My Impromptus today begins with the newly crowned Miss Universe and Nicaragua. I mean, the two subjects are linked: She is Nicaraguan, and her crowning has caused political ripples. I also touch on U.S. politics, sports, treasurable teachers (mine, in particular), etc.
Try it out, here.
Let’s have some mail. A few weeks ago, I had a post on George W. Bush — a post quoting him. I have received a fair amount of mail about him. These days, you never hear a good word about Bush, from Left or Right. He is a bogeyman for each side. But, if my mail is to judge, there is a lot of quiet admiration of him out there. I gave a sample, here in the Corner, last week. Here is another one:
On his last flight on Air Force One, he went to Norfolk to commission the Navy’s newest ship, the USS George H. W. Bush. What is not published is that, after the commissioning, he, Dick Cheney, and Condoleezza Rice quietly went over to Little Creek to meet my son’s SEAL team and say hello, thanking them for their service. No papers, no pictures, no TV — this was not a photo-op, just a devoted leader taking time during his last days in office to offer sincere thanks to our warriors.
In response to my Impromptus last Wednesday, a reader writes,
Jay,
. . . you refer to January 6 as “the worst attack on the U.S. Capitol since the War of 1812.” While I know that others have said the same, would it not be reasonable to describe January 6 as the worst attack on the Capitol since March 1, 1954, when five members of Congress were wounded in a shooting by Puerto Rican nationalists?
In my Impromptus last Tuesday, I referred to Gertrude Himmelfarb, the late historian (and wife of Irving Kristol, mother of Bill, etc.). A reader writes,
“Gertrude Himmelfarb” — what a wonderful name. Makes one wish one had met her and become friends. I guess by reading her books, one can do so now, in a way. (I confess, I was graduated with a degree in chemistry and got an MBA later. Though I love history, I have not read her books, but I believe I’ll investigate and try one.)
You won’t be sorry.
Also in that Tuesday column, I mentioned John Smoltz, the Hall of Fame pitcher who is also a crack golfer. He is bidding to join the senior tour. I said he was “double-portioned” (borrowing from King James language). A reader writes,
. . . triple-portioned! Smoltz is also an excellent accordion player. His parents were musicians (in your home state) [Michigan] and taught him the instrument at a young age. He gave up competing — in that arena, anyway — but he has perfect pitch and plays instruments by ear.
The reader continues,
Three of my passions in life are golf, classical music (particularly piano), and baseball. My twin sons plan to play the third of those in college next year. I am not so good at any of them, but who’s counting?
That’s the spirit.
In my Wednesday column, I cited what is billed — or used to be billed — as an Indian (as in Native American) proverb: “Don’t judge a man until you’ve walked a mile in his moccasins.” A friend writes, “Correct. Then you’ve got a mile head start and left him barefoot.”
D’oh! Later.