WORLD CLASS WEBB
Re: Judd Magilnick’s The Icon in Winter:
This is an absolute gem of an article. Beautifully written and profoundly insightful. It should be required reading in any Lit. 101 class and, more importantly, perhaps freshman political science. This is a smacking rebuke of the silliness that is political correctness. Again, beautifully written and a sincere tribute to Jack Webb. I am positive that any remaining friend or family member must be most proud of this very poignant article.
— Tom Fitzpatrick
Your piece on Jack Webb moved me to tears. I grew up watching Dragnet and when I joined the Army in 1965 I had a drill sergeant in basic training who was uncannily like Jack Webb’s “D.I.” Between two tours in Vietnam, college in the 70’s, and just living to my present age of 56, I have learned one big truth: Jack was right: the world really is made up of black and white or good and evil. There are good guys and there are bad guys and everything else is unimportant.
Thanks!
— T.L. Jeffrey
Thank you for your exceptional column regarding Jack Webb. It is wonderfully written and evokes many memories of that era.
I was only a teenager in the 50’s but had the opportunity to see and meet Jack Webb on occasion at my father’s restaurant (the original Love’s Barbecue, in Encino) — in the San Fernando Valley, when the Valley truly was a valley — full of ranches, hidden homes, rolling hills, horses, and fruit and nut orchards. Indeed Ventura Boulevard and the business district stopped for all practical purposes in Encino! (Needless to say, that’s not the picture now, sadly.)
Jack Webb was at the height of Dragnet fame and, as a teenager, it was a thrill to see him. He was much as you described him at your luncheon meeting, only perhaps not as acerbic since he was riding the phenomenal wave of success at that time and perhaps not as grieved over his career and the state of matters. But there was an intensity to the man and, as you say, though smaller than expected, commanded a presence. But he was also pleasant to my father and staff, and very nice to a star-struck teen, and we were pleased to have him and his friends stop by to enjoy our patio dining under the trees during those warm, balmy evenings in the Valley. A long time ago…
Thank you for reminding me of this brilliant man and his exceptional career and contributions — and, also, for reminding me why once again I am drinking martinis!
Best wishes,
— Sue Hill
Seattle area
GOING TWICE
Re: The Washington Prowler’s The Black Caucus Is Back!:
Re: The Trent Lott Problem and all your sundry articles (also click here, here, here, and here) regarding same.
As prosecutor, judge, and jury, I accuse, indict, and convict Senator Lott of Supreme Arrogance and Terminal Stupidity. He is hereby sentenced to relinquish his leadership post forthwith and to assume the position of “Backbencher” for an undetermined period not less than two years from Jan. 1, 2003.
For the good of the Republican party, for the good of Conservatism in all its forms, fashions, ideas, and agendas, for the good of our country, TRENT LOTT HAS TO GO NOW.
From a life long (45+ years as a voter) Conservative Republican who has not missed a primary or general election since Nixon’s first run in 1960 who was born and raised to my adulthood and beyond inside the Beltway in Maryland within a half dozen blocks of the D.C. line.
— Ken Shreve
New Hampshire
As a proud member of the vast right-wing conspiracy and avid reader of the fifth column’s reporting I have an unanswered question that continues to nag at me.
Why do we care what extreme left partisan’s think?
I see it in this website, the Wall Street Journal‘s editorials today, everywhere. For now, this week, today, it’s all Trent Lott all the time.
The Trent Lott thing is the epitome of the left’s personal destruction machine. Yet for some unexplained reason the right continues to participate in its operation.
For example, I enjoy Laura Ingraham’s radio show but all she discusses is what the New York Times says about this and that. Who cares? The NYT is a partisan yellow dog rag!
Jesse Jackson is offended by Trent Lott. Who cares? He’s offended by anything that gets his name in print.
If everyone knows that this is a leftist personal destruction machine in operation why even acknowledge it?
We’re intercepting shipments of missiles headed for a theater of operations where many of our armed forces are and we’re bemoaning comments made at a birthday party?
Please let’s leave the left to carp and complain about totally made-up issues and concentrate on real events occurring in the world.
— Howard Wimbrow
Ocean City, MD
TENDERLY TRAPPED
Re: Lawrence Henry’s :
How is a cop or a nurse going to save $1,000 a month, considering that the take-home pay for many of those jobs is probably less than $2,000 a month? How out of touch are you?
— Steve Cornell
Lawrence Henry replies:: If the take-home pay for a cop or a nurse is $2,000, then the take-home pay for a cop married to a nurse is $4,000, from which saving $1,000 a month should be doable. There is a moral here, not really explored in The Millionaire Next Door, but true nonetheless: If you want to get rich, get married. And stay married. Virtually none of the respondents in the Millionaire survey was single.
THERE OTTA TO BE A LAW
Re: Francis X. Rocca’s Name Droppings:
Any city, state or nation worth its salt should pass a law stating that no building, park or institution under the auspices of the government shall be named after any person who has not been dead for less than fifty years. In my city there is a grade school that was originally named after the farmer who donated the land for the school. About eight years ago the school was renamed in honor of a minor city politician whose claim to fame was that he started the annual city Halloween parade. Another school was named after an organizer of the United Farm Workers despite the fact that there haven’t been any farms here for thirty years. A third school, which for fifty years was known as Walnut Street School, was named after Cesar Chavez. In fifty years will anyone know who these people were? It’s doubtful. And will anyone but the most geeky political freak know who Robert Byrd was?
— unsigned
Regarding Francis X. Rocca’s Dec. 13th “Name Droppings,” I have one thing to say; “Excellent!” I have long wondered about this myself. When Sen. Bob Torricelli gave his infamous long-goodbye he rattled off a number of projects that he was responsible for building/funding. An abused mothers shelter “…that I built.” A playground “…that I built” — you get the picture. Like he coughed up the dough to build or fund these things. Like he went down to a vacant lot with load of lumber and started pounding away at 7:00 a.m. one morning, all by himself. And nobody in the media called him on this. But then, as Mr. Rocca points out, they never do. And they especially never do when it’s a Liberal claiming credit for something we were forced to pay to have done, at the point of a gun, so he could get re-elected and rob us some more.
Good job, Francis! It’s about time.
— Anthony Antetomaso
American citizen/taxpayer
ALL REVVED UP
Re: Enemy Central’s A Sorry Lott:
It seems Reverend Bob Herbert just might be one of my least favorite people and a bookend to Reverend Trent Lott. It’s said that these reverends have a free hand to expound and dictate morality to all of us parishioners on what’s right and wrong. Herbert is no better than Lott in what he thinks. He too is hiding as a purist in the Democratic Party, waiting for someone to harmlessly say something so that he may rear his ugly head and spew his “I told you so” rhetoric and say all Republicans are racist…. I am a proud Republican, once a Democrat, who doesn’t think that Lott is a racist, stupid maybe, but not a racist. I personally hope that he steps aside so the country can get on with the more pressing matters of the time ….
— Ron Turnmyre
