Well, at last there is a sunny day! I am sitting at the dining room table at my friends’ apartment in Baltimore and sun is pouring down on the deck. It’s been sunny all day! And I’m just delighted.
As many people have been doing, I have been watching what has been happening in Greece. It seems the Greek people are voting “no” in the referendum that was held today – at least that is what the early opinion polls are showing. And now we will wait to see how it plays out this week. Will the European Central Bank give fresh funds to Greek Banks, who will probably run out of cash this week? Will a deal be done or is this Greece’s farewell to the Eurozone?
As the Greeks were voting, US warplanes were striking at Raqqa, the “capital” of the IS Caliphate. It was intended to cripple the group’s efforts to move military resources further into Iraq or Syria.
IS has been active in Sinai, at least fifty are dead there. From there, they have heaved some missiles into southern Israel.
An evangelical church in Nigeria lost six worshipers today when a suicide bomber attacked.
Donald Trump is riding a populist wave with his remarks about Mexican immigrants, causing consternation among Republican candidates. Rick Perry has found him offensive and others are working to distance themselves from him. He may be a train wreck but he’s ahead in the polls, believe it or not.
The Pope arrived in Quito today on a trip to Latin America, the continent where he was born. He will be in Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay but not his native Argentina. He will be bringing the church to the poor. It is seen by some as a test of his ability to keep the faithful within the church. Roman Catholicism has been losing to Protestant Evangelicals in many parts of the continent.
While warplanes were attacking Raqqa and the Greeks seemed to be voting “no,” little Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Cambridge was christened in the country, on her Great-Grandmother’s estate at Sandringham, at St Mary Magdalene Church, where Diana, Princess of Wales, was christened in 1961. It was a nod to the Princess’s paternal grandmother as were some of the music choices and the fact that a cousin of Diana’s was named as one of the godparents. Princess Charlotte has five of them.
Afterwards, Queen Elizabeth II served champagne and tea at her palace. 3500 came out to greet the newly christened Princess. It was a pretty day; with young Prince George wearing an outfit that was very similar to the one his father wore to Prince Harry’s christening.
All was very civilized and far from the chaos in other parts of the world.
Taking a cue from the civilized behavior of the Cambridge’s, I am planning to finish this, sip a martini, shaken, not stirred [as I am writing, I am also half watching a Sean Connery Bond movie, “Diamonds Are Forever”] and then head to the Thames Street Oyster House for a civilized dinner.P
Letter From New York 11 16 2015 From Paris to Beirut to Minneapolis…
November 16, 2015Hudson River. Hudson Valley. Paris attacks. French manhunt. IS. Raqqa. Alabama. Michigan. Minneapolis shooting. Jamar Clark. Ferguson. Beirut. Lebanese bombings.
It is Monday and the sun glistens off the Hudson River as I ride south, into the city for a meeting today and a lunch tomorrow and then back north to celebrate my birthday on Wednesday. Another year has passed, this one having moved past me more quickly than any other year.
My mother said often that time moves more quickly the older you get and it appears that she was right, in this instance.
It is a beautiful day in the Hudson Valley, a day so bright and cheerful it feels as if everything was right everywhere in the world.
Of course, it’s not. The world is still reeling from the Paris attacks. A manhunt is on throughout France and Belgium looking for a man believed to be one of the attackers who escaped in the chaos following the shootings and suicide bombings. Many have been arrested and taken into custody.
A Belgian, now believed to be in Syria, is said to be the mastermind. He is 27 years old.
A video was released, purportedly from IS, saying more Paris style attacks would be coming, specifically naming Washington, DC as a target. Its authenticity is questionable and it does not have the high production values usually associated with IS videos.
In retaliation, French jets, with help from the US, bombed Raqqa, the self-proclaimed capital of IS. There were at least twenty sorties.
Muslims across Europe are fearful of more backlash because of this and they are, unfortunately, right. The Governors of Alabama and Michigan have declared their states are closed to Syrian refugees.
At the same time, Obama is ruling out ground forces against IS. Hollande says he going to speak with both Obama and Putin in the next few days to discuss the situation.
On Thursday, bombs went off in Lebanon, killing 48. There was no great outcry or notice until Paris. Now people are noticing and vigils are being held for the Lebanese victims of IS, too.
France has declared itself at war and Hollande is asking for three months of emergency measures. The US Military has told service members they are not allowed to go to France on leave.
Obama has declared this is a war on civilization. It is.
I glide south, seagulls swooping over the river in graceful circles. A tanker inches southward. We are nearing the city and it becomes more industrial.
Minneapolis is my hometown. There was a shooting there last night. A young black man was shot and is, according to his family, brain dead. Witnesses say he was handcuffed and on the ground when he was shot. The police report a different story. Black Lives Matter Minneapolis has gathered in protest and is occupying the lobby of the Police Precinct in North Minneapolis where the shooting took place.
North Minneapolis has long had a reputation as a dangerous place. When I was in my twenties I worked there in an alternative high school. One of the students warned me against wearing the expensive watch I had as well as the ring I wore. People were planning to relieve me of them.
People are asking if Minneapolis is having its “Ferguson” moment. Hard to think of Minneapolis, my hometown, as a “Ferguson” kind of place.
But violence is everywhere and we are becoming so aware of it.
Tags:Beirut, Ferguson, French Manhunt, Hudson River, Hudson Valley, IS, Jamar Clark, Lebanese Bombings, Mat Tombers, Mathew Tombers, Minneapolis Shooting, Paris Attacks, Raqqa
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