PDS

Ms. Geller's heart might be in the right place, but, having watched her efforts for the past few years, I am afraid she is more Clown than not. She is actually a good example of why Orthodox Objectivists take such a dim view of those who won't take the full plunge with them: i.e., Geller, by saying a little about Objectivism that misses the mark (even if only by implication), and by saying alot about other things that is otherwise foolish, smears the total of Objectivism. Objectivism, in this world view, is too delicate to withstand such a taint. Orthodox Objectivists assume that if you are not one of them, you are, effectively, a Pam Geller. No middle ground and nothing in between. David Kelley is Pam Geller. Q.E.D. Unfortunately, Geller some times makes more sense than Piekoff, and thus Piekoff has the same (unintended)effect on Objectivism as Geller, but nobody seems willing to tell him. Irony, thy name is Leonard. This, in a nutshell, is how one manages to squander the greatest intellectual achievement of the 20th Century, and without much effort at that. But I hear has drives a cool car, so I guess he has that going for him.

And to think that GBS did not even have a blog, as far as we know.

I cannot claim to know the motives of the people you mention, but as a long time reader of Noodlefood who was recently bounced for making a comment about Peikoff that DH didn't like, I think your assessment of DH misses the mark. She is more obsessed with working out and her eating habits and her cute cats than you give her credit for... Peikoff is truly an embarrassment. I distinctly remember telling an Objectivist friend in 1985 that Peikoff would bounce Kelley some day. He told me this was impossible. He is now an ARI-approved scholar at the various OCON events. The most alarming part of Peikoff's recent podcasts (Mosque and political flip flops, especially) is his lack of self awareness about his pronouncements that "who are Objectivists" or who "understands Objectivism". Does he not realize that he is implicitly conceding the premise of the famed Fact and Value? If he can flip-flop in under two years on the Republicans creating a totalitarian Christian theocracy (and recall that he said that those who disagreed with him in 2006 didn't understand Objectivism either), then it seems to me David Kelley can declare victory in that war, assuming it ever had to be a war, which, by the way, it didn't.

Aglialoro is a badass. He should play a part in the movie. Hugh Akston would be good, assuming he isn't cut from the script.

In pursuit of justice and irony, I say keep the title as it is.

I say thumbs up to term "flip flops". Especially in a political context, which Peikoff's statements apply to, the term "flip flop" has a meaning, almost as a pun, that makes it something more than mere snark. Also, the podcast on whether gays can be "true Objectivists" is rather interesting, if for no other reason than how LP defines who an Objectivist truly is. Anybody else catch the irony in his stated definition?

Oops. [still getting used to how things work around here]. Ghs: having read A:TCAG way back in 1984 or so, I can't imagine why your fundamentalist Christian family members shunned you.

It wasn't that long ago that I found myself in a similar situation, except mine involved my in-laws instead of my own family. My large extended family here in Bloomington -- fundamentalist Christians, one and all -- treated me like a leper on every social occasion. The situation got so bad that I finally distanced myself from them as much as possible, while remaining civil on those occasions where it was impossible to stay away from them completely. I realize that my situation differed from yours, but the essentials may be similar. I don't know the details of your situation, but if your family members are not receptive to resolving the problem, such as by not burdening you with their problems, then I don't see any alternative except for you to stay away from them as much as possible, at least until the situation improves. Ghs

Nice essay to accompany the music.