Despite the fact that the History Channel and I don’t have the best of relationships, it seems that their publishing partners at the Atlantic Monthly Press didn’t get the message. The publisher just sent me an advance copy of the History-branded The Curse of Oak Island tie-in book by journalist Randall Sullivan, due out just in time for Christmas. I only received the book Tuesday night, so I haven’t had time to read much, but I have to say that the introduction and opening chapter left me baffled. I suppose this must be a book for super-fans of Curse, since my general but not particularly deep knowledge of the “mystery” of Oak Island was not enough to make sense of the barrage of names and dates, or the convoluted history thrust upon me with little authorial guidance. The book is also 400 pages long, so it’s going to take me a bit to get through, but let me say this: It makes me angry when a lazy author or publisher chooses to include a photograph of an article instead of retyping and printing the article in a way that can be read. Put it in an appendix. What am I supposed to do with 6-point photo-reduced type?
For your edification, I have added the article to my Library. If I can get the text put together in half an hour, surely a publisher with months or a year to work on this could have typed it out, too. Remember how funny it was when the secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson, claimed that the Giza pyramids were storehouses for Joseph’s grain, following a 1500-year-old medieval myth? Another member of Pres. Trump’s cabinet has been revealed as a crackpot straight from cable TV central casting. acting Attorney General Mark Whittaker is a believer in both Bigfoot and time travel, according to a Washington Post report, and attempted as a member of the board of a company later shut down over claims of fraud to sell products and services to fellow crackpots who are steeped in cable’s brand of lunacy. As the Post reported, Whittaker:
He also promoted a patent application for an extra-large toilet for men with large penises. Meanwhile, Kentucky’s Republican governor, Matt Bevin, claimed in a radio interview that zombies have played at least as important a role in the current wave of mass shootings as guns. Speaking with radio host Leland Conway, Bevin claimed that zombie television programs were ubiquitous and representative of a culture of death: “It starts with everything from the type of entertainment that we focus on,” Bevin said, according to USA Today. “What’s the most popular topic that seems to be in every cable television network. Television shows are all about, what? Zombies! I don’t get it ... that’s what we are.” By my count, there are actually only three cable shows about zombies, airing on two channels: The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, and Z-Nation. Broadcast TV also has iZombie, a dramedy, and streaming has The Santa Clarita Diet, also a comedy. Ash vs. Evil Dead might have counted, but it was canceled. I guess you could extend the list to any show where an undead creature appears, such as Game of Thrones, but it starts to stretch the definition a bit. Contrast that with the nearly 100 series about law enforcement and emergency services, many of which, particularly on CBS, fetishize the authority of the state. I’ve written in the past about the disturbing authoritarian tendencies of shows like the revived Hawaii Five-0, which celebrates police brutality and law enforcement operating without oversight under unilateral, unchecked executive authority. I’m not sure it’s an even balance with three zombie shows in terms of influencing public opinion. Bevin went on to compare zombie television shows to abortion, claiming that both celebrate death and lead to a devaluation of human life. “When a culture is surrounded by, inundated by, rewards things that celebrate death, whether it is zombies in television shows, the number of abortions ... there’s a thousand justifications for why we do this," Bevin said, referring to mass shootings. There is some irony there considering the most popular zombie show, The Walking Dead, was seen by the 2016 Trump campaign as a conservative program and one specifically targeted for campaign ads, according to no less an authority than Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who explained the approach to Forbes last year. But he has one point: Zombie shows are certainly big on shooting, hacking, and otherwise mutilating human bodies for entertainment. He should know all about that, of course. It was popular entertainment in the South long before The Walking Dead. Indeed, George Romero folded it in to the ending of the very first modern zombie movie, The Night of the Living Dead.
48 Comments
Scott David Hamilton
11/15/2018 10:08:40 am
I don’t think it’s fair to say Whittaker ever stated a belief in Bigfoot or time travel. Those things were mentioned in the press release where it was announced Whittaker was joining the board, but Whittaker didn’t write that, presumably the words were those of Scott Cooper, the CEO. Certainly it’s fair to question Whittaker allowing himself being associated with such an obvious scam, but I don’t see any evidence that his reasons for joining the company were other than naked greed.
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Joe Scales
11/15/2018 10:16:08 am
"As the Post reported, Whittaker:
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11/15/2018 11:20:48 am
I'm not sure that admitting him to be an opportunistic grifter is really a step up from believing in this; but, the article I linked to contains links where he discusses these subjects in old interviews, where he seemed to be less than neutral on the subject.
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Joe Scales
11/15/2018 11:39:40 am
"Seemed to be" ??? As their attorney, he's their advocate. Do you not know how legal representation works? They are paid to represent their clients' position. Only on TV does a lawyer have to believe in what they're doing.
V
11/15/2018 03:06:15 pm
Joe, in the real world, a lawyer still needs to think about how their representation of a client will make THEM look. The undeniable fact is, he represented a company that defrauded millions. If he DIDN'T know that anything skeevy was going on, then he, as their lawyer, was not doing his job, and thus is unqualified for his position. If he DID know that skeevy stuff was going on, then he's unqualified for his position for being complicit. Likewise, if he hawked this stuff truly believing in it, he's a crackpot, and if he hawked it not believing in it, then he's sheisty as shit.
Joe Scales
11/15/2018 03:31:38 pm
"Either way, Jason QUOTED A SOURCE, accurately, which says PRECISELY what Jason said it did."
An Anonymous Nerd
11/15/2018 07:32:36 pm
Key to Mr. Scales's argument is that Mr. Whitaker was acting as a lawyer, and therefore can't be held responsible for the claims his clients made.
Joe Scales
11/16/2018 10:13:15 am
"V is basically right, here."
Jockobadger
11/16/2018 05:53:51 pm
There's also the minor matter of at least one letter that Whitaker (one k) wrote to an investor who had the temerity to file a complaint with the BBB. The letter referenced his service as a former AUS in Iowa and was written in a distinctly threatening tone. Read it.
Joe Scales
11/17/2018 08:25:53 am
Jocko,
Jockobadger
11/17/2018 05:56:14 pm
Joe - thanks for the reply.
Joe Scales
11/18/2018 10:08:07 am
I read it. Red herrings.
Jockobadger
11/18/2018 03:26:59 pm
Sorry Joe. I call bullish-t. Gigantic steaming piles of it. Hoooly Crap.
Joe Scales
11/18/2018 06:12:32 pm
Red herring because your dicta had nothing to do with any point I've made. Still, I told you above that if you didn't want Whittaker as acting AG, I was fine with that. But rather than leave it at that, you want to argue your bullshit politics with me. No thanks. Just having to explain the obvious to you is trying enough.
American Cool "Disco" Dan
11/18/2018 07:28:30 pm
"You want a religious test for judges??"
bezalel
11/18/2018 08:48:50 pm
"Sorry, we already de facto have one. Name one federal judge or President, forget that, presidential candidate who publicly admitted to being an atheist."
Jockobadger
11/19/2018 01:01:15 pm
Well, Joe, I'm sorry you don't care to engage in discussion re: the obvious danger presented by this President and many of his appointees - Whitaker being the most recent and glaring example.
American Cool "Disco" Dan
11/20/2018 10:59:15 am
"It's astounding to me that the man can sit there and lie like he does - and that his supporters don't give a damn."
Bezalel
11/21/2018 04:59:50 pm
""You can keep your doctor" 17 times?"
American Cool "Disco" Dan
11/22/2018 04:35:15 pm
No, it was a lie told 17 times by Obama.
bezalel
11/25/2018 10:50:02 pm
No
Doc Rock
11/15/2018 10:31:15 am
For the first several years after the Walking Dead series came out it was super popular among many of my very left-leaning colleagues and students. So, it came as a big surprise to me to seeing the series being denounced for trafficking in fascist tropes starting back around 2015-2016.
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E.P. Grondine
11/15/2018 11:15:33 am
@Doc -
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Doc Rock
11/15/2018 11:32:14 am
Well, considering that, as I stated, I haven't seen any of the last two or three seasons of WD one might suspect that I don't spend a lot of time glued to the tube. Or, at least I am not glued to it long enough to prevent me from reading 3-5 books a week and too many peer reviewed journal articles and book reviews to keep track of. That is, depending on how well lit my favorite watering hole at the time happens to be.
Fast Eddie Tilson
11/15/2018 09:12:04 pm
I have never seen "The Walking Dead". I refuse to watch a show about the Republican Party.
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E.P. Grondine
11/15/2018 10:53:26 am
Re: Mr. Whitaker -
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E.P. Grondine
11/15/2018 11:09:43 am
a little more on this -
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E.P. Grondine
11/15/2018 11:33:35 am
And a little more -
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Jockobadger
11/16/2018 08:25:29 pm
See my reply to Doc Roc above. Jesus H Christ. If I was a believer I’d say God help us.
Jockobadger
11/16/2018 08:30:08 pm
My mistake - not responding to Doc Roc but rather Herr Scales. Very sorry. Lashings of strong drink after a hard day should not excuse it, but....
Joe Scales
11/15/2018 11:35:20 am
More sloppiness:
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V
11/15/2018 03:10:02 pm
Joe, seek help. Your vitriol and nastiness are worrisome.
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Joe Scales
11/15/2018 03:35:11 pm
It's called debunking V. Often debunkers get called hateful by those whose views are criticized. And now you're one of those V. You and Wolter.
RiverM
11/16/2018 04:01:43 pm
V, How about debating Joe's points? A common theme with those who disagree with anyone who isn't a socialist today is to attack one's character because they cannot provide an argument.
Jockobadger
11/16/2018 08:45:40 pm
Hey RiverM, just did - see above. There are several responses. Whitaker has no business being AAG. Period.
An Anonymous Nerd
11/18/2018 04:34:25 pm
[V, How about debating Joe's points?]
orang
11/15/2018 05:58:33 pm
Joe,
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Joe Scales
11/16/2018 10:20:50 am
Putting your rectal fantasies aside for a moment, politics is doing a disservice to this blog. On this post alone, you've been shown two instances of our host playing fast and loose with his sources; and in both instances, solely to make political smears. So whose head is up where?
Pipi
11/15/2018 11:07:57 pm
How you figure? That they targeted other viewers as well?
An Anonymous Nerd
11/16/2018 07:30:14 am
[And here, Joe Scales has a point.]
Frank
11/16/2018 10:49:50 am
"Please get your head out of Trump's butt and take a breath of fresh air. It'll help you think." Idiots can never think, they just "follow the leader."
Joe Scales
11/19/2018 02:40:57 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-4uKgXRnpI
Bezalel
11/16/2018 02:02:36 pm
Of course time travel is possible. Don't you remember those freemasons showing up in 2010 to buy all that worthless bitcoin?
Reply
11/19/2018 05:36:28 pm
I am outraged. I can't believe they sent you a book on Oak Island when I have been writing about these adventures for years. Maybe it's because I believe Joy Steele actually solved the mystery. There is no treasure as the Laginas have proved time and again. There never was a treasure. Maybe that's why I didn't get the free book. They know that I know something about the topic.
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harry
5/2/2019 10:35:30 am
Dont you find it so easy to condemn others who are capable of thinking outside the box? Yeah, thoight so
Reply
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