Gore Vidal (placeholder)

He speaks his mind, and has one to speak.

His perspective is from someone whose family life brought him into rarefied social circles. He maintained his individuality and had the courage to defend unpopular ideas.

Some of his recent words:

“The death penalty does not deter as is well known. Why should we all be marked like Cain with the barbarism of a few of our death-loving citizens?”

“Both Wisdom and Love can be defined by the same word: ‘acceptance.’”

Not long ago, I found out a lot of information about my ancestry on my mother’s side. I am from the Pelton family, who were related to Samuel J. Tilden, Democratic presidential candidate in 1876 who lost by a dubious “hair” to Rutherford B. Hayes. (Hayes was elected with 185 electoral votes to Sam Tilden’s 184 – with a lot of shady dealing behind the scenes.)

I had a passion for political history in my blood long before I knew about my own bloodline. I practically devoured Gore Vidal’s narratives of empire – especially 1876.

I consider Mr. Vidal to be a true patriot. The essays included in ‘Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace’ and ‘Dreaming War: Blood for Oil and the Cheney-Bush Junta’ ring so clear and so true. I’m grateful to this marvelous, talented, and beautiful man for serving this nation with honesty.

I blog at Iddybud Journal, my own personal contribution to America.

Iddybud Journal

Gore Vidal has been a great inspiration to me. If there was anyone I’d love to meet, he is probably the first person who comes to mind.

I was fortunate enough to meet and spend quality time with Anthony Burgess back when HE was the greatest living writer of the English tongue. But now that Burgess has passed on, that leaves the elegant and profound Mister Vidal.

I am not a greedy man. I only want to meet the great people of my time. Gore Vidal certainly qualifies.