The Belmont Club
The Belmont Club, or Wretchard rather, was cited in the Times of London in connection with "Downed US Seals may have got too close to Bin Laden". It's pretty strange since I've neither met Bin Laden nor ever been in Afghanistan, and makes me feel something of a fraud at being cited in connection with something I have no direct knowledge of. (Though the analysis is probably correct). It also reopens the question of whether Wretchard should continue to blog anonymously. Anonymous blogging has proved a good buffer against the petty vanities of authorship. The deal is you don't do radio interviews, signed articles etc. The upside is that you have no ego to protect. The ideas you articulate are separated from your own personality.
This model is only partially functional now. People who knew me in the past, as well as my colleagues at Pajamas Media, know perfectly well "who" I am, although I think that information is totally irrelevant. Since the model of anonymity is failing, I'll disclose the boring details. My name is Richard Fernandez, of Filipino birth and Australian citizenship. My interest in history probably began at Harvard, from which I graduated with a Masters in Public Policy. Wretchard is the name of an imaginary cat, the symbol of that entire race of stoic, yet somewhat foolish creatures. Belmont is the name of a suburb I roomed in while at Cambridge, Mass.
posted by wretchardthecat at 7/10/2005 03:27:00 AM
121 Comments:
An awesome resume. An awesome blog. An awesome future awaits.
well done.
your analysis has always been insightful.
Even though some of us caught your name on some of those early rss feeds, and has now been announced to the World, Wretchard The Cat will always accompany your great work in our minds.
From the Times Online:
. Al-Qaeda’s UK recruits A network of “extremist recruiters” is circulating on campuses , according to leaked Whitehall documents Read the document: part one
. part two part three part four
Oh, shucks--no more Harvard jokes on THIS blog! Damn. :-)
Wretch,
If you (or any secret members of the Belmont Club, of course) are still looking for an ISP, be sure to check out Go Daddy.com, I've not found any better deals anywhere.
AND
Bob Parsons is a Great American (Marine Vet, wounded in Vietnam) who uses all American resources whenever possible.
Co-located in Phoenix w/that other well known Great American:
The Desert Rat.
Does this mean there will be Wretchard interviews on Hewitt and etc?
Wretchard is the name of an imaginary cat, the symbol of that entire race of stoic, yet somewhat foolish creatures.
"O wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 7:24, 25).
/////////////////
gotta go to church this morning myself. hmm. maybe later I'll post Mr. Ed.'s theme song.
Can't help but think of some Muslim Pirates w/a Scandinavian head on a Pike!
Lucky for the citizenship requirement, Rune!
Hello Mr. Wretchard Fernandez,
Please continue the great work, under any name you choose.
Good on ya, mate.
Well, I suppose it was bound to happen sooner or later.
Personally, I enjoyed your anonymity, i.e. it was nice not knowing who Wretchard was... but as long as your analyses remain spot-on, no harm done I s'pose.
Whether you blog as Wretchard or Richard, your insightful posts have been extraordinarily helpful in understanding the world we now live in. Keep up the good work, Richard.
Interesting times. Good insights, great writing. Thank you for the time you put into all this.
Maybe the 'sphere will less compete with the MSM than renew it - as great talent sorts to the top and is cited and (in time, I expect) employed.
/Ari
Really not necessary, Wretch. Your "credentials" will not prevent some from attacking your views and calling into question your analyses. You can be assured they will be far less open about their own backgrounds, areas of expertise, and achievements. On the other hand, such assaults will be recognized immediately as such and thus will be discounted. Exposing yourself to fire may show where the enemy is, but it certainly will reveal which ones are bad shots.
Wretchard is great because it brings to mind another time in America during the printing press explosion when public figures hid behind nom-de-plumes and wrote screeds that became the talk of the town. So it is a wonderful tradition.
We have a barn cat called Einstein. He is always getting into equipment and up onto things very far off the ground. He also gets into horrible fights and on two occasions I have shot his feral opponents following his successful fight to keep his beloved barn. I imagine if he could speak ( he can talk ) he'd claim he has no ego, but he fights hard for his barn.
Anonymous or not, you remain a Blog God.
It is a pleasure to read your analyses, no matter what you choose to call yourself. Keep up the great work!
What you are matters, and the success rate you have had speaks for itself.
Keep it up, and maybe someday you can parley all this into something greater.
Lenie, you may still be correct. :-)
See, Wretchard--you've influenced someone embarking on a career teaching history. That alone will change the warp and woof. In fact. teaching history is maybe the loom itself.
Thanks for the revelation. I am impressed by your knowledge of history and your ability to analyze current events. I hope things go better than you expect in the Philippines.
Wretchard (since you still sign that way),
I found your site through the odd paths of the internet blogging community that formed soon after 9/11. Can’t remember when, but I am certain it was from the Hugh Hewitt site. Remember that distinctly.
Your site, and those pointed to by you (Bill Roggio, WindsOfChange, CounterTerrorism – those I got from you) and others, have been of immense benefit to me and the small circle of friends and Marines that I work with. We no longer have to try to obtain information from people who do not understand it as it is presented and in context in which it is found.
I have actually learned something. I used to want straight facts and then complain about the slant. Now I want reasoned analysis and opinion that I can corroborate against other sources.
PajamasMedia is looking to be a tough competitor to those with the perfect hair and media degrees.
Carry on, and don’t make it too much of a job…
Pleased to meet you.
Anyone slightly disappointed at the loss of mystery, could well contemplate the enormous mystery of someone emerging on the side of the individual, from Public Policy studies at Harvard. ;-)
Then there's the Harvard Lawyer, Hugh Hewitt!
Man cannot be kept Beneath the Wheel!
yeah, sure. you're richard fernandez and i'm richard nixon. heh! nice try, sherlock!
lenie,
The parents are going to need a 45 after you get through with the kids!
% These are the only bloggers who'll admit to going to Hah-vard %
% And there may be many others but they haven't been un-cah-vard %
dump-da-da-da-dump-dump, dump-DUMP!
There is freedom in pseudonymity. I use a pseudonym because I want my analyses to stand on their own merits, neither drawing unwarranted credence from authority nor being subject to attack as a proxy for attacking me personally. On the other hand, there can come a time when the costs exceed the benefits.
I hope that going public does not affect the terrific quality of your work here. And if I'm ever in the Phillipines, the first pitcher is on me.
Poet,
The better beers in Oz!
May I still think of you as Malheurard? We imaginary bureaucrats are rather fixed in our ways. Like Buddy says of yardmen, the essential mystery remains, one that is repeated by the greats in every century: the ability of those who know something of both the margin and center to emerge as intellectual leaders by being neither and both at once. Don't lose that and the name won't matter 'cept to ideologues.
'cept to ideologues and poets (the properly imaginative, say)
Thank you for your terrific insights and allowances for comments.
Per engineer-poet's two-liner:
A quick chuckle--there's few things deviner.
I think I preferred you as Wretchard the Catalyst.
But I suppose the veil was in fact becoming immodestly thin.
I hope you're at least prepared to "cash in" on your new "exposure" (and your well-deserved fame).
.
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Drudge has linked to the Times article so Wretchard's name is undoubtedly getting even wider exposure.
The thing about the Times article: he calls you a "military blogger". This got me wondering... Perhaps the key is not to pronounce on what your purpose is. Does blogging, duly conceived, have a purpose?
Argghh! Another mystery revealed.
WRETCHARD was so much more like, I dont know, well...
Keep up the awesome job.
Establishing a brand-name is a herculean task--often unraveled by the paradox of the brand itself creating demand for quantity--when the product is "quality".
Welcome, Richard! Your blog has enlarged my understanding of the world in many ways.
Best of luck.
Wretchard,
Congratulations on your achievements in this new communications environment! From the moment I started reading your Blog I knew you were up there near the top of this medium, I did not need numbers from Blogshares, or from TTLB to see that.
Not only is your analysis keen your writing is also good. No matter how good one's ideas if they can not get out of ones head they are no more than excited neurons.
Yes, I completely understand the need for taking a pseudonymn. I use one myself (No, while Marcus Aurelius does bear some resemblence to my name, and serves a nickname of mine, it is a pseudonym) and feel like it allows me to write more honestly. Sometimes, I wish I could drop the charade but mostly for the purposes of photo-blogging.
Mahabang buay para sa Belmont Club!
Aaayyyyy!
Mahabang BUHAY ibig kong sabihin!
When I first saw the email name "wretchardthecat" I immediately thought of Felix the Cat. ("Felix," cognate with feliz and "felicity," means the opposite of "wretched.") Felix had, of course, his Bag of Tricks, and I got the notion, from that and other things, that you were a computer programmer or or tech or database designer of some kind.
You're right about the ego thing, there's something about having to defend past views under one's own name, that decreases flexibility. I suspect that people get particularly stuck by having published a book on a thesis. And of course one feels more willing to come out and saying things under a pseudonym. And you've said some things in the past which would be quite controversial coming from a well known and respected pundit, bringing touchy and frightening subjects to explicitness near mainstream currents of professional discussion of politics and national strategy. But sooner or later, I guess, it's proper for the training wheels to come off. The next and biggest Rubicon, if you choose to cross it, would be to become a paid columnist straddling blogsophere and MSM like Glenn Reynolds or (from the opposite direction) Michelle Malkin.
If y'all had sent in dough via PayPal - as you should have - you would have received a thank you from Richard Fernandez.
It wasn't that deep a mystery.
I'm looking forward to the radio and TV interviews as well as the articles and editorials that will appear via PJ Media.
Best wishes and good luck.
Right--no deep cover, but then, no use of the name either, until the owner cleared it.
As for the site name, I have three WWII vintage radios I am restoring out in the garage. They were manufactured by Belmont Radio. Whenever I think of the "Belmont Club" I think of those radios; both are high quality and attractive links to an earlier time.
universal truths require no CV....
somehow the brits have forgotten that trains blowing up innocent civilians is a crime, even if it happens to jews...
hey jack straw how goes those meetings with the peaceful hamas?
Interesting phonetic correlation between the name Richard and Wretchard. Reminds me of an anecdote regards Jean-Francois Champollion, the French linguist who deciphered the phonetic sound contained within ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Some attribute this to an interesting coincidence contained within his name -- Champollion. It sounds as the words "field of lion" in French.
As a long-time reader (and an anonymous blogger myself), I enjoyed your cloak of mystery and anonymity. It freed up the imagination. Your posts are so remarkable that they stand on their own merits.
But maybe there comes a time when it's just time. I respect your decision to reveal your identity, just as I've respected everything you've written. I wish you well in your non-anonymity!
Television Themes
Mr. Ed
(Horse neighs)
Hello
I'm Mr. Ed
A horse is a horse
Of course of course
And no one can talk to a horse
Of course
That is of course
Unless the horse
Is the famous Mr. Ed
Go right to the source
And ask the horse
He'll give you the answer
That you'll endorse
He's always on a steady course
Talk to Mr. Ed
People yakkety yak a streak
And waste your time of day
But Mr. Ed will never speak
Unless he has something to say
A horse is a horse
Of course of course
And this one will talk to his horse his horse
You never heard of a talking horse
Well listen to this
'I am Mr. Ed'
Ah, that explains your in-depth knowledge of the problems and politics of the PI, an region that is sadly neglected today.
Your analysis of events both Philippine and world wide has been remarkable.
Keep on blogging whether you be Richard or Wretchard.
Delighted to make your acquintance. Even more delighted to know that you're protected by a couple of oceans from the buffets of American politics, capitalism, and MSM-directed hits.
From now on, I won't be assuming an intimate familiarity with Americanisms, which was probably rude to begin with, and I apologize for ever having done so, if I did.
Deep Throat and the Cat unveiled within a month of each other! The stars must be in alignment somewhere.
Charles, sounds like church was fun this morning!
W: when i saw that Times article I was pleased to see your analysis getting further exposure, but was also irked that they provided no link to your site nor even a mention of its name by which the mildly enterprising could then locate it. Whether this was more than simply MSM obtuseness, who knows?
Anyway, I'm a huge fan of your thinking, your writing, your blog, and your brilliant posters. I think your decision to share your real name with the contributionally-challenged (nod to Rick) is a sound one. Your views need to be heard far and wide and this is a necessary step toward that.
This post dovetails nicely with the one before about the search for a future president of the Philippines. I hope this doesn’t sound too sycophantic (that would be a first from me) but given not only your background (Harvard, well-respected blog) but also the obviously bright future ahead of you with expansion into different media such as radio and television a given; it wouldn’t be such a stretch in ten to fifteen years down the road to see you as a major political figure in the Philippines.
With that in mind I’ve taken the time to suggest a few appointments for your shadow cabinet and other important posts. Doug, as the most prolific Belmont Club commenter ever, is the obvious choice for Vice President (and this should in no way be seen as a comparison between him and the current VP Noli de Castro). Buddy is a shoo-in for Finance Minister. Rick Ballard is a natural for Education Minister. Verc could head the Classics Department at the University of Manila and Cedarford would be the clear choice for Ambassador to Israel.
Fooey--just my luck to come in as Finance Minister on a dadgum anti-corruption platform.
common cents:
You think YOUR disappointed, I thought his real name was Valerie Plame!
hajimemashite.
;-)
Bud,
re jill's post:
Can you believe some people actually TOOK Journalism?
JEEZ!
Hashemite?
Where's Lab Rat!
Trish,
I just hear an interview w/Richard Miniter (How Bush is winning the war on terror, you'd probably hate it!) and he thinks old bin L well might not have been at Tora Bora at the end:
Says there are tunnels that go all the way over to the Paki side.
Too bad we didn't have some Armed Predator Security Cams in there!
Kevin:
How soon can I do a coup after he gets in?
ex dem,
Where'd you buy the posters?
Are they brilliant like
Acid Rock Posters?
Your analyses here speak for themselves, and survive the test of time. They alone are your bona fides. The rest of this posting is just 'wrapping'. Important to you personally, but unnecessary in the larger scheme of things.
Blog on, Oh W, blog on! You are not perfect, but you are extremely valuable.
And I thought Cedarford as the clear choice for Ambassador to Cedarfordland. :/
Cedars of Lebanon.
(Hamas Agent.)
Just kidding C-4.
That last tour of duty you gave me still smarts.
Richard or "Wretchard" -- You have many readers that have remained silent. I have enjoyed your insightful analyses and the many links you provided. Please continue your blog.
Cedarfordland
Population: 1
Location: dark side of the moon
Capital city: hole under a rock
Currency: floating white sheep
Buddy,
Those printing preses at Treasury could probably turn out some very authentic looking diplomas. Mebbe we could work something out.
Rick,
I went to the thread version where the names of the deleters are given, and saw yours, so I deleted mine.
Figured that's what you wanted?
(esp after reading more at the other place)
Hell Mika, I thought it was some place under a glacier where Lebanese traders adrift in the Norwegian sea were forced to set up a colony; they started studying Henry Ford as an alternative to the Chinese model of economic development.
Thanks, Doug. Hmm, I wonder if the Vice-Presidents signature on a diploma would increase the value of the degree?
If you wait for the coup, I have great things planned for us!
Trust Me!
Doug,
The day Wretchard brings in the CPP/NPA as a ruling coalition partner is the day you get to overthrow his ass.
Sometimes other necessities make things imperative:
The Template:
The Beer Hall Putsch occurred in the evening of Thursday, November 8 to early afternoon of Friday, November 9, 1923
Doug, what, may I ask, is wrong with having took Journalism?
Rick, immediately focusing on the printing presses makes you a perfect ministerial candidate. Kevin is quite prosthetic.
I wonder if the Minister of Education can perform marriages? There's a lotta dough in weddings.
Buddy - I think it's 'tooken'.
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Being a fan of the senate judiciary committee, I can already announce that by some point in the future I will have vetted the banking system and will have found that all fees will have to be octupled. The Ministry will make this more palatial by changing the spelling to "pheez", so that we may say we have not raised "fees".
truepeers,
That would be Cedarfordstan. Not to be confused with the newly established principality Cedarfordland.
Due to the policies of GWB's neocon cabal, this glacier you mentioned, no longer exists. It has been deliberately evaporated. The citizen of Cedarfordstan, now exposed to the sun's harsh UV rays, decided to set up shop on a NASA Deep Impact probe. The plan was to pre-emptively attack slanty-eyed spacemite deep in dark reaches of outer space. But the wily neocons at NASA caught wind of the plan. Fearing Cedarford's revenge and military talents will come back to haunt them (after he's done conquering outer space spacemite), they deliberately veered the probe's trajectory, crashing it onto the moon.
Wretchard,
Welcome, again. I will still assume you are flattened and inflatable.
I wish you the best of luck in this more public phase.
Sounds good:
Then when you need to get something done, you just show up with your pheez and thank you's.
The Mother of All Connections.
A special report on the new evidence of collaboration between Saddam Hussein's Iraq and al Qaeda.
by Stephen F. Hayes & Thomas Joscelyn
Hat Tip, Chapomatic.
Mario Savio, Berkeley, 1964, top of car with bullhorn, proclaims "Free Speech Movement"...now you can't stand in the same spot and say "I am a conservative". Ironyyyyiyiyi.
Read it and weep!
(I can't believe nobody got that my little couplet above was a hat-tip to Tom Lehrer, another former Harvard person. Don't they teach the classics in chemistry class anymore? "There's antimony, arsenic, aluminum, selenium...")
Tom Lehrer--great comic! hadn't thought of him in years. Good piano, too.
[Times Online]:
"Its insertion represented an extraordinary risk," said the author of an influential military blog known as Wretchard...."
Hum, I like the "Influential Military Blog" tag. This of course will be picked by inmates at the DU and Kos and an twisted into some dark conspiracy: "Richard Fernandez, who goes by the various aliases such as "Wretchard" or Wretchard The Cat" has now been exposed as an operative of CIA and secretly funded by a group of right-wing fanatics closely associated with the Bush administration. Mr. Fernadez, born a Filipino, was discovered spying on Arroyo government. He was quickly discoverd and deported to Australia. There, he used to toil in obscurity tirelessly spouting jingoistic American propaganda and disparaging Michael Moore's Muslim Minute Men. Now that antiseptic affect of the Main Stream Media spot light has been shined on this covert military pajama clad operative we can take firm action against him. We will descend upon his right-wing-nut military site and bury him with an avalanche of logic driven personal attacks. And, it will not be pretty...
Mika, there must be some connection between those NASA (Star) Trekkies, who are all secretly Freemasons, and whoever betrayed the Cedarfordistanians. Probably had something to do with promises of first dibs on the virgins of all newly discovered planets.
In the spirit of this site, here's some breaking news, police hunt for white mercenaries in London bombing:
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/article298105.ece
//////////////////
last time white mercenaries were mentioned in the context of a political hit--it was in Lebanon. Whoever was that guy whose car was blown up. The bomb was so big it blew an immense hole in the street and it went off beside some largely unihabited building. The hit was thought to be expertly done. White mercenaries were mentioned boarding a plane after the boming or some such in one newspaper account. The killing of the lebanese leader resulted in syrian troops leaving the lebanon.
The mention of white mercenaries might be true but it has the same ring of truth as hollywood movies after 911 showing white/nazi/south african terrorists.
Great blog and background of the man behind Wretchard. I discovered you 10 months ago from initially reading a CNN aricle that linked to Realclearpolitics which linked to you. Since then I've weaned myself off CNN, read you regularly, and haven't looked back. Thanks so much for the time you put towards this and thank you for educating me. I am an optomist and it is so refreshing to have found you.
hey Airplane is on the tube EST.
for any political science/international relations graduate students or law students reading this blog....
You will save yourself an immense amount of time trouble & confusion if you take a semester or two course--or more--in the St Paul's book of Romans -- taught from a Reformed point of view.
Charles, that's the kind of statement that you just got to try and explain or you'll leave most students scratching their heads. Wazzat? The Road to Damascus is the key to it all?
Mabuhay!
Thank you, Wretchard, for your insightful muses. I hope this announcement does not jeopardize you in any way.
Pls continue, you've shown me so much. Thank you.
sorry doug, i meant to say bwilliant.
macboar, I grew up in Kirkland.
Go Hawks!
truepeers,
Unfortunately, our Cedarfordistanian (singular, not plural), is yet another casual victim of America's insatiable lust for jihadi petrol and consequent global warming. Exposure to light, and the transition from the freezing darkness under that glacier, was too much of an evolutionary step for our young Cedarfordistanian. We all understand Cedarford will to power. He is of blue blood after all. But given his maniacal plans to start an intergalactic conflict with the peaceful slanty-eyed spacemite, it was decided that best solution was to try and recreate suitable new habitat for him. I think the dark side of the moon was an excellent choice. And you must admit, the view from up there must be magnificent.
Oh Gawd!
A Seattle Seagull fan posts here!
How is the Walrus and Mr. August doing?
You could've said, Hi, my name is Gleebus Frabnatz, I have green skin and nictitating irises, and feathers...
But it wouldn't have phased me, or altered the clarity of intellect you bring to (almost) every post.
Inneresting, but quite beside the point. Keep up the good work, Wretchard!
marcus,
Walrus, is that Holmgren? Who is Mr. August?
Tutti Respecto, Don Ricardo.
Harvard, your analyses are so good that I took you to be a U of Chicago grad:-)
Holmgrem is indeed The Walrus.
Around here we affectionately (or not so) referred to Matt Hassleback as Mr. August since he would shine in pre-season (August) but disapoint in the regular season (whenever he did get snaps).
I refer to a certain road in Green Bay as"Former Coach of the Packer Way" rather than by its proper name. Oh well, the shine was coming off of him anyway.
I think most longtime readers know that Wretchard's a Filipino living in Australia (at least I got that info from Wretch's friend Dean Jorge Bocobo.)
The rest of his bio he offers a hint back in his May 9, 2004 post, after Roger L Simon (in his blog) asked who the mysterious wretchard was.
In response to recent requests for a bio, I'd just like to say that I am a software developer, who was once employed in forestry projects in a third world country, and did a short stint in Africa. Prior to that I headed up a nongovernment organization helping mountain tribes title their ancestral lands in largely insurgent-controlled areas and was a staff adviser for about three years to a third world government attempting to reach a negotiated settlement with Islamic rebels. Before that, I led a largely footloose life, including a year as a ragpicker. I have a graduate degree in public policy from a university in Cambridge, Massachusetts and another in applied mathematics from the midwest.
It used to be said that the nice thing about the Internet was that nobody cared if you were a dog: that your presence on the web was wholly separable from your existence as a person. That, as I've discovered, isn't wholly true although it should be; nothing is should truer or more false simply on the basis of provenance. But I should have realized that in this uncertain hour, the words 'who goes there?', so long in disuse, would come to preface every conversation. It is that kind of time and so be it.
Walrus, a fitting nickname. The Walrus is all high on Jesse Lumsden. A new running back recruit out of McMaster University in Hamilton Ontario. He won the Hec Crighton Trophy and broke 2 single season CIS records. Rushing yards - 1,816 and touchdowns - 21.
Hasselbeck, yeah, to say he's streaky is putting it mildly. Apparantly his brother recently signed with the Giants.
As a former working journalist... I work, but not as a journalist :-) it does concern me a little that the MSM are quoting anonymous bloggers as expert testimony.
Obviously there is no doubt of Richard's impeccable credentials, however I take issue with the lazy journalism that merely trawls the internet for comments to back up the story dejour.
The correct thing would have been to contact Richard and ask permission to quote him, then he would have had opportunity to clarify or contextualise his comments if required and determine whether he be on the record or not as an authority.
-- Nora
Pleased to meet you, Mr. Fernandez. Keep up the great work! We'll look forward to your weekly segment on Hugh Hewitt, and a column perhaps at NRO or WSJ. We have a new name to place on the mantle of neo-journalistic excellence next to Victor Davis Hanson and Claudia Rosette.
But, you will always be Wretchard to us as well... at least until Dueler and I choose to shed our own protective aliases.
Nora Charles, WADR -- I think you've missed the point or, at the very least, a main point. We don't require that kind of intermediary -- a "journalist" walking through mechanistic protocols.
Lesson -- don't assume down, assume up. Just as Wretchard could have been some kind of fake composite, journalists (damn good journalists) often turn out to be no better.
What has drawn me (and I suspect so many others) to Wretchard is his analytical confidence and clarity combined with a respect for our culture and history.
He could have been a divorced father of five with nothing but a G.E.D. and was said to be the black sheep of his family -- this wouldn't have changed a damn thing for me.
truepeers said...
Charles, that's the kind of statement that you just got to try and explain or you'll leave most students scratching their heads. Wazzat? The Road to Damascus is the key to it all?
/////////
ugg I tried to compose a response but couldn't find something that's both short and sweet. And the long one went on too long and then became endless.
Trouble is... students need a pretty good grounding in the bible to get at St. Paul.'s Romans --which is something they don't get in college these days.
Applesweet:
"In a way I'm saddened you've revealed yourself. It was so mysterious and romantic to image you in a long trench coat standing by a dimly lit street light just outside of a seedy cafe. :)"
Don't be sad; just imagine Desert_rat or Doug in that setting instead of Wretchard!
Y'all could've gotten Wretch's secret identity very easily: make a donation to the site thru PayPal and up comes his name. It comes up after your donation goes through.
Sooo...to all the grateful freeloaders out there who have just outed themselves by being so surprised: get with it and click the donate button, hmm? ;)
~D
Well met, good sir. Another Kennedy Schooler here who is pleasantly surprised to find we share that in common.
Now if I could only be as prescient as this Wretchard has been...
Greetings, Richard.
To quote the old (but true) saying, you are a gentleman and a scholar.
Thank you for your wonderful work these past few years.
Wretchard,
Hmmmm, I had always thought you to be formerly with the American military or intel community with time in the PI.
The old saw about a genius being someone who agrees with you is true, although your writing and analysis surpass my abilities.
Thanks for filling in part of the void left bt SDB.
Trish,
Sorry to take so long:
I just thought since books sounds bullish on Bush plan, and you said you thought Iraq shouldn't have happened, that you might not like the book.
---
After reading papa's bin laden article in the next thread, I'm starting to think we should have already come up with some way to put a throttle on that.
---
If 41 and Barbara had not been such good friends with the Sauds, I'm sure some things would have been done differently.
...for better or worse.
Well congratulations nonetheless, on being mentioned by a major newspaper in a major world city. Despite the fact that we may have preferred it to have been under different circumstances, the fact that it happened is a lot more that most of us 'long-time' bloggers will ever be able to claim.
Also... I haven't been back to The Belmont Club in awhile; I didn't know that it now has comments allowed. (I've been told that I need to do that at my blog... Maybe I will, one day.
Maybe not.)
Truepeers said:
Charles, that's the kind of statement that you just got to try and explain or you'll leave most students scratching their heads. Wazzat? The Road to Damascus is the key to it all?
Charles said:
/////////
ugg I tried to compose a response but couldn't find something that's both short and sweet. And the long one went on too long and then became endless.
Trouble is... students need a pretty good grounding in the bible to get at St. Paul.'s Romans --which is something they don't get in college these days.
////////////
Charles how about posting the start of the long version on your blog. Then post a chapter a week from Romans with your thoughts. It sounds like an interesting discussion topic. Those interested could form a Romans study group.
I do find the Reformed connection here interesting.
Wretchard, thank you for your postings. You also have attracted a high class of commentors.
Belmont Club: a place for those who seek truth & wisdom.
Oh Rattlegator, please don't misunderstand me. There is absolutely no question of Richard's ability as a commentator.
My remarks are about lazy journalists who turn to a blog as a convenient quote generator without digging deeper.
Imagine how much further analysis and insight might have been gained if the journalist actually spoke (or e-mailed him).
I was going to call my own post "Darth Wretchard", but settled with "The Wretch(ard) Behind the Mask". Great job, and keep it up! :)
Mr Fernandez ! Greetings ! merely desired to say Thank you ! for your insights.wrting..wisdom.. thanks again..Boulder Person...
and, perhaps , I might dare to ask.. is it even possible to tell the true story about Islam ? I mean, according to HG Wells, Mohammed(not his real name) was an illiterate..and encountered a demon on Mt Hera in a cave... etc..(I have the facts ) but it seems the fear of unmasking this absurd 'religion' so terrifies.. anyway, we are fighting with a mirage (Under that black cloth at Mecca are some black pebbles and a meteriorite !) (they got nothing.. there have been six other versions of the Koran since the end of the 6th Cent. and none are congruent..) it is rubish from start to finish..why can't someone tell the world the real story..the TRuth ? Why not, at this stage of history..why not.. ?
Greetings Readers ! That we might address a major concern -perhaps on the order of a London Blitzkrieg ! Our Military declare that the War is an "ideological" one..which is to say -such is Not their forte' - and, those who might -(Not the entrenched so-called scholars who preach the peace within the Qu'ran- do not read Arabic ; and, the pluralists who teach 'comparative religion' courses for the unwary (programned rich kids...) are Not honest enough ( RE:Philosopher at Boston :Peter
Kreef as what Could be- )..so, it's up to those who Can understand How to inform the Arab world that their religion is rubbish and evil: now just how could we go about it...(for the millions who swarm about the caaba, housing the meteorite and a few black pebbles ,,,at Mecca )...? -anyone paying attention here? We have a situation...there's The mess(millions of illiterates with a Tribal god religion...) until the bitter end...versus... exposing the liars encrusting our campuses with their false rhetoric... there is far more at stake here than oil. Isn't there?
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