Web Letters: God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut

We never say, "Thank you."

Kurt Vonnegut's editorials were very distinct from his fiction. The former were clear, concise, and to the point. The latter were sublime, leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions. I'll always think of Kurt Vonnegut, jr. and turkey basters with a smile when I hear the word, "Galapagos". His humour was sick - in a good way.

We take for granted they'll always be there, writing for us, speaking for us, and thinking for us; but they die and leave us with our world. When I was young, I wondered why a book would be written and printed in such a manner; then I discovered he lived it. Thoughts hurt in the middle of carnage. Thoughts blur in the middle of insanity created by humanity. Time becomes disjointed. "So it goes."

Minds capable of intricate thought are rare and under appreciated. We don't have replacements ready for the loss of even one such person. Death accompanies us, ready to take anything when we blink. Kurt Vonnegut, jr. would be glad to leave the war and politicians, but we are weaker without him, voices made more feeble.

Yes, we are left to mourn for ourselves, but we shouldn't mourn for Kurt Vonnegut, jr. Some people understand humanity to the point of suffering. K. Vonnegut saw the nobility among the nonsense and the deceptions costumed as truth. His eyes were wide-open. Few offer their insight for the blind as he did.

Contemporary politics encourages an atmosphere in which people fear agreement or disagreement. It's on the maudlin middle of the road that politicians would like to steam roll its citizens. Kurt Vonnegut wasn't worried about stepping far to the left or far to the right. He seemed to be seeking a path made of thoughts; informed foresight clears all roads. Mr. Vonnegut laid stepping stones for others to find their own deepest thoughts. Many fear the torture of looking inward, not Kurt Vonnegut. We must be honest with ourselves before we can be honest with the world.

Jerie Leep

Tenkiller, Oklahoma

Well , maybe Kurt was the only person to benefit from the Dresden bombings , but many of us benefited from it in a way because so many of us have enjoyed and benefited from his writing. I saw Kurt being interviewed on the Jon Stewart show a couple of years ago , when his new book "Man Without a Country" was released.

He was brilliant. He said he wanted to name his new book , the 51st state , because the Bush administration was in a state of denial with the Iraq debacle.

He was the 1st to use this terminology that has now become the norm when describing Bush and his policies.

He was at the same time hilarious and deadly serious about our misadventure there.

As a song writer , well , that's all I needed to hear , just those few words inspired me to write a series of protest songs directed at Bush and his pathetic agenda. Just a few brilliant words from someone like Kurt can fire up those of us who are much less gifted to do what he can about the world we all live in.

The 51st state is the state of denial..thanx again Kurt

Cheers , Joe

www.longlosthome.com exposing "Bush" with song

joe messanella
long lost home

amsterdam, netherlands

My first exposure to Kurt Vonnegut occurred around a year ago while substitute teaching. The students had silent reading time, and I picked up an old copy of Slaughter House-Five. I had no idea who Vonnegut was or what the book was about, except that it was a classic. By the end of silent reading time, I was determined to finish that book. When I finally got my own copy, I was glued to it for hours. I must have finished it in a couple of days.

Although Slaughter House-Five was written over thirty-five years ago, it still accurately describes the savagery of war and the rampant classism in America. Vonnegut's character, American Nazi, Howard W. Campbell, summed it up best by stating "America is the wealthiest nation on Earth, but its people are mainly poor, and poor people are urged to hate themselves." Vonnegut continued criticizing war and classicism in his last book, A Man without a Country. He pointed out that "our unelected leaders have dehumanized millions and millions of human beings simply because of their religion and race..[and has also] "dehumanized our own soldiers, not because of their religion or race, but because of their low social class."

Luckily, adolescents continue to be exposed to Vonnegut's ideas. During my student teaching, I noticed that Slaughter House-Five was used in an English teacher's curriculum. I look forward to implementing the novel into a history class when I become a teacher. Vonnegut's work will continue to influence another generation. "So, it goes."

Monica Evans

Bakersfield, CA