Saturday, September 22, 2012

What we're seeing is manufactured rage

That's the astute phrase Salman Rushdie used on the Charlie Rose show this week. He usually knows what he's talking about. Many years ago Salman and I worked for the same ad agency in London. He would pop into my office from time to time to hold forth on world events and expound on US history, which he knew far better than I did. Unfortunately he couldn't write an ad to save himself. He was promptly fired clearing the way for him to become one of the world's foremost authors. Growing up in India he knew the Muslim world but he didn't foresee that he would be the object of their hatred and lose eleven years of life in hiding from the Ayatollah's fatwa. Ambassador Chris Stevens lost all of his life to Muslim terrorists. Chris was the perfect emissary to Libya. He spoke the language fluently and the people there loved him. It didn't matter to the thugs. He was a lifelong friend who went to my alma mater, UC Berkeley, where he learned, as I did, that it is better to be rich in experiences than material things. I've been to the middle east as a tourist and found it awesome (Karnak, Jerusalem and Santa Sophia) and scary ( a snake charmer in Marrakesh chasing me with the snake because I didn't pay him $1 for snapping his picture). If you want a safe middle east experience, don't' go to Egypt, go to the Luxor in Las Vegas. It's clean, friendly fun in a pyramid, and you may even meet Cleopatra. Rage is the Muslim metier de jour. So stupid. So hopeless. Millions of guys who need a shave and a job, and no chance of ever getting either. Or go to the zoo where the wild animals are kept behind bars.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Chris Stevens, a brave American

“How do these things happen”?, said Hilary Clinton in her announcement that Ambassador Chris Stevens had been killed by terrorists in the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. I think this happens when a person puts his own safety second to the cause he is fighting for, a cause he believes in. Orwell did it by going to fight for the Republic in the Spanish Civil War. He escaped, just barely, with a bullet wound to the throat. Chris couldn't escape the relentless barrage of bullets and rockets aimed at his Consulate. He lived a life of purpose, not settling for a life in an air-conditioned office in Washington writing memos. He served in the Peace Corps in Morocco and in the Foreign Service in many middle east postings. He was fluent in Arabic and could mingle with the people. He wasn't into palace intrigues and big power posturing he was a soldier for democracy. I'm especially grateful to his father, Jan, for his very deft introduction to my wife Peggy. We celebrate our 55th anniversary September 14th. I have pictures of Chris and our son Tony when they were three years old, along with our daughter Alison who was just an infant. Chris was a classmate of Alison's at UC Berkeley. Through the years we saw him grow and mature to be intelligent without being pedantic; handsome without being vain and dedicated without being arrogant. Now he belongs to the shared history of our country. In the words of the poet Phillip Larkin: All the uncaring, intricate, rented world begins to rouse...the sky is white as clay, with no sun...work has to be done”. As Secretary Clinton reminded us: “We need more Chris Stevenss”.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Pinocchio Paul Ryan

He fibs, he lies, he exaggerates and his nose grows longer and longer but what can you expect from a wooden dummy. You can't see who's pulling the strings but it's probably that arch-enemy of the truth, Karl Rovespierre. Of course he's only a hired hand working for the people who own the tent: casino clown Sheldon Adelson and the shadowy Koch brothers. Lord Acton said that power corrupts and in America that means too much money corrupts. Something comes to mind from the distant past. When famed criminology professor Orlando Wilson was appointed Chicago Chief of Police his main job was to clean up the bribery and corruption. In a meeting a cop asked, “How do we stop corruption?” Wilson said, “Start by paying for your cup of coffee on the beat”. All the money pouring into the political commercials is subject to the two parts of the message: concept and execution. Anyone with money to burn can do the execution but without a real, energizing, thoughtful concept it's just million dollar wallpaper. So, as the great Republican, Sonny Bono, said, “The beat goes on”. We shall see what works on November 6th. When our little wooden boy sings “there are no strings on me”, and falls flat on his face, Jiminey Cricket says, “OK, make a fool of yourself, then maybe you'll listen to your conscience”. After he twirls and spins and the audience claps, Jiminey says, “They like him, he's a success”. Sure, but only in cartoons.