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David Mitchell

And I still think Barbara was tops - in a class all by herself. 

John Maxwell

David Mitchell

"Some political people do lie all the time, and step over their friend to achieve the objective themselves. But I’m one who believes that one’s word of honor is about one of the most fundamentally important things there is."

G.H.W. Bush

Mark Schweickart

Jack -- 1) You'll need to take a moment once your head has thawed from all of this outdoor male-bonding experiences you've been having, and tell us what this was all about. I am not at all clear on what the point of these sessions are. 2) I think you and Mike are correct in remembering the stolen Street-Rat items were sweatshirts, not T-shirts, as I had said. I am surprised you know the back story about the artist. Did we know that at the time (I don't think so)? In fact your post was the first I had heard of that. 3) Another way to get into St. Johns Arena and the Football Stadium, was the way myself and Ken Seminsky did, we worked as Coca-Cola vendors marching up and down the aisles. COKE HERE!!! The bad news was that we never really saw any of the games, but it was kind of cool being there. Except the very first day we did this, they still were using the old wooden crates that held a dozen glass bottles, which became rididulously heavy after awhile, and tedious. When you got a sale, you had to pour the drink into a cup, that you also carried. The glass bottle had remption value, plus, they didn't want potential projectiles lying about, in the event the game did not go as desired. Fortunately,  the very next game introduced the switch-over to prefilled cups in a lightweight aluminum tray. Yay!  Then the nemesis was the weather. As the season moved from warm September to the colder months, the only attendees  interested in a Coke were those who had brought their flasks of bourbon or rum, and wanted a mixer. Sales slumped, but you still couldn't just sit down and watch the game, so it was less than terrific.

Dave -- I will keep this brief because I know we want to minimize political discourse here, plus, I know it isn't very nice to speak ill of the recently departed. Nonetheless, just let me say, there is a lot of information about how nefarious GHW and his clan have been over the years. I book I read on the subject was by Russ Baker, who I think used to be syndicated in one of the Columbus papers back in the 70's. You may remember him as being rather levelheaded in his columns. His book is entitled, Family of Secrets. And if you go to the Amazon page for books about the Bush family, you will see Mr. Baker is far from being alone in presenting an unflattering portrait. I know, I know, there are always several crack-pot conspiracy views about whomever the subject may be these days, so one has to be judicious in evaluating the claims being made. Nonetheless, my point is, there may have been much to this former head of the CIA than we were ever aware.

John Jackson

I’m going to side with Dave and Mike and Jack on Bush 41.  I didn’t vote for him (either time) and, like all Presidents, he had his lapses (the Willie Horton ad comes to mind), but by and large he was a decent and honorable man who did what he thought was best for the country.  And his willingness to raise taxes, while also insisting on spending cuts, helped get us out of the ruinous deficits brought on by the Reagan tax cuts and constituted a real act of political courage (which probably cost him re-election).

He was also the personification of noblesse oblige – the idea that if you’ve been given a lot, you are obligated to give a lot back - a concept sadly lacking in our increasingly income–stratified country.

I’ll resist the temptation to make any snarky comparisons between Bush 41 and the boastful, lying, insecure, and self-absorbed buffoon who is our current President other than to say I only wish we had someone like Bush 41 to lead us now.

On a final note – are we giving the Scribe of Orlando a pass on his second misspelling?  Janie, after a second offense don’t you have to sit out for a week?

David Mitchell

Mark

I AM actually aware of some of the very "irregular" business doings of the entire Bush family.

His father, Senator  Prescot Bush of Connecticut (born in Columbus Ohio) was accused of several unfavorable charges; A) he acquired a great deal of his wealth as a NYC Banker who handled the funds for one of Hitler's early financial supporters - one Fritz Thyssen. Thyssen later was "divorced" from Hiter and I believe the connection with Bush Sr. was later judged to be without political motive or influenence. B) He was also later connected with a rumored plot to assisinate Roosevelt - never proven, I believe?  C) Ironically, he later led a group that atttempted to pressure Eisenhower into signing an early Civil Rights Bill, which Eisenhower refused to sign.

I am aslo keenly aware of younger brother (corrrection - younger son)  Neil's episode with Silverado Savings. I was living in Denver at the  time and knew several of the key players in that illegal scheme. Neil nor any of the main culprits - other officers of the Savigns and Loan, a local homebuilder, (who a good personal friend worked for - and quit because she saw things that didn't "look right"), a well known Law firm (Bronstein), and an  accountant I used to work with at the same real estate firm. NOTE: Yes, Niel and many others should have gone to jail over that one - NONE DID!

And I am a aware of Bush 43's very questionable sale of his interest in the Texas Rangers - a deal in which he came out a huge winner, while other investors were fleeced out of millions.

And I am aware of Jeb's unexplainable relief from a large real estate loan write off - for no apparent reason other than his family name.

No, I do get it Mark. Money talks and rank has it's priviledges. As for this late GHW Bush's term at the CIA, I will withhold comment.

As to the Iran Contra affair, I still bleive Reagan kept him out fo the loop (from almost everything - I don't think they really trusted one another privately)

So I limit my praise to the man during his 12 years as V.P. and President. 

OH YES, and his service as a Navy fighter pilot in the Pacific. 

Michael McLeod

A recommendation: the documentary about Joan Didion, The Center Will Not Hold, is just marvelous. I highly recommend it. Caught it on Netflix and immediately shared it with my significant other, for whom Didion was a longtime fave. The range and the depth of Didion's accomplishments as an essayist -- absolutely one of the greatest of our generation -- is just astonishing, from tackling the darkness of the flower power era to contending with grief with such astonishing courage. An incredibly courageous writer and woman.

Kathleen Wintering (Nagy)

George Bush really was quite a statesman for our country and I too,  thought the world of Barbara Bush as First Lady!  Kathy Wintering

Michael McLeod

A gorgeous tribute that illustrates the ability to disagree without disrespect and the vast gap between coarseness and class.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/02/opinion/george-hw-bush-maureen-dowd.html

John Jackson

Mike, I really enjoyed Maureen Dowd's piece.

Michael McLeod

I could use it in my writing class. Dense with telling details -- the little things that say a lot.

Timothy Lavelle

Days of presidential news that has been complimentary, from the heart and reverential. Such a great, if temporary, change for all of us.  

David Mitchell

Mike,

I think I am in love with Maureen Dowd. To be able to write like that - wow.

And the content was so damned refreshing - and human. It almost made me imagine that I had lived through such a time. 

David Mitchell

We were talking a few days back about Proms and Cotillions. I Just found something kind of fun to share.

(Actually this is just to make McLeod jealous)

I came across a few photos that had gotten separated from others I keep in a box. It occurred to me that I had just marked another 50th anniversary. (50th's are getting to be a thing with us). A couple days ago marked 50 years since I graduated from Flight School at Hunter Army Airfileld (NO, not an Air Force Base - an Army Airfield. There is a difference) in Savannah (indirectly why I am back down here now).

I know that's no big deal for you all, but some photos might be fun here. And a good story within the story. 

Most of us were college dropouts (the only military program you could fly in without a college degree - "Army Warrant Officer Rotary Wing Flight Training" - say that real fast) and many of our parents came for the gradutation ceremony.  

So here is one of my "Prom" pictures. It was our graduation ball and one of my roommates families came down from Findley Ohio with Mike's 17 year old (cute) sister who had accepted my invitation to be my date to the ball.  

It was a fun time and as you will see in the added photos, we were pritty damn full of ourselves - after a grueling 9-month program that was so hard for the first 4 months, I don't know how I made it through the early days. We were informend about a month before the graduation that we were required to order Army dress blues - at a cost to each of us at around $250 !!! - and which only recently are becoming more publicly worn (used to be only special occasions).

* But before we get to the photo, Mike Lee (my roomate and the brother of my date) did not have a date (dates were optional but strongly encouraged by teh top brass - like we had any chance to meet girls during this confined last few months on teh post - really!). But my other roomate did show up with a date. John kept trying to call this local college (Armstrong State) and kept failing, but getting the same sweet sounding operator from our barracks phone booth. He finally asked this operator to be his date and she accepted.

Read the rest below the photo.

This is Debbie, my roomate's sister from Ohio. Cute girl and awfully sweet.  

Meanwhile John walks in to the ball with his date and we all gasped. His "operator" date was Black, about 10 years older, and weighed about 300 pounds, wearing a "fro" wig as big as I'd ever seen!

We had two large bowls of punch at the party - one was Ginger-Ale based, the other was strongly spiked. We were all on watch to see that whoever was asked by the General or his wife, that we would serve them from the "light" punch. Apparrantly, somebody screwed up because the General had to take his wife home early. She was unable to stand up half way through the Ball. John was a drinker and he drank from the spiked punch heavily that night. Very heavily!  We did not see him again until the next morning.

Can't seem to load more photos - sorry

Just noticed the phot looks like the dress blues are striped - they are not.

David Mitchell

I have no idea why I could not load this above. But anyway here are the three guys least likely to end up flying a damn helicopter for our rich Uncle from D.C. This is at the same Graduation Ball, the night before our  graduation ceremony.

Mike Lee and I on the left and middle, a couple of non-smoking, light drinker, goodie-two-shoes. On the right is our third roomate, John Honness (Pittsburgh), who drank like a fish, smoked lie a chimney and bragged on and on about all the girls he's had in more graffic detail than we really ever wanted to hear. We were all a bit different, but we got along wonderfully in flight school. And we had some awfully good times together. When we went out to drink (in Savannah) John would always order Singapore Slings until he couldn't pronounce it any more - He'd say "Slingapore Sings" and then he'd try to assure us that he was "stober as a dudge." 

After Graduation, we were all shipped over on separtate flights and sent to different units and most of us never saw one another again.

But oh, did we have some fun times together in flight school.

The next day just before our graduation ceremony.

About to get our wings pinned on us. One of the proudest days of my life.

I will never forget these two clowns. 50 years!

Golly we had fun together!

(and then they shipped us over across the pond to the real "flight school" ) 

Michael McLeod

Just keep it up Dave. See this finger? It is poised over the de-friend button. One more "oh and then I went out with......" or "Actually I forget who it was I took to the Kahiki that night" might set it off. 

David Mitchell

Mike,

Just keep twitching that finger and be VERY afraid!

David Mitchell

We should be enjoying this while it lasts - an entire day passing in D.C. with nothing more than fond memories and kind thoughts? 

David Mitchell

Sorry to pile it on - you've surely heard enough from old blabbermouth in one day, but this can't wait. A white guy and a black guy are on a road trIp together in 1962. They are from different worlds.....

Aw hell, just go see the most rewarding, most enjoyable, most uplifting adult "feel good" film I have seen in years - maybe ever!  I can't wait to see it again - like tomorrow!

go see   "GREEN BOOK".   Just do it!

Be prepared to laugh, and then get angry, and then grab your kleenex for the end.

(never would have recognized Viggo from "Hidalgo" 15 years ago)

Michael McLeod

Hey Dave if you are interested, there is a real life story about the difficulties of traveling while black as a musician, back in the day, near the end of this story. 

http://www.orlandomagazine.com/Orlando-Magazine/April-2018/African-American-Composers-Striking-a-Chord/

Michael McLeod

And I just wanted to say I for one think it is terrible how the liberal media is picking on President Trump for not being able to recite the apostles creed at the funeral. Well duh people of COURSE he didn't. If he had he would have burst into flames. 

Mark Schweickart

Dave's post about Green Book prompts this response. As I mentioned about a month ago, November found  me immersed in another of the National Novel Writng Month Challenges. The good news is that I made the 50,000 word challenge by the end of the month, but I haven't finished the story yet. This year I chose to do an historical novel that I am sure echoes some of what goes on in the Green Book, Instead of following a black-white team of musician and driver on a road trip through the South in 1962, my story follows a black-white group of what were called Freedom Riders, who in 1961 you may remember had a rather harrowing journey through the South on buses in their attempt to see if interstate travel was in fact degregated as required by newly passed Federal law that countermanded the long established State laws that enforced segregation. I am anxious to see Green Book, but have been holding off until I finish my own journey through this time period. I'll let you know when I finish in case anyone wants to check it out. Wish me luck.

In the mean time, I second Dave's recommendation--go see Green Book.

David Mitchell

Mike,

What a fascinating article. The name of the guy who wrote the article sounds familiar. I'd be curious to know where you (I mean he) found this lady - and did you (I mean he)  interview her yourself (Himself) ?

---------------

Mark,

I think you meant GREEN BOOK (at the end of your post)  ????  Were you thinking of the Tom Hanks movie?

p.s. You - doing another piece about History ?   Imgine that!

Michael McLeod

Hey Dave.

I got interested in that story when I saw that the college down here was doing a tribute to three classical black composers of the early 20th century. I just thought: How strange it would be to be a great musician, playing classical music, in a country that still treated you as a second-class citizen. I knew that would make a good story if I could track down the right people to talk to. The conductor down here who came up with the idea of the tribute put me in touch with the daughter and granddaughter of one of the black composers, so I called both of them and interviewed them and then did a lot of background research about him and wound up with an interesting story.  Honestly the research isn't the hard part. Figuring out how to write it is what never gets easy.

Mark Schweickart

Dave -- Sorry for the Green Book/Mile slip up. Thanks for pointing that out. And yeah, I know, I do tend to gravitate to historical projects. It gives me the opportunity learn something about the past in detail, and at the same time provide a lot of the plotting for an otherwise work of fiction. Win-Win.