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Missive #768 Published 7 Aug 2026

151. Nasruddin and the Small Boat

Nasruddin had gone fishing with a friend in a very small sailboat.
While they were far from shore, a sudden storm blew up unexpectedly. Fierce winds ripped the sails to shreds and waves tossed the boat back and forth.
When the little boat began to fill with water, Nasruddin was truly frightened. “What are we going to do?” he shouted at his friend.
“Do not worry,” said his friend calmly. “Let us direct our prayers to God, who is great and merciful.”
“God is great and merciful, I know,” replied Nasruddin, “but this boat is small and it is sinking!”

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Missive #767 Published 3 Aug 2026

Kenneth Chinran was a disaffected youth who joined the military and was recruited for an elite deep cover unit, shrugging off training and exercises so tough that several of the recruits did not survive. Then he was sent by his star nation to infiltrate a fascistic, militaristic planet-Earth.… he was on the run, while the resources of a planet wide police state were tracking him down. He could see no way to escape from the planet, no way to keep hiding, and if he and his daughter were caught, death was the very least that they could expect. But Chinran is a warrior to the core, and even if he loses this last battle, he won't go down without a fight that his pursuers-the ones who survive-will never forget.

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Missive #766 Published 2 Aug 2026

Continuing The Anti-Federalist Papers

Federal Farmer XII
by Federal Farmer

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Missive #765 Published 1 Aug 2026

Men to Match My Mountains is a true historical masterpiece, an unforgettable pageant of giants—men like John Sutter, whose dream of paradise was shattered by the California Gold Rush; Brigham Young and the Mormons, who tamed the desert with Bible texts; and the silver kings and the miners, who developed Nevada's Comstock Lode and settled the Rockies.
America called for greatness…and got it. There is nothing in history to match the stories of these men who braved wilderness to bring new nation to the shores of the Pacific.

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Missive #764 Published 31 Jul 2026

150. Nasruddin on the Run

Nasruddin was making a journey through the mountains when he was attacked by a band of robbers. Thanks to some good luck he was able to escape, but he knew the robbers were not far behind him.
As he ran, he saw a wandering holy man beside the road. “Hide yourself!” Nasruddin shouted at the dervish. “Robbers are coming! They’ll kill you for sure!”
“I serve God,” replied the dervish, “and I know he will protect me.”
“Well, that’s good,” said Nasruddin as he disappeared down the road. “But just in case, you might want to find a hiding place!”

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Missive #763 Published 26 Jul 2026

Continuing The Federalist Papers

Federalist No. 78
The Judiciary Department
Author: Alexander Hamilton
To the People of the State of New York:

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Missive #762 Published 25 Jul 2026

I think I liked this book even more than his Catch 22. I think the book is somewhat autobiographical and he treats the Gold family with Horatian satire. Wheras, he goes after the politicians and Washington society with Juvenalian satire. I think I could hear a Mark Twain echo from time to time. Recommended.

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Missive #761 Published 24 Jul 2026

149. Nasruddin and the Stray Goat

A stray goat wandered into Nasruddin’s yard. Nasruddin killed the goat and told his wife to cook the meat in a stew.
The goat stew was delicious, but then Nasruddin felt guilty about what he had done and confessed to his wife.
“You have committed a sin!” she shouted, shaking her fist at her husband. “God will call you to account.”
“Then I’ll tell God I never saw the goat,” said Nasruddin.
“God might resurrect the goat as a witness!” his wife replied.
Nasruddin smiled and said, “Then I’ll grab the goat and give it back to its real owner.”

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Missive #760 Published 21 Jul 2026

He hides in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment. Each kill is calculated, planned and executed like clockwork. Struggling to balance her personal and professional life, young DS Becca Vincent has landed the biggest case of her career — and she knows that it will make or break her. But how can she identify one face in a sea of thousands?

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Missive #759 Published 20 Jul 2026

For years, Derrick Jensen has asked his audiences, "Do you think this culture will undergo a voluntary transformation to a sane and sustainable way of life?" No one ever says yes. Deep Green Resistance starts where the environmental movement leaves industrial civilization is incompatible with life. Technology can't fix it, and shopping—no matter how green—won't stop it. To save this planet, we need a serious resistance movement that can bring down the industrial economy.

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