(April 25, 2011)
[Please include your first and last names, and your city and state of residence. Thank you.] Endearing Nostalgia: Gilles d'Aymery's Blips #108 To the Editor: The endearment of the author for a nostalgic vision of polices that utterly failed in the past, from the former Soviet Union to France, is bewildering. The societal approach he advocates, which espouses the old ideological take embraced by Stéphane Hessel, has never worked but for a mere 30 years after WWII. Indeed, we are facing huge challenges worldwide. The question is: How best do we face them? My answer: let human ingenuity follow its course. We will overcome these challenges. Going back to failed policies will not only lead us to nowhere, it will lead us to failure. Regards, Darrell Johnson Tempe, Arizona, USA - April 13, 2011 ********** The Future is the Past: Gilles d'Aymery's Blips #108 Hey Monsieur d'Aymery, With all due respect, the French could not care less about Stéphane Hessel, except for a million or so of your generational geezers. What the country cares about is jobs, jobs, jobs. And since jobs are not coming on the horizon, we need scarecrows, which Madame Le Pen feeds us with abandon. The immigrants, the Muslims, the Roms, the non-whites, the national identity, and so on. It seems to work very well in the polls. Le Pen is given a fair chance, again according to current polls, to reach the second round of the presidential election next year. It's part of the trend going on all over the EU, from Finland to Italia. The brown shirts are marching, notwithstanding your meaningful advocacy and that of Hessel. As is often said on Swans, blood is coming, rushing down the streets. We are witnessing the death of hope and my earlier bravados about fair legs and beautiful future are quickly getting old. Allez, bon vent! Alouette Arouet Paris, France - April 17, 2011 ********** Missing the Mark to Advertize Oneself, and Succeeding at Doing so Dear Swans, A couple of years back you reprinted a piece of mine about visiting Gore Vidal in Italy called "The Great Gorino." Last week another piece of mine was published by Salon. This was about the ongoing battle between followers of FDR and Herbert Hoover, which actually began with a story told by Gore about Republican vigilance in Dutchess County, New York, making sure that FDR hasn't risen, Lazerus-like, from his tomb in Hyde Park. At any rate, thought the following might interest you. The fight that just won't die FDR, Herbert Hoover and the New Deal argument that still animates American BY RICHARD RAPAPORT Thanks and best, Richard Rapaport Mill Valley, California, USA - April 17, 2011 Gilles d'Aymery responds: Dear Mr. Rapaport, Actually, we did not republish your piece. We published a Book Review of Gore Vidal's Point to Point Navigation, written by our Peter Byrne. See http://www.swans.com/library/art13/pbyrne34.html You then wrote a Letter to the Editor, commenting on Peter's review and including your essay "The Great Gorino." However, I did not republish your essay but for a very short excerpt. Instead, I included a link to The LA Times where your piece was published. See: http://www.swans.com/library/art13/letter117.html This short clarification done (we only publish original work that has not been published elsewhere on the Web), thank you for your Salon piece on Hoover and FDR. A good read. ********** We appreciate and welcome your comments. Please, enter in the subject line of your e-mail "letter to the editor," and specify the article or the subject you are commenting on at the beginning of your e-mail. Also, ***PLEASE,*** sign your e-mail with your name ***AND*** add your city, state, country, address, and phone number. If we publish your opinion we will only include your name, city, state, and country. Send your comments to the Editor. (Letters may be shortened and edited.) |