Books, Reviews, Short Stories, Authors, Publicity, a little poetry, music to complement...and other stuff including politics, about life... "Books, Cats: Life is Sweet..."
Jay and Ricky were having lunch in a little out of the way deli. Ricky called the meeting because he had things to tell him that he didn’t want Collette to hear. Carter had come to him a couple of days after the fire, when he learned the trailer that burnt down belonged to Terri Riley. When he realized it was the woman that Karen had cheated on Barb with, he knew just how badly he had screwed up and he had to come clean to Ricky. It’s not like he knew it was going to be Terri’s trailer when he told them how to burn one down, but he should have been reporting everything regardless of whether or not he thought it was important to the case. The reason he gave was they’d come to him about burning down an abandoned trailer for the insurance money. He’d lied about the reason his cap was lined with tin foil, which was an enigma to him. There was no way to know how many other things Carter hadn’t been straight with him about and more and more he thought Carter was just untrustworthy. He was sure that Carter was hiding even simple truths. Ricky knew how dangerous this case had become and he felt he had to confide in people who would do the right thing if anything happened to him—and with each day that passed, he became surer that his life was in serious danger. “So you’re saying that the tin man has definitely gone off the reservation and you don’t know what he’s not telling you or what he’s telling you that could be lies?” “Yup. That’s about what I’m telling you. Those rednecks are bad people. They wouldn’t think twice about killing anyone who crosses them. They gave me that warning shot that messed up my pretty face believing that would get rid of me. Now they know I’m not going anywhere. Carter has lost his way. I can’t trust him about anything at this point and I’ve got to solve this murder.”
“Ricky, don’t be a hero. I can drop this case and be done with all of it. Nothing’s worth losing your life.” “Um, ‘Ricky don’t be a hero, don’t be a fool with your life’—wasn’t that a song from the seventies, Jay? Not going to happen. I’ve never walked away before and I’m not going to walk now. I just wanted you to know the situation and make sure Collette doesn’t know anything about it. Between this case and Becky’s incessant calls, she’s already upset enough. I’m meeting with Bill Sewell and Carol Brooklyn tonight to give them what I know. I can’t go to the police up there in Okeechobee because I think about half their force is involved in the camp. I’ll be careful, but I want you to be careful as well, and keep an eye on Collette.” “Okay. I’m not happy about it, but I’ll play it your way.” “I’ve got the police patrolling your office regularly. If you have any kind of problem, you’ve got Carol and Bill’s numbers. Call them. When Ricky called Carol about meeting up that night, the first thing she wanted to know was if darts were involved and did he have plenty of money. She agreed to call Bill and meet him about seven in a bar that didn’t have a dart board. After catching up over a few drinks and having some laughs, Ricky got serious and started filling in the details of the case.
“I can’t go to the Okeechobee cops because a good number of them belong to the camp. They’ve already taken a shot at me, burnt down a trailer, and although I don’t know what their end game is, they’re sure as hell playing for keeps. I wanted you to know everything I know and if anything happens to me, make sure all the right people know. “Also, I want you to keep an eye on Jay and Collette. I know you’ve already got a patrol over there, but now that the red hats are involved, I need some peace of mind so I can do my job without worrying about them all the time.” Ricky went into the details and Bill and Carol asked plenty of questions. When they were comfortable that everyone knew their parts, they had one more drink toasting Ricky and assuring him they’d see to it he had a proper burial. They also promised to watch over Jay and Collette... The fire, and Carter’s part in it, bothered Ricky more than he thought it should. His first instinct had been to pull him out of the camp and treat him like a cabana boy. He could run errands and do research that didn’t put him near the red hats. After arguing with himself for a couple of days, he decided to let Mr. B stay with the red hats for anything he might retrieve. Of course, he'd have to discount a good part of what he told him, but at least he’d have someone inside the camp. Maybe his conscience would kick in and he’d actually keep his role straight. That would be a long shot though. Ricky was on his way to Barb/Bob’s’ house to see if maybe she knew something about the fire. He didn’t know whether they were just trying to go up a notch in the attempts to frighten the lesbians and it was a coincidence that it happened to be Terri Riley’s trailer; or had they chosen Terri’s trailer to send a specific message. It was an awfully big coincidence that it was her trailer and Ricky had never believed in coincidence. There had to be an underlying reason...
~~~
I woke up at 3 AM, my heart racing with adrenaline, I was remembering that I and other women were in a fight with many men chasing, but at the close of the dream I asked if anybody wanted to go to have something to drink... Immediately I was confused. So was the fight real? Suddenly I understood. I had read and finished Killer Camp, the new Ricky Burns Mystery right before I turned out the lights... It was not what I had expected even though I knew the theme before I started to read...
I stayed there in bed, thinking about the book and how and what I would write about it. Suddenly, I recognized a theme: I wanted to analyze the true victim of the story... Or was he? I'm still not sure...
You see, although written as a mystery, with new characters based upon the latest case that had come to His lawyer boss and Ricky, working as his Investigator, I was reading... True Crime... I don't really like True Crime. Just the fact that it is real rather than fiction, doesn't allow me, the reader, to sink into the mystery, to look for the clues that the writer had "created" and try to figure out what was going to happen before the end of the book...
True Crime books, while maybe establishing a setting, such as Killer Camp, and adding a number of random characters surrounding the story, the basic storyline is based upon Truth... Not Fiction... The Reality of Life is what I want to escape, often, when choosing which book to read... But, as most of us know now, True Crime is TOO alive and well in America--in an unprecedented way. One I, and all potential readers of this book, have been living in since around 2015...
The book starts quite differently. A murder has already been committed. A woman was arrested, found guilty and imprisoned. A new lawyer has been hired to appeal the case, based upon having ineffective counsel. Jay Kirshman as been hired; Ricky Burns has already started gathering preliminary information by interviewing the previous lawyer, who Ricky quickly determines is a "dud," and goes on to find that he doesn't even have an office, but works out of his home! There certainly was bound to be enough documentation to ensure the case could be opened again!
Of course, the next action Ricky wanted to concentrate on was where the body of Karen Rogers' body was found on a family farm. When he got there, however, he immediately saw there were signs of no trespassing and mean dogs. He continued on, seeing two older men. One was the father of the man he wanted to talk to, who quickly aggressively pointed out his lack of attention to the signs and that he might get in trouble that way... Immediately, based upon how the man talked, he realized that he had met his first "Redneck."
As he quick-stepped back to his car, he remembered Jay warning him that this was Redneck country, how mean and nasty they were, and to be careful. Ricky had smiled at him and talked about when he was facing other criminals in the city and was sure he'd be able to deal with these guys... Now, he wasn't so sure, going over what had just been said...
One of the guys looked hard at Ricky. “Don’tcha know how t’read, boy? Yer trespassin’.” “Yeah. I noticed, but there was no other way to get here without trespassing.” “Think yer funny? What you lookin’ fer—a beatin’?” “Nope. I’m looking for Bennie Arnold. I’m a private investigator working for the attorney who represents Becky Collins. She’s appealing her murder conviction and I just need a few minutes with Bennie.” “I’m Bennie’s paw, Harry. Bennie’s been going through a rough time. He got hooked onto drugs and is in a bad way. He ain’t talkin’ to no one. So git back into yer automobile and git the fuck off our property. Now.” “You’re Becky’s uncle. I thought surely you’d be more interested in helping her.” The old man stepped over into Rick’s face while the other guy picked up a shovel and started towards him. Ricky thought it was an awful time for him to have left his gun in the car. “Becky’s paw is my brother. I never liked my brother or any of his kin. And I’ll tell ya one more thing. If I see ya around here again, I’ll put ya in the ground and no one will ever find ya. Ever!”
After reading about 50 pages, I began to see the routine clues that readers find in a mystery, but these clues seemed familiar, too familiar. Soon, discussions began about the woman who had been murdered, having been involved with both women and men, that she had money which was often used to buy gifts for men with whom she was involved, while she might also have another lover, a female, with whom she was in love. Soon Ricky was visiting The Lez-be Friends Trailer Park, where Terri Riley lived. She had been identified as being a former connection with the victim.
But as he was beginning the discussion, he was having trouble concentrating because of the close gunfire, sounding much like target practice, that he could hear in the background. Finally, he asked about it and learned that it was a group on a farm very close to their Park, who were constantly harassing those living there. Ricky asked about who they were and Terri lumped them all as "white supremacists," then made them more readily identified as:
...They constantly play creepy little games like knocking our trash pails over, throwing garbage onto our lawns and wiping excrement on our homes. Tough guys going after women. Little minds, lots of games.” “Who’s doing it and why?” “White supremacists. They’re all over the place, practicing for the revolution. They’re an uneducated, ruthless group of rednecks. Talk about your basic trailer trash. We could move, but to where? We’re a little concerned that they’ll eventually accidentally start shooting us, but to date, we’ve managed to come and go without incident except for an occasional tossed garbage can and smashed mailbox. Some way to live, huh?” “I’m from New York where it isn’t as obvious, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. The United States has become an angry place since 2016. I hope I live to see the pendulum swing back.”
And then I read a name...then another name... and I realized that this novel is a fictionalized background story, pre-January 6th Attack on the Capitol! So I honed in on a new character that had been introduced into the investigation team, based upon a friend of a friend type of thing where somebody needs a job...
Supposedly, Jay would be hiring somebody based upon a request of a friend, but he would hopefully be "backup" for Ricky given what they were learning about the people who were potentially being investigated as to who actually murdered the woman. As the character was described, almost immediately I had a picture of a young boy, just 17, who had committed murder during a protest... But, the character was older, had worked as a guard in a prison and was thinking about becoming a PI... As soon as Ricky saw him, he was...concerned...
What begins thereafter is the birth of a killer... a wolf in sheep's clothing... or a sheep trying to be a wolf, a self-absorbed man in a generation where selfishness is normal, based upon their home environment, and everything is viewed from their own perspective. I knew him right away. The authors intended him to be recognized. He is the individual who is confronted with meeting a breed of individuals who have gone too far during their entire lives, being who they wanted to be and creating lies about anybody who opposes their own beliefs... You know, readers, you might have heard a few testify at the Congressional Hearing on the January 6th Insurrection... The ones who said they thought they were doing what was right and had to be done... The ones who were so inundated by those who had created a false life in which to live...
Killer Camp was a location, supposedly one of many around America, where men are preparing for a revolution... There is talk about it in secret groups on the Internet. Within the Camp, there is constant pressure to assimilate--the character is being transformed within a few hours for readers, but it was days, weeks, perhaps even longer for some to become this individual, the one who is so prepared to kill, to protect himself, that nothing, and nobody else matters... This is Killer Camp.
We talked about it beginning in 2015 or thereabouts. But these militia groups have been around for many years hiding their thoughts, their own values, but slowly infiltrating... until they are consumed, with an ultimate leader who frees them to act...
Key in the book is the fact that there are police officers who are embedded with those living and planning a revolution at the Killer Camp. Thus, confusion surrounds the thinking of the latest victim. The victim that they know better than the victim knows himself...
Laurence and Lyons have taken a major step in writing this book. They joined the many writers who are reporting what they see as is happening in today's world. They, like the actual victims involved in the January 6th Insurrection, have documented their own involvement, have determined that they must speak out. The Importance and the Impact of this book is significant, far-reaching; and, yet, sadly a commentary on the damage, the danger, of what one or more, perceived, strong dictatorial leaders can do to the mind of a young, very insecure mind...
Today, Tell Yourself There Will Be No Revolution! Today, Vote to Ensure that Those Who Hate--those who TEACH Hate Will Not Succeed...
Read Killer Camp. A must-read. If you are still unsure about how the split of America has occurred, then you need to see how a young impressionable man/men can be affected by lies, hate, constant planning for revolution/war, learning how to shoot to kill, carrying a weapon that has no value except to kill... This book is not a Mystery! It's happening right now, Readers... The Mystery is How It Is Happening in America!
THEY SAY WE LIVE IN A DEMOCRACY. WE ARE FREE AND WE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL...
But just how "Free" are we? How democratic are our so-called "Democracies"?
Is it enough to simply elect our leaders and sit back, helpless, as they rule over us like dictators? What good is selecting our politicians, if we cannot control our media, police or soldiers? If we must blindly follow our teachers' and bosses' commands, whilst at school and in the workplace, is it not a little naïve to believe that we are the masters of our own destinies? And if our resources are controlled by a tiny cabal of plutocrats, bankers and corporations; can we honestly say that our economies are being run for us?
Could things not be a little bit more, well, democratic?
Indeed they can! “Democracy: A User's Guide” shows us how...
Within the pages of this story-filled book, we shall visit Summerhill, a democratic school in the east of England, before stopping off in Brazil to check out Semco, where workplace democracy is the name of the game. We will travel to Rojava, to explore life in a democratic army, and head to Spain, to see why Podemos is giving liquid democracy a go. We shall travel back in time, to see democracy at work in hunter-gatherer societies, tribal confederacies, the guilds and on the commons. We will consider the case for participatory budgeting, deliberative democracy, collaborative hiring, community currencies, peer-to-peer lending, and much much more.
The message is clear and concise: Democracy does not have to be a pipe dream. We have all the tools we need to rule ourselves.
~~~
Other Worlds Were Possible; a literary masterpiece, which dramatises the effects of European Imperialism.
THE STATUS QUO IS JUST A PASSING PHASE!
Sunny and his kinfolk were content with their way of life. During the dry season, their clan lived alone. They hunted whenever they chose, gathered an array of plants, told stories, and took part in debates. In the rainy season, they united with the rest of their tribe. They formed a temporary city, feasted, held dances and played games. They could have lived like this forever. But a strange and foreign people had ideas of their own... Appearing out of nowhere, these aliens looked completely different. They smelled different. They even dressed differently. And they had the most peculiar habits. These people did not live with the earth. They exploited the earth, imposing monocultures and intensive farming. They were not content with their lot. They were possessed by an insatiable desire to consume. And they had no sense of freedom. They were beholden to a never-ending list of outlandish concepts; things such as “Hierarchy,” “Patriarchy,” “Monarchy,” “Monogamy,” “God,” “Punishments,” “Ownership,” “Inequality,” “Money,” “Work,” and “Tax.” Sunny and his kinfolk faced the toughest decision in their history… They could wage war on these imposters. But their enemies were strong. They had killed hundreds-of-thousands of indigenous people. They could flee. But these imperialists would surely follow. They would push them into the sea, the mountains or the desert. Their clan needed another solution. But what could it be? Could they negotiate with this violent foe? Could they form a pact? Could they create a kind of alliance? Sunny had no idea. But he was compelled by a duty to find out. This was his time. And he was willing to risk his life, to save the people he loved…
THIS IS NOT THE END OF HISTORY. OTHER WORLDS WERE POSSIBLE...
~~~
SOME PEOPLE LIVE UNDER OCCUPATION. SOME PEOPLE OCCUPY THEMSELVES. NO ONE IS FREE.
Step into a world which is both magically fictitious and shockingly real. Walk side-by-side with a refugee, native, occupier and economic migrant. And watch on as the world around you transforms from a halcyon past into a dystopian future.
Inspired by the occupations of Palestine, Kurdistan and Tibet, and by the corporate occupation of the west, ‘Occupied’ is a haunting glance into a society which is a little too familiar for comfort. Powerful, dark, dystopian and magical; Occupied truly is a unique piece of literary fiction…
"Darker than George Orwell's 1984" - AXS
"Candid and disquieting" - Free Tibet
"Genre-busting" - Pak Asia Times
"Brilliant" - Middle East Monitor
"A must read" - Buzzfeed
With several positive reviews to his name, Sheldon had caught the writing bug. He visited Palestine and Kurdistan, to research his second novel, 'Occupied'; a masterpiece unlike anything you've ever read!
~~~
THE #1 BEST-SELLER THE ESTABLISHMENT DOESN'T WANT YOU TO READ!!!
Our three heroes are born on three adjacent beds, a mere three seconds apart. United by a shared nature, they often feel each other’s emotions, as if those emotions are their own. When a fire burns through their homes, killing their families, they are cast apart. Mayer is adopted by a wealthy couple, Archibald by a loving uncle and aunt, and Hugo is dumped in the workhouse. They finally reunite, many years later, only to fall in love with the very same woman, at the very same time; feeling each other’s love as if it is their own. But, turned into three very different people, by three very different upbringings, they court her in very different ways. The consequences are extreme; inspiring our heroes to spend their lives chasing money, power and love, in the vain hope that these things will help them to win the girl. We romp through history; watching on as bankers create money out of nothing, and the British Empire takes over the world, before arriving at the most exhilarating of finales. This is a story which will make you laugh, cry, cringe, smile, scream and shout. It truly is a modern masterpiece, unlike anything you’ll have ever read before...
"Breathtaking" – The Huffington Post
"Picaresque" – Scottish Left Review
"Unputdownable" – The Avenger
"A work of art" – Pak Asia Times
"Strangely kind" – The Tribune
"A roller-coaster" – BuzzFeed
Money Power Love; a love story that charts the rise of the British Empire, and the way in which bankers, with the power to create money out of nothing, were able to shape the world we live in today.
~~~
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS SOCIETY!!!
Beloved friend,
The year is 2084, and that famous Margaret Thatcher quote has become a reality: There really is no such thing as society. No one speaks to anyone else. No one looks at anyone else. People don't collaborate, they only compete. I hate to admit it, but this has had tragic consequences. Unable to satisfy their social urges, the population has fallen into a pit of depression and anxiety. Suicide has become the norm. It all sounds rather morbid, does it not? But please don't despair, there is hope, and it comes in the form of our hero: Renee Ann Blanca. Wishing to fill the society-shaped hole in her life, our Renee does the unthinkable: She goes in search of human company! It's a radical act and an enormous challenge. But that, I suppose, is why her tale's worth recounting. It's as gripping as it is touching, and I think you're going to love it...
Your trusty narrator,
PP
Praise for Individutopia:
"Gloriously colourful" - The Canary "An exciting tale" - The Dallas Sun "Outstanding" - We Art Friends "Riveting" - Publishers Weekly "An epiphany" - The Avenger "A must-read" - The Bay Net "So relevant" - Medium
Sheldon released what is arguably his greatest story to date, 'INDIVIDUTOPIA: A novel set in a neoliberal dystopia'. Fans of 1984 will love this fast-paced classic, set in a world in which corporations rule supreme
And, of Course... the one book I've also read by Joss is...
But it was with his third novel, 'The Little Voice', that Sheldon really hit the big time; topping the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, and gaining widespread critical acclaim.
THE #1 BEST-SELLER THE ESTABLISHMENT DOESN'T WANT YOU TO READ!!!
"Can you remember who you were, before the world told you who you should be."
Dear reader,
My character has been shaped by two opposing forces; the pressure to conform to social norms, and the pressure to be true to myself. To be honest with you, these forces have really torn me apart. They’ve pulled me one way and then the other. At times, they’ve left me questioning my whole entire existence.
But please don’t think that I’m angry or morose. I’m not. Because through adversity comes knowledge. I’ve suffered, it’s true. But I’ve learnt from my pain. I’ve become a better person.
Now, for the first time, I’m ready to tell my story. Perhaps it will inspire you. Perhaps it will encourage you to think in a whole new way. Perhaps it won’t. There’s only one way to find out...
Enjoy the book,
Yew Shodkin
Psychological, radical and irresistible; The Little Voice will make you question everything you take for granted. It truly is a modern-classic in the making.
"The most thought-provoking novel of 2016" - The Huffington Post "Radical... A masterclass... Top notch..." - The Canary "Magnificent" - Global Education Network "A pretty remarkable feat" - BuzzFeed
It’s not easy to make a stand for peace, when you live in a world which is besotted with war...
Get your copy of Joss Sheldon's radical rhyming-novel today!
This is the story of Alfred Freeman, a boy who does everything he can; to serve humankind. He feeds five-thousand youths, salves-saves-and-soothes; and champions the maligned. He helps paralytics to feel fine, turns water into wine; and gives sight to the blind.
When World War One draws near, his nation is plunged into fear; and so Alfred makes a stand. He opposes the war and calls for peace, disobeys the police; and speaks out across the land. He makes speeches, and he preaches; using statements which sound grand.
But the authorities hit back, and launch a potent-attack; which is full of disgust-derision-and-disdain. Alfred is threatened with execution, and suffers from persecution; which leaves him writhing in pain. He struggles to survive, remain alive; keep cool and stay sane.
'Involution & Evolution' is a masterpiece of rhyme, with a message which echoes through time; and will get inside your head. With colourful-characters and poetic-flair, it is a scathing critique of modern-warfare; and all its gory-bloodshed. It's a novel which breaks new ground, is sure to astound; and really must be read!
Probably the best epic-poem of the modern era, Involution & Evolution is fast-paced masterpiece that will touch your soul…
"One of the best anti-war novels I have read" – Kevin J. Litner, Amazon USA
"Great, thrilling, and enlightening book!" – Emma Parker, Amazon USA
"A heartfelt and beautifully written book" – Kiarna Lewis, Goodreads
"I was completely engrossed" – Frank Horne, Amazon UK
"This book touched me" – Tebutebu, Amazon UK
"Elegant and beautiful" – David W, Amazon UK
~~~
Joss Sheldon is a scruffy nomad, unchained free-thinker, and post-modernist radical. He was raised in one of the anonymous suburbs that wrap themselves around London's beating heart. Then he escaped!
With a degree from the London School of Economics to his name, Sheldon had spells selling falafel at music festivals, being a ski-bum, and failing to turn the English Midlands into a haven of rugby league.
Then, in 2013, he stumbled upon McLeod Ganj; an Indian village which is home to thousands of angry monkeys. It was there that Sheldon wrote his debut novel, Involution & Evolution.
Eleven years down the line, he's penned eight titles in total, including two works of non-fiction: DEMOCRACY: A User's Guide, and his latest release, FREEDOM: The Case For Open Borders.
The ground beneath your feet is also on the move, albeit at a rather pedestrian pace… The science of “plate tectonics” tells us that Earth’s lithosphere--its two outermost layers--is comprised of seven or eight major “plates”, as well as several smaller “platelets”. These have been moving across the planet’s surface for 3.4 billion years. Sometimes, these continents come together, to form a single supercontinent. We’re talking about the likes of “Columbia,” a landmass shaped like a piece of pizza, which formed two billion years ago. Columbia broke up into smaller continents, which then reunited to form “Rodinia”. This process repeated itself--resulting in “Pannotia”--a supercontinent located around the South Pole. The most recent supercontinent was called “Pangea”. It formed around 335 million years ago, was home to the dinosaurs, and broke up after another 135 million years--forming Asia, Africa and the Americas-- continents which continue to migrate today; travelling just under ten centimetres a year. (Li et al, 2008). (Read & Watson, 1975).
Plants appeared on Earth a fair while after the continental plates--just under half a billion years ago. And you’d never guess what: They also move around! Their seeds are so light, they can be carried by the breeze--in rivers and oceans--within birds’ stomachs, claws and feathers. They’ve been known to make some rather long expeditions… Around 1.4 million years ago, a seabird carried the seeds from acacia trees in Hawaii--either in its stomach or in its wings-- before depositing them on Réunion Island, eighteen thousand kilometres away! (Le Roux et al, 2014). The chances are that only a few seeds survived the journey. They took root, multiplied, and began to evolve. But plant migration doesn’t only occur when a few plants travel alone. Sometimes, a great number of plants move together... The most recent Great Tree Migration occurred at the end of the last Ice Age, ten thousand years ago. As the ice receded, the trees which had survived in more temperate locales--further from the poles, at altitude, and in protected pockets of land--began to spread across the newly unfrozen terrain. Fossilised pollen shows that oak trees migrated across Scotland at a rate of one kilometre per year. Beach trees moved from one side of the Great Lakes to the other. Norwegian spruces circumnavigated both the North Sea and the Baltic. (Bridle, 2022). It’s not quite the acacia. These trees didn’t travel eighteen thousand kilometres in a single journey. But they experienced a mass migration-- moving together, along with their peers.
~~~
Once Sheldon introduces all who are world citizens in today's reality, he quickly and, almost, lovingly begins to share about the world in which we all live: Planet Earth. Again, he moved backward historically showing the concept of how the earth has changed. How the creatures of earth had changed... In doing so, he erases little prejudice in acknowledging the science behind how the earth was formed. Indeed, I personally have never found it contradictory to talk about evolution... It exists. Period. Nor does it exclude that God was the creator. After all, man invented time. often, in order to study what was found as evidence from the past... We learned that "Adam" was to be the shepherd over all of the animals--to even name them. We also learned of Lilith, Adam's first wife... So it is not difficult to understand all that might have happened about which nobody was able to record...
Sheldon talks about migration during the beginning of the world, providing bits and pieces of research to help readers to think back on some of their school teachings or, perhaps, be the first time that some will have explored earth's beginnings. It's a wonderful story that you tend to sit back and relax in its exploration...
Things like those birds who often assisted in spreading seeds from plants in different parts of the world. And, as they traveled, brought varieties of new types of plants here, there, and everywhere. I remember one year when I came out my door and looked toward a flower bed to my right. For the first time, I saw two new plants that had not previously been there. They seemed to have grown overnight. But, I saw that they were evenly spaced where they were, Perhaps, I realized, birds had fed on my other plants and had dropped the seeds. But, they were trees that would grow higher than would be safe, so we transplanted them. They didn't like the relocation and died, sadly...
After the exploration of our animals migratory and reproduction actions, Sheldon turns to the scientific exploration of man's historical migration. For, surely, we must accept all of the newest scientific data on humans... DNA, for instance, as being the basic components which make up our bodies...
However, this is a central part of Sheldon's, as he explores...the...early...migrations of humanity.
NO-ONE IS INDIGENOUS: Borders attempt to divide us – to say that we’re all inherently different – that some people belong in certain places, whilst others belong elsewhere. And yet our biology disagrees. We all have longish legs, dexterous hands, and oversized brains. We all have lungs, kidneys and bladders. This remains true, no matter where we were born – whether we’re American or Mexican, British or Polish, Indian or Pakistani. There’s no such thing as a “British gene.” Mexicans and Americans have the same DNA. Our genetics are universal...
Can you believe that? I can... Consider a simple match test for somebody like me. Is my blood a different color than my Black friends, my indigenous friends, et.al.? No, it's not... Later in the book, there is a reference to the Tower of Babel...
Whether or not you choose to believe the Bible's story, or not, we do know that people became who they are, based upon the location in which they were born. Continuing along these lines, Sheldon simply presents the scientific changes that occurred to those who were originally born in one land, Africa, then to migrate out from those lands, following their desire to see other lands, to enjoy the world that surrounded their homes... But, no matter where the original individuals traveled (or were placed by God) they continued to evolve to adjust to the particular land in which they had chose... Yet, continued to have the basic genetics, the basic DNA composition that every single person on the earth has!
Many who are in America, including me, are incensed by a man who is campaigning on what would happen if he were elected again in 2024... Certainly a threat to our democracy. But, when you stop and think about it, whether through early migration or by having God place people across the world He created, it is quite clear that there is NO way that blood can be contaminated... Simply because we are all created equally... While my emphasis on the above is based upon my own knowledge, here's how Sheldon uses a parable to explain the theory.
It’s a run-of-the-mill American chat show. Two guests are sitting on upholstered chairs, which have been arranged at a ninety-degree angle – half-facing their host, and half-facing the studio audience. The show’s presenter, Trisha Goddard, is sitting on a matching chair-- wearing a tight-fitting, blue-and-black ensemble. Peering over the top of her glasses, Goddard reads from a golden certificate. She’s addressing her guest, Craig Cobb--a racial separatist who’s attempting to establish a white-only enclave in North Dakota. Cobb is relatively handsome for a man his age, with flowing grey hair, and a tidy beard. Dressed in a regal-red shirt and tie, he exudes the confidence of a man who has total faith in his philosophy: That black and white people are like “Oil and water”, and that “Oil and water don’t mix,” “Craig Paul Cobb has undergone DNA testing,” Goddard begins. “To determine his genetic ancestry. It is 86% European, and, err...” Hahaha-hee-hah! The second studio guest, a black woman who is wearing a colourful hat, leans back and emits a joyous chortle. It’s contagious. As she slaps her thigh, the audience amplifies her response-- hollering, clapping and stamping. The second studio guest encourages Goddard to continue. “Give it to him,” she cheers. “Give it to him.” And Goddard is only too happy to oblige: “14% Sub-Saharan African.” Cobb emits a nervous smile, as the audience continues to cheer. “Wait a minute,” he protests, as cheerily as he can. “Hold on...” “Wah-ay!” Goddard cheers. “Ho!” But Cobb remains defiant: “This is called ‘Statistical noise’.” Goddard leans forward, nodding furiously, whilst her eyes bulge out from their sockets: “Sweetheart, you have a little black in you.” Cobb repeats his refrain: “Listen. I tell you this: Oil and water don’t mix.” But Goddard is already on her feet, leaning into Cobb’s personal space, and offering him a fist pump: “Hey... ‘Bro’.” She offers another fist pump, and Cobb declines again. But it makes little difference. The science has spoken: This proud American is 86% European and 14% African. Oil and water do mix. They’re mixed up within his DNA. But there’s another fact, implicit in these results, which goes unmentioned: Eighty-six and fourteen add up to a hundred. Cobb is 100% European and African. He’s not even the slightest bit Native American. He’s the descendant of immigrants – a guest in another land. There was nothing particularly unusual about Cobb’s DNA… A study conducted by genealogists from the Harvard Medical School, in collaboration with 23andMe, asked Americans to self-identify their ancestry. They were categorised as “European Americans,” for example, if they selected “Not Hispanic,” if they also selected “White,” and if they didn’t select another category. Of these self-identifying “European Americans," which would’ve included the likes of Craig Cobb--3.5% were shown to have at least 1% Sub-Saharan African ancestry. In the south, one-in-ten people who self-identified as white, had some African ancestry. But very few had any American DNA. On average, only 0.18% of their DNA was Native American. The other 99.82% had come from immigrants. It was actually those people who self-identified as “Latinos,” and only as “Latinos,” who had the highest proportion of local DNA. 18% of their genetic makeup was Native American. They were a hundred times more American than people like Craig Cobb. Let that sink in for a moment: The people trying to cross over from Mexico into the USA, were over a hundred times more American than the likes of Donald Trump--the people who were trying to stop them. The descendants of immigrants, with massive amounts of foreign DNA, were pointing their fingers at people who did have some American DNA, and saying “You’re too foreign. You can’t come in.” The science would beg to differ. (Bryc et al, 2015).
At that point I had to smile. Perhaps you've noticed that our writer is a Brit who is speaking out about our past-president--but I want to quickly say that he also talks about the former blond PM in his homeland as well. LOL The key point is that when somebody lies, there will always be people who know they are lying, because they know they can prove the truth...
Do we need to explore this further, I don't think so, do you? The Constitution says that we are all created equal and to be afforded the same rights. Science says that we are all, basically, the same, differing only based upon where we were born... And, most importantly, those who believe our God created all of us, must surely accept that He sees all of us as His Children. Not to be rejected, no matter what color our skin... Opening our borders is the least we can do to meet the needs of our neighbors...
This book fills the void which was created by the shift towards authoritarianism--to share the ideas which are missing from the mainstream narrative--making the case for free movement. I want to arm you with the information you’ll need to challenge the anti-freedom agenda. So that when someone repeats a Trumpian falsehood--these ideas that “Immigrants take our jobs,” or that “They’re not like us”--you can respond with the facts that debunk their lies.
I want to help you to challenge the politics of fear and hatred, so that we may usher in new politics based on the humanity we all hold in common, no matter where we were born.
Does that sound crazy? Perhaps it does! But let’s not forget that this narrowing of the political spectrum has been a relatively recent occurrence. Politicians were willing to extend a warm welcome to their international guests, in the not-too-distant past. Do you recall the George Washington quote at the beginning of this chapter? When he said the USA was open to strangers from “All nations and religions”? Well, that kind of statement used to be the norm. Harry Truman won the 1948 presidential election, after promising to overturn controls on migration. He later stated: “We do not need to be ‘Protected’ against immigrants… On the contrary, we want to stretch out a helping hand, to save those who have managed to flee (from the USSR)… To welcome and restore them.” (Volner, 2019). John F Kennedy once said: “Immigrants have enriched and strengthened the fabric of American life.” He also declared: “We are a nation of immigrants.” And Barack Obama echoed his predecessor, when he stated: “We are and always will be a nation of immigrants.”
But it wasn’t only Democrats who used to speak in such a manner. Take these quotes from the three Republican presidents who preceded Donald Trump, beginning with Ronald Reagan, who said this in 1980: “(Rather than) talking about putting up a fence, why don’t we work out some recognition of our mutual problems, make it possible for them to come here legally with a work permit, and then, while they’re working and earning here, they pay taxes.” Reagan’s successor, George Bush Senior, reminded the nation that the USA was built by immigrants, when he said this in 1990: “Our nation is the enduring dream of every immigrant who ever set foot on these shores, and the millions still struggling to be free. This nation, this idea called America, was and always will be a new world--our new world.” And Bush’s son, George Junior, extolled the immigrant work ethic, while speaking in 2004: “As a Texan, I have known many immigrant families, mainly from Mexico, and I’ve seen what they add to our country. They bring to America the values of faith in God, love of family, hard work, and self-reliance--the values that made us a great nation.” George W. Bush also admitted that, “Nearly all Americans have ancestors who braved the oceans--liberty-loving risk takers in search of an ideal... Immigration is not just a link to America’s past--it’s also a bridge to America’s future.” (Ortiz, 2016).
If these Republican politicians, who certainly weren’t a bunch of “bleeding heart liberals,” could’ve spoken so glowingly about immigration in the recent past, then they should be able to do so again in the future. You never know: This book might swing them back in the right direction!
EVERYONE HAS A STORY
I suppose I have skin in the game… I was born in Barnet – a fairly anonymous suburb on London’s outermost fringe. My father grew up in the area. But my mother moved around a little--she grew up in Oxford, went to study in Liverpool, and headed down to London when she began her career. My grand-parents were also born in England. So, it’d be easy for me to consider myself British through-and-through. My family speak English with an English accent. We eat fish and chips, go to football matches, and whinge about the weather. I’ve never heard any of my relatives refer to themselves as “immigrants”. In reality, all eight of my great-grandparents moved to England from Eastern Europe, between the two World Wars--fleeing from antisemitism. If they hadn’t made that journey, they might’ve been murdered by the Nazis. I wouldn’t be here today, writing this book. How many other lives were saved, thanks to similar journeys? And how many of the six million Jews who were slaughtered, would’ve been saved had there been open borders, providing them with a passageway to safety? It’s sobering to think. But free movement, for me, isn’t something that’s limited to the dark annals of history. It’d be fair to say that without international travel, you wouldn’t be reading this book for a second, entirely different reason… In December 2012, I left my job at Northampton Town Football Club. I was determined to write and release my debut novel. But I only had a few thousand pounds in the bank. Would that money have sufficed, had I remained in England? No way! I’d have spent it in a few months, whilst I was only a fraction of the way through the first draft, and I’d have been forced to get another job to pay the bills. Perhaps I could’ve written part-time. But that book, Involution & Evolution, took almost two years to complete. Distracted by a job, and by fatigue, it would’ve taken even longer. Given that it was a bit of a flop, I’d have probably lacked the motivation to keep writing. The chances are that I wouldn’t have made it to book number eight, and you wouldn’t be reading it today. So, what happened?
Well, I “moved,” of course. I put the word in quotation marks, because I didn’t take up permanent residence abroad. I was more of a nomad. I went to India--one of the cheapest countries on the planet. I rented a rather basic room, for around £70 a month. I washed my clothes by hand, on the floor beneath the shower. I cooked porridge in a kettle for breakfast, and ate my other meals at the cheapest restaurants. All in all, I survived on about £5 a day. Even when you add in the cost of flights and visas, it’s not hard to see how I made my money last for around eighteen months, enough time to complete the first two drafts of my novel. Moving to another country, helped me to launch my new career. It also helped me to put down roots…
Even as a relatively successful author, there was no way I could’ve bought a house back in Barnet. According to Right Move, the average property in my hometown sold for £891,938 (in 2022). The average apartment cost £509,664. At the same time, according to Words Rated, the average indie author was only making a thousand dollars a year. You do the math! So, what did I do? I wrote my first two books in India and Nepal, before writing my third--The Little Voice while house-sitting for friends in Spain. When that began to sell, I treated myself. I wrote my fourth novel, Money Power Love, in the food-lovers paradise of Thailand. It was there that I met my (now) wife. We moved to the Philippines and then to Bulgaria, where we bought a three-bedroom house on the edge of the Pirin National Park. With beautiful mountain views, that little slice of paradise was a short drive away from a ski resort and an assortment of hot springs. It cost me around £30,000 – the sort of price that a moderately successful indie author could afford to pay.
After a few years, my wife began to miss the land of her birth--the Philippines. I could tell that she’d be happier if we returned to that island nation. So here we are today. We’ve bought a little under two hectares of land, for about £25,000, and a team of builders are erecting our home as I type--replete with a well, water-filtration system, solar panels and wind turbine. We plan to grow our food, live off-grid, and be fairly self-sufficient. It's not the sort of life everyone would wish for themselves, and it certainly has its downsides. But it’s the life we’ve chosen. And there’s no way we could’ve afforded it back in Britain. We had to move, to enjoy this lifestyle. We’ve been incredibly fortunate, to be able to do such a thing. The British passport is a powerful tool--it makes it easy for Brits to relocate.
But still, there’s a part of me that feels conflicted. I feel like a spoilt brat, hopping from one place to the next, whilst other people are forced to remain where they are, and accept circumstances which were imposed upon them at birth. There’s one rule for one group of people, and another rule for everyone else. That’s not right, it’s not just, and it’s not fair.
Everyone has a story. They tend to be fairly unique. And the nuance is often lost. We rarely hear about those people who move abroad to enjoy a cheaper cost of living. We seldom speak about those people who move for the sake of a homesick spouse. Have you ever come across anyone else who moved from Britain to India, to launch a career as an author? Discussions about migration tend to focus on the negatives.
But not everyone who moves is a victim--a “refugee,” an “asylum seeker,” or an impoverished “economic migrant.” People relocate for thousands of reasons--most of which we never stop to consider--most of which are positive and beautiful. People move to study, retire, or make a fresh start--to experience different cultures, climates and lifestyles. It’s true that some of us only make single journeys--emigrating from one place, and immigrating into another. But plenty of “returnees” do head back in the other direction. Other people are more nomadic. Some move around their regions, whilst others traverse the globe. They might settle down for a few weeks, a few years, or a few decades.
Whatever the case, one fact remains: No-one chooses the place where they were born. It’s a lottery. You might be fortunate. You might be born in the perfect nation for you--one with all the opportunities you’ll need to become the best version of yourself. Then again, you might not. It seems inherently unjust to trap people in particular lands, simply because they were born there, when they could attain self-fulfilment elsewhere. It’s also a historic anomaly…
Beginning with the reality of what immigration has come to mean in the world is so very difficult... In America, Russia, and, through one man, even Israel, it has become a purely political matter where one party is willing to harm these people... purely to gain power! In fact, within or without the United States, we have seen what is happening when those who are known for authoritarian domains, wars have sprung up, people are dying...
Let's be specific... Putin has initiated a war against the freedom enjoyed in Ukraine... Netanyahu had been under investigation when Hamas attacked, but he has now used his authoritarian ways to keep a war going in Gaza that has already been declared inhumane and criticized across the world. The leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei funded Hamas and other terrorist groups who are now attacking ships in the area, and more...
It is quite clear to me, at least, and many others that if the past president of America would be reinstalled as president, it would be a total destruction of our lives as Trump has clearly stated that he would be a dictator on day 1 if elected and would then work with other dictators to rule supreme...
While I hold confidence this will not happen, nevertheless, many now live in fear, which includes, fear of those who see the United States as a safe haven. And hundreds have already come from another dictator's country, China, because of the move toward even more suppression in all ways.
ALL OVER THE WORLD, PEOPLE ARE CRYING OUT TO BE FREE! I believe this book is not only an excellent treatise of just how much people desire--and--deserve to live free. All over the world!
After his introduction related to the political climate, Sheldon immediately moves into a comprehensive research review of historical account of how people lived. As I read, I began to sink further and further into the beauty, the awareness, the reality of living free. This, to me, is what God intends for all. And, for America, as guaranteed to us in our Constitution. And, then, I realized even more just how one leader of a bordered country can quickly, or slowly, remove each and every freedom... just by demanding "borders" around a perceived ownership of property!
Homo sapiens have been moving about, establishing homes in various locations, for at least eighty thousand years. Earlier humans, such as Homo habilis, were wandering the Earth around two million years ago!
In America most of us now have the luxury to move within the country at will... until recently. Many of us know that historically those from another world first came to America, seeing it "mostly" free of people and decided that the land was up for grabs... Many of those who were presently living on this land, who had moved from place to place, to hunt, to move for climate improvement, or to establish a home place soon learned that immigrants coming to their land were not interested in their nomadic moves based upon living in the best possible climate at any given time... Soon, it resulted in violence, murder and...theft...
Sheldon points out that we all have some need to move, to go to places different than where we were born. In fact, he begins to give statistics of movement of people from location to location. Specifically, unless you live in Africa where you were born, all of us are immigrants in the land of the free!
Thus begins the History of Movement
“And what is a border, if not a story? It is never simply a line, a marker, a wall, an edge. First, it’s an idea. An idea that is then presented as a reality. It doesn’t just exist in the world. It can only ever be made. It can only ever be told.” --James Crawford
Boom! No, that doesn’t do it justice. BOOM! No, that doesn’t even come close. The universe didn’t begin with a big bang. It began with a massive bang. The sort of explosion that’s impossible to conceive. A melee of gamma rays, heat and light. This massive bang dispersed all the physical matter that’s ever existed, at more than a billion kilometres per hour. That matter would go on to form stars, planets, trees, animals and humans--but it would never stop moving. Every gram of matter that exists today, has been in constant motion for 13.8 billion years--travelling away from the site of the big bang. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is no exception: It travels 2.1 million kilometres every single hour. Planet Earth is also beholden by this rule of constant motion. It’s orbiting the sun--travelling 107 million kilometres in an hour. Our solar system is also moving around the Milky Way.
And there’s more: That’s because the Earth is rotating on its axis. If you’re standing on the equator, you’ll be travelling 1,600 kilometres each hour, thanks to this phenomenon alone. All this means one thing: You’re migrating right now. It might not seem that way. You might be very comfortable, relaxing on a sofa, sipping a cup of cocoa. Everything might feel pretty stable. But in reality, you’re whizzing through space at a mind-boggling velocity. You’ve never been where you are at this moment, and you’ll never be there again. This has always been the case. The history of the universe, is a history of continuous travel through space. (Fraknoi, 2007).
Reading this book instilled a sure knowledge that freedom is precious--precious enough that we must fight to keep, or obtain, it! Now when it is so apparent in so many ways across our world, take the time to learn how and why voting is just one of the ways we can be free...
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