Giants vs. Vets

So many thoughts flooding my head this morning.  Yesterday, the New York Giants were feted as only New York City can do, a ticker tape parade downtown in the Wall Street area.  They televised the entire event which went on and on and on.  Pre-empted regular programming.  Throngs of fans screaming and cheering for their favorite Giant player.  I have seen it multiple times on TV in my 30 years of living here, but this year seemed a little bit odd to me.  This year we had thousands of Iraq War veterans returning home after their valiant service fighting for this country. This year they came home not to throngs of strangers and proud Americans, but to their loving families and friends.  They have not been given a heroes return.  They have not been given a huge thank you. They have not been given the ultimate ticker tape parade as only NYC can do.  I have heard rumblings that there are reasons for this, but all I can feel is if they don't do it soon, it won't happen.  It should have been planned immediately.  The Iraq War veterans will just fade back into their daily lives and try desperately to get back to normal living, if possible.  It feels like the Vietnam War vets all over again.  I don't understand why year after year, decade after decade, century after century, we ( and I mean the powers that be) don't learn from history.  As a kid, they always told us if we don't learn history we will repeat it.  Well, we repeat it no matter what.  There is so much revisionist history that it become subjective and not fact.  I think it is unconscionable that we haven't done more for our Vets. They fought a war, again, that was controversial, but the soldiers were doing what they were supposed to be doing.  Let's give them the honors that they deserve!

Here's a 180 degree turn.  There is a new book out by a woman named Mimi Alford. It is called,  Once Upon a Secret: My Affair With John F. Kennedy and Its Aftermath. I know Mimi.  I don't know her well but we have socialized multiple times.  She is married to a very dear friend of my husband's.  She is gracious, warm, and lovely.  I knew that she was writing this book.  I never doubted her story, ever, but this week the book has been released and the promos begin. NBC has an exclusive first interview with her with Meredith Vieira.  Each time they promo it or introduce a clip to show, they use the word "claim."  She claims to have had an affair with JFK.  They present it so incredulously. She's a "liar."  The View talked about Mimi and the book. She's going on that show tomorrow, Thursday. Whoopi already dismissed her.  I was so surprised.  Access Hollywood calls it "the alleged affair." Clearly, I have a different vantage point for this particular story.  I find Mimi credible and a reluctant storyteller.  I will be interested to see the interview tonight in full on Brian Williams show and tomorrow on The View.  I also will be more wary of the subliminal pre-judged promos that must happen all the time that I never noticed. 

Sidebars:  Maybe the most important event, personally, was that my husband received an early copy from his publisher of his first book, Don Kirshner: The Man With the Golden Ear. Thrilling, thrilling, thrilling.  What an achievement.  Very proud!

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