I am reading Said Sayrfiezadeh's humorous and touching memoir, When Skateboards Will Be Free (when the revolution comes). It was reviewed in Frontpagemag a month ago by David Forsmak. It is a beautifully observed portrait, which highlights the religious nature of the left and its detachment from reality like no other I've read. Strongly recommended.
I received the following email from my friend the writer Sherman Alexie, whose latest book of fascinating poems, Face was recently published:
Every time I talk about war, in any gathering, I always ask for a show of hands for those folks who know and love somebody currently serving in the military. It's always more than 50%. In some places, like the Midwest, it can be 2/3 or more. My audiences are lefty bookreaders, by and large, so it's a lie to say that leftys don't support soldiers. I can guarantee you that I have had more friends, family and loved ones serve in the military than 90% of Republicans, especially the wealthy Republicans.
Politicians start wars; soldiers fight them. We can support soldiers without supporting politicians.
My reply:
I was thinking of you when I said I had liberal friends who were true patriots my friend. Should I have made it clearer that by true patriots I meant people who care about our soldiers as well as our country? I was referring to the organized left, the organizations of the left for whom Memorial Day is not a holiday that means anything to them except dead soldiers who died in immoral wars. And I agree that you can support soldiers without supporting politicians.