Walt Whitman, arguably America's most influential and innovative poet - and a dang Yankee from back east, like myself - was born on this day, May 31, in 1819."I Hear America Singing"
I HEAR America singing, the varied carols I hear;Those of mechanics - each one singing his, as it should be, blithe and strong;The carpenter singing his, as he measures his plank or beam, The mason singing his, as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work;The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat - the deckhands singing on the steamboat deck; The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench - the hatter singing as he stands;The wood-cutter's song - the ploughboy's, on his way in the morning, or at the noon intermission, or at sundown;The delicious singing of the mother - or of the young wife at work - or of the girl sewing or washing - Each singing what belongs to her, and to none else;The day what belongs to the day - At night, the party of young fellows, robust, friendly, Singing, with open mouths, their strong melodious songs.
It's been more than thirty years since I made my last, final and permanent move out into the civilian world ... leaving behind the life of a military brat, which had been mine since the day I was born ... and making a new life 'out there' ...
Life is different off-base ... and, so are the people ... not better, not worse ... just different ...
Out here, Memorial Day only comes once a year. On base, not a day went by that there wasn't some reminder of the sacrifices - not just in dying, but also in living - that are expected of the men and women who answer our nation's call to glory, and enter service with the United States Armed Forces ...
We weren't more morbid ... just more mindful ... everyone who lived on our block was the family of an NCO. Most of our dads were career men ... a few old-timers who had served in World War II, a ton of Korean War vets, and plenty of Vietnam War vets. Many of those last had multiple tours ... it was explained to me, once, that you could have way too many lieutenants in a war, but you could never have enough sergeants.
And we were mindful of the loss ... on-base, we had more neighbors killed or wounded in action, just on our block, than you had in whole cities on the outside, in the civilian world ... true, it was simply a matter of demographics - more soldiers, more casualties - but it shaped our minds and our memories, nonetheless.
More loss, and more apprehension ... that day, for example, when none of our dads came home, all unexpected, because President Kennedy had issued an ultimatum to the Soviet Union over missiles being placed in Cuba ... Kennedy (himself a combat vet) was backing-up his words with actions, and the Marines were headed for Little Creek ...
And more history ... one of the advantages to being posted someplace like Quantico, Virginia, was the close proximity of Washington, D.C. That meant Evening Parade at The Barracks at 8th and I streets ... music, drill, the pomp and ceremony, the tradition ... and the stories! My father, meeting with other old sergeants, the sleeves of their dress blues resembling a colorful washboard with the hashmarks that noted their years of service ... "Well, let me tell you about Chesty Puller, son!" ...
It's easy to forget that history, off-base, provided you ever knew it to begin with ... 'Chesty Puller? ... 'First Marines?' ... 'Chosin?' ... What the hey? There's an old saying about learning from history. I remember, last year, when a Midland elementary school announced they were dropping "Raiders" as their mascot. Okay, that's fine ... your school, your mascot, go for it. But what got to me was, they couldn't let it just go at that ... they had to go on and on about the negative connotations of the word, "Raiders," and how it just wasn't appropriate for a school that prided itself on being exceptionally patriotic ... and they relied upon faulty history to justify their beliefs in what the word represented.
I was mindful of my Uncle Fred, a Marine in the Pacific Theater during World War II, who was briefly attached to Colonel Carlson's Raider Battalion, and fought in some of the most desperate combat of the war. True, 99% of the civilian world has never heard of the Marine Raiders, which was a small, elite unit, in a remote corner of a world war. But you'd think a lot of people would have heard of Dolittle's Raiders, and their 'thirty seconds over Tokyo' ... it was part of a major Hollywood film in 2001, for crying out loud!
And so, today, I have marked Memorial Day ... as I will tomorrow, and the next day, and next week, and next month ... the sacrifice of America's war dead, what Lincoln called "the last full measure of their devotion," won't end in a few minutes, here, as the clock strikes midnight ... why should our gratitude?Semper Fidelis
David Montgomery, at Crime Fiction Dossier, has some thoughts about the new Oliver Stone film, World Trade Center, coming out late this summer, and starring Nicholas Cage. It's the story of two Port Authority police officers who become trapped under the rubble of the World Trade Center.
Here's the trailer .
David's comments are not so much about the merits of the film, or the obligations we have, as Americans, to go see it. Rather, it's about whether we can watch the film. Even accounting for the fact that a trailer presents a film at its very best (as carefully-crafted as the film, itself), I think it's going to be emotionally powerful.I am reminded of some of the comments local Blogfodder, Eric at Fire Ant Gazette, made regarding "United 93," which may apply to this film, as well.
Me? I don't know if I can watch the film. I have always had the highest regard for the NYPD and FDNY of '9/11' ... when the traveling exhibit came to Fort Worth, one part that did cause me to choke-up was that part dealing with the fire crew whose 'day in the life' was being followed by a documentary camera as the planes crashed into the towers behind them. And, the story of the FDNY chaplain, too.Thanks to Frank at BOOKS, INQ. for the heads-up.
Thanks to Frank at BOOKS, INQ. (a real frood who always knows where his towel is), for the heads-up.
Jim at serontoninrain shares this post about what appears to be a vanishing breed on the American cultural landscape ... the small, mom-and-pop bookstore ...
Here, In the Tall City, I still lament the closing of "Pages & Prints." And I found myself nodding in agreement more than once as I read Jim's post about what we stand to lose - not just as readers, but as a community - when such stores close their doors.P&P's Jim and Alathea Blischke weren't just proprietors of a bookstore. They were - and still are! - friends of mine, and friends of my family. Among the gifts that greeted the arrival of our firsborn, was a copy of "The Legend of Bluebonnet" , a present from the Blischke's, inspired by one of the first photos we had taken of the our child, lying in a field of Hill Country bluebonnets.While they do offer their own, unique advantages, our modern mega-bookstores simply can't compete in other respects. The setting at Pages & Prints was intimate, the contact was personal, and the experience of discovering old bibio-friends - or finding new ones! - was exhilerating.
It's hard to remember if there was ever so much turnover - over such a short period of time - as there has been at the anchor desks for the 'Big 3' broadcast networks, over the past year ...
The latest installment of this ongoing, developing story came earlier today, with the announcement that Charles Gibson would anchor ABC's World News Tonight ...
Some good coverage on the announcement, the initial reaction and the suggested impact at mediabistro.com.
So, what do you think?
Burr Williams has been very, very quiet in his corner of the virtual world, over at El Llanero ... but out here, in the actual world, he remains on call, and more than happy to discuss one's observations in West Texas naturalism ...
I was one of those callers, this week ...
After dropping-off the boys at school, over in the southeast corner of Midland (a mixture of homes, open lots and mature trees), I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye ... at first, I took them to be a couple of large pigeons, but they just didn't 'fly right.' I had a chance to pull over, park, and take a closer look ... nope, those were not pigeons.
Consulting my little, paperback Golden Field Guide to Birds of North America, I was looking at a pair of mature Mississippi Kites.
Didn't seem likely, though ... so, once I got to work, I called Burr at the Sibley Center. He confirmed it ... that's exactly what I saw. He then went on to tell me about kites, their hunting habits and their diet ... and how that diet is threatened by changes here, in West Texas.
I have said before, that Burr Williams is one of West Texas' preeminent natural historians ... which he demonstrated, once again, in answering my call.
I guess you could say he, too, is a natural - and very valuable - resource.
At the halfway point of a campaign swing through Odessa-Midland, Kinky Friedman - singer / songwriter / author / candidate-for-governor / and sworn enemy of the 'wussification' of Texas - stopped at this month's meeting of the Permian Basin Landman's Association. Having very close contacts with at least one landman in the Tall City, I was invited for dinner, drinks ... and the most refreshing dose of political punditry to blow through the Lone Star State since ... well ... ever ...
Sporting that black felt hat, and puffing on the trademark cigar, Friedman worked the crowd and worked it well ... no one was turned away, no topic was off-limits, and no idea was too outrageous ... the fellow next to me wanted a spot on the Railroad Commission when Friedman is elected governor.
Me? I wanted a spot on the Texas Film Commission.
But that's nothing compared to what Friedman supporter - and fellow singer / songwriter / author - Jimmy Buffett reportedly wanted in return for his support of Kinky's campaign!
The turnout for this month's PBLA meeting was unusually large. One reason is, it was 'executive night' (an annual gala) and the occasion to mark the 'changing of the guard' on the organization's board ... but, I heard over and over again ... a chance to meet Kinky was also a big draw.
Response to Friedman's presentation was large, and genuinely appreciative ... whether it was laughter at his jokes, or agreement with some of his suggestions about how to solve the problems that plague 'politics as usual' in the Lone Star State.
That presentation closed on a serious note, when Friedman read one of his contributions to Texas Monthly ... a short piece called, "The Navigator," a tribute to his dad and a reminder of the things that have made our country great. There were those I spoke to, afterwards, who said they might seriously consider voting for Tom Friedman's son.
So, does Kinky Friedman stand a snowball's chance in ... well, you know ... of winning the election?
To quote him ... "Why the hell not?"
And, even before we go to the polls this November, have we, 'the people,' already won something from Friedman's candidacy?
I think so ... it is my fervent hope that Friedman's unrelenting candor and openness will rub-off on his three main opponents - all three of whom would qualify as career politicians - and maybe ... just, maybe ... raise the bar a little on open, candid debate, and a serious discussion of the issues in the campaign ahead. That would be good for all of us.
It is also my hope that his independence and his outrageousness - as compared to the carefully crafted and blown-dry image of his opponents - might attract more people to the polls, especially young people.
If he can accomplish that, then the State of Texas - as a whole - could be a winner.
Frank has started a good discussion at BOOKS, INQ. with this post about a call for action by some, in response to the upcoming release of the film version of "The Da Vinci Code".
That discussion has already covered additional, related topics - all of interest - regarding the impact of the film, the impact of the book upon which it was based, what might be gained from studying the Bible in school, and what use Christians might make from 'the buzz' surrounding the film.
I strongly suggest you get involved in this discussion.
I promise, this is absolutely the last post I will make on this topic ... at least, for today ...
I've been thinking some more about something I posted last week, about "suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous (and undeserved) fortune" ...
In the first post, I was happy to chide Eric, at Fire Ant Gazette, for letting fly some undeserved darts ... then, later, I took some of the "Day Without a Mexican/Latino/Immigrant/Whatever" protesters to task, for loosing some badly-aimed barbs of their own ...
Anybody else?
Well, yeah ... how about ME ? ...
Did I take some unworthy, and undeserved shots at some new arrivals to West Texas' corner of the blogosphere?
Perhaps I have ... in re-reading that post, I realize that I might have chosen my words more carefully and, perhaps, have avoided the tone of hubris I perceived in some of their opening statements ... especially N2News' ...
I realize, in retrospect, that statements like, "I spend too many hours-a-day, too many days-a-week, working broadcast and online news, to come home and have somebody presume to tell me all about it ..." make me out to be no better than some of the self-appointed media experts out there ... those who say so much, but apparently know so little about the profession and its practitioners ...
mea culpa ...
And welcome to the new blogs ... and write well ... and write often ... you have already assuaged some of my fears that we were going to hear nothing but the same old rants about the media ... and have posted thoughts and views about the rest of the world, too ... of which, the media (my beloved profession) is, really, just a small part ...
I've been thinking about something I posted a couple of days ago, about "suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous (and undeserved) fortune" ...Last week, Jimmy at Sticky Doorknobs found himself dodging just such barbs, over something he claims - and I believe - he never wrote ...
I like to think, this weekend, Mr. Bush in Washington is nodding his head in sympathy with Mr. Patterson in Midland ...
Tomorrow is "Day Without a Mexican/Latino/Immigrant/Whatever" and, already, the rhetoric is cranking-up ...
One thing I'm hearing in taped interviews here, in West Texas, and elsewhere in the country, is that they're protesting President Bush's crackdown on illegal immigration, and his lack of sympathy for illegal immigrants living and working in the U.S. ...
Excuse me?
That's not what I'm hearing. My interpretation is that Bush wants to cut illegals some slack ... find a way for them to earn legal standing here ... which has put him at odds with other politicos inside the Beltway, including both Texans in the U.S. Senate ...Isn't it Congress' crackdown they should be protesting?I only ask, because I'm a firm believer in people taking to the streets, standing up, walking out and speaking up for what they believe in ...But shouldn't you have a clearer idea of exactly what and who you're protesting?George Bush may never have my vote ... but, this weekend, at least, he has my sympathy ...
Walt Whitman, arguably America's most influential and innovative poet - and a dang Yankee from back east, like myself - was born on this day, May 31, in 1819.
