Dear Gentle Readers, media conspirators, and Captain May… hail !
It has been a pleasure of the highest-order to read, edit, and publish the fine material which is contained in these web-pages. Few authors sing the truth with such volume and eloquence as Captain May, and fewer-still have done me the honour of participating (with me) in a collaborative creation.
The April Fools Collection is the on-line presentation of the same material which will be released as a book entitled “April Fools, Captain May.” Using the Internet version, you can surf spontaneously through the material. If you choose to surf around, then Eric and I both recommend that you start with Part 4 – Relief Column. All the material is presented chronologically; therefore, Part 4 has the greatest wealth of knowledge and perspective. The three earlier Parts are extensively referenced and linked, as you make your way through Part 4. Alternatively, you can read the essays and correspondence in their original chronological order, and I have made it easy to navigate back to the sub-home page of whichever Part you are currently reading.
Here are some recommendations from your editor:
Part 1 – Philippic contra
George W. Bush – Captain May exposes
the “president” for what he really is.
Part 2
– War in Iraq: Past, Present, and Future – Strategic military analysis from an expert in military
strategy.
Part 3
– Email to Ghost Troop – Keeping in-touch with the troopers of Ghost Troop – a lively and
open-minded community.
Part 4
– Webmaster X – My
personal recommendation is that you start here. This page summarises the
website very nicely.
Some readers will find Captain May’s style rather harsh, at times. If you make such an observation, then please remember that Captain May always tries to conduct business in a diplomatic way, but later raises the temperature when he has been fobbed-off too many times. (For completeness, I must observe that some – not many – of Captain May’s opening salvo’s go straight for the jugular, but only in response to blatantly-false propaganda which the propagandist knew fully-well was propaganda.) Personally, I find Captain May’s style to be supremely inspiring.
Captain May is a creature of the Truth – capitalized with respect to the highest ideal, which I share (deeply) with the Captain – the Truth. The Truth has been forgotten in a world of Pontius Pilate clones. Well, not altogether forgotten. The reason why Captain May (and I) speak Truth at high volume is because we are competing with the much higher-volume messages of falsehood, and the falsehood-messages enjoy the benefit of incessant repetition in the public consciousness. Of course we raise the temperature! Advertisers use every tool in the book when they compete for public attention (including communication which is highly disrespectful), and nobody bats an eyelash; but if Captain May throws a bit of Truth into the dialogue, people get upset. We can choose to learn a lesson, here. If you want to advance one big step closer to the Truth, then please read The April Fools Collection, which I commend to you, the Reader.
--Matt Engelman
15 November 2004