Category: International

  • THOUGHTS THAT OCCUR WHILE SHAVING | Second Series of Thoughts

    In this Second Series, we deal with why Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani of Najaf, Iraq, took his coronary troubles to Jewish and Christian cardiologists in London. He went to London, not to Damascus or Cairo or Beirut, for his heart work. For Ali Sistani to agree that infidels (Jews and Christians) be allowed to meddle…

  • MILITARY MATTERS – MUSIC, JUSTICE AND PRECISION BOMBING

    These matters having to do with the American military come to mind largely as a result of our ill conceived, pre-emptive invasion of Iraq. The holding of prisoners at Guantanamo for more than two years is also a significant consideration. The American Army has now held prisoners from Afghanistan and from Iraq for a substantial…

  • A THOUGHT OR TWO ABOUT HORNETS OR WASPS

    Much is being said this week (March 21, 2004) about disturbing a hornet’s nest. There was Richard Clarke’s charge that the Bush Administration was so obsessed by Iraq, that it paid no attention – or minimal attention to Al Qaeda. The hornets or wasps stung people all week with the Commission on September 11, 2001…

  • Birthday Post!

    July 24, 2003 My dear Spockling Churchwallop: As you can see, I began to prepare for your birthday back on February 15, 2003. Since that time, you have changed your name and it seems that an English accent has come over you. You are going to be referred to in newspapers as Churchwallop – nee…

  • A THOUGHT ABOUT WAR AND A LITTLE PHILOSOPHY ABOUT HATRED

    From time to time, my thoughts turn to the war in Iraq and in Afghanistan. As a World War II soldier, may you be assured that war is not a pleasant pastime. It is repugnant. Combat soldiers see bodies blown apart and maimed. The soldier you were pals with yesterday, may be a maimed cripple…

  • ARMY DAYS – AFRICA AND OTHER PLACES

    I suppose it would be well to write this essay in a bit of a hurry. The reason has to do with the grim reaper mowing down people who served in the military services in World War II. Two years ago, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs reported that World War II veterans were…

  • FLAGS, FLAGS – EVERYWHERE FLAGS

    In November, 1945 Winter was making its frigid appearance felt in the Mississippi Valley in the general vicinity of St. Louis. Daytime temperatures had trouble in breaking the freezing point. Night time temperatures were somewhat colder. Cold in this region of the Mississippi Valley is made somewhat worse by the presence of high humidity. So…

  • OIL – FROM CRAWFORD, TEXAS AND BROOKLYN?

    Bush and Cheney loudly proclaim that they are oilmen. How could they in one week alienate the Arabs and Venezuela, our third largest supplier of oil? George W. Bush, The Israelis and the Venezuelans As I write this in mid-April, 2002, the crisis in the Mid-East has been going on for some time. Until April…

  • YASSER’S LOVE LIFE

    Preamble I offer you this three part preamble to set the record straight and to prepare you for my thoughts on Yasser Arafat’s love life. Writing about this subject comes naturally. My first name is Ezra who is generally described as the scribe of Jerusalem in what the Christians call the Old Testament. (See the…

  • THE PASTICHE

    In recent months, a collection of essays has emerged from my participation in the Kessler Speech Therapy Program. As a general rule, these were travel experiences in various parts of the world. In effect, they were a little like a travelogue. And in nearly every one of those several episodes, the tone was positive and…