Oh Mercy

It doesn't take much hanging out at Ennyman's Territory to recognize that Ennyman, yours truly, is a consummate Dylan fan. I was first introduced to Dylan by Ed Hilliker on a school bus, a long, long time ago. Thank you, Ed. In more recent times, my Saturday's tend to be orchestrated around listening to the Dylan Hour on KUMD, our local public radio station, hosted by serious Dylan fans with expansive collections and knowledge of this significant artist.

One thing Dylan has done with remarkable success is to avoid being pinned down to a genre or style. His art is ever changing as are his influences. It's almost as if he goes out of his way to make sure his work is innovative and new. His concerts, too, involve creative expression every night. It is not a formula show. Even his backup band is uncertain where he'll take them next. Their aim is simply to hang on and utilize their skills to make the show as best as it can be, wherever he leads them.

Currently, one of the albums I have been giving a lot of play time to is Oh Mercy. After a pair of weaker albums in the late seventies, Dylan came back with one of his best, the 1979 five star Oh Mercy, an album as close to perfection as it gets. Reviewer David Bowling wrote, "I can think of five or so better Dylan albums than Oh Mercy but not ten, which is high praise given the quality of his catalogue." You can read Bowling's full review here.

Rolling Stone was also happy to give the album its five star praise. "The thematic context for Oh Mercy is defined in 'Political World,' a churning rocker stricken with anxiety and despair, and 'Everything Is Broken,' a rollicking catalog of psychic dislocation. The cultural breakdowns chronicled in those songs are mirrored on a more personal level in the dreamy ballads 'Most of the Time,' a love song of taunting regret in Dylan's characteristic manner, and the self-examining 'What Good Am I?'"

If you're looking for something new to add to your catalog, try Oh Mercy.

Political World

We live in a political world,
Love don't have any place.
We're living in times where men commit crimes
And crime don't have a face

We live in a political world,
Icicles hanging down,
Wedding bells ring and angels sing,
clouds cover up the ground.

We live in a political world,
Wisdom is thrown into jail,
It rots in a cell, misguided as hell
Leaving no one to pick up a trail.

We live in a political world
Where mercy walks the plank,
Life is in mirrors, death disappears
Up the steps into the nearest bank.

We live in a political world
Where courage is a thing of the past
Houses are haunted, children are unwanted
The next day could be your last.

We live in a political world.
The one we can see and can feel
But there's no one to check, it's all a stacked deck,
We all know for sure that it's real.

We live in a political world
In the cities of lonesome fear,
Little by little you turn in the middle
But you're never sure why you're here.

We live in a political world
Under the microscope,
You can travel anywhere and hang yourself there
You always got more than enough rope.

We live in a political world
Turning and a-thrashing about,
As soon as you're awake, you're trained to take
What looks like the easy way out.

We live in a political world
Where peace is not welcome at all,
It's turned away from the door to wander some more
Or put up against the wall.

We live in a political world
Everything is hers or his,
Climb into the frame and shout God's name
But you're never sure what it is.

Four Books On U.S. Grant

From time to time I have been asked why I have this Matthew Brady photo of General Grant on the wall of my office. My ready reply goes something like this. "General Grant's life expresses a number of character qualities from which I get inspiration. He was a model of initiative, purposefulness, determination and creative problem solving. For these reasons, among others, I consider him a hero. I think everyone would benefit from having heroes to inspire and in some ways emulate."

There's one more thing about Grant that I also find inspiring. Before he came into his own, his life was floundering. He appeared to be a loser. For all intents and purposes, he was a loser, failing at everything and gaining for himself a reputation as a person more to be mocked than praised. But in his mid-thirties, when the Civil War split the nation, it afforded the young Grant an opportunity to do that for which he had become ideally suited.... to lead men.

For many years, I likewise floundered. After college I became a security guard for a couple years. Later I went to Mexico where I became a "failed missionary" by leaving at the end of a year instead of the three I'd committed to. For several more years I cast about, feeling a sense of "calling" as a writer but uncertain as to how that would really play out. Interestingly enough, I recently learned that my father privately confided to his sister that he was concerned at one point that he might have to support me the rest of my life. And I am certain that young Ulysses Grant's dad felt precisely the same concern for this loser son who was working in a hardware store for his brother.

For Grant, the skills were in place but the opportunity to utilize all his strengths had been absent. Gratefully, I too came into my own in my thirties and have experience more than two decades of success in advertising, marketing and PR.

The point here is that Grant's peers perceived him in a certain light based on circumstances, but there was much more to the man than met the eye. Furthermore, the trajectory of a life is not a fixed thing. Grant's trajectory changed significantly at a certain point in time, and it propelled him to the White House.

Here are four brief reviews on books about Ulysses Simpson Grant that I have enjoyed over the years.

Ulysses S. Grant, The Unlikely Hero by Michael Korda

Korda's bio of Grant is part of the Eminent Lives series of biographies of significant people For decades Korda had been editor-in-chief for Simon and Schuster, and is a well known essayist, novelist and literary figure. Hence, when I saw the book displayed at B&N, it was immediately placed in my "gotta have it" list.

Korda is an entertaining writer and the book unearths, in a creative manner, many observations and anecdotes about one of my favorite presidents. The book's aim is not to be comprehensive. Rather, Korda offers a thought provoking overview of the man and his achievements.

I've found it to be a thoroughly absorbing read, but do have questions about his repeated assertions regarding Grant's drinking, a theme that is pretty heavily underscored throughout the narrative. Is Korda's portrait accurate on this matter, or is the case built on rumor and innuendo? Stereotypes die hard. Grant was a man who accomplished much but who likewise made his mistakes. Korda's book comes highly recommended for its tight presentation of an interesting and significant man.

The Trial of U.S. Grant by Charles G. Ellington

This book was given to me as a gift by Charles Ellington himself in 1991 and it was a wonderful read. A grad from the Universities of Missouri, Harvard, and California Western, Ellington is (like myself) a USG fan. This book is an exploration of the events in Grant's life in the post-Mexican War period from 1852-1854. These two years in apparently aimless military service left Grant isolated, frustrated and homesick for his wife and two sons, one of whom he had never seen.

Ellington argues that this period of virtual exile was instrumental in developing the strength of character that resulted in Grant's later achievements. The author spent ten years researching the book and it is an excellent contribution to any Grant collection.

Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant by Grant himself

For the 24 hours my wife Susie was in labor with my firstborn son, I was accompanied by this book, the Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant. The origin of this fabulous memoir is a story itself. Grant had served two terms as 18th president of the United States. His finances were handled by a son who had gone into a partnership with another man who swindled them. Thus, the great general and former president was a penniless pauper. Mark Twain recognized that Grant's life would be a very marketable story. The result was a bestselling autobiography that helped Grant to be financially comfortable in his twilight years.

The preface opens thus: "Man proposes and God disposes." There are but few important events in the affairs of men brought about by their own choice.

This is a remarkable observation, and a great start point for a very enlightening read. I've read it twice and have retained many insights from its pages. If you have to choose but one book from this list of four, this is it.

Grant Wins the War, Decision At Vicksburg by James R. Arnold

Of the twenty most brilliant campaigns in military history, more than half were by Napoleon. Only two were conceived and executed by generals in the U.S. Civil War. The first was General Stonewall Jackson's Shenandoah Campaign. The second, Grant's victory at Vicksburg.

James Arnold begins this book by presenting the significance of the battle of Vicksburg. A key to success, whether in war or business, is not simply winning battles but in fighting the right battles. What propelled Grant to fame was not winning victories alone, but recognizing the importance of the objectives he pursued. Vicksburg, in Arnold's estimation, was even more significant than Gettysburg in bringing down the South.

This book focuses specifically on this singular battle, the challenges it presented and the unique strategies which Grant employed to achieve his aims. Arnold writes vividly and with great respect for all involved. Like the others, it is highly recommended, not only to Grant fans but to war buffs of all stripes.

Click on photos to enlarge. The map beneath the books shows the location of Grant's Pass in Oregon.

Honduras: Are We On The Wrong Side?

A month ago I went to a retirement party for a friend and got into a conversation with someone who is intimately connected with Honduras, whose family is still there. Naturally, with Honduras being in the news I had to ask if he could explain what was happening there.

It was a clean and concise summary. Essentially, the properly elected president did not wish to follow the country's own Constitution. The military deposed him not because it was striving for power, but because of the president's unconstitutional behavior. Unfortunately, multinational organizations like the U.N. and O.A.S. want him reinstated.

I just finished watching the film Black Hawk Down, which shows the consequences of a military incursion in Somalia in 1993 in which 19 soldiers and 1000 Somali citizens lost their lives. The film shows the action which took place, but the book details the backdrop. The Somalia situation was this. The country was a wrecked mess run by gangs. The most powerful had been top dog for quite some time, but he was hated and ruthless. The one good thing he did was to unify all the rival gangs in their common hatred of him. They banded together and ousted him.

But this ousted gang leader, who had diplomatic ties to the U.N., persuaded the U.S. to intervene and help him regain his "rightful place." It was a disastrous, ill-conceived response. I highly recommend this book.
Based on my understanding of the situation, we are very possibly doing an instant replay. On Sept 4 it was announced that the U.S. cut off aid to Honduras, which is already one of the poorest countries in the hemisphere. Two letters that I have received from Honduras indicate that the people are in dire straits.

Here's a brief summary of the background on this story.

One of the most amazing features of the United States has been its example of the peaceful transition of power. Right from the start our history has been a role model that is worth noting and quite a contrast to most of history. George Washington, who was nearly godlike in stature, stepped down voluntarily from the equivalent of a throne, the U.S. presidency. Keep in mind there were no term limits in those days.

When our second president John Adams handed power over to Thomas Jefferson, this was the first time in history that power was given voluntarily to an opposing party. These two were adversaries. Adams and Jefferson both lived by the principle of Rex Lex, that is, Law is King. There is something higher than the men and women who run the country.

That tradition has followed us to the present time where ideologically contrary presidents have handed over the baton, or sword, or whatever symbol you'd like to call it, without resorting to guns, hand grenades, etc. If the disrespect shown on the floor of congress last week (Mr. Bush was booed in 2005 on one occasion in a similar vein) is the worst of what we do, well, we're probably not doing too badly.

As for Honduras... Based on a lifetime of reading and certain anecdotal observations from friends and acquaintances over the years, my guess is that there is a divergence of opinion on the matter within the State Department itself, or the Pentagon and the executive branch. Let's pray our leaders make wise decisions and exercise care as they evaluate courses of action.

Miscellaneous Notes From Recent Readings

I am preparing some thoughts about the situation in Honduras but do not have time to give a full weigh-in yet so I will just extract a few items from a jar on one of the shelves of my memory.

1. Eisenhower and Patton, around 1918 or 19, were responsible for training tank commanders for use in war. Eisenhower had wanted to go to the war itself but had been good at training infantry so they kept him home. (He treated it more like football practice than war, and made it more lively.) Well, both Patton and Ike felt that a 3 m.p.h. tank was not good. They wrote letters to every superior officer they could find in Washington saying the tank should not be used to accompany the infantry (hence the slow speed) but rather to disrupt the enemy. They were told in no uncertain terms that if they did not stop writing these letters they would be court martialed. History later demonstrated who was right.

2. The Nazi Blitzkrieg was so swift that France fell in six weeks.

3. On one occasion General Rommel, in his lead tank, was so far ahead of his army as it sped forward that he rode into a French village all by himself without any support. The French forces were fleeing before he got there. The German army was (my memory fails me here) either 35 miles behind or 35 minutes.

4. Whittaker Chambers, editor of Time magazine in the late 1940's, had been a communist in the 30's but Josef Stalin's behavior, eliminating nearly everybody on his own side, led him to flee the Communist party. Chambers had been a conduit of U.S. secrets, getting them transported to the Soviet Union. Alger Hiss was his "inside contact."

5. Chambers became a witness for the prosecution in one of the biggest trials of the century. Hiss had been an aide to FDR and the notion that a communist was so close to the pinnacle of power helped feed the Red Scare of the early Cold War. Hiss had worked in the State Department and was a member of the delegation that accompanied FDR to Yalta in 1945.

6. Hiss lost, and went to jail for perjury. He denied ever having been a spy or communist.

7. Allen Weinstein wrote a book about the case called Perjury. His aim was to prove Hiss was innocent. In researching the book he was able to draw upon previously inaccessible information from the Soviet archives. The inescapable conclusion: Hiss was guilty.

8. For some reason people to this day attempt to proclaim Hiss' innocence. Hiss died in 1996.

9. The country of Rhodesia was named after the guy for whom the Rhodes Scholarship was named. Cecil Rhodes owned diamond mines and was a big believer in Colonialism and the supremacy of the the Anglo-Saxon race, proof that smart people can have stupid ideas. Sadly, such ideas were in vogue for a time. (See Rudyard Kipling's poem White Man's Burden.)

10. Today the once Brit colony of Rhodesia has been broken up into Zimbabwe and Zambia.

Cultural Literacy

We often take so much for granted. This is especially true in our communication. We say something and assume everyone else knows what we’re talking about. The reality is that we are in the midst of a national communication breakdown.

Our American education system can’t be entirely to blame, but it is a contributing factor. Instead of teaching young people to love literature and learning, we “teach to the test” and strive to simply make sure they get a passing grade, even if they learn nothing. Sure, there are exceptional teachers, but all too often the pressures are there for outcomes and not real learning.

E.D. Hirsch, Jr. wrote an important book called Cultural Literacy which addresses this theme. The subtitle is What Every American Needs To Know. Hirsch argues that there is certain knowledge that is fundamental in order to function in our modern society. When writers write and politicians speak, there is a background to their words. Without understanding that background, we often miss the point of what they are attempting to convey.

Wikipedia defines “cultural literacy” as “the ability to converse fluently in the idioms, allusions and informal content which creates and constitutes a dominant culture. From being familiar with street signs to knowing historical references to understanding the most recent slang, literacy demands interaction with the culture and reflection of it.”

Professor Hirsch devotes many pages of his book to making a distinction between important knowledge and trivia. In the realm of people, for example, it is important to know who Benedict Arnold and Judas were, not so important to know Betsy Ross. Arnold and Judas have become metaphors for betrayal. Betsy Ross was of many who made early contributions in our history.

Hirsch ends his book with an appendix that lists 5000 names, phrases, dates and concepts which “every American” ought to know. Here are some of the items from that list. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t know some of them. Instead, make a decision to be a lifelong learner. It will increase your influence and strengthen your confidence as you interact with others in our challenging, modern world.

Important Dates
1066

1492

1776

1861-1865

1914-1918

1939-1945

and (the book) 1984

Important People (these are just a few of the many names in Hirsch's list)

Henry Aaron

Adam and Eve

John Adams

John Quincy Adams

Adonis

Muhammed Ali

Woody Allen

Hans Christian Anderson

Attila the Hun

Saint Augustine

Bacchus

Clara Barton

Ludwig von Beethoven

Chuck Berry

Billy the Kid

Robert Browning

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Cain and Abel

Catherine the Great

Fidel Castro

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Copernicus

John Dewey

etc.

Examples of expressions, concepts and events would include:

Conditioned reflex

Crossing the Rubicon

Cuban missile crisis

Cum laude

Custer's last stand

Cut the Gordian knot

Diplomatic immunity

Dialectical materialism

Double indemnity

Dreyfuss affair

Fiddling while Rome burns

Fireside chat

Frankenstein's monster

Golden Rule

etc.

You get the picture. The book is worth your time, as is your investment in lifelong learning. At the very worst, you'll become a better team mate in your next game of Trivia Pursuit.

Architectural Reflections: What Our Buildings Say About Us

“Architecture is the will of an epoch translated into space.” ~Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

I was eight years old when I first pondered the meaning of the homes we lived in. I was swinging on a swing set in the playground behind Stafford Elementary School in Maple Heights, Ohio. My inquiring mind had made the observation that most of the animals in the natural world lived in holes in the ground or in trees or places where they could hide, blend in and not be seen. People, on the other hand, at least the ones in my neighborhood, lived in houses painted white or bright colors and very much out in the open. As I wondered about this, it seemed to me that the animals lived in fear and thus had to be wary, whereas the people here were not afraid. They lived in houses right out in the open. It was a very interesting sequence of thoughts.

Thus did I first reflect on how the spaces we occupy reflect the character of those who occupy these spaces.

In my recent readings a statement was made in passing as regards the building of the skyscrapers in New York City and how some people took offense because they dwarfed the cathedrals which were once dominant in the skyline there. There was a time when the cathedrals were the ultimate structures in every town in the Christianized world. The meaning of this depends on who interprets, of course. For some it is a clear example of exploitation in the name of religion. For others, these are monuments to the most vital component of the culture.

But in modern times this all changed. In the 20th century, as a result of advances in technology and building materials, skyscrapers emerged. Interesting term. Buildings that scraped the sky.

Not everyone thought this wonderful. Henry James thought of skyscrapers as “soulless commercial tributes to America at its worst, utterly inhuman in scale, objects that bullied rather than adorned their surroundings.” The central character in James Baldwin’s In Another Country compared the skyscrapers of New York to phalluses or spears.

Whatever the interpretation, New York’s churches and cathedrals were dwarfed by these vertical outcroppings of glass, stone and steel. It’s quickly evident that the former pre-eminence of the church has been symbolically replaced by the pre-eminence of the mighty engine of Capitalism.

I think also of Las Vegas and the extreme decadence of the Strip. The Bellagio, Venetian, Wynns. One billion, then two billion dollar casinos, built by the generous contributions of willing dupes throwing it all away for a moment of pleasure and distraction. These extravagant monuments also say something about us.

What this says about the pervasiveness of shantytowns throughout the world I’m not quite sure. Do our monuments to progress help people forget their plight, or only serve to mock them?

Golem Terrorists

SHORT STORY MONDAY

Many of my short stories are based on dreams in which an incident occurs and I weave a story around it so that the incident itself becomes a scene in the larger work. My stories Lu Lee and the Magic Cat, and Terrorists Preying were both developed in this manner.

On one occasion years ago I decided to post on my website a story concept which was initiated by a dream. I never did finish the story, but there are features here which have an uncanny resemblance to an actually event which happened on my birthday eight years ago.

The concept of the golem was inspired by stories from Jorge Luis Borges and arcane notions from medieval Jewish mysticism.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
________________________________________

The scene described below is from a dream I had. I'm curious where it will go.
Do you know?

Post your ideas and, if I like your suggestions, I will incorporate them
into the next segment of the story.

Send your Plot Twist to ennyman.
And Bookmark this page. Maybe your section will be included in a future edition of Golem Terorists.

Golem Terrorists

Given: The Golem is an artificially created human being which has been supernaturally endowed with life.

Proposed: What if it took one full year to make one Golem? What if some evil power were to create a small army of Golem terrorists?
________________________________________

Opening Scene:

Jake Peters, a middle aged man of average build and alert nondescript features, is on a large passenger plane to somewhere. Jake becomes unsettled watching another passenger to his left, a bull-necked man wearing sunglasses who is assembling a potentially lethal weapon from a metal rod and piano wire. The man rises from his seat and Jake also stands to prevent the man from going forward to the front of the plane. A struggle ensues and the man's glasses are knocked off. The man's putty-like eyes are dull and vacant. Jake slices the man's face, which is bloodless. Jake is temporarily startled and the Golem slices off Jake's pinky finger like it was made of butter.

When the Golem reaches the front of the plane, Jake seeks shelter.

It is the fourth crash in two weeks. Two legislators, a mayor and five bank presidents have died in the crashes. In each case the Golem United Front has claimed responsibility.

Jake Peters awakens in the hospital, with burns on his face, his legs and arm in casts. He remembers nothing about the flight and learns from his wife that 137 people died and he is one of 14 survivors.

Everything is a blackout. His mood is gratefulness to be alive, though suffering. Then, he notices his missing finger, and he remembers with a chill the experience with the Golem.
________________________________________

Jake Peters talks to an FBI man who comes to interview him, who is investigating the crash. Jake asks what Golem are. The investigator says nobody knows. Some say they are spooks.

Jake does his own investigation to see what he can learn about Golem. He learns that Golem are a form of Artifical Life, generated by a lifetime of Dream Material. They are man-made and that according to one tradition it takes one whole lifetime to make One Soul.

He also learns that they are evil, not human. They have no feeling or sympathy. As a result, they have dull, cold eyes.

In addition, they are very strong, and very intelligent.

Bullets cannot harm them. They can only be destroyed by fire, which causes them to disintegrate and return to a vapor state, their true Origin.

Jake Peters determines that the four crashes have been caused by four Golem. And he has determined that he must somehow make someone believe what he has seen and experienced. At this point, there is no one who will believe.
________________________________________

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
You tell me.
Post your comments here. Maybe this story can still be written...