THE STORY SO FAR: PART 262: TUESDAY

GET DE FACTO CONTROL OF CONGRESS—WHICH THE RICH HAVE CERTAINLY DONE—AND WONDERS CAN BE PERFORMED.

CORPORATE PROFITS—WAY UP

TAX ON CORPORATIONS—WAY DOWN

Corporate tax used to provide about a third of the government’s revenue back in the Fifties. Now it provides about 10%—a truly massive decline. Similarly, the Rich, who own the majority of corporate stock, have seen their tax—as a percentage of earning fall dramatically.

The consequences are plain to see.

• The Rich get richer.
• The government is short of revenue and has to both cut back on services and borrow.
• Essential investment in infrastructure is neglected.
• Income inequality increases massively.

It’s all happening folks—and very little is being done about it.

Meanwhile, the earning power of most Americans is actually shrinking.

 

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 261: MONDAY

GENERAL AVIATION & GENERALS

The screenplay I am working on includes a major aviation sequence so aircraft have been much on my mind recently. Apart from anything else, I want to get the details right. I don’t want to feature something the aircraft can’t do. But, independent of that, I’m fascinated with aviation in general. Where are we going with all this good stuff? All kinds of major technological breakthroughs are just over the horizon—or closer still. They include:

• Major (and long overdue) progress in the rotary aircraft area. Rotary aircraft cover conventional helicopters and tilt rotor machines like the V-22.
• Remotely piloted aircraft of all types becoming increasingly autonomous.
• Hybrid-electric and all electric flight.
• Hypersonic flight.

I first became involved with small plane flying through my girlfriend, Bunny, who was capable of charming a veritable flock of flyers to transport us hither and thither (at no cost to us). The leading light was the Marquis of Headfort (Lord Headfort) who lusted after Bunny and couldn’t understand why she was involved with a  20 year old. Frankly, neither could I, but love is a strange and wonderful thing. 

Michael Headfort tended towards the eccentric—to put it mildly—and hatched one scheme which involved flying a Lake Amphibian (a slow single-engine aircraft) across the Atlantic in which I was involved. Other adventures followed and I still keep up with aviation with a heavy bias towards rotary aircraft. After General Keane organized for me to fly in an Apache AH-64 with the 101st Airborne, I became a committed fan.

Generals come into the picture because of COIN aircraft. COIN stands for counterinsurgency and a particular type of relatively inexpensive prop driven aircraft which many believe would do a better job coping with the kind of enemy we are typically facing today than high flying jet fighters costing $100 million each—and with a cost per flying hour (CPFH) to match  .

When calculating the CPFH of a modern jet fighter, it is wise to think in terms of tens of tens of thousands of dollars per hour. In contrast, a typical COIN aircraft—depending on the type—can be flown for  a small fraction of that amount. In addition, a COIN aircraft can remain on station for much longer—which is exactly what is required. In contrast, fighter jets have short legs and have to be refueled (at phenomenal cost) to do just about anything. All that speed and power comes with a price tag.

U.S. Air Force generals, who don’t like the CAS (Close Air Support) mission anyway have resisted COIN aircraft in every way possible for decades, and dragged their heels when selecting aircraft for Iraq and Afghanistan.

Be that as it may, I need a COIN aircraft for my screenplay so have selected the OV-10 Bronco (illustrated above).

Boeing currently own the rights to the Bronco and recently suggested making an updated and somewhat modified version. Needless to say, the Air Force displayed scant enthusiasm.

But here is a point to consider. We have now reached the stage where the effectiveness of an airframe can be leveraged disproportionately through the addition of modern surveillance equipment and armaments—thus vastly increasing the effectiveness of a COIN aircraft at an economical price. For instance, a Bronco can be equipped with as many as 16 Hellfire missiles which gives it a stand-off capability it lacked previously.

The Air Force’s get-out from the COIN issue would seem to be drones.

Whether drones can match the effectiveness of COIN aircraft in a similar situation has yet to be determined but probably won’t be because the politics of the situation are already set in stone.

Either way, I need a COIN aircraft—and intend to have my way. You can do that with sort of thing with words—which is one of the many reasons I love writing so much.

 

 

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 260: SUNDAY

TIMING & WEIRD COMPUTER PROBLEMS

Of all the writing distractions I have experienced over the decades, the worst—by far—have stemmed from computer problems. I used to rant and rave when I encountered them, but now I’m both more knowledgeable and phlegmatic—and tend to keep my cool. I have learned the futility of doing anything else. Also, more often than not, I can now resolve the issues in question.

In fact, it is now almost exactly three years since I last received external help. Nonetheless, I certainly don’t classify myself as any kind of an expert.

Today’s crop of headaches include:

• Google not searching correctly (a most unusual occurrence).
• Some kind of program conflict which locks up both my CPU and RAM over time.
• Hotmail (which is being re-named Outlook by Microsoft) not working at all.

I have all the normal security precautions installed but I have to wonder whether something nasty hasn’t slipped through the net.

All sane writers should work on Macs. Writers who work on Windows PCs, if not insane initially, soon become so.

Fortunately, FINAL DRAFT, my screenwriting program, is working fine so my intention is to finish up there before the time-consuming ritual of re-loading programs, re-booting and so on.

The most effective thing to do is a fresh install—but that is so time-consuming I have put it off for the time being.

I now expect this phase of the screenplay to be completed by my birthday on May 23—a sort of birthday present to myself. Actually, a very handsome one.

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 259: SATURDAY

AT LAST AN ASSASSIN I CAN IDENTIFY WITH—HE’S CALLED VICTOR

When I was a very small boy in Ireland, I thought I was the only person in the world called Victor—and was very proud of that fact.

Then one day I ran into another small boy called Victor—and was appalled. In fact I attacked him, fists flailing and called him a liar—before being told the painful truth.

Growing-up is a painful business.

In fact, I very rarely run into Victors even now and in fiction they generally tend to be either cads or villains. I’m not quite sure why. I think Victor is rather a nice name—but then I would, wouldn’t I!

The protagonist in Tom Wood’s excellent thriller is called Victor, but you can make a good case for classifying him as a villain. After all, he’s an assassin, albeit one who displays the occasional smidgeon of decency.

The great strength of this well-written book is not just the plotting,  but that author Tom Wood gets right inside his character’s mind so that you can follow his each and every move in exquisite detail. Add in painstaking research and Tom Wood’s talent for credibly getting Victor out of impossible situations, and you have both a terrific read and an excellent primer for would-be assassins.

Given the unemployment problem these days, it’s worth thinking about.

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 258: FRIDAY

THE TROUBLE WITH AN ABSOLUTE FOCUS ON WRITING IS THAT (NEARLY) EVERYTHING ELSE GETS NEGLECTED

Overall, I’ve had a very good writing week—one exceeding my expectations—but I am eying my backlog of correspondence nervously. It is mounting inexorably.

The irony is that I like writing to people and maintain a substantial correspondence—but because I put great effort into it, I find it drains creative energy that I need for writing. Accordingly, I tend to put it aside when I’m in a particularly intensive writing situation.

Frankly, I haven’t found a solution, and—regretfully—don’t expect to, short of sending everyone standard letters.

Somehow, that just feels wrong.

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 257: THURSDAY

MY GOD! IN A WEEK IT WILL BE MY 69TH BIRTHDAY

I AM ENTERING MY 70TH YEAR.

TICK-TOCK! TICK TOCK!

I came to terms with the idea of death some time ago—not that I had much choice in the matter—but I guess, like most people, I have some concern about the manner of my dying.

That said, the example of Jo Curran, who I helped to look after when she was dying of cancer two years ago, set the bar, for how to comport yourself under such circumstances, high. She displayed extraordinary courage and humor right to the very end—when she killed herself under the Death With Dignity Act. I’m not planning the same thing (though who knows) but if I can display a fraction of her courage, I shall be content.

The surprising thing, as far as I am concerned, is how much I am enjoying my advanced years (despite all kinds of difficulties). I really didn’t expect that. However, there is a great sense of freedom attached to becoming largely indifferent to material possessions, and the exhilaration and sheer joy of ideas and writing has to be experienced to be understood. But it means I start every day with a sense of excitement and purpose which stays with me until I fall asleep again. True, it sometimes flags when I’m tired, or have a setback, but it never deserts me completely, and I normally bounce back after a relatively short period.

Do I have regrets? Yes, I have many, but I don’t think of them much. Firstly, thinking about what might have been doesn’t accomplish anything constructive (unless the purpose is creative) and, secondly, most actions I took—whether right or wrong—when reviewed in the context of the time, are understandable.

Does that mean I’m letting myself off the hook? No—but it does mean that I believe that I have better things to do than to repine.

Enough of introspection and back to the saga of my screenplay—a much more interesting topic. Well, here’s the thing. It appears that I am succeeding in adding to the significant content while shrinking the length.

I am pretty damn thrilled.

You know that would make one hell of an epitaph.

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 256: WEDNESDAY

SLAUGHTER MY WORDS—BUT DON’T CUT MY JOKES

I can’t tell a joke worth damn—which is almost academic because I’m even worse at remembering them. I regret that, because it is a real social skill; but you have to play the hand you are dealt.

Fortunately, I do have a sense of humor which was much encouraged and honed by my stepfather, Alfred Lyons. He had a quick and sometimes vicious wit which could be crushing if you failed to respond to it. and thus I learned—from the age of eight to 16, which is when I went to university and left home (after a major row). Thereafter, I would return for a few days at a time, but never permanently. I had tasted freedom and the taste was sweet (regardless of considerable discomfort at times).

Alfred’s wit was complemented by boarding school where dark humor was our counter to a decidedly rigorous life. Sometimes it was quite savage, but it kept us going—and that was what counted. Still does.

Humor—or at least my kind of humor—is heavily rooted in a sense of the absurd often mixed with understatement. Irony is a major feature. Literal humor is not. More often than not, a play on words is the goal. Here the supreme master is Oscar Wilde although Voltaire could give him a run for his money.

When asked to renounce Satan as he was dying, Voltaire reportedly commented: “Now, now, my good man. This is not the time to make new enemies.”

Now that is wit.

All of this is a lead-up to a terrible admission. I’m so limited in space in my screenplay, that I have reached the point where I’m cutting some of my carefully contrived humor. And I hate writing without humor even if it is so dry that no one notices it.