I discovered this old post today, (March 17th 2026) never published before. I give everyone a chance, it’s my weakness. Like making friends with Jamie, a homeless young man, who’s now been jailed.
I found myself nervous and a little tense waiting for the new President to take the oath and deliver his inaugural speech. Would he let down his supporters, the American people, the world—and/or his own self? There were TV cameras in the corridors of the White House showing the comings and goings, and others at the door leading to the podium. Everyone else looked competent and calm. Only Donald Trump looked grim and somehow out of place. I felt his vulnerability, a kind of nakedness and extreme discomfort, as if he had never in his life been in such a position: which of course was true. He had never held public office. But mainly I felt a personal sympathy as if we had something in common—a kind of uncouthness, something which I can’t fully explain in myself—except as not having been taught proper behaviour, or not having succeeded in learning it. Lack of a father, perhaps? I never knew mine, but he was a builder, as was Trump’s, who told an interviewer that Donald “was a pretty rough fellow when he was small”. Which describes me very well too. While Donald gained a kind of acceptance by getting rich. I read books, became an auto-didact. Both of us, in our later years, feel an obligation to the world, to do our little bit, to express our visions of what needs fixing. Not the same visions, I should add, but not necessarily in conflict. And as for this uncouthness, it is something I see also in Dr Samuel Johnson, Vincent van Gogh, Joseph Meyrick the Elephant Man, Charles Bukowski—and in each of my most loyal readers over the years, with whom I’ve corresponded personally. Another thing I share with Trump, as I understand him, is a resistance to globalization, a loyalty to the local (e.g. Desborough Road), the common man against the élite; a sense that political correctness is a whited sepulchre. That’s one thing, or if you like, several things.
As for the political and economic ideas involved, I’ve no wisdom to offer. Nor do I have much to say about the extraordinary, sustained ad hominem attacks on someone who presents himself as he is, with faults for all to see, with an evident consistency and candour that experienced politicians seldom match. John Michael Greer suggests that “the extraordinarily stridency, the venom, and the hatred being flung at the incoming administration by its enemies” owes a lot to “class bigotry”—against those presumed, in a secret ballot, to have voted for Trump. The sneering antipathy he’s provoked is surely explicable by embarrassment. How could due process of the world’s leading democracy elect the wrong person? Intolerable cognitive dissonance: if only it could be pinned on Russian interference, how sweet that would be for Trump’s enemies. Seen differently, it would be America’s come-uppance for its own past interference in other countries—as Greer reminds his readers.
But then he delivered his inaugural address, and spoke strongly, in tone and content; eloquently, coherently. The content was consistent with what he’s said throughout the campaign: not as wild (to everyone’s relief, surely) but no less ambitious. What I don’t see is how he’s going to be presidential toward his many enemies within America, but that is the game of politics, which I don’t aspire to commenting upon. I can think of only two choices: to vanquish or appease; yet something subtler must be found. The biggest and most glaring thing he did not address is that dreaded polarization which expresses itself in a civil war of words and activism. Am I right in thinking this has got worse in the eight years since George W. Bush? How did Obama cope? This is surely the big problem, so big it could not be tackled in an inaugural speech. It can only be learned slowly and painfully (or not), whilst in office. As with Brexit, no one knows how things will turn out: the experts less than anyone, for each has his own bias. More than any other president since George Washington, Trump will have to listen and learn. At 70 he’s the oldest ever to step into those shoes. I was glad to see him demonstrating enough energy to do it, and proposing a clean-out of government as if he were going to “cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrow the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves”.
This remains a personal blog. I can’t imagine anyone caring what I think, so there’s no reason to court anyone, or attempt persuasion, or follow anyone’s rules. My uncouthness, finally, has led me to where I am today, with total acceptance of my situation and life. Let others try and design their personal futures, and have dreams of changing the world too. I’m glad enough to contemplate my yesterdays, in the book of which, January 20th 2017 is a freshly-written page.
Metaphor aside, I’ve been thinking about a real book printed on paper. The cover you see is for a sampler I’m putting together, a document showing some posts on this site in facsimile, by a process I’ve devised with the intention of converting the entire blog into a series of printed volumes. This blog has always been free of charge to its author and readers. But it’s different with printed books. So I’ll do the next best thing and offer them at the lowest possible price, calculated to cover the costs of a print-on-demand service such as that offered by Amazon. There’ll be much work involved on my part to produce the print-ready copy. Accordingly, I’ll be offering the sampler free in pdf form to anyone who asks for it, with a plea for their feedback. Planned size 100 pages. I’ll give instructions how to print your own, as in the case of Ellie Clayton’s Divine Economy. Based on the feedback I get, we can go on from there: for example to attempt some primitive kind of crowd-sourcing and/or advance ordering for the the printed books, perhaps ten volumes offered separately, 300 pages each in full colour. Who’d buy them for personal browsing, or to distribute as gifts? I don’t know. Perhaps only those who are secretly uncouth.
a wayfarer’s notes 
Sweet! Thank you for all the hard work and energy you are putting into doing this!
I’m excited beyond words and can’t wait! Let me know when you are ready to publish! I will definitely want to buy at least 10 for me and the family!
Naturally, I don’t know squat about self-publishing. So forgive me if I say (after only an hour of search) that Bowker seems the better way to go for your ISBNs and you’ll need at least 10. It isn’t cheap is it?
Plus, I read that you should be your own publisher. Have a publishing company that you create, so you can own the rights. Gotta get an EIN, purchase the copyright etc.
Ha, I also read that self-publishing causes blindness.
Anyway, Thank you! I’m humbly grateful and I understand better now all the hard work and expense you’re going through.
Much respect!
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Thanks, Cindy. No expense incurred yet . . . And I can ask Brian Späth for advice on all aspects, as he’s recently self-published The Sun Temple—also reviewed here.
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Luv ya, dingbat – us ‘uncouths’ have a history of dis-possession … heh.
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Luvya2. Uncouths!! Yes. We are the “poor in spirit” & blessed to know it. Or “deplorables” to our enemies, whom we shall love as ourselves.
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I’ll try to give some feedback on the pdf.
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Bryan thanks so much for stepping forward. As they used to tell us in the army (I was only in the school cadet force) “One volunteer is worth ten pressed men”. Which is a joke because we were strongly expected to join, & those who didn’t had to clean drains under our equivalent of Groundskeeper Willie.
Anyway I hope it will be a pleasant format & entertaining enough to make it worth your time spent. And it may take a while to be ready.
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