The American Spectator

Reader Mail

Dishwasher Gate

10.29.07 @ 12:01AM

(Page 4 of 4)

HUMOR ME
Re: R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr.'s The Merry Sage of Broadcasting Excellence:

Thanks to dear old Bob for the Rush column. My wife and I were driving to Michigan last week when the final bid came through and simultaneously the pathetic REID horning in to try and earmark some credit for himself and his 'more than 40' humorless bounders. We nearly wrecked the car laughing...'Mayes'...'Mayes...Mayes...

Rush is a gift from God, he literally makes my day some days. As does Mr. Tyrrell on a fairly regular basis. Lots of serious stuff recently, however, and not as much humor. El Rushbo inspired Bob and it was thrilling. Please keep the comedy coming, Bobby, a few whacking guffaws are good for what ails you.
-- Ben Hester
Worthington, Ohio

THE STUFF OF HISTORY
Re: Judd Magilnick's Celebrate Victory on Crispin's Day, the letters under "English Speaking Easy" in Reader Mail's Huckabee for President Responds, and James Murray's letter (under "English for Starters") in Reader Mail's Banking on Rush:

All those who castigate Magilnick for referring to the "British" victory at Agincourt upon St. Crispin's Day should be made aware that while that army was led by the King of England (and putatively France
as well), its composition was in fact British, since the majority of the archers were from Wales, while there were also contingents of Scots and even a few Irish to be found in the ranks. In the Middle Ages, national allegiance was a fuzzy concept -- one's loyalty went first to one's feudal overlord, though in the 15th century many fought for money and went where the cash was found. The French army, for its part, had quite a few mercenary contingents, mainly to provide specialized skills. In between "official" wars against the French, those English and Welsh archers were in great demand in the wars of the Italian city-states, too.
-- Stuart Koehl
Falls Church, Virginia

Mr. James Murray of Ayrshire is correct in chiding Judd Magilnick for his use of the term "British" for King Harry's army and thereby implying the inclusion of Scots. It was Shakespeare with his character "Captain Jamy," no doubt, who created that mistaken impression, and it has stuck.

Mr. Murray errs, however, when including the Irish in the English state. Though subject to English dominion from the Twelfth Century, Ireland was a separate kingdom with its own parliament until its incorporation by the Act of Union in 1801.

Mr. Magilnick, meanwhile, should not blush at having referred to the Soviets as "Russians": the terms were interchangeable throughout the Cold War, even when the dictator was of some subject minority, be it Kalmyk, Georgian, or whatever. What should make him blush is his attempt to use "not proven" as a plea. While his legal counsel would likely urge him to enter a plea of not guilty, Scotland's -- and that weasel Specter's -- "not proven" is only a possible verdict.
-- Stephen Foulard
using God's Own English
in Houston, Texas

A MIGHTY WIND
Re: Patrick O'Hannigan's Remembering the Ramonans:

I enjoyed your article, but having grown up less than 40 miles from the Alamo and knowing some of the history, one spelling error drew my attention. According to Wikipedia (granted, not always the most reliable source), the Santa Ana winds get their name from local geographical features, not the 19th century dictator who terrorized Mexico. Santa Anna, the self-styled "Napoleon of the Americas," was an ambitious tyrant. You certainly got your historical reference accurate, although it may not be PC.

It might have made a nice literary flourish to the essay, but it was not necessarily correct.
-- Mark Long

Patrick O'Hannigan replies:
Mr. Long's point is well-taken, in that many scholars do argue that the seasonal winds were named for Santa Ana Canyon by people who wrongly thought they originated from that part of Orange County, California. It's also true that even when their spellings vary, coastal mountain ranges in California and old Spanish and Mexican surnames draw from the same canon of saints recognized by the Catholic Church since before Columbus landed in the New World.

But according to a January, 1958 issue of the Journal of San Diego History that I found online, the theory that these fierce winds were named for the blustery Mexican general who died in 1876 has been circulating since at least 1933, so my usage has a distinguished pedigree, as well as a bit of the literary heft that I'm glad Mr. Long found entertaining.

CAR MAN
Re: Greg Barnard's letter (under "Natchez Mobiles") in Reader Mail's Banking on Rush:

As I read the letter submitted by Greg Bernard about the antique cars on the Natchez Trace Parkway, I could not help thinking about the original article and letter regarding same. If anyone wants to know about what has happened to the antique and classic cars in America, all one must do is watch the multi-day Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction on the SPEED channel on TV. It is held every year in January from Scottsdale, Ariz. When you understand the sums of money that it takes just to register and bid, the fees and other expenses for a winning bidder, and the prices that are obtained for those truly beautiful autos, you will realize where all the restored old cars have gone.

I spend those days each year wishing that I, too, could own an original Carol Shelby Cobra, or a '54' two seater Thunderbird, or the early Vettes before the plastic bodies, or maybe a fully restored, matching numbers 'Cuda' with a big Hemi in it. Then I come to my senses and remind myself that I could not afford the gas to drive it. But it sure is fun to watch and drool. Just ask Jay Leno or Reggie Jackson.
-- Ken Shreve
New Hampshire

Letter to the Editor

topics:
John McCain, Nancy Pelosi, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Federal Budget, Social Security, Law, Supreme Court, Military, Iraq, Russia, NATO, Conservatism, Immigration