WE NEED NEW ORWELLS

To Orwell Today,

Dear Jackie,

A couple of days ago I got a chance to see the terrific movie "Executive Action" - which you recommended. It was shown on one of our cable channels here. I particularly liked Burt Lancaster. The advisor for the screenplay, if I'm not mistaken, was Mark Lane, the author of "Plausible Denial."

May I say once again what a great website you have at OrwellToday.com. I've been reading some more of it lately, as I have in mind to do an article soon on the temptations of tyranny.

Of course, Orwell deserves being written about in his own right, but many others have been there before, and done it very well (including yourself). We really need new Orwells, to fight today's dreadful refinements and intensifications of the threats he identified e.g. ethnocentric demonising of "the other," the willingness of people in power to play fast and loose with awful technologies of war, destruction and torture, and the techniques of total deception.

People still don't see what is going on around them. On bad days I can't help thinking we are seeing the making of a terrible blend of Huxley and Orwell's futures: Orwell's doublethink and doublespeak, perpetual wars for perpetual peace, and the boot stamping on the human face forever, alongside a Huxleyian drug-induced blissful ignorance, based on feelings of gratification variously induced by gene-modifying medicine (e.g. anti-depressants, age-defying techniques like plastic surgery, botox etc.), alienating celebrity-worship, and the aggressive elimination of 'losers' even (or especially) when they cannot through their own efforts affect whether they 'lose' or 'go through to the next round.' Instead of (or as well as) the state's boot as foreseen by Orwell, we now have people stamping on each other for pleasure.

very best wishes
Richard Wall

p.s. at least there's one light in the recent gloom - Bobby Fischer got to Iceland!

Greetings Richard,

Yes, it was a bright ray of light that pierced the gloom when Bobby Fischer (who we discussed in a previous email) got to Iceland. A few more good moves like that and we could win this game (maybe even the match).

I love your idea that "we need new Orwells". That is so true and I wonder when we're going to get them. Soon I hope.

Actually, your description of "the terrible blend of Huxley's and Orwell's futures" conjures the nightmare so clearly that maybe you're a new Orwell in the making. I look forward to reading your future writings.

All the best,
Jackie Jura

PS - So glad you caught Executive Action which I consider a MUST SEE for people wanting to understand the JFK assassination

Jackie Jura
~ an independent researcher monitoring local, national and international events ~

email: orwelltoday@gmail.com
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