In Thurdsay's online edition of the Columbia Daily Tribune, a reader posted the following comment; "I always admitted that "W" was a bungler and truly wished we had a better speaker to put forth the conservative ideals that most true Americans hold dear."
I responded with the following:
Most TRUE Americans hold conservatives ideals dear? So if I am not a conservative then I am not a TRUE American? There is the TRUE problem facing our country today. Why can't we have an intelligent debate about issues without questioning each other's patriotism or love of country? I voted for Obama, as did the majority of voters in the last election. Therefore, I don't see how it's possible that "most true Americans" hold dear the values of conservativism.
I am a true American. I support your right to question my patriotism, even if it makes me angry. I support your right to cling too tightly to the belief that yours is the only correct point of view, although in my opinion you couldn't be more wrong. But I do ask you, with all due respect, to please refrain from insinuating that people in this country who disagree with you are not true Americans.
My great grandfather fought for America in WWI. My grandfather in WWII. My father in Vietnam. They fought to preserve your right to say incendiary things like proclaiming that you, and not their own descendant, are a true American. I hope that you and every true American remembers my ancestors' service to this great country of ours this Memorial Day.
As for this liberal, yet TRUE as they come American, I say thank you to all of the men and women who have fought, been injured, or died so that I can have the opportunity to sit here sipping my coffee, typing on my computer, and listening to my kids playing in the next room--a pretty damn good life if you ask me.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
I'm Still Alive
Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. I have been taking a writing hiatus following the completion of the first draft of my book Naked Snow Angels. I needed to step away from the demands of finding something creative to say on a daily basis, and so yes, I must admit that I have been spending way too much time on the mindless distraction that is Facebook.
All the cold and rainy weather we have had for the past few months has caused me to slide into a very unsatisfying rut of checking email, checking facebook, reading the online version of the newspaper, and searching online listings for classic cars for sale that I cannot afford. Well folks, the sun has come out today, and I am feeling frisky.
Four or five more cups of coffee and I may be ready to start revising my book. I am not sure whether to change it from a non-fiction memoir to a novel, a collection of short stories, or a collection of humorous essays, but I'm pretty sure it will be quite changed in version 2.0. Stay tuned for further updates and excerpts.
And thank you for remaining my loyal and patient fans.
All the cold and rainy weather we have had for the past few months has caused me to slide into a very unsatisfying rut of checking email, checking facebook, reading the online version of the newspaper, and searching online listings for classic cars for sale that I cannot afford. Well folks, the sun has come out today, and I am feeling frisky.
Four or five more cups of coffee and I may be ready to start revising my book. I am not sure whether to change it from a non-fiction memoir to a novel, a collection of short stories, or a collection of humorous essays, but I'm pretty sure it will be quite changed in version 2.0. Stay tuned for further updates and excerpts.
And thank you for remaining my loyal and patient fans.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
WWII in HD
Last night, I stayed up till two in the morning watching most of the WWII in HD marathon on the History Channel. I had seen most of these episodes the first time they ran, but this time I got to watch them all back-to-back. I couldn't turn it off.
My first thought after watching the series was that most people under the age of 30 probably don't have a living family member who fought in WWII. For these young people, the war is just another chapter in their history books at school. That is why this program should be required viewing in every high school history class. It makes the abstract concepts of world-wide warfare, genocide, and self-sacrifice very real.
I feel so indebted to my grandfathers and great uncles who fought in World War Two. Aldace Naughton, Jr served in the Pacific Theater while James Everett Naughton, his cousin, fought in the Battle of the Bulge against the Nazis. My mom's father, Robert Keller served in the Pacific, too, though I am not as familiar with his history. Part of me wants to know more about their experiences, but another part of me is afraid to know what these men saw during their tours of duty. I owe my life and my freedom to these great men. We all do.
I hope free people everywhere are aware that were it not for the incredible sacrifices of "The Greatest Generation" our world would be a very different place today. Can you fathom what life would be like on our planet if the Allies had lost the war? An estimated 70 million people died during the six years of WWII, half of them civilians. Imagine how many more would have perished had the Nazis and Japanese won. When we play with our i-phones and nintendos, listen to gangster rap and heavy metal, and tolerate baseball and football players going on strike because their $100 million contracts are never enough, shouldn't we stop for a moment to reflect upon what our grandfathers who froze to death in foxholes in France or were burned alive on Tarawa would think of our shallow, self-indulgences?
The next time you start to complain about the way the boy at the store bagged your groceries or the apparent shortage of foam in your Starbucks latte, think about the millions of men who were conscripted into the military, taken from their families, and thrown in front of a Japanese or German pillbox full of machine guns. Whenever you start to whine about how unfair it is that someone at work gets a better office or parking space than you, think about the men who were assigned to storm the beaches of Normandy or Okinawa, who knew that they may never see their wives or children again. When you get impatient waiting in the emergency room to see a doctor about your sprained ankle, think about the field nurses who held the hands of thousands of young men as they bled to death after being blown to pieces by exploding mortars.
The men and women who served in WWII are true heroes. Tiger Woods was never a hero. It amuses me how many people tuned in to watch his mea culpa press conference. I don't care how many strippers he was with. I don't care how far he can hit a golf ball. There are men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan getting killed or maimed everyday who don't even get a mention in the news for the sacrifices they've made. I wonder how our WWII vets, the few that are still with us, can tolerate living in a society that is so shallow and so oblivious to what really matters in the world. Freedom. Family. Love. Those things matter.
Next time you see an 85 year old, thank him or her for saving the world. Thank them for what you have and the life you live. We owe them everything. Absolutely everything.
My first thought after watching the series was that most people under the age of 30 probably don't have a living family member who fought in WWII. For these young people, the war is just another chapter in their history books at school. That is why this program should be required viewing in every high school history class. It makes the abstract concepts of world-wide warfare, genocide, and self-sacrifice very real.
I feel so indebted to my grandfathers and great uncles who fought in World War Two. Aldace Naughton, Jr served in the Pacific Theater while James Everett Naughton, his cousin, fought in the Battle of the Bulge against the Nazis. My mom's father, Robert Keller served in the Pacific, too, though I am not as familiar with his history. Part of me wants to know more about their experiences, but another part of me is afraid to know what these men saw during their tours of duty. I owe my life and my freedom to these great men. We all do.
I hope free people everywhere are aware that were it not for the incredible sacrifices of "The Greatest Generation" our world would be a very different place today. Can you fathom what life would be like on our planet if the Allies had lost the war? An estimated 70 million people died during the six years of WWII, half of them civilians. Imagine how many more would have perished had the Nazis and Japanese won. When we play with our i-phones and nintendos, listen to gangster rap and heavy metal, and tolerate baseball and football players going on strike because their $100 million contracts are never enough, shouldn't we stop for a moment to reflect upon what our grandfathers who froze to death in foxholes in France or were burned alive on Tarawa would think of our shallow, self-indulgences?
The next time you start to complain about the way the boy at the store bagged your groceries or the apparent shortage of foam in your Starbucks latte, think about the millions of men who were conscripted into the military, taken from their families, and thrown in front of a Japanese or German pillbox full of machine guns. Whenever you start to whine about how unfair it is that someone at work gets a better office or parking space than you, think about the men who were assigned to storm the beaches of Normandy or Okinawa, who knew that they may never see their wives or children again. When you get impatient waiting in the emergency room to see a doctor about your sprained ankle, think about the field nurses who held the hands of thousands of young men as they bled to death after being blown to pieces by exploding mortars.
The men and women who served in WWII are true heroes. Tiger Woods was never a hero. It amuses me how many people tuned in to watch his mea culpa press conference. I don't care how many strippers he was with. I don't care how far he can hit a golf ball. There are men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan getting killed or maimed everyday who don't even get a mention in the news for the sacrifices they've made. I wonder how our WWII vets, the few that are still with us, can tolerate living in a society that is so shallow and so oblivious to what really matters in the world. Freedom. Family. Love. Those things matter.
Next time you see an 85 year old, thank him or her for saving the world. Thank them for what you have and the life you live. We owe them everything. Absolutely everything.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Revisionist History
"Naked Snow Angels" is one step closer to completion. I just finished the first revision of my manuscript and will be heading to Kinko's to print a couple copies off. I will send these to a couple of people whom I trust to edit and critique my book. This makes me more anxious than writing the 25 chapter, 262 page manuscript in the first place.
This book is more than the story of my life--writing it has become my life's work. I have realized after years of bouncing around from one job to another and never feeling satisfied with any particular occupation, that I just hadn't stumbled upon what I was really cut out to be--a writer. It isn't that I'm allergic to good old fashioned hard work or that I'm just extremely lazy. It turns out that some people are butchers, some are salesmen, some are groundskeepers, and some are writers.
I think the book I have created is actually pretty damn good. The process has been very interesting as the manuscript has evolved from a novel, to a collection of random essays, and finally into cohesive memoir that while not written in a strictly chronological order, flows naturally from start to finish. There are stories from my childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, and my life as a husband and father. I've included a good balance of humorous, cringe worthy, poignant, and enlightening material that I think will leave the reader looking forward to my next book.
And I have several more books in me. At first, I wasn't sure that I had enough material to write one full-length book, but now I know that the wealth of experiences that I have to draw story ideas from is virtually limitless. The question now becomes, will anyone in the publishing world take a chance and buy my book? After making my final revisions, hopefully in the next few weeks, I will start sending out queries to literary agents and editors in the hope that someone in New York City will give an old country boy a shot.
Thanks for your support and stay tuned for further updates.
This book is more than the story of my life--writing it has become my life's work. I have realized after years of bouncing around from one job to another and never feeling satisfied with any particular occupation, that I just hadn't stumbled upon what I was really cut out to be--a writer. It isn't that I'm allergic to good old fashioned hard work or that I'm just extremely lazy. It turns out that some people are butchers, some are salesmen, some are groundskeepers, and some are writers.
I think the book I have created is actually pretty damn good. The process has been very interesting as the manuscript has evolved from a novel, to a collection of random essays, and finally into cohesive memoir that while not written in a strictly chronological order, flows naturally from start to finish. There are stories from my childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, and my life as a husband and father. I've included a good balance of humorous, cringe worthy, poignant, and enlightening material that I think will leave the reader looking forward to my next book.
And I have several more books in me. At first, I wasn't sure that I had enough material to write one full-length book, but now I know that the wealth of experiences that I have to draw story ideas from is virtually limitless. The question now becomes, will anyone in the publishing world take a chance and buy my book? After making my final revisions, hopefully in the next few weeks, I will start sending out queries to literary agents and editors in the hope that someone in New York City will give an old country boy a shot.
Thanks for your support and stay tuned for further updates.
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