Richard Smoley

Apr 21, 2016 9:51 AM EDT

I am reminded of Walt Whitman, viz: "Origins of Attempted Secession':

The members who composed it were, seven-eighths of them, the meanest kind of bawling and blowing office-holders, office-seekers, pimps,
malignants, conspirators, murderers, fancy-men, custom-house clerks, contractors, kept-editors, spaniels well-train’d to carry and fetch, jobbers, infidels, disunionists, terrorists, mail-riflers, slave-catchers, pushers of slavery, creatures of the President,
creatures of would-be Presidents, spies, bribers, compromisers,
lobbyers, sponges, ruin’d sports, expell’d gamblers, policy-backers,monte-dealers, duellists, carriers of conceal’d weapons, deaf men,pimpled men, scarr’d inside with vile disease, gaudy outside with gold chains made from the people’s money and harlots’ money twisted
together; crawling, serpentine men, the lousy combings and born freedom-sellers of the earth.
http://www.bartleby.com/229/2003.html

- Francis DiMenno

Nov 08, 2017 12:12 AM EST

Dear, Mr. R. Smoley!
Your book Forbidden Faith: The Secret History of Gnosticism is gorgeous. Good to know, there is wise people like you, whose mind is open to different view (open to the wind of changes - gnosis).
have a nice day
Andris
Riga, Latvia

- Andris Taranda