Good Cheer to All

No Scrooge from me today, just gratitude for this digital pulpit – and the NextGov news pages.

This gig is a privilege enhshrined in the Constitution, a fact that when I contemplate it after 43 years a journalist, still strikes me with awe.

I get to question the government – something quite risky in other countries – and a  bunch of people work to answer those questions, often on tight deadlines.  Many thanks to folks who answer those questions, with a special nod to Jo Schuda and Meagan Lutz at the Veterans Affairs Department.

My long ago Marine Corps service (1963-1967) prepared me for this job better than any college degree – good, considering the fact that Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego is the only institution of higher education I ever graduated from.

To end this on a Marine note (and what better ending is there?) I recommend one and all read Pat Conroy’s non-fiction The Death of Santini, which turns out as a hymn of love to his father, Marine Col. Don Conroy, portrayed for much of the fictional Great Santini as evil incarnate.

The non-fiction memoir stands out as a tale of forgiveness and redemption, both themes worth contemplation as one year ends and another begins.