The Writer's Life 8/12 - Ifs, Ands & Butts

Yesterday Donald Trump dubbed President Obama "the founder of Isis." While I believe the president erred gravely and foolishly in withdrawing all troops from Iraq, which may have contributed to the rise of ISIS, one can argue that President Bush's policies are the root of the mess that is the Middle East. The Donald was scoring points in the ugly business that is politics. I doubt the comment will change any minds. Hardcore leftists would like nothing better than for Iraq to crumble completely so they can shout: "I told you so!" Mainstream Democrats care more about government expansion than foreign affairs. In speaking out against Trump, many Republican leaders are aiding the left. Then again, their spinelessness has been doing that since they recaptured both houses of congress.

There's an interview with singer/songwriter/actor Rick Springfield in today's NY Post. During a show, he goes into the audience to connect with fans. Several years ago a woman claimed she was slammed so hard by his butt that she incurred brain damage. She sued. Springfield refused to settle what he saw as a bogus claim. It took two years and a lot of money, but he won the case.

The use of marijuana has doubled the past three years. It is now 13%. Although I'm not surprised, given its near legality nationwide, I don't know what to make of it. Is it more evidence of society's decay or a harmless practice gaining popularity?

Lefty reliever Zach Britton of the Baltimore Orioles recorded his 35th consecutive save last night. He has not allowed a run in his past 39 appearances, a new MLB record. Kudos... Also, a rarity occurred in Milwaukee, where the Brewers scored in every inning of their victory over the Braves. It is only the 16th time this has happened. To give it perspective, there have been 23 perfect games.

The heat index was supposed to surpass 100 today. I was going to sit on the ledge of the garden at my usual book nook and do the crossword puzzle while I waited for a teenage girl to deliver books she promised. Of course, being a fanatic when it comes to my literary aspirations, I said I might as well put out the wares since I was there in the first place. I'm glad I did. The girl didn't show, but several people made purchases. I sold two Harry Potters, both of them huge tomes, a collection of the short stories of Nikolai Gogol, and Ken Kesey's One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, a collection of Chekhov short stories and a huge work on the short story geared toward college students. The last three were bought by Mira, whom I hadn't seen in a while. 31, an immigrant from the Ukraine and mom of a toddler, she will soon begin her second semester of college. She'd recently researched the short story book at Amazon, where it is listed at $70. She's already read the Chekhov in both her native language and Russian. She is so impressive. I told her I was sure I would never read Dostoevsky in Russian, at least not in this lifetime. She is "excited" about the upcoming semester. She is taking classes on Eugene O'Neill, "Rainbow" literature, and pre-1885 American works. For the first time in many sessions, fiction ruled. My thanks to the kind folks who bought, and to the woman who wrote down info on Rising Star.  

Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc

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

Website: http://vicfortezzaauthor.my-free.website/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/Vic-Fortezza-Author-118397641564801/?fref=ts