Jack Kerouac, �The Viking Portable Jack Kerouac�
Ah Christ, my pile of books I have to review grew again. At this point, I have nine books waiting for me to review. In the meantime, I�m still trying to put up the older reviews on the new site. Meanwhile, I�m still trying to get an answer out of Columbia University, My bills are piling up, I�m running out of room for the books I have finished, and I got received two pieces of hate mail for my eulogy on Ronald Reagan, which did end up getting published from the De Anza Web site.
If you didn�t click on the link, perhaps you should. I ought to remind you that when I was writing columns for City Revolt, I got my teeth knocked out for criticizing people, while the crowd gathered around chanting, �Campbell Pride! Campbell Pride!�
Not that I expect any of you to save my ass, but I thought you might like to see a crowd screaming �Reagan Pride! Reagan Pride!� while they beat the shit out of somebody.
I know I would.
So, under La Voz guidelines, I�m not supposed to personally respond to these people, but the first comment listed his own Web page and I couldn�t resist. What follows is my answer to his hate mail.:
- Hi Dan,
A refresher, in case you forgot what you wrote in response for an article of mine in the De Anza paper. In response for my eulogy for Reagan, you wrote:
�Corrico, you're just one of those snottty little ignorant punks I always see on campus pretending to be �socialists� or �progressives.� The truth is you don't know jack s#$t about the real world, and, if you ever applauded Reagan's death in any classroom I was in, I'd give you the swift kick in the a@# that your daddy should have given you a long time ago.�
First, my last name is �Carrico� Just thought as you stated you�d like to join the paper at De Anza, you�d like to learn one of the most important rules of journalism � getting the person�s name right.
Second rule. Don�t make assumptions. You haven�t seen me on campus, as I graduated from there and from SJSU a long time ago. In addition, my nose is not snotty and I don�t align myself with any movement, primarily for the sheep vs. goats theory. I judge every situation on its own validity. I�m stubborn that way, like a goat. As for sheep, well, there�s a reason why it�s called Jesus� flock, isn�t there?
But you�re final statement about kicking my ass confuses me. Why the penchant for violence? Did you know Reagan? Friend of yours, maybe? Or perhaps you regard him as a real American hero. If that�s the case, why the hostility toward me, a fellow American exercising my right to an opinion, my right to dissenting speech?
You don�t have to like my opinion. I don�t have to like your opinion of my opinion. But at least I�m willing to allow you to be an asshole, without meaningless posturing about how I�d kick your ass for being one. You might afford me the same luxury.
Or you might not. I don�t particularly care one way or the other. But I�ll tell you what, I�m perfectly willing to continue my applause over Reagan�s death in the same room as you, so you can feel like the true patriot you think you are.
(end of guestbook entry)
Anyway. What I�d really like to know, especially after reading this Kerouac book, is why he still had his teeth when he died. Granted, Kerouac died young. Oh, that�s right, it�s because Jack was just annoying in the general sense of his writings and ramblings, and not because he talked about a particular person.
It�s still no excuse. Kerouac needs his teeth knocked out. More so, over 30 years after his death, not because he said anything about a certain person or figurehead, but because he�s an annoying fuckwad.