Image by: Susan Cook
A new collection of observations from E.B. White, the Brooklin, Maine writer, has been culled by his granddaughter, Martha White. He was once described as a man who never "wrote a mean or careless sentence". That distinction falls to few in good times; during the Iraq War, more fell out of contention. Many saw the invasion of Iraq, as premised on a falsehood: that Weapons of Mass Destruction were hidden there, an evening of a political score tallied by one President, settled in the wrong country.
The enormous human suffering and sacrifice of Iraq will leave many granddaughters whose grandparents will never be known to them... Read the full description.
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- The Abuse of Power Department
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- Susan Cook
The Abuse of Power Department
-Susan Cook-
The departure of the last American troops from Iraq, thus ends the Iraq War.
Coincident with this event, a new collection of observations from E.B. White, the Brooklin writer, has been culled by his granddaughter, Martha White. He was once described as a man who never "wrote a mean or careless sentence". That distinction falls to few in good times; during the Iraq War, more fell out of contention. Many saw the invasion of Iraq, as premised on a falsehood: that Weapons of Mass Destruction were hidden there, an evening of a political score tallied by one President, settled in the wrong country.
The enormous human suffering and sacrifice of Iraq will leave many granddaughters whose grandparents will never be known to them.
E.B. White regularly wrote The New Yorker Newsbreak Department Heads, in which itemized life and world events were placed in "Departments". For many, the Iraq War will always belong to The Abuse of Power Department."
Abuse of power is certainly not limited to multi-billion dollar wars. Anybody in a position to secretly or more flagrantly hold someone else hostage to a belief, a misdeed or a perverse sense of entitlement to physically, sexually or emotionally exploit can take part. Mistruth and, yes, mean, careless sentences in the service of marshalling the court of public opinion to one side or the other, falls into this department. People are always more interested in what is true but the truth we all know is easily held hostage and abused by those in power. The truth-teller can be four or forty. The hostage taker Saddam Hussein, a liar trying not to be found out or a local newspaper.
The Abuse of Power Department is one that our Constitution and Bill of Rights intend to close down. Those documents hinge on the belief that no one person or group can abuse the rights of others or persecute them for acting on them, no matter how the thick the closed door to the conference room, no matter how variegated the veins of the special interests leading to the real reason an agenda is pushed so vigorously. The documents say nothing about requiring big consequences before we are awarded their protection.
We don't need to wait for the end of a war to see or miss daily opportunities to close down the Abuse of Power Department. White didn't like to leave Maine, once he got here. We don't need to travel all the way around the world before we pull out our pocket version of the Bill of Rights - a department closer if there ever was one- the maker of irrelevance and obsolecence and the best guide for speaking and acting, followed closely by one favored by White, "A Basic Chicken Guide for the Small Flock Owner."
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Related Pieces
Piece Description
The Abuse of Power Department
-Susan Cook-
The departure of the last American troops from Iraq, thus ends the Iraq War.
Coincident with this event, a new collection of observations from E.B. White, the Brooklin writer, has been culled by his granddaughter, Martha White. He was once described as a man who never "wrote a mean or careless sentence". That distinction falls to few in good times; during the Iraq War, more fell out of contention. Many saw the invasion of Iraq, as premised on a falsehood: that Weapons of Mass Destruction were hidden there, an evening of a political score tallied by one President, settled in the wrong country.
The enormous human suffering and sacrifice of Iraq will leave many granddaughters whose grandparents will never be known to them.
E.B. White regularly wrote The New Yorker Newsbreak Department Heads, in which itemized life and world events were placed in "Departments". For many, the Iraq War will always belong to The Abuse of Power Department."
Abuse of power is certainly not limited to multi-billion dollar wars. Anybody in a position to secretly or more flagrantly hold someone else hostage to a belief, a misdeed or a perverse sense of entitlement to physically, sexually or emotionally exploit can take part. Mistruth and, yes, mean, careless sentences in the service of marshalling the court of public opinion to one side or the other, falls into this department. People are always more interested in what is true but the truth we all know is easily held hostage and abused by those in power. The truth-teller can be four or forty. The hostage taker Saddam Hussein, a liar trying not to be found out or a local newspaper.
The Abuse of Power Department is one that our Constitution and Bill of Rights intend to close down. Those documents hinge on the belief that no one person or group can abuse the rights of others or persecute them for acting on them, no matter how the thick the closed door to the conference room, no matter how variegated the veins of the special interests leading to the real reason an agenda is pushed so vigorously. The documents say nothing about requiring big consequences before we are awarded their protection.
We don't need to wait for the end of a war to see or miss daily opportunities to close down the Abuse of Power Department. White didn't like to leave Maine, once he got here. We don't need to travel all the way around the world before we pull out our pocket version of the Bill of Rights - a department closer if there ever was one- the maker of irrelevance and obsolecence and the best guide for speaking and acting, followed closely by one favored by White, "A Basic Chicken Guide for the Small Flock Owner."
Transcript
The Abuse of Power Department
-Susan Cook-
The departure of the last American troops from Iraq, thus ends the Iraq War.
Coincident with this event, a new collection of observations from E.B. White, the Brooklin, Maine writer, has been culled by his granddaughter, Martha White. He was once described as a man who never "wrote a mean or careless sentence". That distinction falls to few in good times; during the Iraq War, more fell out of contention. Many saw the invasion of Iraq, as premised on a falsehood: that Weapons of Mass Destruction were hidden there, an evening of a political score tallied by one President, settled in the wrong country.
The enormous human suffering and sacrifice of Iraq will leave many granddaughters whose grandparents will never be known to them.
E.B. White regularly wrote The New Yorker Newsbreak Depar...
Read the full transcript
