Our National Honor, &c.

On Afghans, nukes, Donald Trump, Maggie Haberman, Nancy Kissinger, and more

American soldiers meet with Afghan villagers, July 23, 2002. (Photo by Specialist Eric E. Hughes, U.S. Army, via Wikimedia)

In 2015, I wrote a piece titled “A Question of Honor.” The subheading was: “As the wolves circle, Iraqis who helped us are pleading for visas.” Let me quote the last paragraph of that piece:

Soon, we will have desperate Afghans to think about, or ignore. The Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project helps them, too. IRAP’s website says, “Every day we receive emails and letters from Afghan interpreters and former and active-duty U.S. Service Members concerned about their interpreter’s fate.” IRAP also cites a “recent news estimate,” and a painful estimate it is: One Afghan is killed every 36 hours owing to his affiliation with the United States.

Earlier this month, a news story appeared, headed “They fought for the U.S. in Afghanistan. Now they worry about losing their green cards.”

Again, a question of honor.

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In 1982, there was a Time-magazine cover, quickly famous: “Thinking the Unthinkable.” The subject was nuclear weapons, and their use.

I have been thinking about this in recent days. I trust you saw the below, from the president of the United States:

If you were South Korean, or Japanese, would you think about acquiring nuclear weapons, as soon as possible? I bet you would.

In December 2017, I podcasted with Ash Carter, who was the U.S. secretary of defense from 2015 to 2017. I cited this podcast five years later, in an appreciation of Carter, upon his passing. Let me quote:

As of now, there are nine nuclear states—only nine. I regard this as astonishing, given that the relevant technology dates from the 1940s. There are almost 200 nations in the world. And only nine are nuclear? How did we get so lucky?

“It’s a miracle,” said Carter, “and one that we should not take for granted.” Any country, he said, is capable of making an A-bomb once it gets the materials. It doesn’t matter how backward the country is: Just look at North Korea.

We have to be ever vigilant, Carter emphasized. And U.S. leadership is critical. We have alliances with Germany, Japan, others—and they are not nuclear because we are. But if our leadership in the world sagged …

One can imagine a free-for-all.

I think a free-for-all is what we’ll have. And the world will be more dangerous than ever. I hope I’m wrong.

***

From RFE/RL—our combination of Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty—a remarkable report:

For four years in Russian captivity, Ukrainian marine Oleksandr Ivanov retold the entire Harry Potter series from memory to his fellow prisoners. He says the stories gave them something to look forward to.

After his release, Ivanov received a letter from the author of the books, J.K. Rowling.

Can you imagine anything more gratifying for an author? I realize that Ms. Rowling is the best-selling author of all time, or something like that. But can you imagine anything more gratifying than the knowledge that your work meant something, and something important, to those prisoners?

***

Over the years, President Trump has referred to Maggie Haberman, the estimable White House reporter, as “Maggot Hagerman.” Why the American people want such a man to be president, I don’t know, but they do.

And the “conservative movement,” which once emphasized civility, morality, and character … well, we need not get into that just now.

Trump’s latest blast begins, “Maggot Hagerman, the Fake Reporter from The Failing New York Times, an unattractive person both inside and out …”

Haberman’s colleague Jake Tapper had this to say:

As I see it, Tapper has given an example of how a man behaves. A real man, I mean.

***

Below is a message from the White House. Is this the kind of America we want? Is this “who we are”? I suppose it is, yes. But a nation, like an individual, can change, when it wants.

***

Here is the U.S. State Department. Is this your idea of how that august department should be? Is Marco Rubio, once a sterling Reagan conservative, proud?

***

And now, a word from the Republican Party:

Trump is big into renaming things. Maybe his party can rename itself the “Trump Party,” leaving the name “Republican” available for a new party, reflecting the spirit of Lincoln and Reagan?

***

Let’s turn to a matter musical. About a week ago, I wrote about Alexander Malofeev, the young Russian pianist. I’d like to publish an insightful piece of mail, but first, an excerpt from my article:

Life experiences find their way into musicianship, says Malofeev. He notes that most of the people in his audiences are much older than he (obviously). They bring a wealth of experience to their listening to music. And what does he, the pianist, bring?

“I’ve spent my whole life practicing in a room and basically stewing in my own juice.”

To this, I have two reactions. (1) How in the world did this young Russian learn the expression “to stew in one’s own juice”? He grins. He likes English, and he’s adept in it. (2) He has experienced, emotionally, maybe more than he knows.

A reader of ours says the following:

Reading your piece on Malofeev, I scurried over to YouTube and there he was, playing Rachmaninoff’s Sonata in B-flat minor—at 14 years old! I then listened to more recent videos, which had him playing Medtner and even Purcell.

Clearly, music itself is amazingly and enormously educational. Forget the other circumstances of his growing up. What Malofeev was bringing to the piano at 14, and what he has brought to it since, must have come from the composers and their great music.

Learning also depends on the student, of course. The master—great music—was there, presenting life and reality, and boy did Malofeev learn!

I loved that letter.

***

Care for a review from the Salzburg Festival? This one is of Renaud Capuçon, violin, and Martha Argerich, piano, in a duo recital.

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English can be absolutely murder to pronounce—for us native speakers, not to mention foreigners. The other week, I was talking to a young German. He referred to a youth orchestra—and he pronounced “youth” to rhyme with “mouth” and “south.”

Why wouldn’t he? Oh, English, you vexer!

***

Nancy Kissinger has died at 92. I knew her and her husband a bit, through Bill and Pat Buckley. I’m sure I will have more to say about all this later. But I will relate something amusing now. In politics, Nancy and Pat were probably to the right of their husbands. Henry Kissinger used to refer to those ladies as “my two Irish fascists.” (Nancy Kissinger’s maiden name was “Maginnes.”)

I wish you a happy Sunday, my friends. Thanks for reading, thanks for subscribing—and thanks for letting your lights shine.