to a point, but Jones overreaches; unfetteredrnby considerations of authorial purpose,rnhis interpretations become overlyrningenious. Most glaringly, he willfullyrnmisreads Don Siegel’s classic. Invasion ofrnthe Body Snatchers, contending that thernstory’s aliens proliferate in response to thernhero and heroine’s divorced condition,rnthereby allegorically scolding them forrntheir sexual waywardness. But it is clearrnfrom both Jack Finney’s novel and thernfilm that divorce is meant to mark theserncharacters as strong-minded individualsrnwho refuse to bow to oppressive socialrnnorms. Indeed, their willfulness givesrnthem the strength to stand up to thernforces of collectivist conformity that thernaliens represent. I have no quarrel withrnJones’ disapproval of divorce, but hisrnmorals do not license him to change anrnauthor’s meaning.rnOn the whole, I am sympathetic to thernmain lines of Jones’ argument. On substantivernissues, he is broadly right. But torncombat the modern dehumanization ofrnsex, Jones seems to be prescribing a whollyrnunpalatable, not to say impossible,rncure. He seems to suggest that sexual activityrnof any kind conducted outside thernmarriage bed leads to dire consequences.rnDoes this mean we are to have no morernflirting? How are people ever to get to thernmarriage bed if there are to be no preliminaryrnintimacies? Jones seems a little likernGulliver among the Houyhnhnms: Hernwants us to live in a dream of absoluternvirtue, our morality plotted out in advancernwith no surprises lurking along thernwooded path. Affairs of the heart, fromrnhand-holding to whispered endearments,rnare to be carefully legislated lest passionrnget the upper hand. Hauling in AndrearnDworkin to help support his case, he unintentionallyrngives his puritanical gamernaway. Jones cites Dworkin’s argumentsrnabout the brutal climate created byrnpornography but fails to mention that shernalso wants sexual intercourse abolishedrnbecause she believes it is inherently abusivernand degrading to women. This isrnstrong medicine; I suppose most of usrnwill be forgiven if, like St. Augustine, werndefer the dose as long as possible. Therntruth is that, when it comes to sexuality,rnthere are no tidy solutions. In suggestingrnotherwise, Jones mirrors the sexual liberationistsrnhe decries. Like them, he offersrna simplistic response to an inherentlyrncomplex challenge.rnThese reservations aside, Jones’ book isrnwell worth attention. His argument mayrnbe overstated and mildly puritanical, butrnit is lively and often provocative. He is especiallyrnsuggestive in his discussion ofrnthe Illuminists of the late 18th century,rnwho sought to gain control of society byrnmanipulating its leaders. The Illuministrnmethod was to discover the illicit passionsrnof key figures and pander to them.rnJones argues that the Illuminist strategyrnmanifests itself in the policies of our corporations,rngovernment, and other institutionsrntoday. (The Ford Foundation oncernfunded the bizarrely lascivious notions ofrnAlfred Kinsey in the supposed cause ofrnsexual enlightenment.) Whether they intendrnit or not, all of these organizationsrnhave a vested interest in keeping us eroticallyrndistracted. As the Marquis de Sadernargued, a shrewd government will see tornits citizens’ sexual excitation and gratification,rnreducing their desire for politicalrnaction and contributing to their consumeristrnimpulses as well as their physicalrnones. Lust, after all, requires endlessrnblandishments. So it is that our great nationrnrivets itself to our Commander inrnChiefs every trouser twitch, while yawningrnat his distant bombings. Hour byrnhour, our brave new world slides smoothlyrntoward quiet tyranny.rnWinter into Springrnby David MiddletonrnWe drive north to New Orleans this far southrnWhere sea and land both lose themselves in marshrnAnd spring breaks through mild winter’s brittle coldrnWhen pansies blaze over the noonlight’s ice.rnWe know, of course, the rare unsparing dayrnWhen sovereign Arctic blasts sweep south-southeastrnFreezing the boughs of budding fig and pearrnAs in the fall and summer kindred windsrnBring down from mobile thrones of blade and airrnOur ladybug and monarch butterfly.rnBut these are open winters where the sunrnTempers the sleet to rain and makes a dewrnOf snowflakes on the maiden maple leafrnAnd even in a January dawn.rnAwakened by the salt breath of the Culf,rnDutch clover, yellow mustard, and a thinrnUnbending periwinkle on a stalkrnDeep-rooted in its terra-cotta potrnSpread hues and scents across pale frosted lawnsrnTill once more spring’s green regency has come.rn28/CHRONICLESrnrnrn