My New Hero

Throughout my 27 years on Earth, somehow I managed to miss Kurt Vonnegut, until now. I cannot remember what compelled me to add Slaughterhouse-Five to my Netflix queue, but now that I've seen it, I've been thrust into the intriguing universe of this great mind, literary and otherwise. This guy has seen a lot in his time on earth. He survived the firebombing of Dresden. Since most Americans don't have a clue, let me put this into perspective: Dresden was obliterated by a bomb-induced firestorm that surpassed Hiroshima in power, killing an estimated 130,000 people in a city that contained little in the way of military industry or warfighting ability. Mr. Vonnegut was there as a POW, and survived.

I have only begun to delve into his books, but I intend to read them all. I only wish I could meet and have a conversation with Mr. Vonnegut before he's gone, because in my estimation he's one of the greatest minds of our time.

Another thing I admire him for is his recent remarks on Real Time with Bill Maher and The Daily Show regarding W. To hear our idiot president get verbally bashed by such a great mind is almost too much. As great as it made me feel, I also felt that Vonnegut's words were being wasted on a truly worthless individual. However, since the man is president, I guess they are words that must be expended.