-
Stein Loses Meagher
June 14, 2013 | 15 comments
-
Inside the Gates of Eden
June 3, 2013 | 29 comments
-
Baz Luhrmann’s Gatsby Is Tops
May 28, 2013 | 45 comments
-
From the Obama Ministry of Truth
May 21, 2013 | 69 comments
-
Alan Abelson, RIP
May 10, 2013 | 20 comments
Ben Stein's Diary
In and Out of the Snow
Remember the record snows of last winter? Our Diarist does.
(Page 3 of 3)
I was well and truly snowed in. Even Russ could not come over. I
just lolled about in my pajamas, slept, watched an amazingly
interesting C-Span show about “stealth reconstruction” in the South
in the '60s and '70s, and slept and read my book about Gone with
the Wind, and slept more.
This is the life. I did not see one car on the Rock Creek Parkway
all day, a first. (I just realized how many roads in the D.C. area
are called “Parkway”…hmmm. I wonder why.)
I don’t think I will criticize anyone ever again. I will just be calm and happy and grateful and wish everyone well.
I am sure there will be bad things ahead. In fact, it’s guaranteed. But I am going to try to pray even for those who harm me. I will try. I may not succeed, but I will try. I am even going to pray for Mr. Obama, for God to give him wisdom and peace of mind. And I mean it.
TUESDAY
It is a couple of weeks
later now. I am in Washington, D.C. It has been an exhausting day
of travel. Yesterday I flew to Orlando, went to bed very late, and
got up very early to give a speech. Then I went immediately to the
airport and waited around a long time for a flight to D.C. I slept
the whole way.
When I got off the plane, my trusty driver, Bob Noah, was waiting for me. As always, he had a bag of freshly popped microwave popcorn for me. We went by the glorious gray Potomac to the Memorial Bridge, then over it to the Watergate. Magnificent. The view over the river is magnificent. I am so tired, though. But what must it be like for men in combat, women in combat, exhausted, dirty, hungry, hurting — and they do it for us. They do it for our sorry civilian butts. They go through more in an hour than I do in my whole life. God bless them a million times over. God bless them for all eternity. We owe them EVERYTHING.
I can see the resting place for some of them, Arlington National Cemetery, from near my apartment. They died so I can sleep in peace. Thank you, God, for such heroes and for their families. Thank you.
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.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (27) | Leave a comment
More Articles by Ben Stein
More Articles From Ben Stein's Diary
http://spectator.org/archives/2010/04/21/in-and-out-of-the-snow
Follow us:
ADVERTISEMENT
Current Issue
- Way Beyond the Lemonade Stand
- Sweet Home, Alabama
- Once Upon a Time in the West
The Spectacle Blog
Democrat Dan Maffei Blames Budget Cuts for Girl’s Rape, Mother’s Murder
Robert Stacy McCain | 6.18.13
SPONSORED LINKS
FLASHBACK TO: 1995
-
Pope Culture
A man of faith in a godless age is hitting Americans where it hurts.
-
Why the GOP Does Not, Like, Totally Suck
Mr. and Mrs. American Spectator Reader, let P.J. O’Rourke talk sense to your kids.
-
Dames at Sea
-
In the Absence of Guns
In Britain, defending your property can get you life.
-
The Metaphysical Martini
-
Counting the Costs of Clintonism
The debacle of this president’s administration is both a cause and a symptom of the decline of American values. Unless Congress impeaches him, that decline will go on unchecked. An eminent jurist surveys the damage and assesses the chances for the recovery of our culture.
-
Chuck McHagel
It won’t take long for conservatives to scratch this presidential wannabe off their 2008 scorecard.
-
The Legacy of Old John and Mother Fresh-Roasted
-
It’s the Best Time of the Year
The American Christmas, like the songs that celebrate it, makes room for everybody under the rainbow. Is that why so many people seem to be hostile to it?
-
The Bush Crack-Up
Was the President done in by the economy, or by the politics of the economy?
Clip of the Day
ADVERTISEMENT
Matt Morehouse| 4.21.10 @ 10:25AM
Not up to his usual speed. What's with the two typos and four exclamation points? Doesn't Spectator employ competent copy editors? Try this company .
I forgive him...he was sick.
Herman King| 4.22.10 @ 11:55AM
I lost respect for Ben Stein after he called Ron Paul anti-semitic on the Larry King Show.
Matt Morehouse| 4.21.10 @ 10:28AM
The company is We Build Books. www.webuildbooks.com
Phil Troung| 4.21.10 @ 11:18AM
Mr. Stein,
You are a recognizable face to my generation (i'm 30) and I respect your service to the country. I disagree with your assessment of KGB complicity in President Kennedy's murder. Of course, President Johnson used that possibilty to blackmail Chief Justice Warren into heading the commission to investigate- we know that because Johnson bragged about as much and the tape in the public record. Johnson referred to it as whatever was going on between Oswald and the KGB down in Mexico City. If you study that situation, I think you will find that Oswald was being manipulated and also impersonated to appear to be in contact with a Russian named Kostikov who worked at the Russian embassy in Mexico City and was known in CIA files to head their assassination program in the western hemisphere. What I find most interesting is that just 24 hours before these elements were cabled to the FBI and State Dept by the CIA who was monitoring that embassy, Oswald was taken off an FBI watch list that he'd been on since defecting to the USSR. That lead to no alarm bells going off from him working along the parade route and also after the assassination it lead to some serious CYA by all agencies involved. Also when CIA headquarters sent information on Oswald back to Mexico City answering that CIA stations info request regarding him, they sent totally conflicting info from what they sent to FBI and State. All this has been known since it was declassified by the ARRB in the nineties. I don't know what it means exactly but it doesn't like the foundation of a KGB assassination. After checking the accuracy of all this I'm sure you would agree because I believe you are at least as intelligent as I and probably more so. Be well, and lastly, your role in the Ferris Bueller movie is priceless.
William Haugland III| 4.21.10 @ 11:57AM
Mr. Stein, great article. You are always entertaining and I usually learn something new when reading your articles or watching you on t.v.
Thanks a million!
Publius| 4.21.10 @ 1:26PM
I would have preferred to comment and argue upon the field of economics. I understand Mr. Stein claims to have some ideas on this subject, but I can at least commiserate with him on the rigors of travel. Fifteen years ago I thought it was fun and I enjoyed traveling on business quite often. Today I dread it and find as many excuses as possible to avoid it and the result is that I am practically a shut-in. He has fiber issues and I have reality issues. Oh well, nobody is perfect and life is not perfect by any stretch. I'm sure Mr. Stein will find a way to pull through and make a way in this world for himself. His economic trials and tribulations are truly endearing and indicative of his close association with the issues the rest of America faces.
Jim | 4.21.10 @ 6:49PM
Dear Ben, sometimes I love him and sometimes I can't stand what he say. But all in all, I love him. Carry on Ben!
1FreeMan| 4.21.10 @ 9:07PM
Mr. Stein,
When I was visiting refugee camps along the Pakistan border in Afghanistan I had some terribly long days. Threats to life were real and the dirt, heat and weight of armor and weapons made it a drudgery. I often thought of home and lying in bed listening to the silence. I hoped that my work meant something to someone.
I read your letters and realize it does. Thank you.
Jerry| 4.21.10 @ 10:42PM
For another interesting lead on the JFK assination read "I Hear You Paint Houses" which was written by the attorney of an organized crime figure to made a deathbed confession to killing Jimmy Hoffa.
grock| 4.22.10 @ 6:41AM
Mr Stein, two hours for tea? I suggest you carry along a couple packs of your favorite Tazo "Refresh" . Improvise.
JG
Becky| 4.22.10 @ 11:59AM
Dear Mr. Stein,
I took a little time out from my morning routine to read your shared diary and found myself in another world. Thanks for sharing this time in your life with us. I felt like I was right there with you, enjoying your snowy apartment. (I'm from Southern Cal)
I plan on checking out the Mozart you mention. The piece of music that always brings me pleasure is the Brahms Requiem.
Love watching you on those Fox weekend shows.
God bless you and 1FreeMan.
1FreeMan| 4.22.10 @ 4:17PM
Thanks Becky. God has blessed me... with a free country and freedom for my family. Best blessing ever!
Dr. James Willingham | 4.22.10 @ 12:26PM
Dear Mr. Stein: I really enjoyed your movie, Expelled, but if Russia is ruled from over here and in Europe then some one else was behind the assassination. did you ever read Mark Lane's civil trial in Fla. where he won a judgmnt against some folks for the conspiracy to assassintate JFK?
Jack Lavelle| 4.22.10 @ 4:16PM
Hello again, Ben. It's been a while and I've missed reading your warm, friendly epistles.
I could be persuaded about your view of the JFK murder. My only difficulty is this: how did Oswald, an indifferent marksman with a mediocre weapon, connect on those unbelievable shots? It is a bit like me, a 5'11" fat guy, making a half-court shot at the buzzer with Michael Jordan in my face. It could have happened, but still... Of course, the whole idea of an assassination is for the assassin to get away with it. Maybe Oswald was exactly what he said he was, a 'patsy.'
Thank you for sharing your wonderful blizzard experiences. As a desert rat, I encounter snow so rarely it is a treat - such as the day of SuperBowl XLII. Instead of paying outrageous prices to see my beloved Giants in my hometown stadium, I drove to Flagstaff and watched the game with one of my sons and his roommate. We are all just nuts about the Jints. That day and evening, we had a blizzard of impressive proportions, and at the conclusion of that wondrous contest, we slid and spun our way around town to finally locate a place to eat in the heavy, silent snow. It was memorable.
Thank you for all that you share with us. It makes me at least feel like a friend.
Jack in Phoenix
Nobammy bin lyin| 4.23.10 @ 11:20PM
I must disagree with a portion of your comment JL, I hope you don't mind.
An indifferent marksman? He was a Marine and Marines are riflemen first and all else second. (ie cooks, drivers, pilots, etc) It takes many things to become a Marine and superior marksmanship is easily one of the most important. Those "unbelievable" shots you speak of are quite believable for a well trained & motivated shooter. This is true whether you like the man or not and I, like you, do not. This is not a worship piece, it's common knowledge to anyone who handles weapons. As for a mediocre weapon, I can assure you that a Marine will deliver well placed rounds with any weapon. I do agree though that he did not fire the fatal round. That shot came from in front of him. It is no conspiracy given the direction his head flew in after impact; to the rear, it is fact. That obviously meant the shot hit him from the front. I've watched all the shows of some clown trying to convince me that he was shot from behind therefore his head flew back. Retarded. Set up 10, 100 or 10,000 cans on a fence rail and shoot them. I guarantee every single one you hit will fly AWAY from you not toward you. So in that respect I agree with you. He was indeed a patsy but only insofar as he was robbed of a kill. He intended to do it, but somebody else insured it.
gerry smith| 4.27.10 @ 1:59AM
Mr. Stein,
I lost respect for you a few years ago when I saw you on a tv show where you scoffed at the notion of a real estate bubble.
If you can be so wrong on something that even I could perceive at that time to be obvious then I doubt your ability to be right on any other issue.
And the fact that I have never seen or heard an acknowledgement of how gloriously wrong you were only serves to make your opinion a 'do not buy'.
fsdjk| 7.1.10 @ 1:23AM
beijing massage shanghai girl