Norman Mailer has Died

Yahoo is carrying quite the obit. (Eugoogly).

I think for anyone to quite get a basis in comprehending the War on Terror one Must read Mr. Mailer's "The Armies of the Night". Imagine, during the 60s, a bunch of peace,love/rock-n'rollers surrounding The Pentagon, holding hands and attempting (or asserting to) exorcise the "DEVIL" out of The Pentagon. Mr. Mailer did indeed provide quite the insight as to the mindset organizing and following the religiosity and fervor of those who engaged in this event.

Self Defense is not "evil" nor the DEVIL. Nor is the defense of one's home, town, country. Mr. Mailer does, in the book, detail all the slogans and belief sets of those who saw "defense" otherwise. And these belief sets are yet awash and making headlines in our time.

When there is no "devil" present, but yet people invoke one, this leads to war. Those who considered themselves "armies of the night" indeed invoked, aided and encouraged evil to spread throughout the world. It empowered those with a religion based on total domination of others.

Mr. Mailer, may you pass into peace. Walking the razor's edge so many years has this way of keeping one in perpetual purgatory. You might be there even yet. I pray this is not so. It is a hard task being inside the arena while yet attaining to the "objective" position. One's soul can get quite dirtied. You wished to understand, to probe the whys, but you apparently did not have the rock upon which to stand apart from that which you trekked.

May you find that rock now.