the Mike Pope reader
a collection of philosophical musings, political rants and smart-ass comments


INTRODUCTION
assembling a virtual collection

The Internet will radically change human existance as we know it. With the ease of modern communication and the virtual nature of existence, the Information Revolution will transform the geography of consciousness. This introduction is an explination of the concept behind the Sub-Vatican and an invitation to enter my mind.


ACCOUNT
the king love story

King Love was known to many Tallahasseans as a bum who wore a royal costume and waved at passing cars. Obvioulsy disturbed, he was an enigmatic man who questioned religion and championed love. After he died, the detalis of his life began to emerge.


ADVICE
ask pope

Originally written for a zine in Tallahassee, Fla., this satirical advice column offers little guidance. In its place, a futile attempt is made on the part of the author to seem erudite.


ANALYSIS
the bombing of FAMU

When an unidentified bomber began exploding parts of Tallahassee's historically black university, fear gripped the campus as old-school hate tried to re-establish its ugly grip. This is an attempt to understand the series of events that rocked Tallahassee in the weeks preceeding his arrest.


DRUGS
the difference between Viagra and Ecstacy

With the recent release of a study by the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, our collective "War on Drugs" has taken another turn. This one in the direction of science. But who's science?


ESSAY
escaping the God machine

This essay was written as a "commissioned" work of art for Ashley Abbott. After speaking with her extensively on her attitudes toward religion, my aim here was to faithfully recreate the spirit of her thoughts. The views expressed in this essay do not reflect my own.


LETTER FROM CHIEFLAND
dakotah proprietors

After traveling to Chiefland, Fla., to cover the Dakotah vineyard for a newspaper story, I wrote this letter because I was intrigued by the integrity and determination of its owners. (OK, I'm also a big lush.)


LETTER FROM HAVANA
the peacemaker

I met Melvin Dill after being assigned to cover his trip to Philadelphia. Unfortunately, newspaper writing is often ridiculously brief and family oriented. The detailed story of Mr. Dill's life and experience were just too good to remain uncommunicated .


LETTER FROM WACO
breaking the seventh seal

I've never been to Waco. This academic paper was written for a class entitled "Millennialism in the American Century" by Dr. Leo Sandon, director of Florida State University's Department of American Studies. My aim here was to trace an intellectual history of the Branch Davidians. The FBI did not lie to me in the process of conducting my research, although they probably would have if I had given them the opportunity.


MAD LIB
state of the union

This was Mad Lib conceived as a performance art for the Renaissance Coffee and Tea Co. in Tallahassee, Fla. By taking the text of President Clinton's 1999 State of the Union Address and removing key words, our president's speech is magically transformed into a favorite childhood activity.


MEMOIR
challenging the thought industry

For several months in 1997, I taught high school at Madison County High School in Madison, Fla. My experience forever jaded me against the profession and enlightened me to the many problems in both the American educational system and the Deep South. This is an account of that experience.


NUMBERS
the elvis index

Originally written for break magazine in 1997, this is a blatant rip off of the "index" feature which appears every month in Harpers' magazine. Imitation is, after all, the most sincere form of flattery. (Note to Lewis Lapham: please feel free to hire me. See the RESUME.)


RANT
the dangers of data retrieval

While I was in college and graduate school, I saw the Florida State University library radically transform. As the Information Revolution began to change the world, the purpose of our library became something different and I did not like seeing the change. Since writing this rant, I've purchased a computer (iMac) and I now have my own web site (of which you are now reading). So perhaps I'm being hypocritical, but I still cling fast to many of the neo-Luddite assertions made here.


THESIS
Virginia Sentinel

Patrick Henry is most known for his passionate speech ending with "GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH." This thesis is an attempt to explain his opposition to the Constitution in 1778.


VICTORY
the day I won the Kentucky Derby

Friends may come and go but the pain of loss lingers like a suffocating blanket of regret. This is an account of a bittersweet time in my life when my loss was real and victory became virtual.


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