Author: L.E. Hansen

by

Thoughts

Scenes from a fire

A fireman walking down a road, fire and smoke billowing behind him, an injured fawn in his arms.

Sorrows replenished, luminous fears, egg-shell mornings and blackened days. Time itself jumped with the flames across gullies, trees, homes.

Pictures so terse they can be felt in the hand.

Boundaries, percents, winds, suddenly matter. Maps.

Wild-eyed horses running, photos posted: found, lost, please. A site to reunite those lost with the found.

Welcomed war-zone sounds & sights of helicopters, planes, red dusty smoke fading into black, swung from their buckets above their targets.

Offers: home, food, shelter, trucks . . .

Looters, vandals, police, army, national guard, check points.

Redefining the terms of failure and valor.

by

Thoughts

Defeating Terrorism

Just exactly what is terrorism? When is the United States under attack from within?

Is it from two young men who have been radicalized and who tallied up almost 300 injured, 14 with lost limbs, one critical, and 3 dead? Is that it? Does it end there?

Boston under siege. The city and surrounding ones shutdown. Police responses from all over–local, state, federal, including the FBI and specialist teams. Continuing and endless TV coverage.

Let’s look at another tally. How about over 200 injured, 14 dead, (most of them first responders) and dozens of homes and businesses destroyed? Look at the flames and screams that came from West, Texas.

The parent company of the West Fertilizer CO. in West, Texas–Adair Grain, Inc.–is being sued for negligence in last Wednesday’s massive explosion. The suits filed in McLennan County District court Friday and Monday reportedly charge Adair Grain, Inc. with “negligence in the operations of its facility, creating an unreasonable dangerous condition, which led to the fire and explosion” on April 17.

The small town of 2,800 was almost wiped out. We still don’t know the official reason for the fire and explosion. And numerous reports claimed the company was guilty of many violations over the years. In 2006 the Environmental Protection Agency cited several violations at the plant, namely the lack of a risk plan. The plant, which handled highly toxic materials located in the middle of a small town, reportedly had no sprinklers, water-deluge systems, blast and firewalls, and other safety measures.

No follow up was done and they were not added to any terrorist list (person or persons of danger). No one will question why that didn’t happen.

But and oh well. There was no need for a police response and manhunt in Texas. There is apparently not much need for TV coverage either. Just try and find any information about the blast. Ask around–see how many people have even heard of it.

Just exactly what is terrorism? When is the United States under attack from within?

When do the terrorists not have to be radicalized, come from another country, or even be Jihadists? Maybe when they are those in power. There will be no arrests in Texas. If a lawsuit is won, it will be years in the making and years of appeals. Those most in need of the money will likely be dead.

This is not to say that what happened in Boston isn’t horrific and monumental. Frightening. Terrifying. It is. But there will be justice and it will come to an end. As a country we will be more watchful. And we will know what is happening–TV coverage will continue.

But will we be more watchful of companies, corporations? Will we hold anyone accountable? Maybe, just maybe you need to know what terrorism is in order to defeat it.

by

Thoughts

Anthony Weiner–Seriously?

I just read in the New York Daily Intelligencer that Weiner’s sexting was a “Twitter Slip-up.” Of course there was more to the story than that, and it wasn’t the focus of the article. There were more comments, both positive and negative sprinkled throughout the piece. Like commas tossed in an essay. And Weiner was “surprisingly honest.” I wonder how we’d know that? After all, he is going to run for office. Mayor of New York no less.

The article reflected kindly on both Anthony and his wife Huma. Compassion and forgiveness are rightfully valued, and certainly we’ve all made mistakes.

Slip-ups.

But please, if I sent a text photo of my personal body parts I don’t think anyone would refer to it as a “slip-up.” My family would likely take me to a loony bin. Seriously.

by

Thoughts

Grammar Nazi

First, let me be clear. I used to be a Grammar Nazi but have been in recovery for years. And, in actuality, it seems to be the most difficult addiction to overcome. Cigarettes are nothing, drugs nothing, alcohol nothing. Grammar? Carved into the very soul.

I’ve managed in stages. The first stage was to stop correcting others and has been accomplished. (Although once in a while that will slip through, after the Chinese water torture of repeated infractions.) Rather like the occasional martini. The next stage was to stop correcting misused words. That’s still a toughy. I’d say that one is still on the iffy list. That’s particularly difficult when it’s misused everywhere, including those who should know better.

My particular favorite is “pre-order.” I’d like to know how you can “preorder” anything. You either order or you don’t. Oh for heaven’s sake, of course I know what is meant. It still can’t happen. The preorder time would extend from the time before ordering, to the ordering. In other words, forever.

It’s not that I’m against making up words. Creating words is a healthy exercise and most often gathers the sense of use that isn’t otherwise captured. Thoughts of: Realness, Everness, Neverness. Fine words. Worthy additions to any lexicon. And we all know, or should, that Shakespeare made up many words. There’s a difference between making up words that work and describe what they represent, and making up words that are just plain wrong.

“Irregardless.”

And don’t forget “copacetic.” I wonder how the spelling was decided when it was added to the dictionary. (Yes, that happened.) Maybe a frequent user was asked to spell it. Although I’ve not heard that one used for a while. Maybe it will reappear as an adjective. As in a “copacetic grammar Nazi.”

by

Thoughts

Norman

I saw an old photo of a young Norman Mailer. The blue eyes, the color of a brilliant summer sky, the slight smile, the gentleness that still worked around his face, all there. Still, from that time, wearing the attitude of one who would charge at his writing, charge at the public, charge at his wife. We all know he came to slash away at those who adored him and everything else. Everyone bought his novels and his short stories in the au currant magazines from Esquire to Harper’s. Some people even read them. He argued on the Dick Cavett show and heaped fuel on the fires of literary feuds. He showed up drunk if he showed up at all.

Eventually it all went away. He died, and no one talks about him anymore. I wonder if anything of his is read today. Maybe, but you wouldn’t know. All is quiet.

In the photos of his later years his lips had come together in a tightened pout, no longer with a slight smile, no gentleness. The lips had come to mimic those of Renee Zellweger.