Steve Sailer = Gregory Cochran?

By Nicholas Stix


Speaking of Steve Sailer, has anyone ever seen him and Gregory Cochran in the same room together? Has anyone ever seen a photograph of Cochran, for that matter?

I’m asking because I keep seeing posts at Steve Sailer’s blog that Sailer attributes to Cochran, but without his ever linking to any blog or Web site of “Cochran’s.” I realize that merely suggesting that Sailer might actually be the world famous scientist and polymath could cause his head to explode, and result in my being charged with manslaughter, but … inquiring minds want to know.

The most recent post by “Cochran” goes like this:

The frog and the snake: A baby rattlesnake in Illinois slithers up to a bullfrog on the banks of the Mississippi and asks him to carry him across to Iowa.

"No way, you'll bite me and I'll drown," says the frog.

"But why would I do that? Then I'd drown, too," says the snake.

"You'll bite me anyway. I heard all about this."

"No, really, I won't. I very much want to get across and I'd be awfully grateful if you'd carry me."

Eventually, the frog agrees. He swims across with the snake on his back. When they get to Iowa, the snake crawls off and says, "Thank you very much. If there's anything I can ever do for you, please let me know."

Puzzled, the frog says, "I don't get it. I was sure you were going to bite me and we'd both drown. Why didn't you?"

The snake replies, "Because it's the Middle West."

Greg Cochran

BTW, I have a friend who grew up in St. Louis, and who is the walking embodiment (aka stereotype) of Midwestern graciousness, whom I just sent the Sailer/Cochran story. In the past, my friend has humbly suggested that Midwesterners just aren’t that bright, but I think he’s been around Easterners for too long.

In Against All Enemies, Eastern snob Richard Clarke suggested that because Attorney General John Ashcroft was a slow talker, he was severely retarded. No matter what your upbringing tells you, if you should ever run into Dick Clarke on a river bank, and he asks you for a lift to the other side, don’t do it!