The landscape is littered with new literary voices waiting to find an audience, mine among them. The industry is in the throes of reinvention and the distinction between being 'published' and being a truly bright talent has become blurred.
While access to being published has grown exponentially, there has not been a correspondingly satisfactory increase in material worth reading. The gatekeepers of the old dominion of traditional publishing, and their editing and proofreading expertise has been swamped by a boatload of self-published manure, some of which would make a fourth-grader cringe. Finding a good read by an unknown self-published author has become akin to reading tea leaves in a flood. Having said that, there are definitely pearls amongst the swine and Nathan Everett is worth a read.
Everett deserves a shout-out. His quirky private detective yarn For Blood or Money deftly combines the hard-boiled gumshoe prototypes like Sam Spade and Nero Wolfe with a cutting edge cyber-tech sleuth.
Dag Hamar is a detective with a problem, and while I won't spoil the fun with a recitation of the plot points, this book has everything a mystery-thriller needs. Plot twists, trusty sidekicks, beautiful dames, unexpected complications and a nice mix of old-school P.I. melded with high-tech gadgets, dead bodies and a race to the finish line make this very readable and highly recommended.
He honors language and ends with a graceful poignancy that has me thinking about it weeks later. Given how many books I read, one that lingers as his does is a rare and special treat.
Self-published under his brand Long Tail Press, it is available in print and as an ebook.
eBook
ISBN: 978-0-9817249-6-6
Book
ISBN: 978-0-9817249-9-7
Another new author--published through traditional means--is Alison Leotta, whose real-life job is as a federal prosecutor in Washington D.C. specializing in felony sex crimes and domestic violence. Leotta has found a compelling niche in the crime thriller category, and she doesn't stray far from her roots by introducing us to Assistant U.S. Attorney, Anna Curtis in her debut novel Means of Attraction. Curtis is a wide-eyed rookie serving to find justice for what society often ignores as just another battered woman. Something about one of her clients resonates with her own past though, and complications follow when our heroine's boyfriend--an attorney himself--defends the assailant who now stands accused of murder, just days following his release based on recanted testimony by the victim. Sadly, fiction here reflects real-life all to often.
Torn between her legal duties and her personal life, Anna makes career threatening choices that jeopardizes everything--including her life. She uncovers the shocking truth behind the crime in a compelling and dramatic conclusion.
It is an excellent debut novel in a crowded field. It twists through the gritty alleys, both real and metaphorical of our nations Capitol to the polished glass and steel enclaves of Washington's most elite Ivy League lawyers. Pick it up and read it, highly recommended.
Touchstone
ISBN: 978-1-4391-9384-6
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Sixteen Tons and Whaddya Get?
A battle is being waged here in Whatcom County featuring that classic match-up of Business vs Enviromentalist, with a supporting Greek chorus of one-issue kibitzers. While a thoroughly local topic, it speaks to a larger debate ongoing world wide.
'Business' wants to develop a deep-water cargo shipping facility in what is literally the last space available on the continental west coast of the U.S. where such a port can be built. While it's capability would include handling containerized cargo, developers have their eye on, with the enthusiastic support of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, building a bulk coal shipping site--destination China. Currently, soft coal mined in the western United States generally goes to a similar port about forty miles north, in Canada.
'Business' accurately points out such an effort would create hundreds of high-paying construction jobs early, then hundreds more permanent high-wages jobs when the area becomes operational. Tax revenues would remain local, as well as port fees. Many local business would see increased income by providing support materials and services. New businesses would likely spring up for similar reasons. All this sorely-needed cash would buoy the economy of the entire region. A textbook example of trickle-down economics.
'Environmentalists' correctly notes that the proposed site is prime real estate for breeding an already diminishing stock of herring, which are among the principal prey of the Pacific salmon runs, some of which are now on the threatened list. Those salmon, in turn, are the meal of choice for the local population of orcas (killer whales), recently showing signs of malnutrition themselves. A textbook example of a hiccup in the food chain.
At its peak, anywhere from ten to sixteen additional mile-long coal car trains would whistle their way along the tracks overlooking the waterfront each day. Anyone living, working nearby or even strolling through a bay side park has spent time counting the trains of one hundred plus cars already plying the rails as they rumble slowly by, or worse, grind to a halt across rights-of-way to allow another train to pass or to switch out cars headed elsewhere.
Also of concern is the dust that is sure to accumulate incrementally across the region from all that coal traveling through our parks, adjacent to and across our waterways, and past our homes and schools. Tourism related business could be devastated.
'Business' counters by touting a promise to cover the cars to mitigate dust, 'Environmentalists' are suspicious and see such a covenant as the camel merely trying to get his nose in the tent.
To be sure, the Amtrak Cascade is a novelty--picturesque even--as it's dozen or so car breeze through, but all those heavy, ponderous coal cars would be coming back empty too. That could mean as many as thirty or more added transits daily. Almost certainly not an hour of the day or night would pass without bellowing whistles and the clacking, groaning, grinding and squealing that attaches.
The sheen of that shiny new revenue could tarnish quickly under such an onslaught. Diminished home values, reduced desirability as a tourist destination and the certainty of increased death and injury tolls on motorists and pedestrians weigh heavily as well.
These are the central tenants of the argument from both sides--the nuts and bolts of the negotiation process--but at some point it begs a larger question: Is a short-term gain in jobs and money worth trading for an accelerating catastrophe looming over the horizon?
While important, for me, it isn't really the means of transportation that lies at the core of this controversy. It's the cargo.
On a fragile planet where destructive and disruptive effects of climate change are pushing entire ecosystems toward the chasm of collapse, and all but the most knuckle-headed deniers and apologists see the danger at hand, do we really want to be shipping millions of tons of this stuff to a country with lax environmental rules and virtually non-existent enforcement, only to see it returned to us as airborne soot, acid rain and cheap goods?
Do we seriously wish to fuel the power plants of the largest economic juggernaut threatening America's ability to compete for the future?
Even more fundamentally, do we want to ship this toxicity anywhere? Or even dig it up in the first place, knowing what we know-despite the oxymoronic commercials touting 'clean coal'? It seems like selling something like 'harmless smallpox'.
Bellingham and Whatcom County are routinely listed among the best areas to live, recreate and retire in the nation and it seems unlikely that having millions of tons of coal arriving via an endless parade of coal trains would enhance our reputation or improve our quality of life. Let's think locally and act globally by rejecting this clinker of a proposal.
'Business' wants to develop a deep-water cargo shipping facility in what is literally the last space available on the continental west coast of the U.S. where such a port can be built. While it's capability would include handling containerized cargo, developers have their eye on, with the enthusiastic support of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, building a bulk coal shipping site--destination China. Currently, soft coal mined in the western United States generally goes to a similar port about forty miles north, in Canada.
'Business' accurately points out such an effort would create hundreds of high-paying construction jobs early, then hundreds more permanent high-wages jobs when the area becomes operational. Tax revenues would remain local, as well as port fees. Many local business would see increased income by providing support materials and services. New businesses would likely spring up for similar reasons. All this sorely-needed cash would buoy the economy of the entire region. A textbook example of trickle-down economics.
'Environmentalists' correctly notes that the proposed site is prime real estate for breeding an already diminishing stock of herring, which are among the principal prey of the Pacific salmon runs, some of which are now on the threatened list. Those salmon, in turn, are the meal of choice for the local population of orcas (killer whales), recently showing signs of malnutrition themselves. A textbook example of a hiccup in the food chain.
At its peak, anywhere from ten to sixteen additional mile-long coal car trains would whistle their way along the tracks overlooking the waterfront each day. Anyone living, working nearby or even strolling through a bay side park has spent time counting the trains of one hundred plus cars already plying the rails as they rumble slowly by, or worse, grind to a halt across rights-of-way to allow another train to pass or to switch out cars headed elsewhere.
Also of concern is the dust that is sure to accumulate incrementally across the region from all that coal traveling through our parks, adjacent to and across our waterways, and past our homes and schools. Tourism related business could be devastated.
'Business' counters by touting a promise to cover the cars to mitigate dust, 'Environmentalists' are suspicious and see such a covenant as the camel merely trying to get his nose in the tent.
To be sure, the Amtrak Cascade is a novelty--picturesque even--as it's dozen or so car breeze through, but all those heavy, ponderous coal cars would be coming back empty too. That could mean as many as thirty or more added transits daily. Almost certainly not an hour of the day or night would pass without bellowing whistles and the clacking, groaning, grinding and squealing that attaches.
The sheen of that shiny new revenue could tarnish quickly under such an onslaught. Diminished home values, reduced desirability as a tourist destination and the certainty of increased death and injury tolls on motorists and pedestrians weigh heavily as well.
These are the central tenants of the argument from both sides--the nuts and bolts of the negotiation process--but at some point it begs a larger question: Is a short-term gain in jobs and money worth trading for an accelerating catastrophe looming over the horizon?
While important, for me, it isn't really the means of transportation that lies at the core of this controversy. It's the cargo.
On a fragile planet where destructive and disruptive effects of climate change are pushing entire ecosystems toward the chasm of collapse, and all but the most knuckle-headed deniers and apologists see the danger at hand, do we really want to be shipping millions of tons of this stuff to a country with lax environmental rules and virtually non-existent enforcement, only to see it returned to us as airborne soot, acid rain and cheap goods?
Do we seriously wish to fuel the power plants of the largest economic juggernaut threatening America's ability to compete for the future?
Even more fundamentally, do we want to ship this toxicity anywhere? Or even dig it up in the first place, knowing what we know-despite the oxymoronic commercials touting 'clean coal'? It seems like selling something like 'harmless smallpox'.
Bellingham and Whatcom County are routinely listed among the best areas to live, recreate and retire in the nation and it seems unlikely that having millions of tons of coal arriving via an endless parade of coal trains would enhance our reputation or improve our quality of life. Let's think locally and act globally by rejecting this clinker of a proposal.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Fino and The Fork, Restaurant Reviews
Fino and The Fork At Agate Bay are miles apart, in distance and style, but in their hearts it is all about the food. Fortunate for diners, to be sure. Fino, perches over Bellingham Bay nestled inside the Chrysalis Spa near Fairhaven boasting stunning views and an opportunity to indulge in a glass of fine wine while watching one of our best kept summer secrets, a spectacular sunset, fade away in a blaze of color. Unlike so many restaurants with fab views, Fino resists the temptation to trade looks for substance. With an eclectic Continental/Mediterranean menu and options allowing for varying appetites Fino is a delight, and a serious wine bar with a large and well chosen cellar.
In my case I began with french salad: heart of tomato, warm chevre cake, baby greens & champagne vinaigrette. It was perfectly prepared and set the stage for what was to come. I was charmed and amazed with my charcuterie sampler featuring chicken liver pate', country pork terrine, duck rillettes, pickled vegetables and an olive medley. Often I shy away from such offerings, since producing a truly fine pate' has seemed beyond the scope of Whatcom County restaraunts (Tivoli duly noted as an exception), and because the olives commonly selected are too briny for my taste. I screwed up my courage, though, and was well rewarded with a plate carefully selected and executed with true mastery. This sampler and a glass of red was nothing short of a culinary miracle for me and I enjoyed every morsel.
My dining companion enjoyed the seafood risotto featuring salmon, halibut, crab & citrus gremolata. I was so engaged by my plate I neglected to snitch a sample, but was assured it was expertly prepared and more than generous. Trusting her judgement is good enough for me and you can count on it yourself.
The varied and changing menu and excellent wine and beer selection will have me coming back regularly for a touch of luxury close to home. I recommend you do the same, often.
The Fork At Agate Bay, by contrast, is tucked away far along the north shore of Lake Whatcom overlooking a gravel parking lot at the fork in the road--literally. The Fork instead, charms from the inside, having created an intimate, comfortable space away from the distractions of life where a limited, but carefully chosen, wine list and beer selection and a spectacular menu allow the cares of the day to melt away. Having risen from the metaphorical ashes of a burgers & brewskies/general store that just couldn't find sufficient traction with locals to stay alive, it has transformed into a dining destination that merits serious attention, (you can check out the menu by clicking on their name highlighted above). The first, best, way to discover if any restaurant knows what they are doing is to try an entree featuring game. Venison, duck or most other game tends to be extremely lean (all the fat in a duck is in the skin) and it takes real skill to avoid the 'rubber ball' experience of overcooking. I should also note that it takes a patron with an educated palate and an understanding that 'well-done' are words that should be banished from every dining facility in America.
Having said that, The Forks presented me with a perfectly prepared Muscovy duck breast with a traditional and amazingly flavorful serving of lentils. They cheerfully substituted a brilliant Brussels sprout hash for broccolini (which I just plain don't like) finished with a port current gastrique, the latter being a perfect counterpoint while deftly avoiding the predictable syrupy sweet sauce commonly sloshed over a duck breast. Kudos duly awarded.
My dining companion enjoyed another notoriously difficult dish to prepare--seared fresh halibut. Oh, I know, halibut is served damn near everywhere in the Pacific N.W., but rarely is it done correctly, again mostly suffering from overcooking, over saucing (frequently the disguise of choice for unskilled chefs), or often both. This generous serving was perfectly seasoned (which means minimally), seared very hot and very quickly and accompanied by a Meyer lemon & marscapone risotto and some yummy seasonal vegetables.
This experience vaulted The Forks to the top 5 list of places I will go when I want a great meal, and I didn't even get to the fabulous preparation of the steamer clams appetizer or not-to-sweet but ever so luscious bread pudding dessert. Take a drive along the North Shore, you can ooh and ahh over the pricey houses along the lakefront along the way, but the real treat is waiting for you at the fork in the road!
Friday, April 8, 2011
We've Been Here Before
As inexorable as the tides, as relentless as wolves chasing a wounded elk and as predictable as sunrise, another silly season is about to get under way in the form of Elections 2012.
Already declared is Barack Obama, seeking a second term as President. On the right, jockeying to see who can be the farthest right, are such luminaries and lunkheads as Michelle Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Haley Barbour and pizza king Herman Cain. Lurking in the shadows are Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Tim Pawlenty and--unbelievably--the Donald (Trump, that is). Rest assured, there are others waiting to wax and wane in the coming months as ambition trumps common sense in the hinterlands.
The Republicans have been playing a game of chicken with the government again, the actual shutdown of government, which played out so well for them the last go round, in the hope that no one will notice how willfully stupid is such a game. Worse yet is that this isn't even an effort to save taxpayer dollars. Repubs have already extracted the entire amount they wanted in this round of negotiations with regard to money.
This transparent political ploy leaves one breathless. Not satisfied with the economic concessions, hard-liners on the right in the House of Representatives are holding out (and threatening to shut down the government) on issues as far-ranging as defunding Planned Parenthood and NPR to taking the enforcement teeth out of the EPA. The hope here is that the Dems will either blink first and cave, which would be catastrophic to the party principles, or that by holding firm the liberals will somehow end up taking the bullet in public perception. Don't fall for it.
First, at some point a compromise will be reached that will not achieve all their stated goals. If this occurs without significant support from Republican House membership then Boehner will find himself presiding over a fractured party and his Speakership will have failed. Bad news for Republicans with an election on the horizon. Second, unbudgeted money will have to be spent to re-start what was shut down, not to mention pay additional interest for debts deferred during the dispute. The notion of savings are purely an illusion, exactly the sort of smoke-and-mirrors showpiece conservatives hope will turn the tide for them come election day next year.
This transparent political ploy leaves one breathless. Not satisfied with the economic concessions, hard-liners on the right in the House of Representatives are holding out (and threatening to shut down the government) on issues as far-ranging as defunding Planned Parenthood and NPR to taking the enforcement teeth out of the EPA. The hope here is that the Dems will either blink first and cave, which would be catastrophic to the party principles, or that by holding firm the liberals will somehow end up taking the bullet in public perception. Don't fall for it.
First, at some point a compromise will be reached that will not achieve all their stated goals. If this occurs without significant support from Republican House membership then Boehner will find himself presiding over a fractured party and his Speakership will have failed. Bad news for Republicans with an election on the horizon. Second, unbudgeted money will have to be spent to re-start what was shut down, not to mention pay additional interest for debts deferred during the dispute. The notion of savings are purely an illusion, exactly the sort of smoke-and-mirrors showpiece conservatives hope will turn the tide for them come election day next year.
Don't be afraid to look behind the curtain. You will discover the Great and Powerful Oz is really just the same tired old men, bemoaning how badly done to the business community is and how overpaid and under worked are union members and the middle-class. Alongside are the same social demands that the radical right has been pushing unsuccessfully for three decades. Lift the lid and uncover the machinery hidden behind and you will see the same culprits. Look for huge donations from corporations, the Koch brothers, the National Chamber of Commerce (with a much different agenda than the friendly folks pitching for your local hardware store) and Big Oil. Made much more convenient when the Supreme Court concluded that corporations were 'people'. At some point in the future another court will revisit the ruling and conclude that this ranks right up there with Dred Scott as one of the worst decisions in court history.
These are watershed times for the United States. We can fall back to the fear that has led us down the path of intolerance, suspicion and hate. There are plenty of examples to use as guideposts. Recall your history, remember McCarthyism? How about the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII? Go back a little further to Father Coughlin, or the Chinese Exclusion Act, or even as far back as when we were still a freshly minted country with the Alien & Sedition Act. Or, we can buck up and do the right thing. Lincoln freed the slaves, Teddy Roosevelt busted the Trusts (we call them cartels these days, or in some cases Too Big To Fail), FDR created a program to stem the tide of retirement poverty, LBJ forced the Voting Rights Act, and, ironically enough, Richard Nixon created the EPA.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
New Tricks for an Old Dog
After due consideration it seemed appropriate that I make a few cosmetic changes to my blog to more accurately represent what I do on these pages. It also serves to modernize (I hope) the mechanisms by which you may follow my ruminations. I have added the option to follow this blog via email subscription, and I'm pretty sure I've enabled an rss feed via Atom or possibly Google--maybe both. Not being a full-on techno guy, and more of a do-it-yourself-er, the results remain untested for the moment.
In the meantime, you may anticipate upcoming blogs with teasers like, We've Been Here Before, my take on some of the political histrionics in the run-up to the 2012 election. (Sigh heavily, yes, it is already that time again.). Also on the horizon, reviews of three books: the debut books, How Faithful A Heart, by Lynette Erwin, Law of Attraction by Allison Leotta and the latest thriller by Robert Dugoni, Murder One.
Take heart, readers. There is more coming soon, I promise!
In the meantime, you may anticipate upcoming blogs with teasers like, We've Been Here Before, my take on some of the political histrionics in the run-up to the 2012 election. (Sigh heavily, yes, it is already that time again.). Also on the horizon, reviews of three books: the debut books, How Faithful A Heart, by Lynette Erwin, Law of Attraction by Allison Leotta and the latest thriller by Robert Dugoni, Murder One.
Somewhere in the midst of all this I will carve out some time to promote my own novel, due for release soon entitled Island Dawn. Plus I may even write a short story or two to post on these pages. Something I haven't done in some time and is quite overdue.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
'Bodily Harm' Book Review
A government official has a horrifying and murderous encounter with a mysterious assassin in China--and gets an assignment he dares not defy.
David Sloane, dubbed by the media as 'The Lawyer Who Never Loses', is in a hurry. He's overdue in court--where he is about to win again--but doesn't feel at ease about the likely outcome. A grubby young man, smelling of alcohol, accosts Sloane on the streets of Seattle, forcing a slim file on him, which he contends explains why the Doctor, whose career is about to end with the verdict, isn't responsible for the death of the child of Sloane's clients.
"The doctor did not kill that boy."
Sloane stopped. Pedestrians maneuvered to avoid him. Walking back to the curb, Sloane saw that the man held a photocopy of an article from The Seattle Times reporting on the medical malpractice case.
"How would you know that?" Sloane asked.
"Because I did."
With that, Robert Dugoni has set the hook deeply with his novel Bodily Harm.
The action moves with breakneck speed as the attorney that has everything go his way professionally, soon finds his personal life in wreckage as this high-octane story of desperation in lofty corporate offices becomes interwoven with money, politics, murder and government agencies. As with previous novels by Dugoni, this work really reaches beyond the conventional thriller as he stretches his literary lead over the work of Turow and Grisham.
It's not often I feel engaged by the literary merits of a thriller. Too often they are paint-by-the-numbers formula pieces. Bodily Harm though, like Wrongful Death, Damage Control and The Jury Master preceding it ( and previously mentioned on the pages of this blog), have that intangible quality of plausibility to them. While you are irresistibly turning each page to see what's next, you can well imagine how these things could actually happen.
The characters are finely drawn. The relationships are deeply felt by this reader, and the tragedies and triumphs resonate with real emotion. In the end as the dust is settling and David Sloane emerges victorious yet anything but unscathed, he is left with one question: "When does it stop hurting?"
You'll have to read the book to get the answer, but you better hurry--his next, 'Murder One' is set for release in early June, and I, for one, can't wait.
Forget being the 'heir apparent' to Scott Turow or John Grisham. Robert Dugoni has re-defined the legal thriller and is in a class by himself. Long live the new King!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Nothing In Moderation-How To Kill the Republican Party
From time to time in these posts I comment on the state of politics as I see them. Long-time readers know I consider myself a conservative and a Republican. I have, however, been increasingly alarmed by a lack of common sense by the far right, and have expressed my dismay that leadership has become an oxymoronic term within the party. Having said that, I stood by my party (though not necessarily it's candidates) until now.
It has become clear since the mid-term elections that the agenda of the conservative right-wing is to form a cabal of business titans, ambitious office seekers and ultra-conservative Christian groups to systematically disassemble most of the economic and social gains for the middle and lower class populations of the U.S. in the twentieth century. Preying on the susceptability of one-issue, or poorly informed voters and ginning up fear tactics--while blithely ignoring their own culpability in the current economic hardships--the Republican party has begun an assault on moderation that is sure to kill it in the long run. Given their 'druthers, many of these people would eliminate unions, pensions, Social Security, Medicare, funding for the arts and abortion anywhere, anytime, for any reason. This is the to-do list right now, having accomplished that they will move on to reducing or eliminating taxes on business, with an emphasis on big businesses. Bigger the business-lower the taxes. Don't think so? Follow this link: Tax Holiday for Big Business?
These are not moderate, or even conservative views, really. There is no inherent conflict between fiscal conservatism and union bargaining. Have we forgotten the lesson of the Good Samaritan? We can, and should do what we are able to do as individuals, but not forsake those of lesser fortune simply because they are financially inconvenient to society just now. Issues of human rights belong in the public discourse to the extent that all humans living in the U.S. should enjoy the freedoms and protections of the Constitution, not just those that subscribe to my particular point of view. People of good faith and conscience can agree to disagree. That is vital to the free flow of ideas and critical to finding constructive ways forward without disenfranchising opposition.
The assault has been under way for some time. Thirty years ago, if you intended to run as a Republican for high office you had to be vetted by the Christian right. What was your stance on abortion? What about gays and lesbians? School prayer? You better drink the Kool-Aid and sign on or you had no active chance of advancing your candidacy. Since then the requirements have tightened into a noose. I stand in amazement that there is no sense of irony that the only unforgivable sin is to differ in opinion.
If you were nominated to a U.S. Federal judgeship the chances were similarly bleak for advancement if you had ever ruled on, commented in public or written a term paper in school on any or all of these and other issues. As I write this thousands of position remain unfilled, the nominees blocked without even a committee review by some Senator acting as a 'watchdog' (read: lapdog) for the Christian Coalition or some other lobbying group. If it is one thing a conservative pol knows, it's which side of the bread is buttered with campaign money.
Perhaps the most distressing aspect of this onslaught has been the dogged determination not to be deterred by facts. I have seen, read and heard more mischaracterizations, misdirections, disinformation campaigns, whispered innuendos and downright damnable lies in the last three years then in the forty or so previous years I have been watching and thinking about politics. And that includes, Bush, Clinton and Nixon.
Right now we have a President hobbled by the notion that there is compromise out there, just waiting to be hammered out with reasonable, moderate Republicans. Respectfully, Mr. President, you are wrong. From the grass-roots to the Capitol Dome the offensive against reasonableness is being pushed forward by a cynical and increasingly delusional conservative party. Consensus building and bi-partisanship are given lip service, but in truth are seen as signs of weakness to be exploited. It is time, Sir, in the words of a famous Republican, to just say no.
So here is what I say to my former Republican brethren: Kill the party if you must, I shall not come along. You have thrown down the gauntlet of extremism, I shall not pick it up. You seek to crush moderation, I shall, starting today, resist.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Things Presidential, and otherwise
It has been some time since I posted anything, Lord knows it's not for lack of topics. The elections, the shootings, the books read, meals consumed, family visited, the working vacation to research sites in Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana, and life and the living thereof have all presented ample opportunity for blog posts. The lack of same amounts to a mea culpa:
1. I've been busy.
2. I've been lazy.
Take your pick--both apply. But during this hiatus some thoughts have been banging around inside my skull that have finally taken adequate form to merit a posting.
It occurred to me recently, while reflecting on recent U.S. Presidents, that there has not been a Vietnam-era military general elected to the office, and further, there will not be one. Their opportunity has passed. The last General Officer elected to the presidency was Eisenhower. Before that we have to go back to Benjamin Harrison and the election of 1888 to find a general-to-president election. In all, we've had nine Chief Executives with General Officer standing prior to their political elevation.
That notwithstanding, there have been very few presidents with no military experience at all. Most of those were Founding Fathers, and they were a little busy with other things during the Revolutionary War. Some, while not in the at-war military, were Secretaries of War, state Governors acting as Commander-in-Chief for state militias (later the National Guard) or served during peacetime eras. Our current president and Andrew Johnson (a tailor by trade before becoming Vice-President to Lincoln) have no military background or service at all. Among presidents most have been General Officers, Governors and attorneys. Only one had a Phd; Woodrow Wilson.
Our military generals became presidents mostly in the 19th century. War veterans from 1812 and the Civil War filled 7 of the 15 presidential spots between 1829 and 1893. There were no presidents from the U.S. military general ranks from the Spanish-American war (Teddy Roosevelt barely made Colonel, but was the Under Secretary of the Navy before the war, was briefly Governor of New York, and as VP, ascended to the White House upon the assassination of McKinley. Incidentally, it was TR that had the West Wing added to the People's House.) There were also none from the first World War. Blackjack Pershing was pushed to run in the 1920 election, but he demurred active campaigning with the cryptic pronouncement that he "wouldn't decline to serve" if the people wanted him. The party opted for a more active candidate, selecting Warren G. Harding, now regarded as one of the worst presidents in U.S. history.
So what has this little presidential history lesson suggested to me? We like to reward our war heroes (even if they weren't generals) with high political office. In fact, until recently, it was unthinkable that a viable candidate could arise from the ranks of those with no military experience . I think Korea started the trend away from military commanders and Vietnam essentially codified that trend.
What do those conflicts have in common. We didn't win. Voters like winners. Voters reward winners. The Baby Boomers were the first generation to see war relatively unfiltered, and they didn't like what they saw. Gen X was the first to see war in real-time via satellite from Iraq in Desert Storm. They didn't like what they saw, but were careful to separate the soldier doing his duty, from the CINC sending them off to war. Gen Next is seeing Iraq and Afghanistan the same way, but with the addition of internet feeds and blogs from active duty soldiers under fire. Even in the face of provocation as extreme as 9-11, we don't much like what we see, but are a bit befuddled about what to do about it. It seems to have a surreal 'we broke it, so we have to fix it' adhesive quality to it.
We won't 'win' in Iraq. At best we will leave behind a shaky, fractured government riven with sectarian violence and likely unable-in the long term-to survive as a democracy. We won't win in Afghanistan. No one ever has historically. About the best we can hope for is to do less damage when we leave than we did when we abandoned Vietnam. The result will likely be similar. We will pack up, declare victory, and ship out, leaving the Afghani people to their own devices.
Since the end of WWII no military conflict of significance has ended with a clear victory for the U.S. Even Desert Storm, while a rout to be sure, seemed to be unfinished business. Short of an all-out-conflict, which is less and less likely in this internet interconnected world, large land mass armies will become increasingly obsolete and fewer military heroes will emerge from the ranks of generals.
The elections of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama have demonstrated to me that the era of rewarding military veterans-high ranking or otherwise-has ceased to be an important yardstick in selecting our political leader. Clinton, a little-known southern governor faced down a WWII hero from the Senate leadership and defeated Bob Dole. John Kerry, though intellectually better prepared to be president lost to another southern governor. Kerry, a decorated Vietnam vet was defeated as much because he was a Vietnam vet as anything else. George jockeyed a fighter plane in the Air National Guard under the watchful eye of his highly placed father. John McCain, a bonafide POW hero of the southeast Asian conflict had his campaign run off the rails by erratic decision making and a mortal self-inflicted wound as a running mate. Barack Obama never served in the military and was outspoken against the war in Iraq.
In my estimation, it seems likely that a century or more may have passed before we elect another war general as President of the United States. For now, at least, Eisenhower was the last of that breed. New skills are needed in a new century. But I'll leave you with some hopeful tidbits from two presidents past; one of great note who was a general officer and hero of the War of 1812, and one from perhaps the least significant presidency in our history.
“Any man worth his salt will stick up for what he believes right, but it takes a slightly better man to acknowledge instantly and without reservation that he is in error.” Andrew Jackson, 7th POTUS
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Duck Soup & Dead Bodies
This is a potpourri posting of reviews for things totally unrelated, but which gave me pleasure, and by inference, may give you pleasure as well, should you choose to partake of any of the opportunities described herein.
Food
Persistence pays. I have been advocating for duck pho on the menu at Soy House for a long time, and my persistence has come to fruition, sort of. After weeks of tinkering with the recipe, they finally introduced it to the menu. As their unique and delicious pizza was in the beginning, this item is an 'experiment', for now. You need to ask for it, and it isn't available every day--yet. I suggested they make a Facebook post on days it is on the menu, and trust me, you will want to try this. This pho, like all of their soup offerings begins with it's own broth. Most restaurants (including a lot of very pricey haute cuisine joints that should know better) use a 'base' as a short-cut for broth or stock. Imagine that little bullion cube from the red or green can on steroids and you get the idea. Not so at Soy House. I have actually seen roasted bones heading for the stock pot for the beef pho, and each broth is carefully constructed for fabulous flavor to enhance the principal ingredient in a given dish. This duck is delish, full of rich but nuanced flavor. Served on the side is fresh lime, jalapeno slices, mung bean sprouts and leaf lettuce (instead of Thai basil, which isn't really suited to this soup). Made with your choice of rice or egg noodles (get the egg noodles, they work with the flavor profiles better) this is a must-try for lovers of pho.
Their innovative Vietnamese influenced pizza made it to the regular menu (read my review in an earlier post Mason Jar Madness ) after a long introduction period, and I remain hopeful the same will be true for the duck pho. Asian cusine without duck somewhere on the menu is like BBQ without ribs. You can do it, but something important is missing.
'RED' is entirely implausible and predictable to a fault, and yet it has an irresistible element of big explosion, high body count, wry comedy and an almost believable May-September romance element to it that I found fun. Bear in mind, this will not be laden with statuette nominations from the Academy, nor will it get much notice from snooty reviewers, but people of a certain age and gender (male boomers, for instance) will not feel cheated. There is lots of Wile E. Coyote v Roadrunner violence, just enough CG to be entertaining and a star-studded passel of cast members with their tongues planted firmly in their cheeks while delivering their lines. The locations are interesting enough, mostly edited in from second-unit-no-principals-in-sight footage, and enough shell casings are scattered to keep an armorer reloading for about five years. This is 'Space Cowboys' recast in CIA garb. Great movie making? Not so much. A lot of fun for men of a certain age (and the women who love them)? You bet. It was for me, anyway.
Fatalities (ok, I couldn't come up with a decent alliterative for the last book I read, so sue me.)
Damage Control by Robert Dugoni. Bob is quickly becoming one of my favorite contemporary authors. Mostly writing legal thrillers, his characters and situations--while sensational and intense, as a thriller should be--also have a ring of truth to them. Dialogue is natural, plot lines flow evenly, leading to a crescendo of action with a finely crafted resolution leaving the reader fulfilled. This is not an easy task, so as a writer myself, when I encounter it, I particularly enjoy quality .
Damage Control is Dugoni's second book of fiction and yes, yours truly, ever behind the curve, is commenting on a book published four years ago. There are two reasons for this: One, I opted to start at the beginning of his series when I gave a brief thumbs up to Jury Master in an earlier post, Reading to write right, right? I met Bob at a book signing and writer's discussion sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Writers Association, to which we both belong. He was signing his latest, Wrongful Death, (a shiny new copy of which awaits my attention) and I was a boy on a budget, so it was paperback for me.
Two, I wanted to try reading a thriller on my new Nook e-reader, and again, being on a budget it was the perfect choice. $7.99 for the download, forever available to me, and not an inch of already groaning bookshelf space occupied. I finished the last hundred pages of the book during a two-hour back up at the Canadian border waiting to get back into the U.S. I won't spend any time recounting plot details or characters, that was done by the NY Times years ago, I'll just say I was fully engaged by the book, enjoyed it for what it was--a diverting drama full of the requisite protagonists in peril, dead bodies piling up and mischief and malfeasance in high places. It was a great read and, after all, isn't that what most writers hope for when they put their babies out for the world? Thanks, Bob. Keep 'em coming.
Food
Persistence pays. I have been advocating for duck pho on the menu at Soy House for a long time, and my persistence has come to fruition, sort of. After weeks of tinkering with the recipe, they finally introduced it to the menu. As their unique and delicious pizza was in the beginning, this item is an 'experiment', for now. You need to ask for it, and it isn't available every day--yet. I suggested they make a Facebook post on days it is on the menu, and trust me, you will want to try this. This pho, like all of their soup offerings begins with it's own broth. Most restaurants (including a lot of very pricey haute cuisine joints that should know better) use a 'base' as a short-cut for broth or stock. Imagine that little bullion cube from the red or green can on steroids and you get the idea. Not so at Soy House. I have actually seen roasted bones heading for the stock pot for the beef pho, and each broth is carefully constructed for fabulous flavor to enhance the principal ingredient in a given dish. This duck is delish, full of rich but nuanced flavor. Served on the side is fresh lime, jalapeno slices, mung bean sprouts and leaf lettuce (instead of Thai basil, which isn't really suited to this soup). Made with your choice of rice or egg noodles (get the egg noodles, they work with the flavor profiles better) this is a must-try for lovers of pho.
Now, let's take a moment to ponder the humble duck, and dispel a couple of the myths surrounding the eating of same:
1. Duck is gamey.
WILD duck can be a little-or even a lot-gamey, but farm-raised duck is just a rich tasting dark poultry meat. It can, and should, be served medium rare when prepared as a grilled duck breast, something you dare not do with chicken. But grilled, smoked, marinated or roasted, it opens up your taste buds to a bevy of palate pleasing classics of cuisine. Don't be afraid, embrace your adventurous tendencies. Order the duck-forget the veal.
2. Duck is fatty.
The muscle meat of duck is nearly fat-free. Ducks and geese reserve almost all of their fat in their skin, which is what makes rendering out the fat possible, and yields--when done correctly--a fabulous taste, and far less fat and calories than the generic burger and fries you have no problem pounding down for a quick lunch. What little fat remains become about the best flavor-transport mechanism every designed by nature. Eat the skin, it's tasty!
Their innovative Vietnamese influenced pizza made it to the regular menu (read my review in an earlier post Mason Jar Madness ) after a long introduction period, and I remain hopeful the same will be true for the duck pho. Asian cusine without duck somewhere on the menu is like BBQ without ribs. You can do it, but something important is missing.
FILM
Fatalities (ok, I couldn't come up with a decent alliterative for the last book I read, so sue me.)
Damage Control by Robert Dugoni. Bob is quickly becoming one of my favorite contemporary authors. Mostly writing legal thrillers, his characters and situations--while sensational and intense, as a thriller should be--also have a ring of truth to them. Dialogue is natural, plot lines flow evenly, leading to a crescendo of action with a finely crafted resolution leaving the reader fulfilled. This is not an easy task, so as a writer myself, when I encounter it, I particularly enjoy quality .
Damage Control is Dugoni's second book of fiction and yes, yours truly, ever behind the curve, is commenting on a book published four years ago. There are two reasons for this: One, I opted to start at the beginning of his series when I gave a brief thumbs up to Jury Master in an earlier post, Reading to write right, right? I met Bob at a book signing and writer's discussion sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Writers Association, to which we both belong. He was signing his latest, Wrongful Death, (a shiny new copy of which awaits my attention) and I was a boy on a budget, so it was paperback for me.
Two, I wanted to try reading a thriller on my new Nook e-reader, and again, being on a budget it was the perfect choice. $7.99 for the download, forever available to me, and not an inch of already groaning bookshelf space occupied. I finished the last hundred pages of the book during a two-hour back up at the Canadian border waiting to get back into the U.S. I won't spend any time recounting plot details or characters, that was done by the NY Times years ago, I'll just say I was fully engaged by the book, enjoyed it for what it was--a diverting drama full of the requisite protagonists in peril, dead bodies piling up and mischief and malfeasance in high places. It was a great read and, after all, isn't that what most writers hope for when they put their babies out for the world? Thanks, Bob. Keep 'em coming.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Why Liberals Fail
After the primary a few weeks ago I was chatting with a liberal friend about the post-election washout of candidates. I imagined out loud that since her candidate had not advanced, she would be supporting the Democratic candidate that had moved on to the general election.
"No," was the firm reply. "He voted to fund the war [in Iraq & Afghanistan]. I can't support that. I have to vote my conscience. I am for peace, I will write in the name of my [failed] candidate, and vote for him."
"So," I said, "you will cast a ballot that indirectly favors the candidate whose party started the war under false pretenses. The party that offered no apology or even reasonable excuse for same, whose executive leadership created a torture camp in Cuba and under whose lack of supervision crashed the most vital economy in the world?"
"I have to vote my conscience." End of discussion.
This is why liberals fail. It is a political truism that liberals fall in love; conservatives fall in line. My friend has fallen in love with the candidate and been blinded to the forest by a single tree. This phenomenon has had many names over the political years: Peace & Freedom, Green, Progressives, the Mary Janes and others of a similar splinter mentality. They, and others like them, succumb to the siren song of the 'protest vote', somehow imagining that those votes will be seen with all seriousness in Washington or at the state and local level at least. They are correct in one assumption: They will be seen all right, and promptly dismissed as a constituency that can, and will, be ignored.
As a group, liberals have an astonishingly short collective memory. Only one election cycle ago the most diverse group of voters in my living history accomplished what many believed impossible; they elected an avowed liberal black man to the Presidency of the United States of America. With him they swept into power a huge Congressional majority of Dems and between them--in spite of fierce and almost unanimous opposition from Republicans--managed to enact some of the most important fiscal and social legislation in half a century.
But, alas, Barack Obama proved to be human. He didn't march into office and sweep away 220 years of political bickering with a single blow. Don't Ask-Don't Tell still lingers, as do dozens of left and far left honey-dos. The agenda is incomplete and you are an impatient and fickle crowd. You liberals have lost your understanding of the power of incremental-ism. Like children, you want it all now, or you will sulk in your room.
Republicans are counting on this. The RNC is collecting and spending hundreds of millions of dollars on candidates, that in any other cycle, wouldn't merit a one line obit buried deep in the political pages. They hold their noses, open their checkbooks and fall in line. Most of the mainstream Republicans seeking election, or re-election, are espousing views they cynically don't believe themselves, in order to appeal to a general anxiety amongst the electorate.
And you are letting it happen. You are so busy feeling sorry for yourself that the entire country isn't on board with your goals, that you have fallen into a malaise, that in just a few weeks, threatens to undo what you worked so hard to achieve. If you are disillusioned and frustrated now, imagine how eviscerated you will feel when a cadre of elected representatives come into power that have the avowed goals of re-instituting school prayer, rolling back abortion rights, eliminating Social Security and Medicare, trying to deport millions of undocumented aliens and expanding tax cuts and deregulation to the wealthiest companies and individuals in the country. Don't be misled, these are the central tenants of their governing philosophy.
As a moderate Republican, sidelined by my own party, I find myself watching this slow-motion train wreck in the liberal wing with horror. Oddly, the best hope I, and millions of center-righters like me, have of regaining the reigns of a GOP careening madly out of control to the reactionary right, is a united liberal front. If you throw up your hands and walk away from the process it may be two generations before equilibrium can be restored, and reclaiming sanity in governance likely won't return in my lifetime.
Think about this; after the dust has settled from the upcoming election, states will begin the process of reapportionment and redistricting. It is a little-understood, but critically important, constitutional process that affects the makeup of the House of Representatives and subsequently influences elections not just for ten years, till the next census, but for a generation or more, as Members become the ruling class, and re-election becomes a foregone conclusion for 90% of those running.
I'm trying to regain control of my party one blog at a time, but liberals, I need your help. Don't screw this up, get out the vote.
Ironic, no?
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