What combat troops need: The small things like toothpaste, small bottles of shampoo, toothbrush, small washcloth, disposable wipes. When we deployed, we were living out of our carry on bag for three weeks!

I can’t believe you guys are actually arguing about GHWB’s house!

Do I CARE if Mike’s mother’s friend actually saw a book at the Bush’s?

Let me give you a clue. I’ve been to many many house’s and have not seen a book. If you came here on a day that you were expected you would not find a book. My mother insists that all books, newspapers and magazines be ‘cleaned up’. She considers them to be clutter. Now, if you showed up today there are piles of them everywhere .

All of our bookcases are in our bedrooms. My kids are voracious readers. 2 of them just got awards for scoring 95% or better nationally on the MAT reading exams.

Maybe the Bush’s don’t read. Maybe the Bush’s read but like my mother consider the actual books clutter. Maybe the Bush’s have an entire library of books that is not considered to be ‘public’ and Mike’s mother’s friend was not invited into that room.

I don’t care.

Personally I believe that the inference he was going for is that only stupid people don’t read. And the rest of you took up the challege admirably. Therefore reinforcing his snobbery with your own.

Lots of people don’t read for various reasons. Yes, some of them are just ignorant. Others have difficultly reading due to health reasons. Some never learned to read well and don’t find it enjoyable.

But to assume that a lack of books equals a lack of intelligence is a stupid stereotype.

As far as the actual topic at hand.. I don’t know why anyone would be surprised that a ‘conservative’ book does not get a decent review. In fact I’d be AMAZED if it did. The snobbery of the literary world is about as liberal as the academic.

Heck, the New York Times bestseller list doesn’t even include the biggest selling book EVER in one day. I am, of course, speaking of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.. that sold almost 9 million copies in the United States in 24 hours. But it is not included on the bestseller list… why? Because it’s a ‘children’s book’ and is not ’serious fiction’. They banned children’s books from the list in 2000 when JK Rowling held the top 3 spots.

So I find the whole literary worlds snobbery offensive to begin with. The fact that they would not give a fair shake to a book written by anyone with known leanings to the right comes as no surprise to me at all. And shouldn’t to any of us.

Do you know of the organization that donated the books to Iraq? I’ll pay the freight or expenses to get them to the people that can forward them on. Are there content/author restrictions? We all want to do something for those deployed…and, there are only so many cookies you can eat. It’s hard to know what is needed at this late stage. I keep contributing to Fisher House in memory of every older person I know that has passed on – whether they served or not! What they offer to the wounded and their families is a great cause.

Kerry: Undergrad degree from Yale (‘66) five “D”s no “A”s. Law Degree from Boston College (‘76).

Then I guess it’s a “certainty” that there were no books in the Kerry household, either, because evidence has shown that GWB earned grades better than or equal to John Kerry’s.

So if Bush is an idiot, Kerry must be one too (and worse, if Bush outdid him).

On July 27th, 2007 at 10:16 pm, DaveC said:

Mike B..

you have a book coming out soon?

Yes, and in this one he even manages to stay inside the lines.