To Air Is Benign

I'm thinking of a witticism once read (but from whose pen it emanated I no longer recall), something like:

The uplifting part of American democracy is that anyone can be president; the scary part is that anyone can be president.

Or how about that dead-accurate observation of Somerset Maugham?

"Do you like card tricks?" "No, I hate card tricks," I answered. "Well, I'll just show you this one." He showed me three.

Same thing about writers and the Internet.

Think about it. Gutenberg's invention made the world's best writing widely available to the masses for the first time. The Internet makes all writing widely available. Not to sound too elitist, but the profession of acquisitions editor is an honorable one, to my mind.

I mean, what if the Unabomber had come along two decades later? "Yippee! I've got readers and no expensive saltpeter to buy!"

So, it is with a certain amount of trepidation that I've decided to post some pieces penned over the past four decades. I like them, but that doesn't make them worthy, of course. It's one thing to pickpocket a watch from your vest, but another to rob you of ten minutes of your life. You have been warned.

Just so you know, my memoir (so grandiosely dubbed) is to be found separate from these essays and verses. Should you be interested in learning of the dissipated life behind these scribblings, you'll find it at: Spurts of Ink

Otherwise click the following link to continue reading in this collection. And thanks for coming!

Next entry: A Couple of Enthymemes