Battlefield Earth Book Review

Battlefield Earth is an awesome science fiction adventure. I read this book a long time ago but remember enjoying it immensely. It’s action packed and sheer escapism. It’s the kind of book that you miss once it is over.

Sure it has its flaws. It takes a while to get started and lags a bit in the middle. Many of the characters are also either stock or unbelievable. Take the hero, Jonnie Goodboy Taylor, for example. He is both a tough guy and a genius capable of both advanced scientific and economic calculations.  There is nothing that Jonnie cannot do, which makes his character somewhat unrealistic.  Nonetheless you find yourself rooting for him.

The science in Battlefield Earth is also deeply flawed. Battlefield Earth is not hard science fiction. It is a space opera and should be read as such. People don’t go watch Stars Wars for scientific explanations of how everything in the movie works. They watch it for the spectacle of it and because it is fun, something Battlefield Earth certainly is.

Battlefield Earth’s strengths are its story, world building and sense of adventure. Battlefield Earth is epic and inspiring. It’s about the freedom of mankind. There is also, as with most of L.Ron Hubbard’s novels, a good helping of humour. For years I’ve been trying to find other an epic science fiction novel like Battlefield Earth. Sadly I have yet to find one. I’d say avoid the movie (which is horrible) and read the book. If you are into space opera, you won’t regret it.

The Memories Stir

Here and now the memories stir

Of childhood days free of care

If only I could revive the year

And find myself again there

 

Oh to laugh and play again

Sans the weight that rests on me

I would know joy by name

And forget my years so easily

 

Here and now the memories stir

Of first kisses and hideaways

To see as a child now and here

I would be young all my days

If I could live as a child plays

How They Control You

The tactic of divide and conquer has been at play throughout history. The tactic works by dividing people (often according to race or language) so that they will be easier to control and unable to unite against their conquerors. It was used by all the colonial powers to some degree. The phrase, ‘dived and conquer,’ itself is attributed to King Philip the 2nd of Macedon (born in 382 BC and father of Alexander the Great), who laid the foundation of the Macedonian Empire, which became the greatest colonial power of its time.

The divide and conquer tactic is still being used today. Today, however, the battlefield is the human mind with the divisions being mental instead of physical. The way to control (or in other words conquer) people these days isn’t through walls and barriers but through the suppression of information and the emphasis of information that works in favour of the conquerors. The Nazis suppressed any criticism of Hitler while broadcasting that he was a great and moral leader. In North Korea the press is tightly control and state owned. The Apartheid government didn’t allow black people access to proper education. The list of instances of suppression of information goes on and on and is in itself a suppression of people.

The point is that any organization which seeks to limit your access to information is doing so to either secure or maintain its conquest over you. Of course is plenty of disinformation and propaganda out there but by being well informed you are less likely to be fooled by propaganda. Propaganda itself is a means of drowning out (suppressing) facts.  By isolating people and feeding them only certain information political parties, religions and other organizations are better able to control and exploit the people in question.

Ultimately what suppression of information and propaganda do is create a division between you and reality.  What knowledge does is create a connection between yourself and the real world in which you live. By being connected to the real world you are better able to navigate your way through it. You are better able to choose options that truly empower rather than enslave you.

More than ever it is important for people to look at the information their political parties, religions ect are feeding them and to research whether their claims actually true. Any organization based in truth will welcome such investigations; those that don’t have something to hide.

Those who truly seek freedom will not used the tactic of divide and conquer. Instead they will use a far more powerful tactic: unite and prosper. A united people cannot easily be overcome. People working together on mass regardless of racial, cultural, religious differences ect are a people capable of near limitless success. United we can break whatever chains the powers that be try to throw around us, but it must begin with each individual seeking truth above all else.

Haunted

I am haunted by the ghost of love

She roams my chambers still

Sometimes I catch the scent of her

And follow shadows that take her form

Nowhere but in me

And I can still hear her calling

And it makes me weep

And I can still hear her laughing

And it makes me weep

Why Being White and Racist in South Africa is Stupid

Firstly let me say that I think it is stupid to be racist period regardless of one’s race. Racism is by its very nature a way to avoid thinking. It is a way to think in generalizations and stereotypes rather than specifics. The racist, instead of considering an individual’s merits or character, simply judges them according to their own preconceived opinions. In most cases, these opinions are formed not through interaction with people of other races but through lack of meaningful interaction with people of other races. Ignorance is at the heart of racism.

Sadly, I recently heard somebody make a fool of himself by using the word, “kaffer”.

I had engaged in a number of race related arguments with this fellow before, so I knew that the usual arguments of why racism is wrong wouldn’t work on him. I knew I had to appeal to his own self interest.

“The only thing that word does,” I said, “is make the people who we are surrounded by, outnumbered by and outgunned by hate us, or in some cases hate us even more. It makes them think: what are we doing letting these white people stay here?” That is why being a white racist in South Africa is not only immoral and ignorant but stupid. It is the road to self destruction.

Hate creates hate. Our racism towards people of colour fuels their racism towards us. The only difference is that they are in a position to destroy us. To the credit of our black brothers and sisters, they have chosen so far not to do that even after the horrors of apartheid. Sure, there are some people of colour who hate white people but being racist towards them only makes them hate white people even more.

Sure it would be better if people turned away from racism because it is immoral, discriminatory and can lead to oppression and genocide. The darkest chapters in history (slavery, the holocaust, apartheid ect) are those times when racism prevailed. If, however, white some people are unwilling to discard racism for the reasons mentioned above, then they should discard it to because it makes the very things they fear (black domination, land grabs, white genocide ect) more likely.

More than ever South Africans of all races need to communicate, respect each other and work together. If we do that, we will get to know each other and see that there is no us and them only we; that we are all human beings who simply want what is best for ourselves and our families. This is the knowledge which can prove the ignorance of racism, with all its generalizations and stereotypes, false.

Be there

I wish I could be everywhere

Every place where I have been

Every place where I have loved

I wish I could be with everyone

Everyone who has won my heart

And reminded me why it beats

I wish I could be with everyone

And still be here

I am here for me

But how I would love to be

There for everyone

I Got a Gig

I found out late last night, via a public announcement, that I am going to be performing for about half an hour tonight. So much for being prepared. Anyway, if anybody is keen to join me here are the details. TROYDON WAINWRIGHT is Off-the-Wall @ TAAC – Methodist Minor Hall, Wesley Rd, Obz on Monday 11th April at 7.30pm, R20 cover charge.

The Machine

It all happened so soon

The fire on the horizon at dawn

The vanishing act of the moon

The stars turning off, the lights turning on

The gears set in motion

The engines of industry slowly

Clanking to life

The veins in and out of the cites

Beginning to flow with cars

The smoke rising from the smokestacks and chimneys

As the monster breathes again

The little ones shook awake and sent off

To learn how to keep the machine alive

Their young brains beginning to crystallise

To think the madness they inherit is sanity

 

Vote for Zuma

Vote for Zuma!  Jacob Zuma is the best president ever. He is incorruptible and a master economic strategist. He has strengthened the Rand. He has brought great honor to the ANC. Everyone trusts him. The people are happy with Zuma. They love him.

It is because of his visionary leadership that we are where we are today.

Where would the ANC be without Zuma? Where would the economy be? Where would the country be without him? When the next elections come remember everything Zuma has done for you and vote.

Yours insincerely

The Average Voter

The Real Majority

Some people I know believe that voting is useless. “My vote won’t make a difference anyway so why bother,” they say.  Of course, they still complain bitterly about the state of the country and endlessly criticize the government. Arguing the merits of voting with them doesn’t make any difference.

The only thing that seems to shut them up is laying out some numbers for them. For example, in the 2014 South African General Elections the ANC got 11,436,921 votes. That same year 6,985,585 registered voters didn’t turn up to vote.  If that same number had voted for the DA, the DA would have won 11,077,169 votes and the ANC would have had their seats in parliament practically cut in half. If the non-voters had voted for the EFF or even a much smaller party like COPE, then one of those parties would have easily been the new official opposition.

True, not all of the non-voters would have voted for the same party. Nonetheless, think about this: South Africa has a population of almost 53 million people; let’s call it 52 million for argument’s sake.  According to the IEC’s (Independent Electoral Commission) 2014 statistic there are 25,388,082 registered voters in the country. That means that at least 26,611,918 South African’s didn’t vote. Naturally, a large portion of those South Africans are under 16 years of age and therefore too young to vote.  I haven’t been able to find out exactly how many South Africans are too young to vote but given the 2011 census numbers and current birth rate the number should be about 15 million (if anybody out there has the real number, I would love to hear from you). What that means is that about 11, 611,918 South Africans are not voting. In other words, there are more people in SA not voting than there are people voting for the ANC, the ruling party.

If all the non-voters (who believe their votes wouldn’t make a difference) decided to form a single party and vote, they would be the new ruling party. In a land that has fought so long and hard for democracy, the real majority, as it turns out, are the people who don’t engage in the democratic process.

The point is their votes would make an enormous difference. If you happen to be one of the non-voters, please bare in mind that your failure to vote has made the votes of those who do engage in the democratic process more powerful. Moreover, you through your failure to act are also responsible for the state of the nation.