which we avoid hurting other people's feelings by satisfying our own egos. And I think we should remember that we are part of a great whole. All living things are our brothers and sisters. Above all, I believe in the God-given genius of certain individuals, and I value a society that makes their existence possible.” - Kenneth Clark, "Civilization"
M.M.
P.S. You'll be relieved to know there is no community to join and no merchandise available to purchase. Also, I'm not "affiliated" with anyone; clicking on any links included in my columns will not generate any money for me or subject you to a sales pitch.
P.S.S. Truth be told, my feeble scribbles are actually my attempt at distilling the words of one Omar von Pufendorf, a disciple of, and apprentice to, Dr. Johan Georg Faust. I reluctantly channel (it's complicated) Dr. Pufendorf and this column simultaneously attempts to pass his wisdom along and maintain my sanity by "downloading" it from my fragile psyche.
