The Writer's Life 8/13 - Examples

Here is the beginning of an op-ed piece by Andrew Stiles in today's NY Post: "Being a Democrat is hard. You know deep down in your bones that you’re a 'forward-looking' and 'inclusive' person, but then you look at the current field of candidates seeking your party’s presidential nomination in 2016 and see five boring white people with an average age of 65. The Republican field, by contrast, is far more diverse. It’s got two Hispanic senators, an African-American brain surgeon, a female former CEO, an Indian-American governor and a temperamentally-disabled businessman who, until recently, identified as a Democrat. None is an avowed socialist like Bernie Sanders; he belongs to the 'party of the future.'” The article goes on to state how difficult it would be for Dems, in this time of political correctness, to find a shining example from its past. For instance, FDR put 100,000 Japanese-Americans in camps during WWII, Jefferson was a slave-owner, Truman sanctioned the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, JFK was a womanizer, Clinton (LOL), etc.. In my opinion Truman and Kennedy were the only Democrats on the national level worth voting for in this century, and JFK's presidency must be graded as incomplete. FDR is revered, but a compelling argument has been made that his policies prolonged the Great Depression. He was a great war leader, although there are those who criticize him for not having done more regarding the Holocaust.
 
The EPA has gone from an agency that led an excellent effort to clean up the environment to one that now engages in over-reach. Twitchy.com reports that the agency is under fire after workers from it accidentally triggered a leak of waste water while attempting to clean up an old gold mine near the city of Durango, Colorado, sending an estimated one million gallons of toxic liquid into the Animas River. It is preparing a plan to sample private water wells along the valley to test for contamination, including mercury. Many conservatives are gleeful about the irony, the karma. I have to fight that instinct myself. No one should celebrate this incident. The quality of life of many has been affected, and this will not lead to a shutdown of the EPA nor, unfortunately, force it to abandon its attempts to handicap fossil fuel industries. The President will likely use it to enact reforms that would not pass in Congress. Here's a pic of the river:

The floating book shop had only two sales today, but one was of a 24 volume Encyclopedia of WWII by a gentleman born in the Soviet Union as the war was ending. My thanks, and to the woman who purchased a work of non-fiction.

Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/