"Alas, Brave New Babylon" new fiction by Matt Bracken

Western Rifle Shooters Association ^ | August 26, 2013 | Matthew Bracken

[Lazamataz]

The outcomes will resemble either Mad Max anarchy

I dig the anarcho-punk fashion and the multicolored mohawks, so I am hoping for this scenario.

[spodefly]

BTTT

[PatriotGirl827]

bookmark

[Doomonyou]

My goal is for it to be noticed by the statists and liberals, who will of course hate it,

Excellent piece Matt. Unfortunately, even if the libs and statists read it, they will give it no mind.

Keep up the good fight and thanks.

[Nachum]

Thanks.

[Finatic]

New Bracken, a must read!

[Library Lady]

We save seed potatoes. However potatoes really do have seeds. They appear as if the plants had grown clusters of tiny green tomatoes. I don’t know if they will grow true to the original plant, and I don’t think the quality is as good.

[exit82]

Matt, just read this again after a lapse of a year.

Still a great read.

BTTT.

[Travis McGee]

Yep, this may be how it ends.

[Scrambler Bob]

M4L Bracken

[Yogafist]

bump for later

[wita]

Not sure why no comments past October.

Allow me to say thanks for readdressing what all should be concerned with. Lots to consider and especially the need for a moral culture to preserve what little remains of life as it should be. Nevertheless, all should be about doing good as long as we have life within us.

A worthy read.

[RipSawyer]

It reads like a prose version of Rudyard Kipling’s masterpiece with which you are no doubt very familiar, the last lines of which I am pasting below;

In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all,

By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul;

But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy,

And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: “If you don’t work you die.”

Then the Gods of the Market tumbled, and their smooth-tongued wizards withdrew

And the hearts of the meanest were humbled and began to believe it was true

That All is not Gold that Glitters, and Two and Two make Four

And the Gods of the Copybook Headings limped up to explain it once more.

As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man

There are only four things certain since Social Progress began.

That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire,

And the burnt Fool’s bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire;

And that after this is accomplished, and the brave new world begins

When all men are paid for existing and no man must pay for his sins,

As surely as Water will wet us, as surely as Fire will burn,

The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return!

Of course, Kipling published this almost a century before the current date, he apparently saw the seeds of the current harvest being planted. I knew of the poem for a long, long time before I ever even had any idea what was meant by copybook headings. Now I return to it regularly and marvel at the greatness of Rudyard Kipling.

[Travis McGee]

Thanks.

[Travis McGee]

He was indeed amazing.

[Liberty Valance]

bttt

[FreedomPoster]

Pournelle posted snippets of that repeatedly on his day book, typically along with a news item that supported the wisdom and prescience of the Gods of Copybook Headings.

[dennisw]

reading this again on this leisurely day.... alas! Alas the self-destructive trends and thinking has continued since the August 2013 date on your writings

[Louis Foxwell]

Thank you.

[jimjohn]

bkmk