Dispatches from Vilnius

A new book has come out on Graham Greene, one of my favorite novelists, examining his time in Haiti and Central America.  These "adventures" became the seeds of his classic novels, The Comedians, Our Man in Havana and The Power and the Glory .  He brushed shoulders with "Papa Doc" Duvalier and other tyrants, but used his inimitable black humor to characterize them.  My father was working in Haiti and the Dominican Republic as a geologist during this time and was a Graham Greene fan himself, which is why this book has special resonance for me.

Flipping through the channels last night I saw three CEOs, including the head of UPS, on Bloomberg arguing that it is enough to close loopholes in the tax code to increase revenue and spare us a nose dive off the "fiscal cliff."  On National Geographic, I saw "Doomsday preppers" feverishly preparing stocks for the end of the world.  They come from various points of view, but the guy last night was bottling his own wine to use as barter in a post-apocalyptic society, while eating cans of dog food.  On CNN, the House and Senate leaders  came to the podium to announce they were ready to talk compromise, although Boehner and McConnell didn't appear to be giving much ground. Watching the events of the last 15 years from a distant vantage point, it amazes me that the Republicans and their CEO friends feel like they are still fighting an ideological battle.  They won a long time ago.  The Clinton administration was essentially a repudiation of Democratic valu...

T he official “ pardoning ” of White House turkeys is an interesting White House tradition that has captured the imagination of the public in recent years. It is often stated that President Lincoln’s clemency to a turkey recorded in an 1865 dispatch by White House reporter Noah Brooks was the origin for the pardoning ceremony. Brooks noted, About a year before, a live turkey had been brought home for the Christmas dinner, but [Lincoln’s son Tad] interceded in behalf of its life. . . . [Tad’s] plea was admitted and the turkey’s life spared. The Washington Post used both “pardon” and “reprieve” in a 1963 article in which President Kennedy said of the turkey, “Let’s keep him going.” The formalities of pardoning a turkey gelled by 1989, when George H. W. Bush, with animal rights activists picketing nearby, quipped, . . . this guy [has] been granted a presidential pardon as of right now.

I noticed that on this day in 1922 Rebecca Latimer Felton was the first woman inducted into Senate, even if it was only symbolic.   She was probably best known for her work, Country Life in Georgia in the Days of My Youth .  This online text also includes speeches she gave before the Georgia Legislature Women's clubs and other organizations.  She was quite a lady!

I saw a page at abebooks on box sets, and was hoping for a set of A.B. Guthrie novels.  His Western sequence started with The Big Sky in 1947, perhaps my favorite Western novel.  Of course it was years ago that I read it and it may not make as big an impression on me now as it did then, but here is a copy in google books.  This particular volume has an introduction by Wallace Stegner. Guthrie followed up with The Way West (1949) and These Thousand Hills (1956).  He picked up the thread again in the 70s with three more novels which I haven't read.  You can find first editions of these novels for as little as five bucks at abebooks.  I guess they had large printings.

I was listening to Moonbase Newt on The Colbert Report  the other night and he mentioned his new novel on Washington, Victory at Yorktown , completing a trilogy I never knew existed.  Stephen Colbert was having fun with Newt about the election, space stations and his passion for history novels.  I'm not sure whether Newt projects himself as George Washington, as Glenn Beck did in his universally panned biography of the founding father, or if he is attempting to educate young impressionable minds by appealing to their sense of adventure.  I did a quick search and noticed that William Forstchen  is also credited in these novels.  Seems Bill is a pro in this sort of genre, having had his sci-fi series, The Lost Regiment , optioned by Tom Cruise and M. Night Shyamalan for a movie.  I'm surprised Newt just didn't put Washington on the moon, but then I guess he wasn't quite willing to go that far.

While we explore other group readings, I thought it might be nice to pull up a chair in Wilson's library (c. 1921) and discuss some of the other books of American history or culture we're reading. Right now I'm reading Woodward's The Price of Politics.  After a condescending introduction that suggests Obama is self-centered and totally unprepared to be president, I'm not sure what to expect, but I'm going to stick with it for awhile.  Woodward does have a way of getting access to all the notes from all the meetings that occur behind closed doors.

Peter Ames Carlin is the latest to tackle the Boss.  This is a new biography that places Springsteen in the broader cultural history of America.  In recent years, Springsteen has moved beyond icon, often credited as the man who saved Rock 'n Roll, to troubadour in the style of Pete Seeger.  His homage to Seeger is a wonderful album .  He was honored at Kennedy Center in 2009 by Barack Obama, and figured in the news again during the relief efforts of Hurricane Sandy.  But, not everyone holds Bruce in such high regard, How can anyone fault a man who gives us a version of Old Dan Tucker like this!  The clip is from the Sessions Band Live in Dublin .

This biography of Washington Irving caught my eye.  It came out in 2008.  Judging from this  short review by Walter Russell Mead, it covers a lot of Irving's political history.  Of course, Irving is known for his great literary contributions, which could make for a fun read.

Join in.  Help us pick our next book of American history to discuss.  We're a friendly bunch.

To counter the growing strength of the Latino votes, Midwest state legislators are proposing a 3/5s rule for farm animals that would allow them to have a greater number of US representatives and more electoral votes in subsequent general elections.   They looked at the huge swathes of red in farm and ranch states and felt there must be some way to get a better accounting for this vast amount of real estate that votes Republican. The beef and pork industry seems keen on the idea as they hope it will increase federal subsidies and allow them to have an even greater voice in politics.  These industries felt it unfair that corporations could be counted as persons but that farm animals are still regarded as non-human. Animal rights activists have yet to weigh in on this, but there is some favorable response as they feel farm animals have long been overlooked in the struggle for equal rights, and hope that such legislation would allow them to press charges against those ra...

The big winner of this election is Sesame Street , which is 43 years young today.  Here is the original episode from November 1969.  You really have to wonder about a political candidate going after Big Bird, and here is Big Bird greeting Sally on PBS's most famous address.  The show has had a magical run and has reached far beyond its narrow confines.

Listened to Doris Kearns Goodwin on Charlie Rose tonight.   It was fun as the two discussed who better for Obama to channel in these next four years.  Most of their thoughts swirled around LBJ, FDR, TR and Lincoln, with Rose plugging a new reprint of her book that ties in with movie.  He even featured a film clip in which Lincoln was weighing Euclid's thoughts on equality and how it might become part of his emancipation proclamation.  Goodwin said that Daniel Day-Lewis is incredible, not only capturing Lincoln's distinct walk but his high-pitched voice as well.  She also noted how faithful Spielberg was in recreating the Lincoln White House right down to first editions copies he was reading at the time.  Goodwin noted that Lincoln was a reader, thrilled over copies of Shakespeare and the King James Bible to the point he couldn't sleep. On Lincoln's interest in Euclid, author David Van Haften noted, I found countless references to Euclid and they ...

I like the title if nothing else.  Nate Silver was plugging his book on the Colbert Nation .  Here is a review from the LA Times. And yet during the 2008 elections, it took mere months for Nate Silver to become one of the political world's most respected experts, the guy anyone who wanted to be taken seriously had to cite. With good reason: Unlike so many of the people who make their living predicting elections, Nate Silver can do math. Silver, who got his start working with baseball statistics before eventually moving on to politics and founding his website FiveThirtyEight.com (now part of the New York Times), acknowledges as much in his new book, "The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail — but Some Don't." Surprised he didn't go with a baseball metaphor, but I guess he has a thing for Faulkner.

For Obama the biggest hangover is a split Congress.  Once again, the Democrats invested all the energy in key Senate races, seeing their control as vulnerable with 23 Democratic seats up for election.  They not only retained all these seats, but picked up two Republican seats, notable Ted Kennedy's old seat in Massachusetts, with Elizabeth Warren exacting her revenge on the Republicans for refusing to consider her nomination for head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau back in 2011.  Now, she will be able to oversea finances directly in the Senate.  Unfortunately, the Democrats didn't do such a good job in the House, losing seats.  At least Allen West lost his seat in Florida, with teabaggers in general fairing badly in this election cycle.  It doesn't seem that the Tea Party caucus will be so strong this time around, although Michelle Bachmann will return as its fearless leader.   John Boehner actually sounded contrite in his comments afte...

This is a detail from a fresco completed by Diego Rivera in 1924.   We don't talk much about Mexican history in this forum, but this is one of the most revered days on the Mexican calendar.  Vaya con Dios!

I have long been a fan of Neil Young and never cease to be amazed by the new material he continues to offer.  His autobiography, Waging Heavy Peace , is on my wish list this Christmas.