People often ask me what sort of work I did before I retired. Well, I was a writer.....and that's a lot more glamorous sounding than you would find it to be in reality. I have always loved to write....I'd rather write than talk on a telephone. Seems to allow me to organize my thoughts much more effectively. In any event, some writing was just drudgery for me.
My early years consisted of writing technical manuals in engineering departments. Trust me, it's not much more enjoyable writing tech manuals than it is to stare at that "User's Manual," with the new toy you bought and toss it aside. Other work brought me a feeling of accomplishment and personal satisfaction. I spent many years working in radio news....everything from writing to editing to on the air presentations. I seem to thrive on the pressure....usually in my office by 4 A.M., back in the old days, reams of paper spitting out of wire service machines, chattering away. Wading in news stories, knee deep...events of the day, halfway around the world, while I had been sleeping. Quick scans, finding a theme and lead stories for the day, along with follow up on ongoing stories from the previous day. Often, I would be responsible for between 6 and 7 newscasts over the broadcast day. I also write freelance articles for national magazines and few local newspaper columns....just simple, fun work...perhaps about nature, gardening and similar topics. Friendly interaction in the local community. Finally, there was writing out of pure passion! I have always loved history, a bit of politics and experiencing different cultures. My years outside the U.S. taught me much about how our own American arrogance often sets us up for failure on the international stage. That and I love to make people think....even if it takes making them angry to get them to think. Such is how I ended up with a love for writing Opinion Editorial columns. People loved my writing....people hated my writing.....I loved them all! After all, even hate mail tells an editor you have readership and brings in a paycheck!
Much of my writing was done before the personal computer became a common device, so typed hardcopies were gathered up and stored here and there...and lost along the way. Archives often disappear, as well. Much to my surprise, quite recently I came across a couple of hundred old Opinion Editorial stories I'd written...many around the time the U.S. decided a war in Iraq and Afghanistan would be a "slam dunk." Not quite as "patriotic" as the majority of Americans, at that time...and understanding a bit about the cultures involved.....I was a bit more cynical. I had spent a lot of time close to Islamic communities, established friendships in diplomatic circles....and spent some time in actual civil war zones. I'm also a follower of the age old military strategy outlined in the Chinese warfare manual, "The Art of War," I soon became the "fly in the ointment," for many a conservative group....a role I loved to play! Now, finding many of these old Op-Ed articles, I've been reading my words of warning, some ten or more years ago. Time is a great healer and agent of truth...and time has vindicated me in many of my arguments. Some of the others are just rather funny stories.
I've shared a few of the old Op-Ed stories with select people and they have thoroughly enjoyed reading them. I've been encouraged to make them available in a blog and share them with others. This is going to be a labor of love, as I must actually transcribe them from the original old copies. I'm hoping some of you will find enough enjoyment reading to make that effort worthwhile. If nothing else, I'm going to enjoy the memories from the days I wrote these articles and will relish that, while transcribing. I don't work on deadlines anymore, so transcription will be a bit slow, but I'll plug away at it and hope you find something of interest. I thank you all for sharing your time and interest!
PLEASE NOTE:
Opinion Editorials are just as they are stated to be. First, they are merely "opinions," of the author. They are intentionally written from a bit of an antagonistic slant, attempting to elicit emotion and interaction with the reader. More importantly, they were written to stimulate thinking from the reader. The articles I'm posting in this blog are based on my specific opinion, on the given day they were written, based on the information available at that time. Personally, I believe this is what makes them interesting to read today. It's not so much a matter of whether my opinion was correct or not, a decade later, but rather to serve as a snapshot of the direction society and culture has moved in these years. With this being said, please read the articles, not from where we are today, but more as though you were picking up an old newspaper and reading about that day in time. All of the articles were published in one or more newspapers through my own syndication in their day.
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