"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Monday 7 December 2015

SHARING IS GOOD.....I THINK

PUniversity of Louisville, Kentucky Author Forum is a literary event on T.V. that I watch at 3a.m. Monday morning on PBS. 

Late Sunday night has  a succession of interesting programs. 

At eleven p.m. A  book program with authors and critic.

 Eleven -thirty, Theatre Talk. Playwrights,Directors,Actors and two critics of the New York Times. 

 Twelve ,midnight  Charlie Rose , a review of the week and coming week.

Then two half hours shows of Focus on Europe and Out if Ireland. Finally the best of all , at three a.m., Great Conversations.

Last night, still another interview show followed with Oliver Stone talking about his latest movie and 
What drives him. 

Like many  Americans,  he has serious concerns about the politics and control of the arms industry and gun lobby. 

When patriotism rises to a frenzy, he says , and Presidents have to war the country's flag in a lapel pin to prove they are loyal Americans, things are very dangerous.  He quoted Martin Luther King  in 1966 that America is responsible for the greatest level of  all the violence in the world .

He cited a figure of $587 billion for the Defense Budget having doubled in a few short years.

And how many of the country's problems could be solved with that money.

Last  week, General Wesley Clarke was the author on Great Conversations. He was in charge during the Bosnia and Kosovo conflict. He had some scathing things to say about the Pentagon. And that was before Donald  Rumsfeld's time there.

General Clarke was a Rhodes Scholar at West Point.  Not usual. His rose to the top in the military.
Still, his career came to an abrupt and peremptory end.

He was a candidate for presidential nomination but had to withdraw for lack of funding. 

He cited his current career as an investment banker and other satisfactory aspects of his life.  Then he said; 

"I would put my uniformon to-morrow to serve my country." 

Oliver Stone ended his conversation with the comment;  " I love this country.  We have  great people living here "

The guest on Great Conversations last night was an Iranian woman Professor living in the States with her husband and two children . Her book is about the nuances of life in Iran under Ayatollah Khommeni.

On Monday morning ,my mind is always full of all everything I've heard on these great programs. 

I just thought I would share. 

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

http://www.yorkregion.com/news-story/6162424-highland-gate-developer-offers-town-of-aurora-chance-to-buy-land-for-98m/

Anonymous said...

I get really uneasy when Americans start stock-piling guns. There were plenty of weapons already in circulation.

Anonymous said...

11:59
Yeah, $98 million. that should put the fox in with the chickens on council..........

Anonymous said...

I do hope you can sleep in in the mornings, Evelyn.

Anonymous said...

Mr Trump had 4 deferrals from the military. Interesting. He looks pretty healthy to me.

Anonymous said...

OMB we go!

Anonymous said...

The Auroran has the Highland story now too.

Anonymous said...

Going to be fun to watch - too bad we are also going to be paying for legal help all along the way.
I would prefer to watch another town do this. Oh, right, Newmarket went through the whole process.

Anonymous said...

It was maddening to watch. The Town knew they would lose the OMB. They funded it anyway. I belive it cost $1 million + court costs. Who wants to bet council will find this?

Anonymous said...



I would much rather hear from someone about the nuances of life in the United States under the N.R.A.

Anonymous said...

22:54
It is going to get very nasty. There are no nuances left.

Anonymous said...

21:32- My vote is that they will fund it.