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Monday, January 21, 2013

Selling My Books on the Streets of Brooklyn 1/21 - More Luck

There was a great op-ed piece by Kyle Smith in yesterday’s NY Post. He pointed out the hypocrisy of the Hollywood left, which has excoriated Zero Dark Thirty for its neutral position on torture, and embraced Lincoln, which omits the fact that torture occurred during the Civil War, and that Lincoln imposed martial law, arrested political enemies and harassed those critical of him in the press. This isn’t a condemnation of Abraham Lincoln but of the selective outrage of liberals. In today’s Post, Ralph Peters informs that three-quarters of our casualties in Afghanistan have come on Obama’s watch, and he asks: "Where is the outrage" that was so prevalent during the Iraq war?

The gun controversy gets more strident: since the Sandy Hook massacre, membership in the NRA has increased by 250,000. Conservative pundits have questioned why the left hasn’t criticized the creators of video games and  Hollywood films, which some believe are warping the minds of the most vulnerable. FOX is tapping into America’s love of violence, and fascination with serial killers by airing a new series, The Following, starring Kevin Bacon, which premiers tonight at nine. Only vampires seem more popular. Although I believe a sound case can made that society has been coarsened and debased by popular culture (50% divorce rate, STDs, drop in academic standards), I’m not sure how much such fare contributes to the violence prevalent in America. It is impossible to quantify. Our nation now has a population of almost 312 million. I graduated high school in 1967. I remember the population being 200 million then. Maybe the increase in madmen correlates directly to the increase in population. If statistics are correct, crime, including murder, is down overall. None of the great issues has easy answers or solutions.

I'm ready to enjoy the Super Bowl - no Belichick. I'll be rooting for the 49ers against Ray Lewis, the perfect symbol for a debased culture, and the Ravens.

For the second day in a row, Facebook proved a boon to the floating book shop. I was lucky to get the second-most favorable parking spot, just across from the side of East 13th where I usually set up. I placed my wares outside the car, sat in the front passenger seat, and waited for customers to show. Only one did the first two hours, a man purchasing Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre for his son. Then Abdul the Friendly Porter approached with a box filled with about 20 books in excellent condition, among them the Twilight collection, my fourth go round with it. Since my supply of popular fare has dwindled, this was timely and appreciated. That alone would have been enough on a cold winter day. To my surprise and delight, Marilena, fellow Lafayette H.S. alum, visited. She saw my posting on Facebook, was on business in Brooklyn, and swung by. She bought Killing and A Hitch in Twilight. Most of the time, trying to sell my books on the street and coming away frustrated, I feel like the biggest chump going. The rest of the time I feel like the luckiest guy in the world. Thanks, folks.
Visit Vic's sites:
Vic's Third Novel (Print or Kindle): http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3

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