Anita Thompson on Hunter S. Thompson: "He believed we were better than what we were electing."

[Lobster Martini]

(LM: For my money, Hunter S. Thompson never wrote anything better than Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail ’72. For that matter, few have.)

DENVER, Colorado (AP) -- It wasn't a reckless obsession with liquor, drugs and gunplay that made the late Hunter S. Thompson the undisputed king of Gonzo journalism, his wife says. Instead, it was old-fashioned principles such as working hard and telling the truth, enlivened by the glee Thompson took from learning and from being right.

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In her new book, "The Gonzo Way: A Celebration of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson," Thompson says her husband built his career with a tireless dedication to the craft of reporting, a keen awareness of his own shortcomings and his personal blend of patriotism: loving his country while mistrusting authority.

<snip>

He had established himself as an original and riveting voice with "Hells Angels," published in 1966, and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" in 1972. It was Gonzo journalism -- irreverent, outlandish and unapologetically personal. The image it projected, coupled with his undisguised love of guns and explosions, gave Thompson a reputation as an unbridled outlaw surfing on a wave of drugs and excess.

<snip>

Her book, published by Fulcrum Publishing, depicts the man who used the pseudonym Raoul Duke in his famous "Fear and Loathing" as a relentless researcher and a voracious reader. He viewed politics as both worthy and necessary to get things done, the book says, and he believed nothing could be accomplished without friends and allies.

"The Hunter I want people to understand is hardworking, righteous and a patriot -- a bedrock patriot and loyal to his country and loyal to his friends," Anita Thompson said. Even his most savage political commentary was written in hopes of inspiring change: "He believed we were better than what we were electing."

(link: http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/books/10/12/the.gonzo.way.ap/index.html)

[Gregorian]

1. America of Oz.

What we're seeing is a cloak. The real America is hidden. It's relatively quiet. We see the Lindsay Grahams and the Pat Robertsons. But they are just prop dummies. And I hate to say that, as it sounds so similar to the "other side's" comments about us. But I can say it, because the founders were those same people. Funny Ben Franklin. Oddballs. Not the supposedly straight and narrow narrow narrow... We're talking about wide minds. Big ideas. Whole pictures. And very careful thinkers.

I just had to vent. I'm so god damned sick of the assholes in America. And I'm also a bit pissed off at those who know better and aren't speaking up.

I'll tell you, I was shocked when my dad, who's in his eighties, read Hunter's last book and was absolutely excited. The truth is good. Let's burn that stinking cloak that is hiding the truth. We need our media back. Too bad Hunter's gone.