Why there is no hope for this country

This, believe it or not, is the best-selling paperback nonfiction book at the present time.

Naturally, my second reaction (after "How can Americans be so dumb?") was, as always, this: "How can I get on this gravy train?"

The question is silly, since I seem to be permanently barred from all gravy trains. Still, let me pitch this idea to ya: A book about the reality of hell. One man goes in search of the Devil, intent on having a face-to-face encounter, only to end up getting more than he bargained for. And it's all true, sweartagod!

(As you might guess, I've been reading Huysmans lately.)

During my cross-country journey, I checked out a major bookstore in Missouri. "Christian" literature (big print, short words, lots of pictures) took up about half the store. Wittily, the Catholic books were kept segregated from the "Christian" books, and were stashed next to works about Judaism and Buddhism. Much of the rest of the store was devoted to Twilight novels and other examples of vampiriana. The common theme throughout seemed to be blood-drinking: Believers long for the blood of the Lamb while seculars want to slurp from annoying emo chicks.