-----Original Message-----
From: Barrett Brown [
mailto:barriticus@gmail.com]
Sent: Sun 11/8/2009 3:12 PM
To: Jennifer Chininis
Subject: Query from Barrett Brown: The Many Grievances of J. Evetts Haley
Hi, Jennifer-
I wanted to check in with you to see if *D *might be interested in taking a
look at a piece I'm about to write about an interesting little piece of
Texas political history.
I'm a regular contributor to *Vanity Fair*, *The* *Huffington Post*, *
Skeptic, *and *The Onion, *and my work has appeared in dozens of other
outlets, including several based in Texas (I'm from Dallas myself). My first
book, *Flock of Dodos: Behind Modern Creationism, Intelligent Design, and
the Easter Bunny, *was released in 2007; my second, *Hot, Fat, and Clouded*,
is scheduled for publication next year.
The article in question is an allegedly humorous examination of *A Texan
Looks at Lyndon: A Study in Illegitimate Power*, written by historian and
cowman J. Evetts Haley. The book, which came out in 1964 to much fanfare
across the state and received some national attention to boot, covers much
of Johnson's early career, obviously with a negative slant.
The screed itself is interesting for a number of reasons. It's packed with
accounts of mid-20th century Texas corruption and written by an equally
colorful fellow who ran for statewide office several times on a
segregationist platform (indeed, he campaigned to redeploy the Texas Rangers
as a means of enforcing such things). And Haley, though no doubt a fine
historian of the southwest, is completely adrift when dealing with anything
beyond the region - by the second paragraph of the preface, he has already
asserted in passing that Julius Caesar was feared by the people and feared
them in turn, when in fact he was so extraordinarily popular that he was
appointed dictator several times, his assassins were hunted down by mobs,
and his adopted son was eventually made both an emperor and deity by virtue
of that inherited popularity. Elsewhere, he sprinkles the book with
observations of the following intellectual caliber: "History indicates that
illegitimate power cannot afford to let rebellion grow and spread." And a
fair portion of the book consists of what amount to little more than
complaints about folks who've allegedly screwed him over on business deals.
Let me know if this interests you or if you'd like to receive other queries
from me down the line.
Thanks,
Barrett Brown
Brooklyn, NY
512-560-2302