Gone and On

Hey All,

I finally finished Helter Skelter last week.  I'll be honest, there was some skimming going on at the end.  I learned, over the 650-odd pages of the book, to discern where the author would make points that were critical to understanding the content of the book.  In the latter third of the book that amounts to about one paragraph per page that has any value to the reader.  That's not enough, if my opinion counts for anything.  The book was interesting, for sure, but I think if a better writer had managed to get their hands on it, Helter Skelter could have been a much better read.  

One aspect of Manson's whole story that irks me a little is the fact that he's still alive.  I am not advocating here for capital punishment; I have no opinion one way or the other on that matter, and I trust the legal profession and those who run our courts and governments to decide whether an eye for an eye is a suitable punishment when murder is the crime.

What creases me so is that Manson and his accomplices were convicted of murder in the first degree, and sentenced to die in January of 1971.  In 1972, however, all were spared their lives when the State of California abolished the death penalty.  I'm not so naive as to not understand the law (and even if I were, Vincent Bugliosi hammered the point home so often in his friggin' book, that anyone could understand it), but that such a sick individual as Manson, who did everything within his power to subvert the legal system and those who sought to penalize him appropriately for his crimes, did not receive the punishment for which he was convicted, is pretty sick.

That's about all I have to say about that one.  Done and done. Charles Manson, you're outta here!

I've selected (and already started) my next book: The Stranger, by Albert Camus.  I selected it in part because it is super short (120 pages), and in part because my cousin Danny is coming back from a tour of Europe, and he recommended the book to me.  If you're interested in reading about an independent musician's musings on the ups and downs of touring, check out Danny's blog.

My first impression of The Stranger: darker than I'd hoped for.  I wanted to read a nice, light book after all that death in Helter Skelter, but The Stranger starts off with a funeral.  Nice.  Great choice, Bry.

-Bryan