"Montag had done nothing. His hand had done it all, his hand, with a brain of its own, with a conscience and a curiosity in each trembling finger, had turned thief" -- Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
By Douglas V. Gibbs
The most eloquent beginning of any novel I have ever read is the opening of Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451". The novel's first chapter introduces the reader to a fireman. This fireman of the future finds it pleasurable to burn. He found "a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed. With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the tatters and charcoal ruins of history . . . [the fireman] flicked the igniter and the house jumped up in a gorging fire that burned the evening sky red and yellow and black. He strode in a swarm of fireflies . . . the flapping pigeon-winged books died on the porch and lawn of the house. While the books went up in sparkling whirls and blew away on a wind turned dark with burning."
Montag, the star of the story, lives in a future where books are burned in order to hide history, and quell the truth - much like a society that a liberal commenter named Tom told me he hopes for, where Bibles are burned.
The truth is dangerous to the shadow of tyranny and centralized governmental systems.
Fahrenheit 451 also came to mind when I heard about a house that is about a half hour drive south of me that was burned to the ground by authorities. The house in Escondido, California became known as "the bomb house." Authorities, considering a complete burn of the home to be the only reasonably safe way to dispose of the house, and its inflammatory contents, ignited the home and burned it completely to the ground - literally incinerating the entire house, and all of its contents.
The intense flames reached high into the late morning sky, and the reporters chattered about it like twelve year old boys hypnotized by the flickering blaze. Patches of surrounding vegetation combusted as a result of the sheer heat, and small explosions could be heard from within the dwelling.
In less than an hour the orange flame that burned the house became nothing more than small fires on a flat foundation, and in a scorched pile of rubble. The firemen grinned the fierce grin of all men singed and driven back by flame. The operation had gone off without a hitch. The hours of preparation paid off. The surrounding homes had been untouched by the flames, and the neighborhood menace had been destroyed.
I am in no way condoning the behavior of the owner of the home, which included filling the house with explosive materials, and hoarding junk. I understand the reasoning by the authorities. The danger the home posed had been discovered when a gardener stepped on a material in the back yard and ignited whatever it was, resulting in serious injuries to the man. And the chemicals in the house were not only potentially explosive, but toxic as well. For the safety of the public, the action of burning the house down was the safest and best way to eliminate the danger from the region.
And I am sure the authorities in Fahrenheit 451 felt the same way, when it came to the toxicity of books, and the dangers they felt were contained within those pages.
The neighbors were excited to be rid of the dangerous home, and welcomed the burn. They marveled at the ash raining out of the sky. They were happy to be rid of any reminder that George Djura Jakubec, 54, who lived in the house with his wife for about four years, was ever a part of their neighborhood.
The authorities had wiped clean all evidence that he ever existed in Escondido.
The Serbian native (I wonder if he was Muslim) allegedly manufactured destructive devices in that house. Police have stated that his bomb-making hobby may be related to his other hobby, robbing banks. Over the past two years, Jakubec had robbed three banks, and tried unsuccessfully to rob a fourth.
The real shame is that Jakubec was renting the property, and the government does not plan to reimburse the owner. Nobody is even clear if the demolition would be covered by insurance.
Too bad for the citizens, it seems. The all-powerful government has spoken, and all due process is hereby null and void. Such is the way of tyrannies.
There is some worry that Jakubec may not have stored all of his explosives in one place. Investigators have taken the possibility into account.
A federal judge, in all of his infinite power, denied a motion last Wednesday that would have prevented the destruction of the house on Thursday.
The burn took place, even though attorney Michael Berg, the lawyer for Jakubec, asked the judge to halt the burning because there could be documents and other evidence in the house that could aid in his client's defense.
In the motion filed last Tuesday, attorney Michael Berg wrote, "Mr. Jakubec is potentially prohibited from developing defense strategies without having an opportunity to view
the residence before it is razed."
Though the actions by the authorities were completely reasonable, it would seem, one must ask, "If the government is willing to burn a property to the ground for possessing contraband, how long before homes begin to be burned to the ground for possession of hate-crime materials, and even worse, Bibles? I don't know, it is just when the government starts burning down people's homes, even if there is every reason in the world it must happen, it throws up red flags with me.
After all, Tom the neurotic liberal did say he is completely in favor of Bible burnings. I wonder how many of his comrades feel the same, and ultimately would be willing to burn down homes in the future that are filled with "religious paraphernalia?"
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Escondido 'Bomb Factory' Burned To The Ground - 10 News San Diego
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