The Ten Best Robert Heinlein Novels

Posted: October 10, 2024 by Jon Fournier in Uncategorized
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For more than four decades I have been a huge fan of the Science Fiction author Robert Heinlein.  There are three primary reasons why this is true. 

Robert Heinlein wrote extremely imaginative stories, most often with very unique plotlines.  Over and over again I’ve read the description on the back cover of one of his novels and said to myself that can’t possibly work, only to be proved wrong after being thoroughly entertained.

Robert Heinlein was not an ordinary science fiction author.  He was one of the pioneers of science fiction.  All of his novels and short stories were infused with exceptionally accurate science.   Science was the mainstay of all his works.

Robert Heinlein was a Libertarian in the truest sense of the word.  I’m not talking about the pseudo-libertarian tripe peddled by the Libertarian Party.  In just about every novel or short story he championed individualism and vilified collectivism.  He was not heavy handed about his libertarianism in his works.  Most often one of the main characters served as a spokesman for libertarian beliefs.

If was extremely difficult for me to select just my ten favorite Heinlein novels, out of the 40 plus I read.  I enjoyed every single one, with the exception of those written after 1980.  Beginning in 1980 Robert Heinlein suffered a series of mini strokes. These strokes, as he put it himself in an interview, scrambled his brains.  The five novels written after 1980 of his that I read were all lousy.

During his career Robert Heinlein wrote 13 juvenile novels.  These are among his best works.  They are only juvenile in the sense that the main characters are high school aged.  He did not talk down to his target audience.  The science is not watered down at all.

10. Space Cadet:  I know you are skeptical of this one based on the title.  I was too.  It was a thoroughly enjoyable juvenile novel about a group of teens who attend a service academy for the space patrol

9. Sixth Column: This novel is about a war where the United States is invaded and conquered by communists.  The strategy used by a small band of rebels to gain victory is truly imaginative.

8. Between Planets:  The plotline of this juvenile novel is impossible to describe because it is such a unique story idea.

7. Red Planet:  This juvenile novel starts off as a simple story about human colonists on Mars.  It ends up being a story about a battle for independence

6. The Puppet Masters: This novel is all about individualism versus collectivism.  Amoeboid alien creatures take total control of human beings

5. The Star Beast:  This juvenile novel about a teenaged boy and his truly unique alien pet is a most enjoyable roller coaster ride with so many plot twists.

4. Have Space Suit Will Travel:  In this juvenile novel, the main character is obsessed with traveling to the moon.  He eventually gets there and travels far beyond.

3. Starship Troopers: The movie based on this novel got one thing right, a war between humans and alien bugs takes place.  In the novel Progressive policies destroyed every nation including the US. Veterans fixed things, they alone took responsibility.  Because of this only veterans were allowed to vote and hold office. Many claimed that Heinlein sold out to the military industrial complex when he wrote this.  That is most untrue. 

2. Stranger in a Strange Land:  This is a philosophical treatise wrapped in a very unique and imaginative story.  With this novel Robert Heinlein proves that he is even more of a libertarian than I am, which is saying a lot.  He advocates for tearing down not only the state, but all societal norms such as monogamy and traditional Judeo-Christian values on sex.  The fact that I do not agree with everything he has to say here does not take away from my enjoyment of this novel.

1. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress: This novel is a libertarian and a science fiction masterpiece.  The moon is a penal colony controlled by an oppressive earth federation. With the help of a sentient computer the moon gains its independence.                                                                       

Election 2020, Election 2024 Donald Trump and Mysterious Ways

Posted: October 10, 2024 by datechguy in Always look at the bright side of Trump, election 2020, election 2024, elections, politics
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If we had known he wanted a new car that badly, we all would have chipped in and bought him one.

Johnny Bench on Brooks Robinson’s MVP Performance in the 1970 World Series

I have argued more than once that if the left had not stolen the 2020 election they would have been done with Donald Trump by now and the deep state’s business as usual would have been able to continue without a problem. Now John Conlin at the American Thinker is pointing out all the ways that the steal of the election in 2020 was a blessing in disguise for the country and a disaster to those trying to destroy it.

The blatant politicization of the DoJ, FBI, CIA, IRS, military, judiciary, etc. — really almost every aspect of the federal government — has been laid bare for all to see. For many of these folks, the concept of equal justice under the law is something they discarded long ago. Many states are as bad or worse.

For years, DEI has been destroying institutions and companies across the board. That is ending now.

Institutions of supposed “higher” education have revealed themselves to be little more than dumbing-down indoctrination centers. Much of public K-12 education has been shown to be the same. The school choice movement is now unstoppable.

All of these things had been proceeding quietly since the Obama years and even before, but now the lid has been blown off them all and the American people are seeing things as they are. Conlin again

These institutions were this way before, but this period has removed all doubt. And before one can begin to address an illness, one must first accept the reality of the disease. We have done that. 

The path forward won’t be a straight one. It will probably involve a lot of “2 steps forward, 1 step back,” but we have bottomed out. The future might look far different than today, but history will show this was the high water mark for socialism, communism, big government, gender insanity, and a whole lot more.

And we owe this awakening to the “loss” of a stolen election, which is turning out to be a wonderous win.

I’m surprised that he didn’t mention what was to me one of the biggest changes. The MSM insisting and demanding that people believe that Joe Biden was completely fine. Was it not just four months ago that they were telling Americans that if you believed he wasn’t sharp as a knife that you were spreading disinformation? They’re very public exposure as a pack of liars before even the most credulous fool is the straw that broke the back of their power.

I suspect if the left knew what it knew now it might have done things different but hey they did get 4 years of good stealing.

It may be that even seeing and knowing all this the American people may still willingly walk into the hell of a Kamala presidency, but if they do it will be with eyes wide open rather than having tyranny quietly imposed on them.

All of these were only made possible by the steal. It has turned out to be a blessing in disguise, although I admit, it was a pretty good disguise.

DaTechGuy at the National Shrine of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge Ma. Fr. Bob, Fr Alex and the Best Insurance Policy You Can Buy

Posted: October 9, 2024 by datechguy in catholic, catholic devotions, DaTechGuy on DaRadio
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Last Saturday was the feast day of the Apostle of Mercy St. Faustina who was a Polish nun who died at the age of 38 just before the start of World War Two. In her famous diary (you can read it here) she recorded her prayer life and her encounters with Christ, the Blessed Mother and occasionally the enemy and his minions.

There are five shrines to Divine Mercy in the US one in Lombard Illinois, one in Baltimore, One in Chicago, one in Kansas City Missouri, but the National Shrine of Divine Mercy is in Stockbridge Massachusetts near the NY border.

WQPH 89.3 FM Shirley / Fitchburg which hosts my weekly radio show Your Prayer Intentions hosted a bus trip to that shrine on St. Faustina’s feast day last Saturday I attended.

While there I took advantage of the best insurance a person can get for a person or family, perpetual masses.

In addition to a bus load of pilgrims from several parishes in the state and from WQPH we had two priests with us. One Fr. Bob Doughty I interviewed as we were preparing to get on the bus to return. He was in the process of anointing those who wished it and dozens came to him from all the various buses there.

And Father Alex who is from Nigeria who I sat down and spoke with upon our return.

Due to some bus issues it was a short day at the shrine but a fine one. It is very likely that there will be another such trip next year on Oct 4th. If you have an interest in going comment on this post and when things start getting rolling in April I’ll give you a heads up

A Reverse Pappy O’Daniel in PA?

Posted: October 8, 2024 by datechguy in election 2024, elections, politics
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The only election Lyndon Johnson ever lost was due to it being stolen. It was stolen for his rival Pappy O’Daniel not by O’Daniel’s allies but by his enemies because they wanted Pappy, the sitting governor of Texas gone. So when the chance came to steal that senate seat after Johnson made a rare mistake in reporting a key district early they jumped in with both feet and Johnson would have to wait six years to steal that senate seat back from Pappy’s successor Coke Stevenson.

And that brings me to something a friend of mine said in conversation yesterday that frankly I didn’t think of.

As you all know by now Kamala ended up picking the rather incompetent governor of Minnesota Tim Walz over the VERY competent governor of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro as her running mate. This was likely because a pick of Shapiro might disturb the vital “death to Israel” and “death to Jews” vote that has been very vocal lately.

My friend noted that Shapiro is one of those rare things, a competent Democrat who has not driven his state into the ground. Furthermore he has ambitions for higher things and there is one thing we can be sure of: If Kamala Harris somehow wins in 2024, he wont be running for president until 2032.

BUT if Trump is elected he is instantly a lame duck meaning that he can run in 2028 against a J.D. Vance who will likely be bloodied in some tough primaries as there is actually a pretty deep GOP bench.

Do I think Shapiro would try to steal Pennsylvania FOR Trump? Nope, that would be an unforgivable sin for too many Democrat voters, but he might choose to do the next best thing, not allow them to steal it for Kamala.

Not only does preventing such a steal raise his cred with swing voters within the state when his re-election comes around but would allow him to co-operate with a Trump administration on energy which would produce a boom there that he could take credit for. It would be a powerful contrast to California the disaster where his chief rival Gavin Newsom is presiding over.

I must confess none of this had occurred to me but it DID occur to my friend who also notes that with the woke currently in retreat Shapiro might be able to marginalize that wing of the party, blame them for any Trump victory and in a sense use that to purge them from their place of power.

The one fly in the ointment is that simple demographics says to me that he can’t purge the “death to the Jews” wing but you might recall when he was being considered for the VP slot he was already hinting at compromises to appease them and of course in four years there might not be a Hamas or Hezbollah for them to support.

Will it work out this way? I don’t know but I do find the argument credible and thus has given me real hope, because the only way the steal worked last time was because everybody was on board. If Pennsylvania doesn’t play along the likelihood of successfully stealing the national election is low and the risk of an investigation from a crusading Trump AG and Justice department who would be highly motivated to investigate any steal in Arizona, or Michigan or Wisconsin is just too dangerous for a party that can’t stand scrutiny.

And frankly for all their anti Trump furor the Democrat party and the media didn’t want Kamala and were talking about her as a liability right up until Biden forced her on them.

In the old days when a party was facing a bad loss they basically took the hit and started planning on their comeback, if my friend is right the Democrats might actually be forced to play it on the up and up, not because they love Trump but because of the ambitions of a key Democrat in a key spot who might just decide to force them to do the right thing (and the smart thing in the long run) to satisfy his own personal agenda.

It’s so crazy it just might work.

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