Monday, May 28, 2012

This Side of the Line

In recognition of Memorial Day I'm in search of one of the greatest war movies I've ever seen, Terrence Malick's, "The Thin Red Line". While I haven't seen the movie in at least ten years, I recall it offering an ambivalent exploration of heroism and the horror of war.

As the young son of a World War II veteran, I recall a tinge of disappointment in my father as he related that his five years in the Army Air Corps, and a year or more in the South Pacific, had not yielded any dead Japs. Many years later, I now think of how truly fortunate he was to have been spared that terrible duty.

Friday, May 4, 2012

Beware the Modern Scrivener's Tools

Following is an excerpt from the minutes of the April 19, 2012 City Council meeting. It is a direct copy of the official minutes. While my words will not be chiseled aside those of Lincoln, Roosevelt or Churchill, the excerpt may stand as a cautionary note on the danger of relying on spell-check as the only editing tool.
Mr. Gonder stated that the ordinance is a compilation of ordinances that were being enforced around the state and some of the other examples were president of the Chambers of Commerce and the largest employer of the city, and the fact of the matter is that he specifically included the Post Master which is certainly not a high-flatulent position but one that deals with a wide variety of individuals from all walks of life. He stated that he is offended that anyone would even suggest that anything he is supporting is racially biased because that is not who he is.
italics added