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Ben Stein's Diary
Not Cambridge
All roads lead to Knoxville — and beyond.
(Page 2 of 2)
Williamsburg is a VERY small town with a number of lonely-looking stores. But the campus is beautiful, with lovely buildings all of a similar design and a university-owned hotel, where I took a long nap. I would happily stay at that hotel again; however, duty calls. I went downstairs and met up with the high officials of the school, an incredibly friendly, kind, and good-looking group of men and women. We took a lot of photos together. Then we had some singing and prayers by a few students and their music teacher while we had a super good dinner. The room where we had dinner had immense windows and we could see the clouds scudding through the sky and brilliant sunlight between them.
I had the privilege of sitting near a fantastically successful local area businessman and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Forcht. They are immense benefactors of the school and had brought me there. Mr. Forcht told me about his stupefyingly successful enterprise of radio stations, banks, nursing homes, and newspapers, just for starters. Wow. But he was very modest and down-to-earth. He gets up at four every morning to walk his dog. You can’t beat that.
This man was truly impressive. So were the president of the school and all the high officials and wives I met. We had an awards ceremony, heard some brief speeches, then off to the auditorium for my speech. It was a bright, very large gym-auditorium, filled with enthusiastic men and women and teenagers. A bagpipe group from Knoxville entertained us. Then we heard more singing of religious songs and more awards were passed out for meritorious acts to the state and the community. These people are the salt of the earth. I cannot quite tell you how much I love them.
I gave my speech, and it was well received. I talked about the spiritual, moral dimensions of the economic crisis and how the people who victimized us had to lack an appreciation of the presence of God in man to have done what they did. It has been an obsession of mine for some time now.
Then I signed autographs and took photos for about 90 minutes, and then off to a McDonald’s and then to a gas station for snacks. At the gas station cash register, a staggeringly beautiful girl and her fiancé smiled and joked with me.
I loved my visit. University of the Cumberlands. Don’t forget it. It is the backbone of the nation, just as is Harding in Searcy, Arkansas. Not Cambridge. Searcy and Williamsburg.
Sunday
WOW. WHAT A DAY. I got up amazingly early— 7 a.m.—swam, got dressed, ate, and went over to Hollywood Center Studios, where we used to do Win Ben Stein’s Money years ago. I miss that even though it was super stressful. Today, I am making a TV commercial for wonderful Comcast.
I am the co-star. The star is Shaquille O’Neal. Yes. Shaq. That one. The best basketball player on the planet. Seven foot two. And a super smart, pleasant, funny guy. A true gentleman. Very pleasant indeed. I can’t tell you the plot of the spots because they are a secret, but I can tell you they will make you laugh. They are really, really funny. Shaq was signing autographs, posing for photos, just a super smart, fun guy. But it was hot and we had to keep going in and outside and it was really hot.
At one point Shaq took off his shirt and was doing boxing moves in his T-shirt. Wow, did he look formidable. I was scared.
We had lunch on a stage where we used to have magic shows when we were doing Win Ben Stein’s Money. It brought back a lot of memories.
I really hated to end the day. I know I have told you this a million times, but life on the set is the best life on earth. It is worth suffering for.
Wednesday
I AM ON THE PLANED HEADED TO DENVER to drive to Colorado Springs to speak to a logistics battalion just back from Iraq. They were there for 15 months. Brave men and women.
I am marveling at Mr. Obama’s idea to put on trial lawyers who rendered legal opinions that terrorists could be subjected to very stressful interrogations to save American lives. Punishing a lawyer for giving his opinion? Is Obama out of his mind? Is there no Constitution left at all? Punishing lawyers for following a law and a presidential directive to protect the nation from terror bombings? My wife worked in that Library Tower skyscraper in Los Angeles that bin Laden was trying to knock down. The CIA saved her life by aggressive questioning of terrorists. And Obama wants to put the lifesavers on trial? I guess he really is not listening to the right people.
Plus, he apparently wants to have the U.S. unilaterally disarm ourselves of nuclear weapons, a guarantee of national destruction. This is old-line ultra-confused leftist thought. What strange unconscious anger someone close to Obama must have to want so much to destroy this country. Have us disarm while China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea have nukes? This is suicide. I am positive Obama will think better of it. Yes, positive. I am scared, though. Really, really scared.
About the Author
Ben Stein is a writer, actor, economist, and lawyer living in Beverly Hills and Malibu. He writes “Ben Stein’s Diary” for every issue of The American Spectator.
Jay| 6.11.09 @ 6:42AM
Mr. Stein is the intellectual first breath of spring. That first soft wind carrying a hint of warmth; the scent of life renewed. I have long been a fan of his because he seeks and writes about the just plain good that is the soul of America.
He is the antithesis of the Hollywood narcissistic culture, finding smiles for us to share in a Waffle House; or at the cash register in a gas station. Mr. Stein is to be commended for his efforts on behalf of our young men and women who choose to put them selves in harm's way so that we may be free of attacks by adherents of a stone age religion demanding death as some sort of murderous tribute to its fanged, vampire god who needs to drink endlessly of the blood of others.
Mr Stein,I thank you for your views; columns and travel-tales. I enjoy them immensely.
Michael Jay| 6.11.09 @ 7:11AM
Ben gets it regarding the blessings of the simplicities of life in Red State America. Last night my beloved and I marvelled at the fact that I went to close up the chicken coop just as a racoon was about to enter and get our chickens. Good timing! Then we sat on the front porch of our Arkansas home and gazed at a rainbow and enjoyed the fireflies, believing that God was putting on a show just for us. This morning, just before dawn, we delighted in a nearly-full moon and the planet Venus decorating our rural front yard.
Phil Hoey| 6.11.09 @ 7:29AM
Ben: Isn't life great outsite the Beltway!!!! Those of us who never moved very far from home need to get out more.
TennesseeVolunteer| 6.11.09 @ 7:48AM
I just returned from the funeral of my Mom in small town America, Mt. Healthy, Ohio. Being with my salt of the earth family..people with real jobs, raising their families, loving each other.
My cousins organized a luncheon after the funeral, my sisters were exhausted from taking care of my sick MOM for two months and sons, like me, from out of town aren't much good at setting a luncheon up at last minute. We had home made cakes, potato salad (no better german potato salad than in Mt. Healthy!), lots of beer (German again).
As usual, there was a private plane that circled the cemetary (a private plane circles the cemetary every time we lose a loved one in that town ever since my Uncle Barney died, he loved planes! We can't explain it but it has happened four times in a row).
When I read Ben's articles, I appreciate these times even more. It is a shame Mr. Obama did not grow up in my town with the love of a family like mine around him. He would have been the President he should be. If he had marched in Memorial Day parades, played for my Catholic grade school football team, gone to Daily Mass every school day for eight years,done the Pledge of allegiance to start the class day every day, sold candy to the neighbors to raise money for a band trip, cut the grass every week, searched for pop bottles to get the two cents deposit, put baseball cards in the spokes of your bike to make noise, built your own jitney with the motor of an old lawn mower, buy firecrackers on 4th of July, play kick the can every night in the neighborhood...he might understand all of us better.....Thanks Ben for continuing to point out what is really real.
ARealist| 6.11.09 @ 9:15AM
Once again an otherwise very wise and commen-sensical individual, Ben Stein, draws the wrong conclusions in regards to Obama.
Obama is NOT desirous of placing lawyers on trial for rendering opinions or for disarming the USA because he is "listening" to the wrong folks.
Obama pursues these objectives because HE, OBAMA, believes in this rubbish.
He is a MARXIST, and like all Marxists believes that the USA and capitalism are the root of all evil in the world and are, in fact, the worst thing this planet has ever been exposed to.
Ergo, Obama's goal is simply to destroy the USA ; politically , economically and socially.
He is simply a 5th columnist that has pulled off the biggest coup d'etat in world history, courtesy of our ignorant electorate.
He is rapidly rendering the USA bankrupt and will very soon have the US dollar worth a Weimar Reichsmark; best to get out those wheelbarrows now.
The speed with which he is accomplishing these goals is simply breathtaking.
If you think I am crazy, please witness the disaster in California, in which the state legislature - the most politically coincident with the ruling extreme left wing democratic rulers in the US Congress and Obama - still insists that more govt., more control, more taxes, more bureaucracy is the solution to their mess.
All countries that have fallen under the Marxist system have had their economies disappear into the toilet and the standard of living of its denizens go with it straight into the sewer.
This is 100% intentional, because misery, poverty and malaise all promote the centralization of power in the hands of the ruling, elitist, mostly millionaire, "progressive" ruling class.
Obama knows this and he is simply following the Marxist M.O.
Ben Stein, please stop giving Barack Hussein Obama the benefit of the doubt. His actions are purposeful, deliberate, destructive and truly wicked and harmful.
Tom| 6.11.09 @ 10:53AM
ARealist is 100% correct and I have heard this from many. He is the instrument of destruction of all that is good in this world. The definition of evil.
Sorceressss| 6.11.09 @ 11:26AM
I agree with ARealist 100% as well. I live in Wisconsin and the same thing that is happening in CA is happening here only worse. Our budget deficit is one of the highest in the nation and our idiot Liberal Democratic govenor, senate and congress are even now, trying to pass a budget that taxes EVERYTHING. They've left no stone unturned to find places to tax us. If this is where (N)Obama is leading us, then we are all in very much trouble. I only hope I still recognise the United States in 4 years.....
chicagobutamerican.anyway| 6.11.09 @ 11:41AM
Random thoughts:
1. Ben is a genius.
2. Arealist is also correct.
3. jim Doyle and obama: full blown idiots
Me, Myself, & I| 6.13.09 @ 9:48AM
Ben's right about middle America. Those who live on the coasts and who sneeringly refer to the rest of the country as "flyover country" are really missing out on what makes being an American so special. But then again, if they were to know about Searcy and Williamsburg, they might be tempted to visit, and those towns would be less special as a result. No, it's better for the elitists to believe that the middle of the country is little more than trailer parks and meth labs and to continue to fly over it. We know better... but, "shhh!" don't tell anyone. ;)