Hans G. Schantz, author of the Hidden Truth novels and ultrawideband antenna guru, has re-told the story of the Scopes Monkey Trial in the present day and is releasing the story in serial form on his Substack site, one episode per week, as The Wise of Heart. The site, and story, is free to read without a subscription.
Dr Schantz describes the origin of the story as follows:
One evening in the early summer of 2022, I settled in to watch Inherit the Wind on YouTube. Not the 1960 film starring Spencer Tracy, but rather the 1988 television movie version starring Jason Robards and Kirk Douglas. I got a few minutes into watching it, and I had a sudden epiphany. This would make a great story set in the present day, featuring a high school biology teacher caught up in the transgender craze arrested for teaching the facts of biological science in defiance of a state law requiring unquestioning gender affirmation. I turned off the movie, and instead, I hunted down the transcript for the Scopes Monkey Trial.
And so, The Wise of Heart was born.
Here is the plot summary.
He wanted to test the new Gender Awareness in Academia (GAIA) Act, but high-school biology teacher, Mike Andrews got more than he bargained for.
Arrested and thrown in jail for the crime of teaching the biology of sex determination and for refusing to affirm a student’s gender identity, Mike faces a show trial amid a media circus. Who can he trust?
The school superintendent who set him up?
His defense attorney who shares a secret history with the prosecutor?
His girlfriend who may not have his best interests in mind?
Her mother who is out to destroy him?
Mike will have to learn that winning the game sometimes requires writing your own rules, and success comes only to the Wise of Heart.
After the serial release progresses, a crowdfunding campaign will be launched to support print publication of the complete illustrated book. At the present time, you can only read the installments on-line.
Already read the first chapter! Hans is a great writer - I have enjoyed everything he has written. This already reminds me of the astringent Deplora Boule.
“You’re watching the number one conservative videocast in the entire universe!” the man began. “In what could end up the most significant challenge to liberal cultural hegemony since we overturned Roe v. Wade, this morning a courageous teacher standing up for the Judeo-Christian-Scientific tradition…”
This is an “all or nothing” project. If the goal is not met by the end date, backers are not charged for their contributions. Rewards are available at the following levels:
US$ 8 — EBook in .epub, .mobi, and .pdf
US$ 18 — Unsigned paperback
US$ 24 — Signed paperback
US$ 30 — Unsigned hardcover
US$ 36 — Signed hardcover
US$ 66 — Unsigned fiction bundle (The Wise of Heart and all 3 Hidden Truth novels), paperback
US$ 84 — Signed fiction bundle, paperback
US$ 105 — Unsigned fiction bundle, hardcover
US$ 124 — Signed fiction bundle, hardcover
US$ 500 — Signed leather edition of The Wise of Heart
US$ 1000 — Patron package: includes admission to BasedCon III and Private Reception
You would think this a parody but it’s real. What I can’t figure out is why they chose this particular woman to be the messenger of Doom for Miller Lite. Is it because she is ugly enough that other woman would not find her threatening? Or was this whole thing the product of a mole that got inside the company to destroy it from within?
I have just been notified that kickstarter had suspended Wise of Heart!! The usual bullshit is cited for what is the standard woke censorship. Time to boycott kickstarter. Disgusting. They think they can do as they please. They must be shown otherwise.
I agree that finding alternatives to Kickstarter is a good idea but Kickstarter’s network effect – like the rest of the network effect monopolies – can’t be effectively boycotted as could Bud Lite. The Budweiser corporation’s attempt to transport a steaming pile of sewage out to a substantial portion of their customers in a single event is something Kickstarter could never even hope to do if it was in a suicidal mood, as apparently was Budweiser. Network effects aren’t just powerful – one could argue they are the very epitome of civilization’s power. That’s why I argue relentlessly for replacing the 16th (and antitrust regulation) with a single tax on liquidation value of net assets (and then distributing that revenue to the citizenry bypassing government as network effect monopoly).
The replacement campaign for the Kickstarter funding, which they cancelled only after it has been fully funded, is now underway at FundMyComic, “The Wise of Heart”. The funding goal has been raised to US$ 6000 and now includes development of an audio book, which will be available for US$ 10 for backers.
Here is an update on the cancellation by Kickstarter and the new funding at FundMyComic, “Cancelled By Kickstarter”.
I have just been notified that my paper with Suzanna Diaz will be retracted by the publisher due to concerns about lack of informed consent.
Parents contacted Suzanna Diaz after seeing her invitation to complete a survey. These parents were concerned their children have ROGD. They wanted the data out. Obviously.
Article will remain online but with retraction notice. It remains true. Let’s Streisand this thing!
Quick summary from the abstract:
During the past decade there has been a dramatic increase in adolescents and young adults (AYA) complaining of gender dysphoria. One influential if controversial explanation is that the increase reflects a socially contagious syndrome: Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria (ROGD). We report results from a survey of parents. Pre-existing mental health issues were common, and youths with these issues were more likely than those without them to have socially and medically transitioned. Parents reported that they had often felt pressured by clinicians to affirm their AYA child’s new gender and support their transition. According to the parents, AYA children’s mental health deteriorated considerably after social transition.
I suggested to Hans G. Schantz, that if he could find a sympathetic lawyer who detests these unscrupulous, unprincipled censors, he has a cause of action for breach of contract. Whether or not there was a written contract, he relied to his detriment on their representations. That suffices to form a binding contract, which kickstarted breached. Their "rules, are so vague as to be meaningless as well as unscrupulous. They are liable for damages for breach. In addition, their acting as late as they did, after he raised all the money sought, that is a sign of bad faith, which doesn’t play very well in court.
My initial user experience at FundMyComic was negative. At first I attributed it to Brave having Shields Up but with Shields Down the experience was identical:
I click on Contribute → Rewards popsup → click on $10 audiobook → little green item flashes and goes away at lower right → User Experience “What just happened?” → Click on $10 audiobook again → nothing happens → find tiny little ‘x’ at upper right to get out of User Experience Hell → Rewards popup disappears so back to the Wise of Heart page (NOTE: THE SHOPPING CART ICON SHOWS NOTHING) → I click on Contribute → Rewards popsup → click on $10 audiobook → WATCHING LOWER RIGHT TO READ MYSTERY MESSAGE which appears in tiny font: something about my shopping cart having my item → find tiny little ‘x’ at upper right to get out of User Experience Hell → Rewards popup disappears so back to the Wise of Heart page (Shopping cart icon now says 1 item) → click on shopping cart → Enter Tip Amount (huh?) Confirm Contribution, Account Information, Login (selected) Create New Account (not selected) → click on Create New Account → Credit card? oh good grief (remembering the last time I had to cancel my credit card because some lame system somewhere that I have no way of tracking down handed it over to some scriptkiddies in India) but LastPass fill in doesn’t quite work → go to LastPass to get info → fill in with trepidation and click → Rejected “The tip amount can’t be empty” → OK, I see what this is now … its the only way they make money, right? Cool. Good guys need more money to clean up their User Experience so, OK 20% “tip” and scroll back down to get to the submit button and click Pledge → Popup thank you with mysterious “Share your contribution” text that is not a link to anywhere… sheesh… click “return to campaign” → now I want to ensure that the clipboard copy of my password made it into LastPass correctly
If these guys were serious, at the point I clicked on my choice of contribution the first time I should be taken directly to a signup page with the credit card form (<-THIS IS CRITICAL POINT OF COMPETING WITH THE NETWORK EFFECT BUSINESS MODEL OF KICKSTARTER!!!) that also confirms what I’m spending my money on – and the “tip” should be automatically filled in at 20%. Oh, if I already have an account, that’s ok because they can provide a button there to let me log in, right?
