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Tuesday, August 22, 2017

The Writer's Life 8/22 - Tough Decisions

I hadn't watched a political speech in decades. I find them ridiculous. As I was scanning with the remote control, President Trump's address was being broadcast on several channels. I stopped for what I thought would be a moment. I was riveted. Although it was understandably short on specifics, it was impeccably delivered. It was impossible to tell if he were reading from a teleprompter or a written speech. Then again, in the long run, style is meaningless. It's substance that counts. I'm not going to pretend to know what the right course of action is in Afghanistan, although I am concerned that a pullout would lead to exactly what happened in Iraq, which became a haven for ISIS requiring more bloodshed. I was hoping there would be a reasonable counter argument in the newspaper. Here are excerpts from retired Army Colonel Ralph Peters' response in today's NY Post: "In 2001, we did the right thing by going to Afghanistan to slaughter terrorists. But we were fools to stay. Afghanistan is strategically worthless... In Afghanistan, we’re the Redcoats... more Afghans will volunteer to die for the Taliban than for our dream of a “better” Afghanistan. Nor could the Taliban have survived without support among the population... We can justify a limited presence in Afghanistan, perhaps 3,000 to 4,000 troops total, for the purpose of killing international terrorists. And we need not stop providing arms to Kabul. But it’s time to stop giving blood... I hope I'm wrong... We cannot save a country that won’t save itself." Good luck, Mr. President.

I'd guess that most people would like to believe in karma, believe that those who perpetrate evil will eventually suffer it too. An item in the Fast Takes column in the Post brought a smile to my face. Hamas, which sponsors suicide attacks, is now suffering them from ISIS. Embarrassed, the terrorist organization has found the perfect scapegoat, blaming Israel. How typical.

Green Bay Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix showed support for fallen police officers during the team' Sunday night pre-season game. He wrote the names of four police officers who have died in the line of duty on his shoes. He tweeted that he wanted the families of the fallen to know they had his support. The four officers he recognized are from the area of Florida where he was raised. During his three years at the University of Alabama, he studied criminal justice. He is working on his degree off-season. I hope he doesn't get flak from yahoos. Kudos, sir. (From Yahoo Sports, in my own words.)


My thanks to the Russian gentleman who got things rolling at the floating book shop by overpaying for six classical CD's, and also to the man who bought Anne Rice's Queen of the Damned; and to the burly guy I flagged down on his bike, who always asks for novels by James Patterson. He purchased not only Pop Goes the Weasel and Kill Alex Cross but also Mario Puzo's Fools Must Die, a pictorial on Prince George and his parents, Will and Kate, and a three-CD compilation of Bing Crosby songs. Then a woman showed with two bags of books, most of them business oriented, and three in Russian, which two young women bought. Four of the non-fiction works also sold, among them the ever popular

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

 

by Stephen R. Covey. Finally, Ira bought Music Business Primer by Diane Sward Rapaport.
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