BobHarris.com - Contempt for the law as an expression of patriotism

Books! Actual books!

"A rollicking ride of intellectual discovery and emotional growth... his comic timing never fails"

-- The Wall Street Journal

"Pulls you in like a good sports story"

-- The New York Times Book Review

"Endearingly frank... jubilant... lighthearted and fast-paced"

-- New York Newsday

"A surprisingly touching memoir"

-- Entertainment Weekly

"Snappy and informative"

-- Associated Press

"Effortlessly funny and informative... tender, human, and very wise... A must for anyone who loves Jeopardy!, or has ever seen it, or is breathing."

-- Joss Whedon, creator, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

"I haven't seen Jeopardy! since I was a kid, and yet I was charmed and amused by Bob Harris's fascinating and surprisingly suspenseful book. Through sheer force of personality, he takes this brainy TV show and makes it funny and easy to relate to."

-- Ira Glass, creator and host, This American Life

"A surprisingly intimate, entertaining book."

-- Orson Scott Card, 4-time Hugo Award winner, author of Ender's Game

"Funny, enlightening -- and just might help you win a million bucks on Jeopardy!"

-- A. J. Jacobs, author of The Know-It-All

"A masterful job of describing the feel of Jeopardy! in the heat of battle... I knew Bob was a great guy and a fantastic Jeopardy! player. Now I've found that he's also a wonderful writer. I think I'm starting to hate him."

-- Brad Rutter, top money-winner in Jeopardy! history

Books I'm Getting

Who Hates Whom:
Well-Armed Fanatics, Intractable Conflicts,
and Various Things Blowing Up —
A Woefully Incomplete Guide™

“Revelatory... Harris's sly wit and infectious curiosity make understanding world chaos fascinating... witty, horrific, and necessary.”

— Boston Globe

"Brave... irreverent... charges into the thick of the globe's myriad simmering wars... hilariously relaxed."

— New York Observer

"Only Bob could make a user’s guide to our increasingly hostile world this absorbing, this breezy, and—ultimately—this hopeful.”

— Ken Jennings, author of Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs

“Fascinating, enlightening, and surprisingly: NOT TOTALLY DEPRESSING. A gimlet-eyed look at the world we endure that’s also suitable for enjoying with a gimlet.”

— John Hodgman, author of The Areas of My Expertise
and correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

"All three [presidential] candidates should read all three of these [recommended] books, but McCain gets first crack at Bob Harris's "Who Hates Whom“... a lighthearted overview of the insurrections and civil wars in the world today."

— Steven Pinker, author of The Stuff of Thought, in the New York Times Book Review

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Contempt for the law as an expression of patriotism

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Wednesday, 05 July 2006

Was traveling for a few days. Took a long 4th of July weekend, disconnected from the grid, and spent time with loved ones.

I hope any and all here had a similar great holiday.

Returning to LAX last night, my flight came in shortly after dusk, right during the peak period for the annual national blowing-shit-up demonstration. So as the plane passed over the Los Angeles basin, I figured that maybe seven or eight or maybe even a dozen displays would be visible in the distance.

As always, my expectations were completely wrong. Holy crap, was I wrong.

I have no idea how many people were setting off private backyard fireworks last night, but from the air it looked like hundreds. I couldn't even begin to count. Bright white and multicolored streaks of light were shooting off everywhere. The whole city seemed to be twinkling, so much so that it didn't look quite real, like the sort of CGI effect you'd expect in a medium-budget action flick, just after the hero has saved the day and vanquished the would-be dictator/mass murderer/cable news magnate once and for all, and then the whole capital starts celebrating in the cheesiest way possible.

[Insert Comic Book Guy voice here.] Best. Fireworks show. Ever.

Dawned on me that lots of fireworks in California are perfectly legal — but lots of them aren't, too. And I'm pretty sure about half of the stuff I saw booming and hissing and zooming around was in the latter category. Which is fine by me. Do a finger-count before and after, and if the numbers add up, I don't see the harm.

But there's also something wonderful about seeing hundreds of people, many of them presumably flag-waving Stars-'N'-Stripes types, celebrating our national heritage... by demonstrating widespread contempt for law.

Not sure what this means. Just enjoying the thought.