Thanksgiving Dinner

I had this blog nearly written, when I lost power momentarily and lost it all. It was a masterful input, full of whit and wisdom. Instead, we are stuck with this entry for which I am only half interested now.... Here it goes:

My family and I attended Thanksgiving with her side of the family in Arizona. With eight other siblings, children, grandchildren and great grand children--it was quite a houseful. I found myself sitting quietly watching the family dynamics unfold and was nearly ready to start writing a book on my observations. It was great to see everyone, consider the sacrifices many made to be there--and then the sacrifices they made while there, from watching the children to early morning hours starting the turkeys (one brother-in-law stayed up all night to smoke a couple turkeys--tasted great). Two of my wife's sibling couldn't make it due to work commitments. They were very much missed. One sister was going to have an operation the next week. Cousins were trying to figure out how to reacquaint themselves. I began to realize that the sacrifices were really sacrifices but statements of love and the stories unfolding before my eyes were probably being played out in one form or another in many many households through out the country. Great theme for another wiki book! I need to get the first Byblos Press Wiki Book rolling first...

So here are a few potential chapter headings for the book I saw this Thanksgiving:

Matriarch Knows Best
Prodigal Brother
Mumbai and Cherry Pie (the terrorist attacks in Mumbai were a part of the conversation over desert--the sad juxtaposition was not lost on us)
Out of Work, Over Worked, and Still Working It Out
Family and Fudge: Mostly Sweet, Some Nuts
Different Flowers, Same Garden
Listening Ears, Trust, Acceptance -- Whatever
Goth, Goethe, and Gastronomy
Today Will Never Happen Again, but Let's Try Next Year

Prisoner of Birth and TSAR

I just came back from a trip where I had planned to read two books. I did some online research on both before purchasing them. I was disappointed with one book (and my faulty research on it). I didn't finish it. The other book I completed and enjoyed it.

The two books were Prisoner of Birth by Jeffrey Archer and TSAR by Ted Bell. I didn't complete TSAR because of the foul language, Bell's overstretched efforts to make his hero Hawke bigger than life, and the gratuitous sex and crudeness in language of some situational depictions that I choose not to read. I didn't come across any reviews which warned readers of these issues and so when I went into the book store to pick them up as I was leaving on my trip, I didn't take the time to thumb through the pages and read a few passages. My dumb mistake. For this reason, I will not review the book, but if you are looking for any of the above or if you are trying to avoid it, you are now forewarned.

I enjoy Archer books, even though I wish the author were a little less prideful about his talent. This is as good as any he has written. I enjoyed Kane and Abel and The Prodigal Daughter more, because they were the first books of Archer's that I read, but this was written just as well. Archer provides and interesting twist on Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo. Archer's tale takes place in the UK, on London's East End, in Belmarsh Prison, the posh West End of London, and brief visits to Scotland and Switzerland. Along the way the reader is treated with insights into the details of prison life, class structure and the legal process in the UK, Swiss banks, some really good people and some truly despicable people. There were few surprises, but I found myself cheering on the good guys--especially at the end of the book. Archer allows his hero treat retribution and revenge with the same semantic meaning, which was disappointing, but perhaps that was a flaw intentionally placed in Danny's character on purpose.

Apart from the issues of class structure in the novel, the author does a good job of pointing out that no matter where you are born or find yourself along the path of life, you can be a good person. If you are looking for an enjoyable read, only minimal deep thought, and a chance to cheer on the good guys, this will be a happy purchase.

So I Voted

So I have my “I voted” sticker. I did not go to Starbucks, or Krispy Kreme, or Ben and Jerry’s, however, to celebrate my freedom of franchise, nor to cash in on my patriotism as I have sadly heard some joke. I left the voting booth in deep thought and needed to discuss those thoughts with my keyboard.

I entered the voting booth with my prepared list of yes’s and no’s for the 12 California propositions. I had decided to make a write-in vote for President, but passed on that part of the ballot and voted for local offices with surety. I made it through all the propositions because of my previous preparation in less than a minute. My previous study on the presidential race had left me in a quandary. There are things about both candidates that I greatly respect. There are things about both I don’t like. And then, there are the policies each represents or proposes. Again there are things I like and things I simply and adamantly disagree with. I never understood how a person could “throw their vote away” in voting for a candidate that had no chance to win. I thought I had overcome that feeling and had decided that if the perfect candidate existed for me, I decided I would vote for him or her even if I was the only vote that person got. Then I looked at my ballot and had second thoughts...

For a fleeting moment I had thoughts of leaving my vote for President blank. The words “Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote,” came to mind. I do believe Eisenhower’s words that “The future of this republic is in the hands of the American voter.” So I voted.

And, I will support whoever is elected as the chief executive of this country. I remember the statement by another President, Kennedy, that said, “There is no city in the United States in which I can get a warmer welcome and fewer votes than Columbia, Ohio.” I say hurray for Columbus, Ohio for being big enough to support the President, and enough of trying to get things done in this day by pointing out the faults of the other person and party, or automatically dismissing something because the other party thought of it first. Are we Americans first, or party members first?

I know few people more interested, informed, and capable of understanding the complexities of national and global conduct than my mother. Last night we had a discussion about Presidential elections. We both agreed that it was a national embarrassment and a terrible waste of money to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on campaigns. That money could do so much good in so many ways. I mentioned that I was glad and even excited about the election finally being here. Even with my struggles with candidates and policies, I am an optimist and no matter who is elected I believe this country is bigger than one person (even if that person is the President) and as long as the country has our support, that person will do fine. My mom on the other hand feels like she has been burned too many times. The last time she really believed in the candidate was Goldwater. I don’t know whether that means Goldwater was the last good candidate or that from that time on she was no longer living under the influence of her staunch Republican father (party first person second), or her naiveté was lost. I saw this somewhere and had to search for it this morning because it seemed to sum up my mother’s feelings: An unsolicited email arrived which said thanks to those who had voted for Clinton-Gore and among other things: Thanks for making Jimmy Carter look competent, Gerald Ford look graceful, Richard Nixon look honest, Lyndon Johnson look truthful and John Kennedy look moral. So whoever is elected, they owe it to the citizens of this great country like my mom to not jade their outlook on the US political process. A lot of promises have been made that simply can’t be fulfilled. On the other hand, the new President needs to be meek and teachable, yet strong and true to the principles which allowed him to seek and eventually accept the responsibilities of office.

In my last blog I offered up some thoughts about the book, Raintree County. I now take a quote from that book (pp. 44-45): In the year 1826, the Scotch philanthropist Robert Owen founded New Harmony on the Wabash River in southern Indiana. Down the Ohio and up the Wabash came a Boatload of Knowledge÷scientists, artists, and educators imported from the East and from overseas to found a New Moral World in the western wilderness. People were invited to come and join a paradise regained by innate human goodness. The noble experiment lasted two years and collapsed in the usual picturesque wreckage of innate human selfishness and inefficiency. But many gifted people remained and fostered an interest in science and art so much advanced for the place and the period that New Harmony came to be known as the Athens of the West. Among the New Harmonians were students of natural science, and it was one of these who brought to New Harmony the seeds of an exotic tree, which he planted by the gate of his house. Make your own metaphors, but the book itself could be a passionate search of Raintree County—this American experiment, for the raintree—the principles of this great country—the seed of what makes us unique, and teachable, but strong and unwavering.

In an early dream sequence, the tragic protagonist, Shawnessy finds a map of the county, “He was certain that in the pattern of its lines and letters this map contained the answer to the old conundrum of his life in Raintree county. It was all warm and glowing with the secret he had sought for half a century. The words inscribed on the deep paper were dawnwords, each one disclosing the origin and essence of the thing named. But as he sought to read them, they dissolved into the substance of the map.”

As I held the ballot in my hands today, I felt a little bit like Shawnessy in his dream. I wanted to see the answer, but like the Shawnessy hero of Raintree County seeking for his Golden Bough, any certain answer dissolved away. But action in the midst of uncertainty is at least party what faith is all about—so I voted.

As I left the polling place I held the door open for an older gentleman with a patriotic T-shirt on. A member of the “Greatest Generation,” he walked with a cane and stooped shoulders. But behind his aged eyes was a determined stare and he had a smile on his face. He lifted my spirits and confirmed in my heart that I had done the right thing. I have no idea who he would vote for or how he would vote on the issues. It didn’t matter whether I would agree with him or not. He had come to vote again and I had just voted. As I walked to my car I understood anew the scripture in Revelations 3:16: "So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." I would not let myself become lukewarm, but rather continue to try to fulfill the requirements laid out in Isaiah 61: 1-3, that I might become my own tree of righteousness.

With editing on my part the words of William F. Buckley (my edits in bold): I will not willingly cede more power to anyone, not to the state, not to industry and commerce, not to the natural man or worse. I will hoard my power like a miser, resisting every effort to drain it away from me. I will then use my power, as I see fit. I mean to live my life an obedient man, but obedient to God, subservient to the wisdom of my ancestors; never to the authority of political truths arrived at yesterday at the voting booth. That is the lure of the Zeitgeist, is it not? It is certainly threat enough for me to keep my conservative side compassionate and teachable, and my liberal side infused with Christian spirituality and a healthy does of individualism. And I pray, the nation free.

Raintree County and Understanding the Cesspool Without Jumping Into It

So, one of my sisters asked for a short review of Raintree County by Ross Lockridge. Here is my review:

This isn't a light read, but an important work of literature. At one level, it's a historical novel about a graduating poet/teacher who falls in love with a Southern woman, and then the Civil War and her past create problems. At the far end of the spectrum some suggest it is about the perception that person and place, space and time, are interdependent and one--an ecological novel written before its time. For me it is a book about the sources of American nationalism, its durability and its myths. It touches on slavery, the Civil War, industrialism, labor movements, populism, etc. and asks the question of future generations--if we are up to the task of sustaining what earlier generations have sacrificed for. It's not an easy read--lots of dream sequences and flashbacks--pivoting around a Fourth of July day; a fair bit of love and lust, some good humor, but mostly philosophical metaphors and symbolism delivered by some interesting characters. Some have said it is the Hoosier War and Peace (takes place in Indiana). An important read for the student of the United States.

Here is my frustration: I read this as an assigned book for a masters degree class some years ago. I also remember my grandfather reading it when I was younger. I wonder, however, if the more salacious parts are worth plodding through to get the gist of the book, or even if these crude areas negate the value of the rest of the book. It's like the adolescent argument about watching an inappropriate video... "I will just fast forward though the bad part." That simply doesn't float with me. I understand the importance of the metaphors the author is trying to create, but do we always have to communicate with crudeness to portray a crude situation or environment? We know slavery is a terrible thing, but creating a metaphor with titillating debauchery does not great literature make. I do think Lockridge's work asks great questions and is mostly well written, but the virtual experiences the author employs that pluck the strings of our baser selves and the justification of metaphorical discovery later is not the kind of learning I seek.

I had the extreme pleasure of reviewing a draft copy of a book, now published, by Chuck Render. Chuck is the author of numerous works of fiction including The Tontin and Hibernaculum. He has also authored numerous screen plays. A word of reference: Dr. Chuck Render and I were stationed at the Pentagon together some years ago (OK, a couple decades ago) and continue to stay in touch.
The book is Brandy: Portrait of an Intelligence Officer. It is published by Red Anvil Press, 2007. ISBN-13: 978-1-932762-85-3. I read the draft while in Shanghai, China attending Fudan University for some PhD courses. Needless to say, I had homework each night and there was plenty to do and see, but I couldn't wait to get in some reading of Chuck's book each day. To say it is simply a biography of a very interesting man is a significant understatement. It reads like Wouk's Winds of War, but you have to keep reminding yourself this is fact, not historical fiction. From Frank Brandsetter's birth in Brataslava to his early years in New York City, to the battlefields of the Second World War and the Cold War, this is an eye opening read. As we step into this new century with all its dangers and challenges, I have to wonder if there are any patriots of the caliber of Colonel Brandstetter in the Human Intelligence corps today...

Stephanie Meyers' Twilight

I have not completed reading Twilight by Stephanie Meyers. I admit, the main reason I am reading it is because all the ladies in my house have read, or are reading the four book series. I am still a little concerned about the genre of the book and the power it has on reader's emotions. I say hurray for writers like Stephanie who write well enough to carry the reader to places only books can take us. I just want to make sure the places this book takes us are where I want my 12 year old daughter to go.

Instead of discussing this book myself, I would like to offer the following link for anyone interested--to a great humorous review: http://mormonhusbands.blogspot.com/2008/02/twilight-series-for-dummies-and-totally.html

Oak Trees and Human History

My daughter gave me an outstanding book for Father's Day. Oak: The Frame of Civilization by William Bryant Logan. ISBN 0-393-04773-3. My family and I recently moved to the Sierra foothills of California, about 30 miles from Yosemite. The area is populated by various species of Oak--a tree that I have come to love. This book offers a glimpse into the role oak has played in the forming and nurturing of civilization. Logan's book is well written, not at all dry, and nearly every page provides surprising insight into the knowledge and wisdom of humankind's close relationship with the oak tree. I recommend this book for anyone with a curiosity about the natural world and how it works, for anyone interested in history and the amazing things people have discovered and accomplished, or if you are looking for a little insight on a subject you may not have ever thought about before. I promise you, you will discover something new in this book.