Carpe Diem!

Outside Asheville High School Gymnasium

"I’m here because I want to thank (Bill Clinton) for his tsunami support," he said. "I lived in Thailand for four years, and my wife is from there." Allen Espy, Asheville Citizens Times

Do you see my profile?  About halfway down.  Looks like I am about three rows deep.
about 4000 people total

after the speech, he was moving my way

right after he finished with me

More photos: http://darktopography.blogspot.com/ , http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=photo
 

As ex-President Bill Clinton works the crowd, that's me in the green shirt, looking back. A second later, I'm eyeball to eyeball with the 42nd President. He needed a breath mint; perhaps I did too. In my one to two minutes of basking in reflected glory, I managed to mention that my grandmother from Headland, AL loved him. I also was able to ask a couple of questions about Russia - in particular, Vladimir Putin. And, living up to his reputation as a very charismatic politician, once I put my questions out there, he stopped shaking hands, stepped right up to me, reached for my forearm, squeezed it a few times, gazed into my eyes (a' la Rasputin) and gave me his two cents. That's my story.

At the 3 second mark you can spot my bald head in the bottom left-hand corner. I'm wearing a dark greet tee shirt.

And, when I got home, I wrote out exact details about the experience.
 

Bill Clinton is walking down the line after stumping for his wife at the Asheville High Gymnasium.  I’m in the front row, readying my camera and positioning myself for a chance to meet the former president.  I noticed that Clinton actually stopped for quite a while with some folks just down from me, and I started thinking, “I’ve got to ask him a question to get him to stop and talk with me.  Otherwise, it’s going to be a quick handshake and perhaps just a remark by me and that’s it. What can I do to get him to stop?”   I knew I wanted to mention the name of my hometown and the fact that my grandmother liked him.  It then dawned on me that I should just ask him a question, perhaps about Russia, since my trip last year was still fresh on my mind.  Clinton soon reaches the guy just next to me.  The crowd is pushing forward, and there’s a buzz in the air.  The secret service agents are on either side of him.  Then, as he was finishing shaking hands with that guy, he posed for some photos.  As that was happening, I looked down and noticed his right hand resting on the railing, literally inches from me.  I then moved my hand up to where his was, thinking this would be a guaranteed way to make sure I was next.  I even opened my hand into a handshake position, and then put it beside his just to be sure no one else would sneak in and seize his hand.  All this is happening in a matter of seconds.  Then, as I expected, my turn came.  I shook hands with Bill Clinton, made brief eye contact and the following interaction occurred. 

Me:  My grandmother from Headland, Alabama really loved you.

BC:  Thanks! 

He reaches over the railing, back into the crowd, shaking as many hands as he could.  At that moment, I’m leaning backwards to give him room to reach those behind me.  When he’s done shaking their hands, he then pulls back and is clearly standing on his side of the railing.  He was preparing to move on down the line but, for the moment, was still facing my section.  That’s when I blurted out,

Me:  What do you think of Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin? 

For a second or so, you could see that he was a little surprised that that was asked.  He was looking right at me, just a few feet away.  I was thinking, “Gosh, maybe that wasn’t the best question to ask considering his time, so I just followed up kind of quickly with,

Me:  Maybe two or three words?  

BC:  Smart, too dictatorial

Me: You’ve met him, right?  Did you think he was a nice guy?

He goes on shaking hands with the folks next to me, while answering a bit more.

BC:  Oh, yeah.  He’s smart.  I can see why Russians really support him.  Russia was poor and he’s made them strong again.  Now the price of oil is $100 a barrel.

When he finished commenting and paused a bit from shaking hands, I looked at him and said, in a very awkward way,

Me:  Thanks.  I visited there this past July.  

Clinton goes back to shaking hands, reaching around me and behind me.   And, as he was reaching through, I kept the conversation going.

Me:  Do you think we’re changing our policy towards them?

BC:  Yeah, we’ve already had to. 

A few seconds later, he’s back out in front of my section, standing a few feet from where I was, just over to the left.  He then walks towards me and rests his hand on my forearm, which was up on the railing.  This is when the photograph was taken.  He follows up on my question, squeezing my forearm the way you’d talk fondly with your Aunt Suzie.  I do remember thinking his breath was a bit dodgy, and that a breath mint could have done the trick.  And, during this next bit of exchange, it seemed that time had slowed down.  As he made the following remark, I was listening to what he said, but I was simultaneously thinking this “moment” will be over quickly, and that what was happening was once-in-a-lifetime.

BC:  This missile shield we want to put in Europe has really angered them.  Funny thing is the technology with the shield hasn’t been proven to work.

He backs away and I respond,  

Me:  Thanks.

Feels So Right

My first ever concert was ALABAMA.  My dad and step-mom took us to the Ozark Civic Center. It was in the early 80's. I've even managed to hang on to the ticket stub! Yippee! I thought the whole show was very thrilling, especially the song Mountain Music.

Believe it or not, when I spent a year in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in 1994, one of my most cherished items was a cassette tape of ALABAMA's greatest hits.

Edible or Unedible Plants?

Last night Kade and I attended a party hosted by the Hiking Meetup of Asheville. We ate a decent patty melt with a side of onion rings. The movie showing on the big screen was Into The Wild, based on the life story of Christopher McCandless and directed by Sean Penn. We had seen it before, so we ended up ducking out earlier than the rest of the guests. Two lines from the movie stand out. One, the words etched into a wood plank found on Christopher's bus in the wilds of Alaska:

Two years, he walks the earth. No phone, no pool, no pets, no cigarettes. Ultimate freedom. An extremist. An aesthetic voyager who's home is the road. So now, after two rambling years, comes the final and greatest adventure, The climatic battle to kill the false being within,Victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution. No longer to be poisoned by civilization, He flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild. Alexander Supertramp (Christopher's pseudonym) May 1992

The other, during a poignant scene on the beach:

“I’ll paraphrase Thoreau here: Rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness – give me truth.” Christopher McCandless

The Kingfish

source

Huey Long stands as perhaps the country's most colorful and flamboyant politician, ever. Raised in Northern Louisiana, "The Kingfish" was known to stump at just about any spot where the common man was - from atop bales of cotton to dusty fairgrounds. Long was a self-taught lawyer who later became the only person in the country's history to serve as a both a governor of a state and a US Senator at the same time. His oratory skills and charisma were legendary. People would pack into the Senate chambers in Washington just to hear him give a rousing speech. Long was absolutely no ordinary politician. However, he wasn't loved by all. On the brink of announcing his own bid for the US Presidency, Long was gunned down in the Louisiana State Capitol Building.  He was only 42. The movie, All the King's Men, was based on Huey Long's rise to power. Sean Penn played "The Kingfish."

When I was living in Bangkok, I checked out a booked from the AUA library.  It was a very long biography of Huey Long.  It didn't take me very long to read, because it was that captivating.  As I was reading the biography, I decided to jot down the descriptions (verbatim) of Long that made him such a compelling figure.  They are below.

Characteristics of Huey Long, former governor and US Senator from Louisiana, the only person in history to hold both offices at the same time, accumulated enormous power in Louisiana and national politics, arguably the greatest orator in US Senate history, nicknamed The Kingfish, the second most powerful political figure during his time (after FDR), threatened FDR’s power base so much so that many believed that government agents assassinated him in the Baton Rouge Capitol Building.

Knew the victory would be his

“He educated people to him.”  He taught them to think.

Mannerism of always being in motion

He knew how to fit men into positions

Looked a long way down the road

There was a cool purpose in the things he did

Audacity, an iron will, faith in himself and his cause and his destiny

Capacity for hatred

Immense physical vitality

Incite an audience with his words

Kindlin’ power

Charismatic

Folksy, friendly, broad, quizzical humor, clown a bit, inner power that’s ascribed

He could never wait or hold back.  He had to rush on to greater scenes, to wider power, to his destiny

Cast a spell on his hearers

Potentially ugly episodes rebounded to his advantage

Efficient and organized

He had a certain influence

Shrewd humor and colorful language

Needling interruptions did not irritate him and make him lose his head

The nastier people were to him, the more jovial he became

Knew every shade of inflection and emphasis of voice

Revolutionary

Quickness of wit

Discourse on any issue without preparation

Could argue from a wrong premise to a right conclusion

Could think faster on his feet

Without prejudice in personal relations

Liked people, made them feel important

Had power in himself

He ascribed to himself lower motives than he actually had

He knew everything about everything

Cold intelligence

So simple, but really incredibly complex

“charged atmosphere” enveloped him

He produced events

People worshipped him

Had a long memory

Smart, fast, deadly

Jovial and impudent and boyish

Undiminished energy

Could talk and talk

Could be idealistic and unselfish

One of those who break the pattern of our time and then shape it anew

Matured rapidly in character

Extremely keen intelligence

Friendly and ingratiating personality

People felt incredulity and uneasy admiration

Bright, different, unusual, gifty

Extremely active

Nervous, curious about everything

Did not believe in physical violence

Inquisitive, original, intellectually curious

Used books to gain knowledge of the crafts that would help him

Fascinated with personal power, leadership techniques

Had a program of self-education

Mentally and physically active

Brash

Gave advice on political opinions to adopt

X-ray eyes, photographed whole pages in his mind

Intensely and solely interested in himself

Craved attention

Used laughter as a weapon of manipulation

Fascinated with debate

Exaggerate or obscure his role in any episode

Had forensic abilities and oratory skills

Wanted to lift the small and poor to a better life

“Why should anyone be fool enough to fight when he can get what he wants without doing it.”

a Huey Long book that was in Uncle Watty's (Watt Espy) collection

Dethroning a King and His Court

It's been five years since the start of the campaign to "free Iraq." In order to keep the charade going, massive brainwashing keeps many thinking we're in the right. Slogans are hammered into people's minds. "Better to fight them over there than here." "We help the little guys around the world." "They hate our freedoms." "War on terrorism." "The liberal media." As I am driving down the road I encounter huge billboard ads that entice young boys and girls into putting on a uniform and taking up guns in order to protect our people and liberate foreign lands. Even movie theaters have become venues where military recruitment commercials are aired.

How often do you really hear how many Iraqis have died? How often do we hear that Saddam was hanged for crimes he committed while a dear friend of ours? How many realize that American companies such as Haliburton have deeply entrenched interests in Washington and have the biggest contracts to rebuild Iraq? How many know that Iraqis had nothing to do with 9-11? How many know what it's costing us financially to maintain our war machine? How many know that by financing this war we are borrowing massive amounts from foreign governments?

I say Homeland Security ought to start with our own home. We need to clean out our own closet. Our National Guard should remain in the US to protect our country's mainland. Our overseas troops ought to be pulled out of Iraq and the country be given back to the Iraqi people. Fair reparations should be made to Iraq and those responsible for engineering this war should be held legally and criminally accountable. Our military spending, which is already bigger than the next ten countries combined, should be cut significantly and the money should be used to pay off our massive debts and shore up our "people" infrastructure. For example, a sizable number of qualified young people should receive funding to go overseas and study and get to know other countries. Another way to invest in people is to pump money into areas of science and math. And, more effort should be given to examining our own violent culture. When Americans kill one another, which we do with fine precision, it should be as troublesome as anything.

Ironically, we no longer have the fighting spirit to stand up for ourselves. Like the wild elephants that have been beaten into submission in order to perform circus acts, we too have become ultra-passive. We are enslaved and we don't even know it. We have forgotten just how powerful "we the people" are. Sadly, even if we were set free, many would choose the "security" of shackles and a dark dungeon over liberation and meadows of lush grass. Just remember, that our soldiers, whom we claim to support, actually, more than any, need a citizenry to be vigilant on behalf of them. You think it's hard speaking out as a citizen? Imagine the courage it would take for a soldier to express dissent. We American citizens must also take this into account when contemplating whether or not to question wars. Our soldiers need us to.

Let's use today to start with ourselves, individually. If we don't truly know much about about this war, today is a good day to start. Read some books. Gain some knowledge. Build some confidence. Talk with others. The spirit of Jefferson, Franklin, King, Lincoln, Brown and Paine may inspire you. And, who knows?, with the great ingenuity and adventurous spirit that helped build this land, perhaps we can salvage what's been lost and take this country in a spectacular new direction.

Rock King

My brother Mark and I had a chance to visit Graceland way back when. It was virtually my only reason for ever wanting to drive to Memphis. It was a great chance to experience the legend that's Elvis. To this day, his estate still rakes in gobs of royalties and has more name recognition worldwide than anybody. I take that back. Perhaps Muhammad Ali is the only one that eclipses Elvis' fame. Ali, in his braggadocious manner, put it best, "I'm the most recognized and loved man that ever lived cuz there weren't no satellites when Jesus and Moses were around, so people far away in the villages didn't know about them."

American Royalty

"I shook up the world, I'm the king of the world." Ali, after knocking out Liston

Here's an article on Ali's visit to Auburn University in 1973.

The only thing I remember my dad ever saying about Muhammad Ali was "He was a draft dodger." I think the Atlanta Olympics had come and gone (1996), and, of course, Ali had lit the cauldron.  And just after Dad made the comment - and we were in his truck, about to pull into a BlockBuster store in Dothan, AL - I countered his comment in nice way with some evidence of great things Ali had done, back then and in the present day.  Ironically, up until I had found out that a Vann cousin was in service during the Vietnam War (actually stationed in Thailand), I knew of no family member from Dad's side who made such a commitment, Later, after traveling to Vietnam and reading lots of material about the war, I was relieved my dad had not served.  Ali, too.  Avoiding, evading, dodging and skipping town would have been better.  But a recurring theme that comes up in times of war is that many folks wave the flag, but find ways not to participate.  They don't speak out against what's going on, yet behind the scenes strings are pulled for them not to go, or they themselves do whatever it takes not to go.  Ali just had more principles than those particular flag-waving folks.  

Landlady

Now we've moved to the other side of the tracks, leaving behind our landlady, Audrey! I guess we stayed in her home for over a year and 1/2. Bye, Audrey! Let us us know when you come back into town. Thai food awaits!

Watt Espy Gets "Lucky"

baby-faced Watt Espy serving in the United States Navy

  The USS Adirondack took Watt and his Navy squadron to Naples, Italy. 
Notice Watt's signature.

Charles "Lucky" Luciano (born Salvatore Lucania) 

and Bambi - source

The year was 1952. WWII had ended and the American military was operating permanent bases in Southern Europe.  Not quite twenty years old, Watt Espy, from Headland, Alabama, was stationed in Naples, Italy.

Even at this age, Watt was already fascinated with crime stories. This fascination enticed him into going to Hotel Turistico in Naples, where he had heard that the notorious mafia gangster, Charles "Lucky" Luciano, owned the hotel and had rented out rooms to the US Air Force.  He simply wanted to meet Luciano, who was unofficially retired from organized crime, and was living in Naples under terms (in exile, really) agreed to by the US Government, who had prosecuted and jailed Luciano for crimes in the '30s.

Watt Espy entered Hotel Turistico with the hope of just spotting "Lucky" Luciano.  Sure enough, as the Mafia gods would have it, Luciano was indeed in the building.  In fact, he was soon walking down the main stairs to the lobby. Watt eagerly strolled over and introduced himself to the exiled mobster. "Lucky", with his legendary charm, shook Watt's hand and asked him to have a seat.  "He was accompanied by his very good-looking, blonde girlfriend, his cute Chihuahua, Bambi, and his short, dumpy, pistol-toting bodyguard. Lucky was wearing a Smoky jacket, tie and pants, and was very nice and engaging."

"Lucky" Luciano truly enjoyed talking and interacting with the young American sailors in Naples.  He took many out to dinner, including an impressionable Watt Espy.  The Zi TERESA was one place where Watt said they dined. 

The story above is based on conversations I had with Uncle Watty.  Once I wrote it, I called Watty and ran the information by him for his approval.  If you need more evidence, check out the biography that was among Watty's hundreds of books.  If you click on the pages I've posted, you can see where Uncle Watty underlined bits and made notes in the margins.  Pretty compelling.

The Grand Hotel Londres



Click here for a blog by Lucky Luciano's great-great-granddaughter.
You will see where I made a comment on a blog post.

Watt Espy's Birthday

Happy 75th Birthday, Uncle Watty!