The place where I work is very different from any other place that I have ever worked at before. As I have probably mentioned before (and I remind the S.O. every night), I am having a hard time adapting to its manners and customs. Although purportedly existing to support “the warfighter”, so many of its denizens have very little idea of what is really important to the warfighter-or how to get things done rapidly. To many of occupants of the house named for the Man from Panemunde, tracing the trons right, or having the correct number of meetings, councils, and video teleconferences seems to be an objective unto itself. That’s a hard adjustment considering in my previous employ-results mattered; did the cargo get to its appointed destination when expected? Everything else was simply horse hockey.
And of course, being a large organization-there is little of what one would call, camarderie. For someone for whom beer with co-workers used to be an integral part of the routine, this is purgatory of a sorts. So too, is kind of the unwritten expectation that I should consume my noon time re-past at my desk. Like the teachings of Brother Bill, that last little custom is one I cannot, nor will not accept. Even it is only 30 minutes- I need to get away from the building at midday. I make up the time on the back side by staying longer, so rest assured the government is getting its pound of flesh money’s worth.
Of course some days, its damn near impossible to get away-so today when a meeting was cancelled-I booked for the elevator and out the door of the gulag building. Jumped in the car, and headed up to the Yuppie Mall to pay my first visit to the newly relocated Barnes and Noble. In the true tradition of life here in Shopping Mall USA, the store had been relocated from one shopping mall to a bigger shopping mall.
Now, it has been open a month. However during our forays out, I have been unable to persuade the S.O. to go with me. She will drag me to any old stupid garage sale or antique store-but spend a learning hour in a bookstore? Perish the thought. Today I had enough. I needed to wallow amid the smells of coffee and fresh newsprint. Besides, I’m not going to see my little bookstore in Soho anytime soon am I? ( I had to hold back tears when I saw those pictures again-I do miss it so.)
You know the rest, I took longer than I meant too, came back a little later than I should have, and had to rush through the Krystal drive through, after which-wolfing down Crystal burgers with one hand, while trying to show the guard at the gate my ID with the other-I returned to work. A healthy, nutritious lunch!
I also came back some 65 dollars poorer. But I have new additions to my library:
I thought this might be a timely read in light of the current events in Georgia. While I am in disagreement with Buchanan as often as I am in agreement, he agrees with me about Iraq being a drain on American resources that in the long run will hurt the US more than it helps it.
We also are of a like mind in that we both regard the end of the British Empire as one of the greatest disasters of the 20th century, and a big -if not the number one reason-the world is as screwed up as it is today. Pat is unabashedly in favor of the West “uber alles”. I am too.
That said, his theory is a controversial one, namely that the British bungled their way into World War I, and then following that mistake allowed Winston Churchill to, without intending to, pursue course of actions that ultimately cost the British their Empire. His central thesis is that had the British and French not guaranteed the Polish in 1939, over time they could have sat back and let the Germans and Russians kill each other while the west watched-thus doing us all a great favor by ridding the world of both the Germans and the Russians. Or at least weakening them both to the point that we win anyway.
I am not so sure I agree with that premise-Hitler would probably have attacked France anyway -if only for the reason of erasing the stain of Versailles- but it is an interesting premise. We’ll see what he has to say as I read the book this week.
Up next was a book I heard about on NPR by Howard Fineman:
The thrust of the book? America cannot make up is mind about a lot of things:
Shouting is not arguing, Fineman notes, but often hot-button topics, media “cross-fires,” and blogs reflect the deepest currents in American life. In an enlightening book that cuts through the din and makes sense of the headlines, Fineman captures the essential issues that have always compelled healthy and heated debate–and must continue to do so in order for us to prosper in the twenty-first century. The Thirteen American Arguments run the gamut, from issues of individual identity to our country’s role in the world, including:
• Who is a Person? The Declaration of Independence says “everyone,” but it took a Civil War and the Civil Rights and other movements to make that a reality. Presently, what about human embryos and “unlawful enemy combatants?”
• Who is an American? Only a nation of immigrants could argue so much about who should become one. There is currently added urgency when terrorists are at large in the world and twelve million “undocumented” aliens are in the country.
• The Role of Faith. No country is more legally secular yet more avowedly prayerful. From Thomas Jefferson to Terri Schiavo, we can never quite decide where God fits in government.
• Presidential Power. In a democracy, leadership is all the more difficult — and, paradoxically, all the more essential. From George Washington to George W. Bush, we have always asked: How much power should a president have?
• America in the World. Uniquely, we perpetually ask ourselves whether we have a moral obligation to change the world — or, alternatively, whether we must try to change it to survive in it.
Probably be a while till I get to it-but I am interested in his conclusions.
And finally, in tribute to E @ L who is living where I should be-I purchased a Wodehouse collection. I’ve never really read P.G. Wodehouse in depth-just excerpts. Any real man and golfer should have read the man.
Your tax dollars at work! Something tells me I will be back there for lunch-sooner rather than later.