PARC is Out of Print


Robert Campbell

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At Amazon.com, JIm Valliant's book is no longer listed as "Temporarily Out of Stock."

It is now listed as available only through resellers and used-book vendors.

All of whom are now asking for a premium over the old list price.

http://www.amazon.com/Passion-Ayn-Rands-Critics/dp/1930754671/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264552663&sr=1-1

PARC is out of print.

Robert Campbell

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PARC is out of print.

B-b-but, it’s “a vital work, perhaps a bible, for the serious students and supporters of Ayn Rand” per Robert Middlemiss, editor-in-chief Durban House Publishing. I hope he’s had to pay out extra to have his overstocks pulped.

This is somewhat related, I’ve noticed there’s hardly any posts going on to SLOP. The “tracker” page is very misleading, it makes it look like more’s going on, and more recently than is the case. My guess is they have about 1/5 the posting volume of OL. Am I misreading it? Is there a better page to see what’s been posted recently and by whom?

http://www.solopassion.com/tracker

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This is somewhat related, I’ve noticed there’s hardly any posts going on to SLOP. The “tracker” page is very misleading, it makes it look like more’s going on, and more recently than is the case. My guess is they have about 1/5 the posting volume of OL. Am I misreading it? Is there a better page to see what’s been posted recently and by whom?

http://www.solopassion.com/tracker

ND,

Maybe somebody who knows more about forum statistics can help. I never found the tracker terribly useful when I read SOLOP regularly.

The posting volume on the blue-stickied threads does look pretty fitful these days.

Ellen Stuttle, in particular, has been posting much more heavily here than there.

Robert Campbell

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Just goes to show how the marketplace can help weed out liars. Obviously the negative publicity and ARI (unofficially) distancing itself from Valliant's work lead to PARC's demise.

At Amazon.com, JIm Valliant's book is no longer listed as "Temporarily Out of Stock."

It is now listed as available only through resellers and used-book vendors.

All of whom are now asking for a premium over the old list price.

http://www.amazon.com/Passion-Ayn-Rands-Critics/dp/1930754671/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264552663&sr=1-1

PARC is out of print.

Robert Campbell

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I hope PARC stays out of print.

It deserves its place in the trash-bin of Objectivism.

Michael

I'm saving my copy as a souvenir.

It's a low point all right. Ranks down there with "To Whom It May Concern..." (Saved my copy of that issue of The Objectivist, also...)

Bill P

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At Amazon.com, JIm Valliant's book is no longer listed as "Temporarily Out of Stock."

It is now listed as available only through resellers and used-book vendors.

All of whom are now asking for a premium over the old list price.

http://www.amazon.co...64552663&sr=1-1

PARC is out of print.

Robert Campbell

Sob!

--Brant

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This should probably go in the Humor folder, but anyway....

O....my.....god! I couldn't believe my eyes. PARC is Out of Print by Robert Campbell. The book that had to be written! Where can I order a copy, and how much is it? Do you need someone to make an index for it, Robert? <cackle, snort-snort-snort>

REB

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I hope PARC stays out of print.

It deserves its place in the trash-bin of Objectivism.

Michael

Michael; Please don't hold back. Tell us how you really feel. All kidding aside I'm also happy its out of print.

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Let us have a brief moment of silence...Okay, that's enough.

PARC, being an artifact of those who prefer to be told how to think (a rather curious choice for anyone claiming to hold rationality and independence as primary guides to living), will probably be reprinted as something needed in the thought-cleansing purification rituals (Remember: all of L. Ron's books are still in print!). So, don't be surprised if it comes back into print, probably through another "vanity press" outlet.

However, PARC - no matter how hard it tried - does not get the award for the most ridiculous - and hilarious - mis-interpretation of Ayn Rand. That award goes to (drumbeat),.....Witchcraft and the Illuminati (1981, author originally anonymous, but has since been identified, see below).

You do know about that one, don't you? Considering the depths to which Rand and the Brandens have been reviled, particularly in the last year, in the MSM and other leftist media outlets, it's surprising that they missed this one. This gem of paranoia has been described, with sort of a scholarly incredulity, in two books by Michael Barkin (Professor of Political Science, Syracuse University), Religion and the Racist Right: Origins of the Christian Identity Movement (rev.ed., 1997, Univ. of North Carolina Press) and more recently, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America (2003, University of California Press).

I suppose I should hasten to add here that Professor Barkin is not an adherent to these beliefs, nor is he implying that Rand was admired by the people that he is describing - quite the contrary, as you will see.

It seems that the extreme rightist "Christian Identity" (i.e., neo-Nazi) movement discovered Atlas Shrugged and, not surprisingly, hated it. The anonymous author (later identified by Barkin as Kerry Noble) claimed to have discovered something that normally functioning minds did not: here's just a taste, as summarized by Barkin (1997, p. 193):

"Witchcraft and the Illuminati can scarcely contain its excitement about all this secret knowledge.....They know because they possess the key that allows them to unveil the true meaning of the encoded text of Illuminati plans, which turns out to be Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged. Much of the rest of the CSA volume purports to be a decoding of the sinister plans allegedly contained in Rand's best seller."

You want to know what those "sinister plans" are, don't you? I'm not going to tell you.

But here is an addition to this fantasy, also missed by the MSM: in his later book (2003), Professor Barkin adds (pp. 30-31) that Witchcraft and the Illuminati was "inspired" by another Identity devotee (John Todd, see Postscript below), who had discovered that the movie, Three Days of The Condor, "contained a doubly encoded message.... the book on which (Robert) Redford was working as a CIA analyst early in the film was Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged, itself an encoded conspiratorial work....Rand had been commissioned to write the novel by [her lover!] 'Philip [sic] Rothschild,' allegedly the leader of the Illuminati." And "[w]ithin the book is a step-by-step plan to take over the world by taking over the United States."

But, nobody believed these fantasies, right? Wrong. As we know, ideas have consequences. Barkin goes on to describe that the "bizarre claims about Rand's novel had a deep influence not only in fundamentalist churches, but in the Covenant, Sword and Arm of the Lord [CSA], a heavily armed commune in the Ozarks affiliated with the anti-Semitic and millenialist Christian Identity movement....Indeed, Noble attributes CSA's program of arming and military training to the fears...The community dissolved shortly after a raid by federal law-enforcement authorities in 1985."

As a result of this armed confrontation with the Feds, Kerry Noble spent some time as a "guest" of the federal prison system, during which he had a change of mind, and later wrote an expose of sorts, Tabernacle of Hate: Why They Bombed Oklahoma City(1998).

POSTSRIPT: But nobody now believes this stuff? Well, somebody does! You can find the, err, "inspiration" for all of this nonsense at a source, a video on YouTube by Rev. John Todd (he taught it to Kerry Noble and the rest!). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOWPuzoVXQc If this link doesn't work, go to Youtube and search on "Ayn Rand, Illuminati." Bingo! There he is. (And I thought that Youtube wouldn't display pornography!) To fully "appreciate" this, it's best to have a few beers first!

Edited by Jerry Biggers
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Jerry--

Did they bring in the Elders of Zion? After all, Rand was Jewish by birth.

And that's it! Frank of course was her contact with the Masons, and his visits to the neighborhood bar were simply a pretense; he was actually reporting to the Lodge Masters and receiving the next set of instructions on what needed to go into the novel.

(I won't be viewing that Youtube, at least tonight. If I want to watch someone talking an immense pile of rubbish, I'd watch the State of the Union.

Jeffrey S.

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Jerry--

Did they bring in the Elders of Zion? After all, Rand was Jewish by birth.

And that's it! Frank of course was her contact with the Masons, and his visits to the neighborhood bar were simply a pretense; he was actually reporting to the Lodge Masters and receiving the next set of instructions on what needed to go into the novel.

(I won't be viewing that Youtube, at least tonight. If I want to watch someone talking an immense pile of rubbish, I'd watch the State of the Union.

Jeffrey S.

Jeff-

The question is, which would show more evidence of delusional thinking? - Obama's State of the Union address, or the YouTube rant by this "Christian Identity"/neo-Nazi conspiracy theorist? My guess - it's a toss-up.

Which is more frightening? This preacher who, in addition to 'discovering' that Atlas Shrugged is a coded Illuminati plan, also believes that the movies, "Independence Day" and "Star Wars," are coded descriptions of planned real events? Or a President determined to drag his country, kicking and screaming, into his socialist utopia - AND is loudly applauded for his "boldness" by a majority of Congress and the MSM?

Which is more dangerous? The nutcase, or "Mr. Thompson"?

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My guess would be that the Christian Identity Rant is more delusional—but I may have to revise my estimate after watching it.

Last night's State of the Union address was more frightening, because Obama, Reid, Pelosi and the rest of the crew, even after the recent setbacks, are a lot more likely than some Christian Identity preacher to get what they want.

Robert Campbell

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My guess would be that the Christian Identity Rant is more delusional—but I may have to revise my estimate after watching it.

Last night's State of the Union address was more frightening, because Obama, Reid, Pelosi and the rest of the crew, even after the recent setbacks, are a lot more likely than some Christian Identity preacher to get what they want.

Robert Campbell

The current incarnation of "Mr. Thompson" is definitely more dangerous, being in power, and quite intent on carrying-out his programs. Whether Obama and pals are literally delusional is open to question. Most of Rand's villains are presented by Rand as clearly knowing what they are doing. I think that characterization also applies to the Obama Administration and most of their supporters. Of course, some may fit the psychiatric definition.

As for "Christian Identity" and their (literally) neo-Nazi allies, their thought processes seem to qualify for the delusional characterization. McVeigh (who is reported as possibly visiting the CSA commune in Arkansas shortly before the Oklahoma City bombing) clearly knew exactly what he was doing and was willing to kill as well as die for his beliefs, delusional as they were. Quite similar to today's Al Qaida and other Islamic fanatics.

Regarding the video on YouTube, the speaker, identified as John Todd, provides no evidence at all and simply asserts his beliefs. I must admit as being amused by his assertion that the book that the Robert Redford character was working on to decipher, and which caused CIA-types to try to kill him, was "Atlas Shrugged!" The individual who posted the video clearly believes the Atlas Shrugged/Illuminati master plan, since he prefaces the video with references to the recent surge in sales of the book as "ominous."

Nutcases can be very dangerous!

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Oh, I forgot to explain how these "Christian Identity/neo-Nazi" nutcases managed to turn the message of Atlas Shrugged upside-down, and claim it advocates for dictatorship.

You see, I simply could not resist getting a copy to see their bizarre interpretation. So I looked around and sure enough, a copy showed up on eBay for practically nothing [its true value anyway!]. It turns out that Witchcraft and the Illuminati is not a book, but a 79-page pamphlet, presented in a disorganized jumble. There is one chapter "discussing" Atlas Shrugged. Well, sort of.

So, how do you present a work about individualism and the expansion of political and economic freedom as, instead, a "blueprint for world dictatorship?" Easy! You only quote passages from the novel by the characters that Rand presented as the villains (e.g., Bertram Scudder, Balph Eubank, Dr. Stoddard, Mr. Thompson, etc.), neglect to mention that fact, and instead claim that they represent the ideas advocated by the author! Galt, Rearden, d'Anconia, etc. are never mentioned.

I guess this works - as long as your audience never really picks up the book and read it for themselves! When your audience is semi-literate, it's a safe bet that they're not likely to read a thousand-plus page book.

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Oh, I forgot to explain how these "Christian Identity/neo-Nazi" nutcases managed to turn the message of Atlas Shrugged upside-down, and claim it advocates for dictatorship.

You see, I simply could not resist getting a copy to see their bizarre interpretation. So I looked around and sure enough, a copy showed up on eBay for practically nothing [its true value anyway!]. It turns out that Witchcraft and the Illuminati is not a book, but a 79-page pamphlet, presented in a disorganized jumble. There is one chapter "discussing" Atlas Shrugged. Well, sort of.

So, how do you present a work about individualism and the expansion of political and economic freedom as, instead, a "blueprint for world dictatorship?" Easy! You only quote passages from the novel by the characters that Rand presented as the villains (e.g., Bertram Scudder, Balph Eubank, Dr. Stoddard, Mr. Thompson, etc.), neglect to mention that fact, and instead claim that they represent the ideas advocated by the author! Galt, Rearden, d'Anconia, etc. are never mentioned.

I guess this works - as long as your audience never really picks up the book and read it for themselves! When your audience is semi-literate, it's a safe bet that they're not likely to read a thousand-plus page book.

Perhaps they were sufficiently delusional, or perhaps they have imbibed the Nazi teachings enough, to think that the villians were the heros?

Jeffrey S.

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I know I'm biased, but I love it that PARC is being spoken of in the same league as delusional Christian conspiracy theories.

:)

Michael

Some similarities between the Brandens-demonization cult and Christian Identity cult:

1) They both use quotes from their targets very selectively and almost always out-of-context;

2) They imply motives and intent (usually of a sinister nature) to their enemies that they cannot possibly know;

3) They use unverifiable sources (or inaccessible to non-adherents to their cult), along with gossip, to make their case;

4) They both use unrealistic "ideal types" to characterize Ayn Rand (the first group portraying her as an almost deified exemplar of moral perfection; the second group portraying her also in a deified way, but as a satanist master planner of pure evil);

5) They expect their followers to accept the judgments of cult leaders without question. Questioners of the cult's "revealed truth" face expulsion.

6) By following the above tactics, both groups seal their own fate: to remain small and isolated (both by the larger society who tends to shun them, and by their own choice to "protect" their members from unapproved thoughts and opinions).

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Oh, I forgot to explain how these "Christian Identity/neo-Nazi" nutcases managed to turn the message of Atlas Shrugged upside-down, and claim it advocates for dictatorship.

You see, I simply could not resist getting a copy to see their bizarre interpretation. So I looked around and sure enough, a copy showed up on eBay for practically nothing [its true value anyway!]. It turns out that Witchcraft and the Illuminati is not a book, but a 79-page pamphlet, presented in a disorganized jumble. There is one chapter "discussing" Atlas Shrugged. Well, sort of.

So, how do you present a work about individualism and the expansion of political and economic freedom as, instead, a "blueprint for world dictatorship?" Easy! You only quote passages from the novel by the characters that Rand presented as the villains (e.g., Bertram Scudder, Balph Eubank, Dr. Stoddard, Mr. Thompson, etc.), neglect to mention that fact, and instead claim that they represent the ideas advocated by the author! Galt, Rearden, d'Anconia, etc. are never mentioned.

I guess this works - as long as your audience never really picks up the book and read it for themselves! When your audience is semi-literate, it's a safe bet that they're not likely to read a thousand-plus page book.

Perhaps they were sufficiently delusional, or perhaps they have imbibed the Nazi teachings enough, to think that the villians were the heros?

Jeffrey S.

Jeff,

In the case of Witchcraft and the Illuminati (which, by the way, hardly mentions "witchcraft" in the text...I guess he thought the title was catchy), the author's intent, I think, is deliberately to deceive. Mostly, he quotes from Rand's villains, but does not identify them as such (and no names are given). When a passage from Galt is used, it is Galt's descriptions of the intent of the Looters (again, never characterized as such by this author).

The few passages used are from roughly the first half of the novel. Despite his claims that he "devoured" the book, non-stop, in two days, the last passage that he quotes is from page 696. Apparently, he got indigestion because there are no quotes from Galt's Speech.

John Todd's video on YouTube (actually, it is an audio recording with added pictures or graphics comments by the poster of the video) is somewhat different. He actually challenges his audience (details on where and when this was given are not presented) to read Atlas Shrugged - although he quickly adds that it is a long and evil book which he does not expect them to read! According to Professor Barkin's books, quoted in a prior posting, it was this guy's ravings that was the catalyst for both the pamphlet and the group to get so worked-up that they armed themselves with assault weapons of the type that attracted the attention of the Feds, and resulted in a "Waco-style" standoff with the FBI and ATTF. The group was persuaded to surrender, charged with possession of illegal automatic weapons, and some were convicted.

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Unless you want to pay a reseller $50 or more for a new copy and $30 or more for a used one, you'll have to go to the Ayn Rand Bookstore to get PARC.

I wonder how much surplus inventory they have.

Robert Campbell

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Unless you want to pay a reseller $50 or more for a used copy, you'll have to go to the Ayn Rand Bookstore to get PARC.

I wonder how much surplus inventory they have?

Robert Campbell

Robert:

Well I for one will only accept a donated and signed copy of PARC!

tantrum.gif

I have my standards, low, base and banal as they are.

Adam

mwink.gif

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Unless you want to pay a reseller $50 or more for a new copy and $30 or more for a used one, you'll have to go to the Ayn Rand Bookstore to get PARC.

I wonder how much surplus inventory they have.

Robert Campbell

153,000 copies.

--Brant

inside info--honest!

the bonfire of the vanity

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Unless you want to pay a reseller $50 or more for a new copy and $30 or more for a used one, you'll have to go to the Ayn Rand Bookstore to get PARC.

I wonder how much surplus inventory they have.

Robert Campbell

153,000 copies.

--Brant

inside info--honest!

the bonfire of the vanity

Brant -

Seriously? Could that be total copies printed? Is it really SURPLUS INVENTORY?

Bill P

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