"Robert Heinlein Remembered"

Lever Action Essays ^ | 1988 | L.Neil Smith

[NativeNewYorker]

Ditto all Heinlein praise above.

I think next year is when I'll introduce him to my now 7-year-old son.

[Knitebane]

Another big Heinlein bump.

When the doo-doo hits the fan, I want Lazarus Long watching my back.

And if I can't get him, it at least needs to be someone who admires his qualities as much as I do.

However, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is his finest work, even without Laz making an appearance.

[Samwise]

Reading Heinlein was the perfect antidote to all of the other liberal drivel I read as a youth. I credit Heinlein for showing me that Dad really was correct all those years.

[William Terrell]

Already posted here.

[redrock]

L.Neil is a grumpy....wise-cracking....bozo.

Just the kind of person we need to remind us of some of the things that have gone wrong in this nation....

redrock

"I am not a Libertarian...I just play one on T.V."

[redrock]

Do you prefer smooth river rocks..(the kind you can skip on the water)...or (like me) sandstone chunks?? (kinda like red-rocks)

redrock

[redrock]

I know...( I started that one too)...but you can't add any replies to it.

.....and I believe that every now and then you need to bring out the fact that a whole lot of us were/are influenced by the writings of Robert Heinlein.

In this day...when so many people, even here at FR..a gathering place for conservatives of all colours, keep trying to point out our differences.....remembering Heinlein helps to point out what we have in common.

Besides....his books are FUN!!!

redrock

[Tijeras_Slim]

Bookmarked this one from the last time it was posted.
Never had a Heinlein book I didn't wear out.

[666beast]

Reading Stranger In A Strange Land right now...

[redrock]

My 7 year old daughter is starting to get interested in Heinlein's books........

..don't know which one I should start her off with tho.

So many to choose from.

redrock

[redrock]

"Political tags -- such as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and so forth -- are never basic criteria. The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire. The former are idealists acting from highest motives for the greatest good of the greatest number. The latter are surly curmudgeons, suspicious and lacking in altruism. But they are more comfortable neighbors than the other sort."
-- Lazarus Long

Something that should be REQUIRED reading in every school.

redrock

[semaj]

As a youth I read Number of the Beast and Stranger in a Strange Land, both had quite an impact on my thinking. Heinlein was and will always be one of my favorite authors.

I thought Star Ship Troopers was penned by L. Ron Hubbard?

[Luis Gonzalez]

'The Green Hills of Earth'

Let the sweet fresh breezes heal me
As they rove around the girth
Of our lovely mother planet
Of the cool, green hills of Earth.

We rot in the moulds of Venus,
We retch at her tainted breath.
Foul are her flooded jungles,
Crawling with unclean death.

[ --- the harsh bright soil of Luna ---
--- Saturn's rainbow rings ---
--- the frozen night of Titan --- ]

We've tried each spinning space mote
And reckoned its true worth:
Take us back again to the homes of men
On the cool, green hills of Earth.

The arching sky is calling
Spacemen back to their trade.
ALL HANDS! STAND BY! FREE FALLING!
And the lights below us fade.

Out ride the sons of Terra,
Far drives the thundering jet,
Up leaps a race of Earthmen,
Out, far, and onward yet ---

We pray for one last landing
On the globe that gave us birth;
Let us rest our eyes on the friendly skies
And the cool, green hills of Earth.

-- Robert A. Heinlein

[stylin_geek]

Robert A. Heinlein was one of several excellent SF writers who came along at the same time. Philip K. Dick, James Blish, Gordon R. Dickson, Alfred Bester, Arthur C. Clarke, and Isaac Asimov are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

[Rocko]

I thought Star Ship Troopers was penned by L. Ron Hubbard?

No; Heinlein wrote Starship Troopers. Perhaps you're thinking of Mission Earth, Battlefield Earth or Final Blackout. Heinlein was the far better writer, there's no doubt.

[Drumbo]

Thanks for a Heinlein topic!

A few misconceptions here imho though; Stranger In A Strange Land, was a masterpiece of satire. If taken seriously (as many liberals do) it's no wonder some didn't like it.

"Democracy can withstand anything but democrats." - Jubal Harshaw, Stranger In A Strange Land, (Robert A. Heinlein)

Heinlein an atheist? . . . the careful reader will see a sophist.

"The only religious opinion that I feel sure of is this: self-awareness is not just a bunch of amino acids bumping together." - Jubal Harshaw, Stranger In A Strange Land, (Robert A. Heinlein, emphisis mine)

Some other favorites of mine not already posted here:

"An insult is like a drink; it affects one only if accepted." - Her Wisdom Star, Glory Road, (Robert A. Heinlein)

"Major Ian Hay, back in the "War to End War," described the structure of military organizations: Regardless of the T.O., all military bureaucracies consist of a Surprise Party Department, a Practical Joke Department, and a Fairy Godmother Department." - Oscar "E.C." Gordon, Glory Road, (Robert A. Heinlein)

"A wise man could not be insulted, since truth could not insult and untruth was not worthy of notice." - Colonel [Pop] Baslim, Citizen Of The Galaxy, (Robert A. Heinlein)

"Success lies in achieving the top of the food chain." - Jubal Harshaw, Stranger In A Strange Land, (Robert A. Heinlein)

"Don't try to have the last word, you may get it." - Lazarus Long, Time Enough For Love, (Robert A. Heinlein)

[no-s]

Gee, loon or not, I like El Neil.Hyperbole and all.

I make the kids read Heinlein. The boys have read "Starship Troopers", of course, as well as "Beyond this Horizon", and a few others.

My daughter is curious about Smith's books, I caught her trying to read "Pallas" the other day.

[FreeLibertarian]

It should be posted at least once a year.

[AuntB]

My son's favorite: STUPIDITY SHOULD BE PAINFUL

[AuntB]

"My seven year old daughter..."

Oh, redrock, how can that sweet child be that old ALREADY!

I've really enjoyed this thread, redrock, thanks for posting it. It's a delight in this narrow minded, bigoted world we live in. It's nice to be reminded that there are still real thinkers out there. As Mark Twain commented on the human race: They don't think, they think they think.