A friend called me recently and suggested I should come to Savannah for St. Patrick's Day. Frankly, I'd rather have my teeth pulled without Novocaine. I grew up in Savannah, so I know all too well what St. Patrick's Day in Savannah can be like, especially when it falls on Saturday. Don't get me wrong. It will be great fun. In fact, it's too much fun for me. It is not a place for someone who doesn't like "standing room only" anymore. The only way to stand out in a crowd on St. Patrick's Day is to wear any color except green. A city of 250,000 people doubles in size. Many of them get drunk, but the police do keep things from getting out of hand. Don't even think about drinking and driving. The police will be out in force. Still, the traffic is horrific on St. Patrick's Day Saturdays, and the parking non-existent. A city known for it's hospitality gets overrun by more rowdy revelers than it can handle. Once upon a time, I lived for that sort of thing. If you've never been to Savannah for St. Patrick's Day, the city does roll out the green-dyed red carpet for visitors. There are events, parades, bands, and green beer, the whole nine yards. For me, that's the whole problem. I'm too old and cantankerous for that sort of stuff. Besides, at the moment, I'm focused on completing the task of editing my new novel. On the other hand, it would be nice to see the old friend allegedly flying into town for the big celebration, as long as I can avoid the most boisterous of the festivities myself. We'll have to see how work goes. Honestly, the green I'd most like to see in … [Read more...]
Lying about Rick Santorum
Politics is an ugly business. I only had to remind myself of the numerous skeletons in my own closet to confirm it is not the right career choice for me. Democrat political strategist Paul Begala claimed to coin the phrase, Politics is nothing more than show business for ugly people. It doesn't really matter who first uttered those words. What matters is that the saying is true. Doubt me? No, I'm not talking about Henry Waxman or Olympia Snowe, nor judging anyone by any physical attribute. I'm more concerned about how politicians act. These days, elected officials routinely behave as if they think they are royalty. But we don't have kings in America. It is not a question these days of which party is good and which is bad, but which is the lesser of two evils. Remember Dorothy Parker said, Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes right to the bone. And here is the truly ugly side of politics, currently seen in the attempted character assassination of Rick Santorum. His political opposition, aided by zealots in the media, are deliberately trying for some bizarre reason to create the false impression that Santorum would ban all means of contraception. I guess the reason won't end up being considered bizarre if it ultimately works. Rick Santorum is a devout Catholic. He personally does not believe in using means of birth control within the dynamics of his own nuclear family. As a result, he has fathered eight children. As a lawyer, he can afford it. It's his personal business, only between him and his wife. Okay so far? Rick Santorum is also a … [Read more...]
Captain Kudzu reviews Coastal Empire
David Thornton is a very busy man. He flies airplanes for a living. David also writes as the Atlanta Conservative Examiner, the National Aviation Examiner, and the Atlanta 2012 Elections Examiner. Recently, in his capacity as Examiner writer, David seized an opportunity to direct a question to the White House and received a direct response -- details of the exchange can be found here. In his spare time (amazingly, he seems to have some) David writes on his syndicated blog as Captain Kudzu. I'm flattered that he took the time to read and then post his review my novel, Coastal Empire. I'm beaming with pride, and appreciative of his kind words. … [Read more...]
Djokovic pulls a Tebow
During a dramatic fifth set in the Australian Open final, I could not help but notice the world's number 1 tennis player, Novak Djokovic, as he fiddled with something he wore around his neck. Actually, he fished something tied to a cord hidden under his shirt and kissed it. I supported his opponent in the match, Rafael Nadal, for two reasons -- he was the slight underdog, and Nadal is left-handed. I feel it is important that we "lefties" stick together. Plus, it's harder to pull for the favorite, in my opinion. However, I do enjoy watching both men play the game and pull for both against different opponents. You can only pull for one in the final, though. Right? Clearly after five hours of tennis, these two men were as equal as you could get. In fact, Djokovic was losing the match, down a break. Then he seemed to catch a second wind. It also seemed the better he played, the more Djokovic played with the object around his neck. What exactly was Djokovic kissing? On closer observation, it was a simple wooden cross. Match commentator Patrick McEnroe helpfully described Djokovic as "kissing his necklace." But it was obviously a plain wooden cross. Not a crucifix, but a cross. To alleviate any possible confusion about the meaning of his gesture, Djokovic began to overtly make the sign of the cross over his entire upper torso after winning key points. Yesterday, the biggest points all seemed to go his way late in the fifth set. My atheist friends who watched the match probably got irritated by Djokovic's antics, quite possibly to the … [Read more...]
