The story takes place in the 1930s in a fictitious town called Grover's Corners and is divided into three acts. Act I is titled "Daily Life," Act II is titled "Marriage and Love," and Act III is titled "Death." The first two acts are light hearted, fun, and care free. The third act is downright maudlin and exceptionally dark. It is a timeless American story and, in the end, one realizes that it's not simply about Grover's Corners but it is about our whole nation, with its laughter, its anger, and its tears.
Throughout my years, I have seen Our Town performed several times. It was produced at my grade school, my high school, my local theater, and was even made into a film with William Holden in 1940. Each time I watched it, usually at a different point in my life, I saw a new aspect to the play that I had not seen before. Every viewing has evoked a shivering sense of Americana, in all its glory and sadness. Our Town is the purest definition of the word America.
For several days in September of 2001, the man pictured below was the Mayor of Our Town.
I love Rudy Giulianni. The level of respect I have for him as a leader is so high it simply cannot be measured. Last year, I wrote piece on him for my Profiles In Courage series, which you can read by clicking here. Much of that post contains biographical information, his accomplishments, and his extraordinary leadership on September 11th. Since I don't want to repeat myself, I thought I would touch on what he has been up to lately.He is running for the Republican nomination for President in 2008.
By leaps and bounds, he is the best person out of all of the Republican candidates for the job. For the first time in my entire voting career, I may vote for a Republican for President, if he is nominated and the Democrats put up Hillary. He is pro choice, pro gay rights, supports reasonable gun control, tough on crime, fiscally responsible, cognisant of climate change and desirous of universal health care. Yes, it's true. Finally someone with an "R" behind their name wants to truly serve the people.
More important, he has a very clear understanding of the threat of terrorism....clearer, perhaps then any other candidate, including my top choice on the Democrat side. Definitely more clear than President Bush, Dick Cheney and the rest of our current leadership. Now, many of you liberals who read this may think I have lost my mind. Didn't Giuliani say that terrorists want the Democrats to win? Doesn't Giuliani support Bush's policy in Iraq? Well, the answer is yes to both questions but let's think about that for a moment, shall we?
As far as the first question goes, he has to say that crap to get the nomination. A liberal on social issues, Giuliani needs to throw a few zingers out there to placate the base. The second question, however, bears a little more scrutiny. I think our beloved mayor is pulling a fast one on all of us, much in the same way Hillary is pulling a fast one on the Democrats except in the reverse. I think he says he supports the Bush plan but because he actually has a brain in his head, as soon as he takes office, we will see the Bush doctrine go bye-bye and say hello to the Giuliani era of world law enforcement. Y'see folks, when Rudy was the mayor of New York he did something no other mayor there had EVER done: he lowered the crime rate. And he didn't just lower it, he drastically lowered it.
The man knows how to deal with crime. His track record proves it and so, I think that Giuliani, if he wins, will astutely re-organize our armed services into a strategic fighting force that is more suited to destroying Al Qaeda, which, in the end, is not an army in the traditional sense but is a collection of international criminals. In addition, I think he will turn to diplomacy, more often than our current leader, to also aid in this endeavor. I have no doubt in my mind that he will succeed. Do you know why?Because I watched him on 9-11. We all watched him on 9-11. He knows how to act in a crisis. He behaved with such decisiveness and courage on that day that we can feel something for a leader we haven't had in a long time: Trust.
He is the Mayor of Our Town, after all, and he gets an A from me.
Tuesday: Video! Part 1 (of 2) of the Fox News interview with Rudy Giulianni w/Sean Hannity (what the??!!....has Mark lost his mind? Sean Hannity?)
14 comments:
Mark, you are a dick. Rotten Rudy is just like all the rest of them: he is corrupt, evil, and will continue to ruin this country as Herr Bush has. He doesn't give a shit about "the people." He just as soon let us all rot, like he did with the 9-11 rescue workers, who are now all suffering from lung problems.
He is an idtiot who set up the terrorism command post in the World Trade Center. What a moron. And so are you for believing his bullshit.
I, too, have to question your judgement here, Mark. He really has said and done many of the same things that Bush has done and I think, if he is elected, that he will bring our country further down into the abyss.
The 9-11 rescue workers thing is just inexcusable. Those people volunteered their time to help out and no one is helping them now. It's a national disgrace.
Mark, if you and I end of voting for the same person, I fear you’ll lose most of your readership. And, right now, we may end up doing just that. For different reasons, of course.
I don’t care for his social policy. But, I think that will taper once he has to provide for an entire country and not just a city. He’s stumbling all over himself trying to explain his stance on abortion (which is still unclear) but I like that he’s keen on nominating judges who won’t be legislating from the bench.
You bring up an interesting point. You like him not for a stance that he’s taking, but because you essentially believe he’s lying about said stance; i.e. he’s saying something to get elected. Doesn’t that strike you as dishonest? I’m taking him at his word there. (And really, shouldn’t we be able to take our politicians at their word? Ha ha…Ok, that’s a bit too idealist…)
The Bush Doctrine will assuredly be gone, but only because GW is gone. I don’t think his stance will be radically different but it will have his stamp on it.
I love Giuliani on crime, but I can’t believe you do. Or that you think, if that same tact were applied to the War on Terror, that you’d like it there. I’ve read a number of studies on and how mayors all over the America have copied it to help reduce crime. The crux of the plan is zero tolerance for “all” crime. The theory being that if you prosecute and punish even the most mundane crimes, people will get the message; i.e. trickles down (up??) to more severe crimes. For example, if you can’t get away with graffiti on the subway, you won’t try dealing pot there. It says something that Times Square is now a family destination. Taking that to the war level, I don't see him "pulling back to a position of strength" (ie hiding in Germany & Iceland) but expanding aggressively. The best defense is a good offense.
Grade: B+
Pleease no, he is still part of the regime and will have to take care of all of those who pay to nominate and elect him. Why is it that people think 911 was done well, what was it that makes him a 'leader'? He showed up on the scene the day of the event with a radio unlike Katrina and delayed reaction. Kucinich is the most decent, Edwards the most articulate and Hillary the smartest with the best porgrams for this country. Can this country ever move away from violence and war and war toys and lead the world? I would rather see some more math and physics students rewarded, great art and music created, some medical discovery outside of the 'mash' table.
Keep writing.
Markadelphia, you disappoint me greatly. Giuliani is indeed Rotten Rudy. The guy lies about everything and I have no respect for him. Don't be taken in by the myth of his "heroic" leadership on 9-11. Like elahat says, he just showed up on the scene and did what anyone would've done.
dave, if you go back and read my profiles in courage post on rudy (the link was in this post) you will see why I am with him on crime. When he was a DA, he busted a lot of corporate, white collar types and really went after government corruption, playing favorites to no one.
He reminds me a lot of Harry Truman and how he went after war profiteers in WWII. This is just speculation, mind you, but I think he will be less tolerant if not outright antagonistic of the sickening relationship between the government and defense contractors.
Hey, I'm not protecting anybody here. ...there's no monopoly on sickening relationships between gov't and contractors, nor any shortage of corruption across the board...just no need to single out defense when we could name lots of industries with the same corruption.
...for those who think he did nothing special on 9/11, I suspect you're the same people who say your managers at the office "do nothing" and just take advantage of your hard work. If you think Katrina was handled badly, one need only look at the management of that disaster by the local mayor as a means of comparison.
I like Rudy too. I prefer McCain but, sigh, he's falling. Too close to the Bush White House and too old. Darn whippersnapers.
I also, like John Edwards but because there are two Democratic front runners with too much ego also running he's probably going to fall by the wayside.
Edwards only hope is winning the first primary. He should spend 70% of his time and money on the first two primaries. Winning in one of these two states may raise his profile enough with the following primary's that he push's the other two aside. (let us pray!)
The only politician in the U.S. more fractuous then Bush....Hillery. What an opportunist! The Chicago girl who came to Washington through Arkansas and is now a Senator for New York. If she lived in the south she'd be called a carpet-bagger.
Obama, great guy, if he spends some time in office so we can accurately judge his positions based on his voting record he could be worth voting for someday...but not now.
No.No.No, mark, a thousand times, NO!!! You are sooooo wrong on this one.
The United States of America cannot survive a Republican administration. There are too many loyal Bushies in positions of power, and the Democrats have to win in 2008 to ensure that the Bushies are drummed out for bringing two crushing defeats onto the Republican Party.
If the Republicans take the White House in 2008 Karl Rove and his ilk will take credit and remain entrenched. You might like Rudy Giuliani personally, but he will use the existing Republican machine, and that machine is corrupt, totally dedicated to the destruction of real democracy in the United States.
As we saw in the 2000 Florida election, the 2004 Ohio election, the Texas redistricting scheme, and the US Attorneys scandal, the Republican party is now controlled by operatives who want to manipulate the electoral process to bring about a permanent Republican majority.
These people hate Democracy and will do anything to win elections. They must be be purged from American politics. Unless a Republican candidate publicly condemns Karl Rove and Grover Norquist and the entire Fox News Alliance of Lies, they will continue to use them to crush real democracy. Giuliani might talk nice, but he will cave when Karl Rove whispers in his ear. Karl specializes in dirt, and Rudy has WAY too much dirt in his past to avoid being controlled by the power mongers in the Republican party.
Thank you bkvam. That just boggles the mind.
So, joe, refute him. How is he wrong?
...come'on, prove the the moon's not made of swiss cheese!!
Get rid of the news you don't like? Purge from politics? Where've I heard those lines before? Answer: Thank you, Ilich.
Karl Rove is my friend. Please don't say bad things about him.
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