What a Bargain!

Mrs. Paco and I drove to Richmond today for the Richmond Public Library’s semiannual book sale. I was disappointed to find out that they didn’t have a special collection room this time around (which is where they sell the more expensive stuff), but among the dollar and two-dollar volumes I found a few interesting things, including one of Forester’s Hornblower novels I hadn’t read (The Captain from Connecticut), and To the Last Man, Zane Grey’s novel about the Pleasant Valley War in Arizona, one of the most bloody feuds of the Old West. I also picked up Castiglione’s The Book of the Courtier, which I was thinking of sending to the White House so Obama will know when to bow, when to salaam, whose ring to kiss, etc. Toss in James Fenimore Cooper’s Wing-and –Wing, a novel set in the time of fighting sail, and Jeffery Farnol’s Martin Conisby’s Vengeance - all for under ten dollars – and I’d say it was a worthwhile trip.

The only real drawback was that I had been planning on making this trip for the last few weeks, and had been dreaming of stopping in at either Five Guys Burgers and Fries, or Dave’s Barbeque. Mrs. Paco helpfully reminded me that today is a Lenten Friday, so I had to make do with a peanut-butter sandwich. Which was good, of course, but…I dunno. I can almost smell that big, greasy bag of homemade fries from Five Guys, and the entrancing aroma of the “small” (i.e., only two patties) hamburger.

The Alien President

We must surely be reaching the point where any person possessing at least a modicum of reason and education (and intellectual honesty) must admit, even if only to himself, that Barack Obama’s view of America - past, present and future – is utterly alien to the view of our country held by a majority of our own citizens (including many who voted for Obama). Every key position, every key decision - the hostility to capitalism, the mortgaging of our future via huge budget deficits, the Edith Bunker school of witless and non-discriminating niceness applied to foreign policy, the appointees in the Department of Justice (!) who have no respect for the law, the permanent campaigning, the advocacy of “Al-pocalypse” environmental theories – reveals Obama’s contempt for America and its traditions of individual liberty and limited government.

I am not a “birth certificate truther”; I am perfectly willing to accept that Obama is a natural-born U.S. citizen. However, with respect to his thoughts and his philosophy and his worldview, he might as well have been born in Sweden or Venezuela or Chad. Never have I seen a president over whom the history – the reality - of America has washed to so little effect. To Obama, the United States is not a country with over 230 years of organic political development that, partly through trial and error and partly through adherence to right reason and the lessons of history, has created a society that is the envy of the world. It is just a great, blank blackboard on which he can chalk his sophomoric wish list.

Many still say, “Give him a chance.” The electorate gave him his chance more than four months ago, and in that short time he has squandered it almost irredeemably. The most charitable thing we can do – not only for our country’s sake, but for the president’s – is to criticize Obama relentlessly when he is wrong, in the hope that he will see the dangerous folly of his policies. And if he does not alter his course, then that criticism will lay the foundation for his ultimate removal at the ballot box.

I have quoted this line from Auberon Waugh before, but it bears repeating: “There are countless horrible things happening all over the country, and horrible people prospering but we must never allow them to disturb our equanimity or deflect us from our sacred duty to sabotage and annoy them whenever possible.” In this time of political insanity, that shall stand as the motto of Paco Enterprises.

(Cross-posted at...er... a blog the name of which I can't repeat here, because of the family-oriented atmosphere of Paco Enterprises. It is, naturally, the brainchild of the irrepressible Robert Stacy McCain.)

Happy feet Friday

Gene Krupa's band had a string of hits in the early 40's, most of them featuring the wonderful vocal work of Anita O'Day and the sizzling trumpet of Roy "Little Jazz" Eldridge. Here's one of their best: "Let Me off Uptown."

Hey, Preshizzle, Take a Bow!

There’s a photo of Obama (purportedly) bowing to the Saudi King. As usual, the MSM gets it wrong. What happened was, Obama dropped the present he was about to give to His Nibs, and was simply bending over to pick it up. The gift? A VHS tape of Sahara Hare, a desert epic featuring Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam (the latter in the role of Riff Raff Sam).


Hey, it’s better than the Smithfield ham he was planning on presenting.


President Obama: "I have complete confidence in my protocol staff."

Assortment

1) Here’s the first installment in an intriguing detective story dating back to the American Civil War (H/T: Petitedov, via Alarming News).

2) A few countries with real short histories (H/T: Smitty at The Other McCain).

3) Ninety Miles Away finds a quote that admirably pinpoints one of the problems of our current political environment.

4) Not everybody is willing to play nice with Obama’s new friend (Thank God).

5) Judd Greg insists on talking common sense about Obama’s shiny new budget.

6) Yee haw! A sampling of Old West insults

7) It may well be time to start growing my own.

From the Shelves of the Paco Library

A few more authors of historical fiction that you may enjoy.

Kenneth Roberts was a brilliant author of historical novels, specializing in the American colonial period. One of the most intriguing aspects of his books is his treatment of characters such as Benedict Arnold (a fine commander and popular leader before he went bad), and Robert Rogers (also a popular commander, during the French and Indian War, but driven to alcoholism later in life by financial woes, and winding up on the British side during the Revolution). The books are superbly researched, the characters well-drawn, and the action exciting. Arundel, Rabble in Arms and Northwest Passage are three that I have read and that I highly recommend.

Poet and novelist Robert Graves is probably best known (at least in the United States) for his novel, I Claudius (which was followed by the sequel, Claudius the God). He also wrote the great WWI memoir, Good-bye to All That (which I will deal with separately in a future book review). But I wanted to mention here his novel of the American Revolution, Sergeant Lamb’s America. The book is a first-person narrative, written in an engaging 18th century style, that charts the war-time career of an Irish soldier, ending with his capture after the Battle of Saratoga. The title character is a conscientious and intelligent soldier, whose observations of the (frequently) threadbare rebels and the uneven quality of their political and military leadership help to underscore the wondrous achievement of their final victory.

Alfred Duggan was an English historian and archeologist who began writing novels in the 1950’s. He was much admired by Evelyn Waugh, and justly so, for his books are models of clear and straight-forward prose, enlivened by subtle wit and supported by thoroughgoing research. Duggan’s historical interest extended from ancient Rome to the Crusades to medieval England. Waugh’s favorite Duggan novel was Conscience of the King, a brilliantly imaginative retelling of the life of Cerdic, founder of the kingdom of Wessex. My own favorites are his novels of the crusades - Count Bohemond and Lady for Ransom - but they are all excellent, and succeed on two levels – as entertainment and as historical instruction.

Monarchists in London Riot Over Obama's Cheap Gift to Queen

Oops, sorry. I mean anarchists riot during the G-20 meeting (photo gratefully swiped from Tim Blair).

Looks like that cop whacked anarcho-boy a good one upside the head (looks like he enjoyed doing it, too!)