A DAILY INNOCULATION AGAINST POLITICAL AND CULTURAL BULLSHIT: Op-Ed Columnist - In Search of Dignity - NYTimes.com

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Mr. Petite has been an adviser to both the Bush and Obama administrations (neither of which ever asked for his advice - and they certainly never took it, so don't blame Tweet) and is a Senior Fellow at (and is supported entirely by) the ETHICS AND THEORY INSTITUTE OF TERMINOLOGY (EATIT), a foundation underwritten by the parents of a United States Senator in return for Mr. Petite's silence on certain important matters. Which explains why he doesn't do TV.

Mr. Petite is a native of virtual New Orleans, and therefore a legal immigrant to his actual residence, so he has never had to do migrant farm work or landscaping. (He did do some shrimping in the virtual bayous on some of the days he played hookey from school.) The use of the word "onions" is metaphoric, or something. His sole contact with actual onions is in some of the better gumbos.
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Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Op-Ed Columnist - In Search of Dignity - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Columnist - In Search of Dignity - NYTimes.com

I agree with all of this except the conclusion. Americans may admire Obama's "dignity," but they will see no need to develop it in themselves. The concept needs to be taught in a person's first years. It's too late for most people now alive, and since they don't grasp the concept, they can't teach it. The only thing that can bring it back is a disaster so massive that people begin to understand that this sort of "dignity" is an essential to survival. Because otherwise it's back to the animal state.

The thing that Brooks somewhat misses is this: "dignity" - or as I call it, grace - does not derive from obeying particular rules of behavior. It derives from one's perception of appropriate attitudes that one human being should bring to another. It's a matter of respecting, even honoring, others - honoring not just Michael Jackson, but every human being who doesn't destroy his right to that respect by conduct which doesn't comport with it. These days a lot of people don't respect anyone, and a lot of others dole out respect to undeserving others. Most of us have no idea what "dignity" means.

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I don't honestly know what this president believes. But I believe if he doesn't figure it out soon, start enunciating it, and start fighting for it, he's not only going to give American families hungry for security a series of half-loaves where they could have had full ones, but he's going to set back the Democratic Party and the progressive movement by decades, because the average American is coming to believe that what they're seeing right now is "liberalism," and they don't like what they see. I don't, either.

-- Drew Westen

TWEET PETITE

Former lead guitarist in the band of D.C. Larue, a pre-BeeGees singer called by the critics "The Dylan of the Discos." For all the good it did him. Ol' Tweet, since those halcyon days, has made the circuit of trends: MBA, corporate raider, environmental activist, latte drinker, enemy of carbs, addicted to the iPhone and the owner of a 200" LED TV which set him back every dime he made on the infamous merger and breakup of Two Guys from Harrison (a prototype Circuit City) and Attila (a perfume parlor chain located in a corner of Filene's.) Tweet still has six thousand bottles of the fragrance allegedly created by Mary Lou Retton; they were in his basement, but he has moved to Florida, where there are no basements, so now they are in his guest room until he figures out a surefire way to move them on EBay. Until he does, nobody can stay at his house. Somewhere around 1999, Tweet had an epiphany: since then he no longer follows trends, he has moved out in front of them. He is gratified by the success of Twitter, which he attributes to the unpaid use of his name. Tweet has been tweeting since 2004.

Marwan: The autobiography of a 9/11 hijacker

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FINALIST FOR THE ERIC HOFFER BOOK AWARD AND THE MONTAIGNE MEDAL

An Egyptian city planner, a timid Saudi pilot, a boy from the United Arab Emirates who worshipped sex, not Allah, and a young Lebanese student who had gone to a Christian school: How did these very different men with very different ideas come to fly the 9/11 planes? How did the plot develop, and who developed it?

"Marwan," a novel by Aram Schefrin, is a taut, well-paced exploration of a key episode in contemporary history. It is suspenseful, illuminating, and brilliantly balanced between the compelling narration of known facts - from the group's first coming together in Hamburg, Germany, to the moments before the jets they were to hijack took off - and an imaginative response to unanswered questions. - THE NAPLES SUN TIMES

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"An engrossing novel that leads up to the worst attack on United States citizens on American soil, Marwan: The Autobiography of a 9/11 Terrorist is difficult to read, but also difficult to put down.

Marwan doesn't worship Allah and he certainly isn't ready to die for him, so how did he get involved in a plot that would hijack planes with the intent of crashing them into strategically chosen buildings on American soil? From that first meeting in Hamburg, Germany until the moment the planes take off, Marwan has doubts about the plan that is meant to cripple America, tear at its belief system, and return people to the one true God. But in the end, those doubts aren't enough to keep him from doing what must be done.

I approached Marwan with a fair amount of trepidation. As I asked the author when he stopped by The Book Connection in February, did it occur to him that Americans might not be ready for such a book? I wasn't sure I was ready for it, having not been able to watch a single documentary or read one book about September 11th since it happened.

Schefrin does an excellent job of approaching this controversial topic. He mixed known facts with fiction and came out with a balanced look at how the events of September 11th could have unfolded.

There were moments when this reader was disturbed by the thoughts and dialogue:

"If Jesus saw what they've done to him, the next time he would kill himself. Jesus' truth, if he has one, is Islam, not Christianity." (Page 93)

"'I want you to understand that what we are asking you to do will remake the universe. It will bring down America, and restore the world to Islam....No Muslim has done more for the faith than you will do....And all of Islam will know it. You will be eternal in their eyes.'" (Page 115)

"'Americans are the most filthy of human beings!'" (Page 131)

But those moments are countered by the moments of doubt that Marwan and Jarrah experience. You're dealing with complex and conflicted men whose internal battle is a struggle for what they want versus what is good for Islam.

Marwan begins in New York City in June 2000 and then travels back and forth in time to provide the reader with the necessary backstory to bring them to the final days leading up to the attacks on September 11th. Another book that used this format is Carole Whang Schutter's September Dawn--an equally controverisal title with strong religious ties. In both instances, I found this time traveling format challenging to follow, and in Marwan it is further complicated by the changing point of view--which fluctuates between first person and third. This challenge was removed when the time line began to constantly move forward from July 2001 up to the moment when the planes took off.

Schefrin's attention to detail and knowledge of the facts lends much to this novel. And I do believe that the author achieved his objective: "you have to understand your enemies if you want to defend yourself."

In Marwan readers will find a fair and well-researched novel that sheds light on one of the worst moments in American history."

- The Book Connection

What if Israeli and Christian religious fundamentalists combined to speed the fulfilment of Biblical prophesies that will lead the world to Armageddon, the bloody End of Days and the coming of the Messiah, or the Second Coming of Christ?

And what if, to do it, they have to destroy one of the most sacred Muslim shrines, at the risk of a nuclear Holy War? And arrange for America to attack Iran?

That plot is not fiction - it is real, it is now, and it has some Israeli officials terrified.

In "The Tenth Cow", the second novel in print by Aram Schefrin, when Teddy Kagan discovers an unblemished red heifer on the Florida ranch of a TV evangelist, he knows the plot is under way - and that it's up to him, his brother Arthur, a beautiful sabra named Shaya, an Israeli professor of comparative religion, an MIT geneticist and Shaya's father, a retired Jewish terrorist, to make sure the worst doesn't come to pass.

Add polo, Kabbala, a born-again American President and a series of strange relationships into the mix and you get a rich stew of romance, comedy and suspense and a scary look at what might be the most important event of our time.

Go to TenthCow.com for more info on the book and where to buy it.

"Like corn through a goose - that's how I'm going through your great podcast novels. What a treat - great concepts, great humor, and an occasional riff that Hemingway would have been proud to write - the siren sounds in The Tenth Cow, the emptiness of Marwan's mom's life at middle age, to mention but two. Not to blow smoke at you, but you have not only provided me with many interesting hours of listening, you are fulfilling the promise of the worldwide web."

"Could not put this book down! Aram Schefrin reminds me of Tom Clancey's devotion to authentic details. This is a fast moving book and has an eerie quality of mixing fiction with fact. The author's political views seem to be "right on" imho. His Marwan was also very enjoyable, but I find this one even better. I am waiting for his next book! " - polo reader

"I am really enjoying the story ... Mr. Schefrin does a great job of explaining to the reader the theology involved ... Again, another winner for Aram Schefrin. Please keep 'em coming!" -George, Ft. Worth, Tx; www.thepublicdomainiac.com

"Really amazing story. Mr. Schefrin has an amazing knowledge of all things Israeli and Jewish. The details about the city and the history really drew me in. I feel like I learned so much about Israel after finishing this book." Billy C

"Great ending, and I won't spoil it for you here. Suffice it to say that I, too was worried about rapture occurring before Mr. Schefrin got out the last chapter, and not being around to enjoy it.... Thanks again for a GREAT book!" George, Fort Worth, Texas

"I am loving your novel. I now am a Schefrin fan. Please keep releasing more of the same. This stuff is fantastic!" Mark