Frank Herbert was a Red!

October 8 2016 is the 96th anniversary of the late Frank Herbert's birth. Herbert, who passed away in 1986, was famous for the Dune novels and other works. He had interesting things to say. Here are some, from both fiction and non-fiction.  Each quote is in italics and is followed by my comments.

 "People are more important than things."

 Is this code for disrespecting The Flag?  People's lives are more important than the National Anthem or Pledge of Allegiance? Really? REALLY???

Well, I'll have you know that Our Heroes fought and died for Herbert's right to say that disrespectful nonsense!

Based on this blatantly unpatriotic comment, it's clear that Frank Herbert was a commie. Or a Muslim.

"I don't think that the mere writing of such a book as Brave New World or 1984 prevents those things which are portrayed in those books from happening. But I do think they alert us to that possibility and make that possibility less likely. They make us aware that we may be going in that direction."

Thank God we never went in that direction. I mean, sure, three years ago Edward Snowden revealed illegal surveillance and now the Presidential nominees of the two big parties call him a traitor. Sure, G.W. Bush tortured people and Barack Obama targeted and killed Americans without even filing charges. And yes, he signed legislation giving him power to make anyone disappear.

Also yes, in the last 30 years the United States has committed acts of war on about two dozen countries without provocation. 

And again yes, we went about-face and claimed that Islam was a bigger threat than communism ever was, a generation after claiming communism was a bigger threat than fascism ever was.  

And I concede that Americans, even white Americans, now dread seeing cops when they used to consider them friendly protectors.

Also that the country is drowning in debt to keep the War Machine going.

All that but still.... wait, where was I going with this? 

"The current utopian ideal being touted by people as politically diverse (on the surface, but not underneath) as President Richard M. Nixon and Senator Edward M. Kennedy goes as follows — no deeds of passion allowed, no geniuses, no criminals, no imaginative creators of the new. Satisfaction may be gained only in carefully limited social interactions, in living off the great works of the past. There must be limits to any excitement. Drug yourself into a placid 'norm.' Moderation is the key word…"

Hillary Clinton stands on the shoulders of such men.

"Don't give over all of your critical faculties to people in power, no matter how admirable those people may appear to be."

Herebert's right on! Instead, we should give over our critical faculties to the challengers! Oh, wait... maybe that's not what he meant. 

"Does a population have informed consent when a ruling minority acts in secret to ignite a war, doing this to justify the existence of the minority's forces? […]failure to provide full information for informed consent on such an issue represents an ultimate crime."

Well, Presidents who take us to war usually won the popular vote, so the secrecy is okay. Right?

"Does a population have informed consent when that population is not taught the inner workings of its monetary system, and then is drawn, all unknowing, into economic adventures?"

It's almost as if he didn't trust our enlightened experts in the Federal Reserve System! Where did this irrational paranoia come from?!