Update from the
Heartland
No.731
14.12.15 – 20.12.15
Blog version: http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/
To all,
Merry
Christmas and Happy New Year to all.
I am happy and honored to announce the publication of my newest
book, just in time for the holiday season.
TO SO FEW – Explosion
Book III of the To So
Few series
Explosion is the third book of Cap Parlier’s To So Few series
of historical novels. Cap weaves
an intriguing story tapestry with the personal experiences of the young pilots
of Fighter Command, Royal Air Force, as well as the vital decisions of His
Majesty’s Government, as they walk a very fine line in their defense of Great
Britain. Winston Churchill becomes
Prime Minister as the German armed forces flooded across the border into the
Netherlands, Belgium and France.
All too soon, the British stand alone against Nazi aggression. President Roosevelt risks it all to
provide what assistance he can to the beleaguered British and sends his
unofficial emissary Colonel William J. Donovan to assess whether the British
could hold the line at the English Channel. Brian Drummond and Jonathan Kensington, along with the other
fighter pilots of No.609 Squadron, live life to the fullest in those very dark
days that Prime Minister Churchill would so famously say, “This was their
Finest Hour.” Cap takes the
reader on an energetic journey through the Miracle of Dunkirk and the opening
phase of what would become known as the Battle of Britain, in the cockpit of a
Supermarine Spitfire fighter airplane, the Cabinet Room at No.10 Downing
Street, and the Oval Office of the White House. The reader will not be disappointed with the ride.
Explosion
is available in print and in all electronic book formats, on-line or ordered
via your local brick and mortar store.
Cap has updated his website, if you need more specific ordering
information or would like a convenient way to tell your family, friends,
acquaintances, colleagues, co-workers, or just people you pass on the
street. LOL If anyone has any difficulty obtaining
a copy, please contact the publisher – Saint Gaudens Press – or Cap, as soon as
possible.
As
usual, Cap encourages all readers to write a review for Amazon, Apple iBook, or
even just send it to me. Cap
always returns to Sir Winston Churchill’s sage advice regarding criticism, any
criticism is welcome; however, constructive criticism helps him improve his
writing and storytelling.
The
manuscript of Book IV (“The Trial”) has been submitted to the publisher. Hopefully, the fourth book will be
published next year. Cap is
currently 20% through the first draft for Book V (“Deflection”); he truly enjoys
the writing process. More to
follow.
The follow-up news items:
-- The Defense Department reported that an American B-52
bomber on a routine mission flew within two nautical miles of Cuarteron Reef,
Spratly Islands, South China Sea – another one of the PRC’s artificial islands
[724, 725] to claim squatter’s rights. The Pentagon also said they are investigating why one of two
B-52s on the mission last week flew closer than planned to an area where the
PRC and its neighbors have competing territorial claims.
Now
ain’t that special! We had the
latest renditions of presidential candidate debates for both major political
parties this week – the Republicans on Tuesday, the Democrats on Saturday. To be candid and frank, there were
elements I liked and others that raised my level of irritation in both episodes. All these presidential candidates, from
all political parties I can hear, yammer on about what each of them is going to
do, as if they are about to be crowned king or anointed dictator. While their personal views on issues of
our time are important, I am far more interested in how they will work with
Congress, how they intend to be engaged in the legislative process. The cooperation and compromise among
all three branches of government and all political parties are essential to
finding the path through difficult minefields we face within this Grand
Republic and on the international stage.
There
were a few memorable moments.
Governor Bush to the front-runner, “You are not going to insult your way
to the presidency.” Amen,
brother! Governor Christie said, “A
no-fly zone is a no-fly zone.” Can
I get another amen? If you are not
prepared to shoot down any violator, then do NOT declare a no-fly zone – either
it is or it isn’t. One lesson we
should have learned a long time ago – do not ever declare something you are not
fully prepared to carry out or enforce.
Senator Rubio seems to have the most balanced approach to immigration
reform, despite the ranting of Senator Cruz.
The
Democratic candidates debate did not quite have the excitement as the
Republican version, and seems to be more of a love-fest. Governor O’Malley tried mightily to
inject some fireworks into the event.
One notable impression: I am not and never have been keen on socialism,
for a variety of reasons. The
Democratic candidates seem to have plenty of ideas on how to spend the
Treasury. Yet, I must say, taxing
the wealthy into poverty is simply not a viable option. Congress must find the will to close
most, if not all, of the loopholes the wealthy use to avoid taxes. The wealthy should pay their fair share
– same as the rest of us, for starters.
I am intellectually pre-disposed to helping those who need help, but my
hesitancy stems from finding the correct balance to avoid being taken advantage
of by those who seek a free-ride rather than work.
In
the For-What-It’s-Worth category, one predominate topic rose from both
debates. Should we support an oppressive
dictator in another country? The
dictator may well serve U.S. and allied interests, but deny freedom to his
people. As the Obama
administration has learned in a large way, the question creates quite a conundrum. U.S. interests are often directly
opposed and conflicted – commerce versus chaos; stability versus
instability. Recent examples of
Libya, Egypt and most notably Syria . . . the dictators were brutal oppressors
of any dissent, yet at least we could deal with them. What happened after the dictators were deposed or nearly
deposed? Chaos . . . and no one to
deal with! What’s worse in that
region, the void has been filled with violent radical megalomaniacal
fundamentalist groups . . . well, except Egypt, which has re-imposed another
military dictator.
Congress
passed and presented to the President the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016
[PL
114-xxx; H.R.2029; Senate: 65-33-0-2(0); House:
316-113-0-5(1); 129 Stat. xxxx] to fund the federal government
through FY2016 – only 2.5 months late, but better than those damnable
continuing resolutions and threats of government shutdowns. The President may have already signed
the bill into law before he departed for his family holiday in Hawaii. The public record most likely has not
caught up with the legislation.
Congratulations to new Speaker of the House Paul Ryan for finding the
necessary compromise for passage of the appropriations bill.
News from the economic
front:
-- The Federal Reserve announced they will raise their
benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point, to between 0.25% and
0.5% from near zero for the first time since December 2008, and would adjust
their strategy as they see how the economy performs.
No contributions from Update no.730.
My
very best wishes to all. Take care
of yourselves and each other.
Cheers,
Cap :-)
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