The Palestine Question, or war as we know it

by: john harrison

Israel does not have any “genocidal policies” towards anyone. That is a fact. They have the military capacity to wipe out in their entirety the Palestinians wherever they remain. If Israel were in fact genocidal, they would have used it. But, in spite of provocation, they have never used it. Calling them “genocidal” is ignorance, or a lie.

There are anti-semitic people everywhere. BTW both the Jews and the Palestinians are a semitic people. “The Squad” and their ilk are anti Israel and they are all so very left wing as well. Does that make them anti-semitic? I don’t know, but it makes them anti Jew. They are in the main ignorant of history, and international law. Seemingly they only care for what seems to be “right” to them. It appears though that they are only really opposed to a war is when the war is Israel successfully defending itself from further, unprovoked Palestinian aggression and clear war crimes.

It is also true that there are fascist, far rightest, both in the US and elsewhere who are anti-semitic, or at least anti Jew. It is one thing the extreme left and extreme right now seem to be able to unite on. However, anyone who thinks that it is acceptable to boycott or attack the “Jewish State” solely because it is a Jewish state, is both a bigot, and a racist regardless of the leaning of the rest of their political sentiments.

The religious affiliation of the Israeli population as of 2019 was 74.2% Jewish, 17.8% Muslim, 2.0% Christian, and 1.6% Druze, with the remaining 4.4% including faiths such as Samaritanism and Baha’iism, and irreligious people with no faith. The Muslim population is growing the fastest.

Some object to Israeli claims that it has a God-given right to the disputed territories as well as to Israel itself. They note that idea is one way that religions have used over the years to take what is not theirs simply by claiming that God gave it to them. Some of these people also believe that Israel’s actions are genocidal.

However, genocidal is clearly wrong. It is an adjective: genocidal, meaning relating to or involving the deliberate killing of a large group of people of a particular nation or ethnic group. Not only has Israel not done that, even in war it has shown remarkable restraint. There are idiot factions in Israel that now and then do criminal things for which they are usually punished, but that is all they are, idiot factions, or in many cases just plain idiots as well as criminals.

As far as a similar claim of apartheid, Israel has neither housed them behind barbed wire like we did to those of Japanese descent during World War II, nor have they disenfranchised them as we did in the South after the Civil War, nor is there anything resembling a Jim Crow system of segregation much less an apartheid like system similar to that in South Africa. Nor have the Israelis forcibly moved them around like the Allies forcibly repatriated and ethnically cleansed after World War II. 

So, I do not agree that Israel is either genocidal or apartheid like. The State of Israel has been effectively at war since its inception, but it has rarely overstepped the legal lines for a state at war, and usually it has made some recompense or at least tried to when it has overstepped.

While I do not suppose all will agree, I do believe that at least some of the Squad and their followers are extremely anti-Jewish people, not just anti Israelis. Some protesters would cheerfully kill all Jews if their chants are to be believed. 

The Palestinians and their supporters argue that their history gives them a greater right to land in Israel than Israel’s history does for the Jews. Well, they have tried in several wars to do just that and failed miserably. Wars have consequences often involving the loss of land. As I am sure everyone realizes, there are two concepts at work here, “de jure” and “de facto”. “De jure” is sometimes at best aspirational but Israel is a legal state created by the United Nations after World War II. “De facto” on the other hand is always real, present, and usually powerful. It is all of those here as several Arab-Israeli Wars since 1948 have repeatedly proved.

My philosophy in such matters mostly involves taking the specific and applying it generally. If it does not work generally, it will not work specifically over time. The fact of the matter is the Palestinians are making the same kind of claims the Nazis did regarding the Sudetenland and Austria prior to World War II; that they had a greater “right” to the land than the current occupants. That the land had been “stolen” from them.

Unfortunately, that is too often true in the history of the world. The Muslims conquered and then lost great swaths of land. The Crusades conquered and then lost great swaths of land as well. The Argentinians think that relative proximity to the Falklands gives them greater rights than the people who had peacefully lived there for over 300 years. Simply stated the violent road that the Palestinians are on, and want to take the rest of the world to go down is already soaked with the blood of millions.

The Palestinians need to make a case why their claims are different from all of these other claims, and why the world should risk the very real consequences of deciding for them. I do not believe they have made such a case. Nor do I believe that when weighed against the History of the Jews that it could prevail even if well argued. Finally, what the Palestinians propose is clearly contrary to International law. Israel is a lawful state.

Think of this, on the same basis, Germany has a much better case for the return of East Prussia and the Sudetenland. Think of this as well, no one, whether large or small, except perhaps the Romans and then only for a relatively short period of time has been able to deprive the Jews of their homeland. It will takes a big war to do that. I think every sentient person knows that. 

Then, there was the Holocaust. Whether they are God’s chosen people or not, the World owes them a homeland. Six million dead bought them that. No people is in greater need of a place where they can be safe, and can defend themselves, because for reasons that are utterly inexplicable to me there are many that still want to do them harm. We call those people racist and bigoted in their beliefs, and more importantly, clearly criminal in their actions. 

If, nonetheless, you still want to support the illegal and in may cases criminal cause of the Palestinians, Hamas has positions opening up all the time. Leave the campus join up, or educate yourself and choose the morally, legally, better side. 

 ———#####———-

My book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive  is available on Amazon both as a paperback and on Kindle. It is a Five Star book with lots of reviews, many by others that were there as well. Please give it a look. See; Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive 1968

Recent Reviews of Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive:

“John Harrison does an eloquent job writing what it was like being in the infantry during the Vietnam war. I know, I was in the infantry in Vietnam. There is a statistic which states that only 1 out of 10 who served in Vietnam were in the infantry. All of us have been asked what that was like at one point since our return. It is an impossible question for most of us to answer in part much less in full. John Harrison manages to do this in his book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive. So, if you are inclined and wonder what it was like, or you want to tell someone else what you went through, buy this book. Show it to your friend, show it to your family. It tells your story. To, “LT” John Harrison- thank you Sir.Salute.”

“John Harrison’s book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive, is a series of short stories, told mostly in the first person, that weaves together the humor and violence that only a talented writer can accomplish. The result is a compelling book that is hard to put down. John’s words flow easily on the pages, making an easy read. I highly recommend this book to anyone that has been there and did that, or anyone wanting to know a personal record of one lucky Lieutenant in Vietnam and the people that made it possible for him to return home.
Dan Hertlein, helicopter mechanic with the 192nd AHC at LZ Betty 1968″

“John is the soldier speaking the truest story of Vietnam. I will confirm his action as I was in a different company same battalion, fighting the same battles.”

Thoughts on Iowa

by: john Harrison

Former President Trump is getting a lot of great press about his recent victory in the Iowa Caucus. However, all is not what it seems. Fifty years ago, on March 31, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson appeared on national television and announced that he was partially halting the U.S. bombing of Vietnam, and that he had decided not to seek his party’s nomination for president. LBJ had barely survived a surprisingly strong primary challenge from antiwar Sen. Eugene McCarthy in New Hampshire, who took 42 percent of the vote to LBJ’s 48 percent on March 12. So, while former President Trump won in Iowa by 51% and thereby bettered former President Johnson, it still means that in 2024, this year, this election, that at least 49% of Republicans, would prefer a different candidate, and it is only a little more than half of the well over 90% support that former President Trump received in the 2020 Iowa Caucus. It really ought not to have been taken as such good news for the former President’s current candidacy, but it has been.

I predict that Nikki Haley will “win” in New Hampshire. For a current, or former president to not to receive at least 75% of the vote in a party primary is disastrous. If a candidate cannot dominate his own party, while they may “win” the primary, they will lose the election. Simply stated, a candidate needs to have at least almost all of their Party’s vote to win. While former President Trump has an incredibly strong base in the Republican Party, it is also clear that even in probably the most conservative Republican Party primary state that he also has a growing part of the Republican Party that prefers another candidate, almost any candidate.

The truth is that the Iowa Caucus has not predicted a winning Republican Party candidate since at least 2000. There is a “fact checker” that says that this is not correct even for Republican candidates, but it is wrong. They seem to think that the Iowa Caucus predicted a winning Republican candidate because it predicted Trump in 2020, when he lost, even though it predicted Cruz in 2016, when Cruz lost. In the most accurate words I can think of, this is a profoundly stupid conclusion, incredibly stupid, just stupid. I think you get the idea.

I hope Nikki Haley wins in New Hampshire. I hope President Biden withdraws from the election. I am 77 years old, I want to vote “for” someone for President while I am alive, rather than voting against the other candidate. Can we make it happen?   

 ———#####———-

My book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive  is available on Amazon both as a paperback and on Kindle. It is a Five Star book with lots of reviews, many by others that were there as well. Please give it a look. See; Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive 1968

Recent Reviews of Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive:

“John Harrison does an eloquent job writing what it was like being in the infantry during the Vietnam war. I know, I was in the infantry in Vietnam. There is a statistic which states that only 1 out of 10 who served in Vietnam were in the infantry. All of us have been asked what that was like at one point since our return. It is an impossible question for most of us to answer in part much less in full. John Harrison manages to do this in his book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive. So, if you are inclined and wonder what it was like, or you want to tell someone else what you went through, buy this book. Show it to your friend, show it to your family. It tells your story. To, “LT” John Harrison- thank you Sir.Salute.”

“John Harrison’s book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive, is a series of short stories, told mostly in the first person, that weaves together the humor and violence that only a talented writer can accomplish. The result is a compelling book that is hard to put down. John’s words flow easily on the pages, making an easy read. I highly recommend this book to anyone that has been there and did that, or anyone wanting to know a personal record of one lucky Lieutenant in Vietnam and the people that made it possible for him to return home.
Dan Hertlein, helicopter mechanic with the 192nd AHC at LZ Betty 1968″

“John is the soldier speaking the truest story of Vietnam. I will confirm his action as I was in a different company same battalion, fighting the same battles.”

 

Appalling, Just Appalling

By john harrison

Like many others I too have received what can only be characterized as strange experiences with the Montgomery County School Administration. At the outset I will state that two of my children graduated from this school system, received excellent educations, and righty treasure many fond memories of their school days. For that I am eternally grateful. Consequently, this is about administrators, not faculty which in my experience, except for one teacher, was superb.

Now, on to the bad stuff. Several years ago after practicing law for over thirty years I decided to become a high school history teacher until I retired. In pursuance of that goal I scheduled an interview with the Montgomery County Schools. I gave them my resume and we sat down in a conference room for a talk. The first question was about my degree from the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. It is a Bachelor of Science Foreign Service. There were two of them and they agreed that a Bachelor of Science degree simply did not quality me to teach history at the high school level since it was a science degree and not a Bachelor of Arts.

So, then I had to explain to these two senior educational specialists that a Bachelor of Science degree really has nothing to do with science, it is merely a higher level degree than a Bachelor of Arts degree. When I went to the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown my BS/FS degree reflected what was essentially a quadruple major. Economics, History, Political Science and a Foreign Language. Since I had passed an oral examination on Spanish which was conducted in Spanish and covered the cultural, political and military history of the Spanish speaking peoples, my foreign language at Georgetown was English. I never took a hard science, nor a mathematics course during my entire academic career there. They were surprised.

They were even more surprised when I said I could take my transcript, which I gave them a copy of, to the College of Arts and Sciences at Georgetown and it qualified me for a degree in Economics, History, and or Political Science. My choice. Although I might have to take a course or two in Science or Mathematics, it would not even amount to half, a single, full, Semester load. They were even more surprised, but not convinced.

So, I suggested that perhaps my Juris Doctor degree from the George Washington University Law School qualified me to teach High School Civics. Again, they were not at all impressed. They pointed out that made me “too qualified” to teach high school students in their opinion. I would know too much to be able to comedown to the students level. I replied that most of my work as a practicing lawyer was as a trial lawyer and that involved speaking to juries comprised of all levels of competence from graduate level degrees, to not finishing grade school. Although, I did admit that while the later was rare in the DC Metro area, it was not so rare for the cases, several, that I had in both Louisiana and South Carolina. Again, they were not impressed. 

I then asked if there was a curriculum for the courses I wanted to teach. They said, “Of course there is.” So, then I asked if there were standardized tests designed to assess whether the students had learned the required curriculum? Again, somewhat aghast, they replied, “Of course there are.” I pointed out that this then was very similar to a trial where as a lawyer I would try to convince/teach a jury a certain set of facts that I believed were true. Except it would be much easier since there would not be another lawyer there trying to tear my arguments to pieces. They were not at all impressed.

Nor were they impressed that I had taught at the Infantry School at Ft. Banning when I was in the Army, nor that I was a Professorial Lecturer at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown for the previous eight years, teaching at least one class each semester. “Too qualified”, they said in unison this time and then they giggled just a little.  

They advised that I get a masters degree in teaching because they were sure that would qualify me to teach anything, literally anything at the high school level. I left the conference room thinking that I simply could not work with people this stupid. So I taught history in a Catholic high school for eight years before I retired.

The next one still gets me angry. As I said my children graduated from Montgomery County public schools. My son played basketball for his high school, quite well both I and his coach thought. During his senior year he was playing an away game at another high school in Montgomery County. Because of my service in the Army as an Infantry officer in the Vietnam War I can no longer sit for prolonged periods without back support. Just can’t. So, I was standing on the sidelines happily watching my son’s basketball game, he was the point guard, when a large man in a mismatched suit approached me. It was the first period of the game. He said:

“You’re gonna have to sit in the stands.”

I explained my reasons for standing: “I am a combat disabled veteran, and I cannot sit without back support. I am also a high school teacher. However, I am comfortable standing, where would you like me to stand?” He replied:

“You’re gonna have to sit in the stands.”

I replied that he was making a big mistake and that for the sake of his future employment, he should tell his boss what I said, and that in any event, I was not going to sit in the stands. He left, and then came back almost immediately.

“You’re gonna have to sit in the stands, or leave.”

Accordingly, I left, absolutely infuriated. When I got home I got out my trusty Apple lap top and composed a letter to the principal detailing the events of the evening. I included that I was a disabled vet, that I could not sit without back support, that I was a high school teacher at another school, that my son was the starting point guard, and that it was his senior year. I copied the Superintendent of Montgomery County Schools since I already had her name and address in my file. It was a polite, but very direct letter. Only one page.

A couple weeks later I received a reply from the principal of the high school, also cced to the Superintendent. It said that the school was very inclusive, that she and the entire school loved veterans, particularly disabled veterans, and that when I came back to the school I would be treated like a king, Or, perhaps even better. No apology though.

Now, she knew, or should have known, that this was the second to last game of the high school basketball season, that the two schools would not play again that year, that it was my son’s senior year, and that he would never enter that particular school again, but nonetheless if I came by, for no reason at all, I would be treated like “a king”. Wow. 

The letter made me even angrier. But, when I tried to write a reply all that came out was cuss words, and scatological phrases, as well as some really good ideas where she could put her letter. Since my son was a good student, he was graduating in his senior year not staying on for another, and would no longer be on that or any other high school team. Either she could not understand the significance of some very simple ideas in my letter, like a father might want to see his son’s next to last high school sports game rather than being escorted off the premises, or she thought I was simple minded. Either way, further conversation was useless.  

While none of this compares with the lack of response to the murders and butchery that occurred during Hamas’s unprovoked and literally criminal assault on the people of Israel. It is nonetheless part and parcel of the idea, seemingly prevalent among educational administrators, that you can do whatever you want if you show some generalized compassion, and say almost the right thing. As recently occurred in Loudon County schools you could transfer a known rapist from one school to another as long you say, after the student assaults another girl, that student safety is the top priority, and then you put the girl’s father in jail for protesting this lunacy. 

Any sentient person must ask themselves, what are these “administrators” now requiring to be to be taught to our young, if they cannot recognize rape, pillage and mass murder occurring right in front of them, in real time, for the horror that it is? What value system can abide in such blatant hypocrisy?

As for me, even though I am a “goy”, I stand with Israel. Strike a mighty blow in remembrance of the fallen. Strike and strike again Israel. Please. 

——————xxxxxx——————

My book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive  is available on Amazon both as a paperback and on Kindle. It is a Five Star book with lots of reviews, many by others that were there with me as the story unfolded. Please give it a look. See; Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive 1968

Recent Reviews of Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive:

“John Harrison does an eloquent job writing what it was like being in the infantry during the Vietnam war. I know, I was in the infantry in Vietnam. There is a statistic which states that only 1 out of 10 who served in Vietnam were in the infantry. All of us have been asked what that was like at one point since our return. It is an impossible question for most of us to answer in part much less in full. John Harrison manages to do this in his book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive. So, if you are inclined and wonder what it was like, or you want to tell someone else what you went through, buy this book. Show it to your friend, show it to your family. It tells your story. To, “LT” John Harrison- thank you Sir.Salute.”

“John Harrison’s book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive, is a series of short stories, told mostly in the first person, that weaves together the humor and violence that only a talented writer can accomplish. The result is a compelling book that is hard to put down. John’s words flow easily on the pages, making an easy read. I highly recommend this book to anyone that has been there and did that, or anyone wanting to know a personal record of one lucky Lieutenant in Vietnam and the people that made it possible for him to return home.
Dan Hertlein, helicopter mechanic with the 192nd AHC at LZ Betty 1968″

“John is the soldier speaking the truest story of Vietnam. I will confirm his action as I was in a different company same battalion, fighting the same battles.”

What would you do?

by John harrison

This is President Biden’s chance to be a real president. In Theodore Roosevelt’s words, it is his “crowded hour.” History can be instructive as well as fascinating.

 When Ahmed Ibn-Muhammed Raisuli, a Moroccan brigand, kidnapped Ion Perdicaris, a Greek-American citizen, and his stepson, Theodore Roosevelt immediately took decisive action, but said few words. It was a simple equation for him. He instructed his Secretary of State, John Hay, to issue the following statement, “We want Pedacaris alive, or Raisuli dead.” John Hay, Secretary of State for, Theodore Roosevelt, President, United States of America. 

At the same time Roosevelt ordered most of the American Atlantic, and Mediterranean Fleets, including a substantial Marine contingent, to Morocco to back up his demand. To the surprise of everyone, particularly the British, French and Germans, that made America dominant in the area since they had to keep significant portions of their fleets in their home waters to protect themselves from each other. It was a brilliant move, both politically and internationally. It was one of the factors that got him renominated and then reelected by a substantial majority soon after the incident was resolved.

Better yet ultimately, the Sultan of Morocco was required to pay both the ransom demanded for Perdicaris and some of the expense for sending the fleet. Not bad. Not a single American died.

Ismail Haniyeh, born on January 29, 1962, is the leader of Hamas who ordered the attack on Israel, including the murders and kidnappings. He is currently living in Qatar and reportedly watched the slaughter and butchery from the comfort of his air conditioned office there.

President Biden should state in no uncertain terms that the United States of America demands all of the American hostages and the murderers of Americans to be delivered to us alive within 10 days, or we want Ismail Haniyeh and the local commander of the atrocities delivered, dead. 

That’s it. That’s what a real president would do. He would not say what he will do if his demands are not met. He does not make childish threats, or bombast. He does not try to solve the problems of the world. He is the president of America, not the world. So, just a simple demand backed up by overwhelming force, and the obvious willingness to use that force. He’s going to speak today. Let’s see what he does.

——————xxxxxx——————

My book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive  is available on Amazon both as a paperback and on Kindle. It is a Five Star book with lots of reviews, many by others that were there with me as the story unfolded. Please give it a look. See; Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive 1968

Recent Reviews of Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive:

“John Harrison does an eloquent job writing what it was like being in the infantry during the Vietnam war. I know, I was in the infantry in Vietnam. There is a statistic which states that only 1 out of 10 who served in Vietnam were in the infantry. All of us have been asked what that was like at one point since our return. It is an impossible question for most of us to answer in part much less in full. John Harrison manages to do this in his book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive. So, if you are inclined and wonder what it was like, or you want to tell someone else what you went through, buy this book. Show it to your friend, show it to your family. It tells your story. To, “LT” John Harrison- thank you Sir.Salute.”

“John Harrison’s book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive, is a series of short stories, told mostly in the first person, that weaves together the humor and violence that only a talented writer can accomplish. The result is a compelling book that is hard to put down. John’s words flow easily on the pages, making an easy read. I highly recommend this book to anyone that has been there and did that, or anyone wanting to know a personal record of one lucky Lieutenant in Vietnam and the people that made it possible for him to return home.
Dan Hertlein, helicopter mechanic with the 192nd AHC at LZ Betty 1968″

“John is the soldier speaking the truest story of Vietnam. I will confirm his action as I was in a different company same battalion, fighting the same battles.”

California Dreaming. . .

Part of the California homeless crises is a classic economic conundrum. When you put in place programs that assist the needy, you also create an economic demand for more needy people. The better the programs, the greater the demand. The greater the “need”. This is among the reasons the study of economics was called the “Dismal Science” for years. While California over the years has tried desperately to do the right thing about its homeless problem, and has put in place an enormously expensive social system of such programs, it has not yet found the answer. 

However, as the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan pointed out many years ago, these social “assistance” programs more often than not have only made the problems worse. They built instant slums, not homes. They gave checks, not jobs. They built a great bureaucracy, just not a successful one,  It was almost all, in essence, counterproductive. The more counterproductive, the greater the failure, the more California doubled down. They really wanted, and I think they still want to do the right thing.

The net effect of all of the programs nationwide was to wreck poor and particularly poor Black families and neighborhoods. Prior to the “Great Society” programs of LBJ there were more traditional Black families as a percentage than white families. There were far more white babies born out of wedlock than Black babies as a yearly percentage. These social programs, intending good, but doing harm, reversed those percentages and were a major factor in the creation of single parent, female, Black families according to Moynihan and others. They literally removed fathers from homes on purpose.

Part of California’s problem is also the weather; it’s relatively nice there, all four seasons. You can live rough there easier than just about any other place in the world. The people are also generous. They have funded all of these programs for years at the cost of the highest tax rate in the US. The combination of these factors has only increased the problems every year.

There is also a down side to the way California has helped create its own problem. With an economic fierceness that rivals the robber barons, they have effectively eliminated low, and now even medium income housing. The zoning system almost precludes the creation of such housing except in areas where it is almost designed to fail. In the East coast they call it gentrification. After the middle class was priced out of new homes, they began buying older homes and “updating” them. Combined with the prior practice of routing major highways through poorer areas, unassisted, low/middle income housing has all but vanished in the state. 

In addition, the densities, very low, make public transportation uneconomical as well. This requires even more public funds, as do the incredible environmental and local restrictions on development of any type. The continuing debacle of the bullet train program in California is a prime example of some of what is wrong as well. Unending litigation, increased costs far beyond initial projection are only part of the problem, but they are seemingly always there.

However, it would be a mistake to say that this is all California’s problem. To a greater or lesser degree it is happening everywhere in the US. California is merely a precursor and the factors noted above have made it much worse there, for now. It is to the Californians’ credit that they have gone further and spent more to try to solve the problems. They have neither hidden from it, nor ignored it, but they have yet to solve it. 

It would be a mistake to believe that these problems have overwhelmed the California lifestyle. They have not. It is still an incredibly lovely place to live and raise a family, but the rot is spreading ever faster. It is already literally killing San Francisco. Some college campuses have recently been reported as unsafe. Smash and grab robberies are on the up swing through out the state. Businesses have taken note. Stores have closed. Jobs have been eliminated.

Unfortunately, it does not appear that even the current problems have caused a reassessment in proposing solutions. The state still allows not just homes, but whole towns to be built in fire zones that are even more accurately delineated than flood zones. It is no surprise when they burn regularly. It has a decrepit electrical grid that contributes regularly to the fire problem. Zoning and other rules, regulations, litigation, etc., still mandates, not favors, mandates single family homes instead of greater densities. This mandates, although they try to ignore it, continued reliance on a car culture, whether gas or electric, that is already strangling the cities. It still dumps enough fresh water into the Pacific Ocean that could solve its recurrent water crises. None of these problems will be easy, or cheap, to fix no matter what solution is chosen. 

While all this needs to change, there does not yet seem to be agreement on how. We will see?

 ———#####———-

My book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive  is available on Amazon both as a paperback and on Kindle. It is a Five Star book with lots of reviews, many by others that were there in Vietnam with me at the time. Please give it a look. See; Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive 1968

Recent Reviews of Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive:

“John Harrison does an eloquent job writing what it was like being in the infantry during the Vietnam war. I know, I was in the infantry in Vietnam. There is a statistic which states that only 1 out of 10 who served in Vietnam were in the infantry. All of us have been asked what that was like at one point since our return. It is an impossible question for most of us to answer in part much less in full. John Harrison manages to do this in his book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive. So, if you are inclined and wonder what it was like, or you want to tell someone else what you went through, buy this book. Show it to your friend, show it to your family. It tells your story. To, “LT” John Harrison- thank you Sir.Salute.”

“John Harrison’s book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive, is a series of short stories, told mostly in the first person, that weaves together the humor and violence that only a talented writer can accomplish. The result is a compelling book that is hard to put down. John’s words flow easily on the pages, making an easy read. I highly recommend this book to anyone that has been there and did that, or anyone wanting to know a personal record of one lucky Lieutenant in Vietnam and the people that made it possible for him to return home.
Dan Hertlein, helicopter mechanic with the 192nd AHC at LZ Betty 1968″

“John is the soldier speaking the truest story of Vietnam. I will confirm his action as I was in a different company same battalion, fighting the same battles.”

The Times, they are a changing

by John harrison

On November 10, 1958,^[19] New York diamond merchant Harry Winston, sent the Hope Diamond through U.S. Mail to the Smithsonian, in a small box, wrapped in plain brown paper, as simple registered mail^[,16] He insured it for $1 million at a cost of $145.29, of which $2.44 was for postage and the balance insurance.^[16][54] Upon its arrival it became Smithsonian Institution Specimen #217868.^[55] Smithsonian Institution mineralogist George Switzer is credited with persuading Harry Winston to donate the Hope Diamond for a proposed national gem collection to be housed at the National Museum of Natural History.^[53 Wikipedia

On July 18, 2023, yesterday, we received a card from a former next door neighbor thanking my lawyer wife for her considerable help while they were selling their home recently. Enclosed within a nice card in the envelope when it was mailed was a short note wrapped around a $250 gift card. However, neither the note, nor the gift card was in the torn envelope when we received it.

There have been many memes and postings describing how the world has changed on Facebook, i.e., rabbit ears on TV, paper maps and phone directories, corded telephones, and so forth. The day before we received the letter we had received a notice in our mailbox from the Postal Service essentially saying “do not send checks through the mail” because they are being stolen. While I have seen lots of comparisons about society’s changes over time, I have not seen this one.

Today we have become tolerant of lawlessness on an incredible scale. It is killing great cities, San Francisco, Chicago, Baltimore; It is destroying jobs and opportunities as business after business departs leaving grocery, and pharmacy deserts in their wake. The US mail once was sacrosanct. If you dropped it in one of those green boxes neither rain nor sleet nor snow nor the occasional thief would slow it, much less stop it on its way to you. Harry Winston was not being irresponsible when he dropped a million dollar diamond in the U. S. Mail, he was doing  what millions did every day, trust the mail to get it there.

Long ago, when I was going to the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, my Mother would regularly send me the $15 a week I needed for food and incidental expenses, in cash, in a regular envelope, in the mail. I always got it. It cost 5 cents, first class, postage. Processing a check on the other hand cost my Mother a dime each time a check cleared her bank. True, it was long ago. But, if I did not receive that money, I literally did not eat. It always came. I always ate. Later when my brother was in law school in Texas and I was working, from time to time, I sent him money, cash, the same way. However, when my children went to college I never sent cash to them. It was always a check, or money order. Now, even those are at risk and the postal service knows it, even admits it in warnings to its customers. To give you an idea of the power of a dime back then, you could buy two standard Coca Colas with a dime and get 4 cents back if you saved the little green bottles and turned them back in to the store. Cigarettes were only 18 cents a pack at the grocery store and you also got a free pack of matches.

Nostalgia is supposed to be fun for old people, but I wish we were leaving a better world to our children. When you can’t trust the United States Post Office, when you routinely avoid going downtown because of personal safety concerns, when you favorite stores close because of rampant theft, it is much more than an inconvenience, a basic civic right has been destroyed. Who’s minding the store? Is anybody? It does not seem so. 

 ———#####———-

My book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive  is available on Amazon both as a paperback and on Kindle. It is a Five Star book with lots of reviews, many by others that were there in Vietnam with me at the time. Please give it a look. See; Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive 1968

Recent Reviews of Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive:

“John Harrison does an eloquent job writing what it was like being in the infantry during the Vietnam war. I know, I was in the infantry in Vietnam. There is a statistic which states that only 1 out of 10 who served in Vietnam were in the infantry. All of us have been asked what that was like at one point since our return. It is an impossible question for most of us to answer in part much less in full. John Harrison manages to do this in his book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive. So, if you are inclined and wonder what it was like, or you want to tell someone else what you went through, buy this book. Show it to your friend, show it to your family. It tells your story. To, “LT” John Harrison- thank you Sir.Salute.”

“John Harrison’s book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive, is a series of short stories, told mostly in the first person, that weaves together the humor and violence that only a talented writer can accomplish. The result is a compelling book that is hard to put down. John’s words flow easily on the pages, making an easy read. I highly recommend this book to anyone that has been there and did that, or anyone wanting to know a personal record of one lucky Lieutenant in Vietnam and the people that made it possible for him to return home.
Dan Hertlein, helicopter mechanic with the 192nd AHC at LZ Betty 1968″

“John is the soldier speaking the truest story of Vietnam. I will confirm his action as I was in a different company same battalion, fighting the same battles.”

Woke, but not Awake

by john harrison

The problem I have with the whole woke thing is its inherent negativism. Every independent poll showed that a large majority of actual Native Americans liked the Redskins name. However, basically one tribe from the Iroquois Nations expressed its dislike of the name and backed that with the money it made from gambling on its reservation, for years. Ultimately, the name was changed because the pressure from the nation at large finally became too great for the Redskins already damaged owner to resist.

Now we have the “Commanders”. A name related to nothing. Absolutely nothing, and that is its main appeal. How can anyone find “nothing” objectionable. I am sure someone will try though.

This article, cited below, spells out the history of the Redskins name, and why it would have been a great idea to acquaint people with that rather than change the name. While the argument was made at the time, America once again decided for itself a Native American issue. Sort of the opposite of cultural appropriation, and much more like cultural destruction masquerading as “allotment and assimilation.” But, the government has always thought that is knows better.

While the article is a little long, I recommend it as at least a partial antidote to the political correctness currently much more popular that I would like.

Meet the American who was revered as the ‘patron saint’ until he was canceled: Lenni Lenape chief Tammany

 ———#####———-

My book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive  is available on Amazon both as a paperback and on Kindle. It is a Five Star book with lots of reviews, many by others that were there in Vietnam with me at the time. Please give it a look. See; Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive 1968

Recent Reviews of Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive:

“John Harrison does an eloquent job writing what it was like being in the infantry during the Vietnam war. I know, I was in the infantry in Vietnam. There is a statistic which states that only 1 out of 10 who served in Vietnam were in the infantry. All of us have been asked what that was like at one point since our return. It is an impossible question for most of us to answer in part much less in full. John Harrison manages to do this in his book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive. So, if you are inclined and wonder what it was like, or you want to tell someone else what you went through, buy this book. Show it to your friend, show it to your family. It tells your story. To, “LT” John Harrison- thank you Sir.Salute.”

“John Harrison’s book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive, is a series of short stories, told mostly in the first person, that weaves together the humor and violence that only a talented writer can accomplish. The result is a compelling book that is hard to put down. John’s words flow easily on the pages, making an easy read. I highly recommend this book to anyone that has been there and did that, or anyone wanting to know a personal record of one lucky Lieutenant in Vietnam and the people that made it possible for him to return home.
Dan Hertlein, helicopter mechanic with the 192nd AHC at LZ Betty 1968″

“John is the soldier speaking the truest story of Vietnam. I will confirm his action as I was in a different company same battalion, fighting the same battles.”

Rambling thoughts on Election 2024

By: john harrison

The idea that one of two very elderly men is the man best qualified to lead America in 2024 is simply ludicrous, but that is very probably our future choice, our only future choice according to the general consensus put forward by the media. However, the media is wrong again. Let’s take a look at former President Donald John Trump first.

Trump will be 78 if he is re-elected as president in 2024. That will make him, old. How could a 78 year old man be nominated, much less re-elected as our president? Unfortunately, that is easy to prophesy. In 2016 he ran against a gaggle of professional, well financed, very experienced, seasoned, politicians and won the Republican nomination for president. How did he do that?

He faced varying numbers of foes in the various primaries in 2016, and always charted the highest number of votes among the candidates, but what every body forgets is that he rarely charted above 35% in the primaries, and everybody else was far below that number. At the end off the day he had “won” every primary, but around 60% +/- of Republican voters had uniformly voted for someone else in 2016. Nonetheless, he became the nominee of the Republican Party. He is about to repeat that feat and for the same reasons. 

So far, we have as candidates, or potential candidates for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination: former President Donald J. Trump, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, Arkansas’ former Governor Asa Hutchinson, current Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, current New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, South Caroline Senator Tim Scott, current Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, current South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, former congresswoman Liz Cheney, former national security adviser John Bolton, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. 

That’s 12 candidates, plus Trump, if all of them run. As far as Trump should be concerned, the more the merrier. He has the hardest base, and like he once said, “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters,” (Trump said that at a campaign rally in Sioux Center, Iowa (CNN)). And, he probably could. That means his 35-40% of the Republican vote has not gone away, and his efforts to energize that vote by taking what seem to be extreme positions today is a well calculated effort to keep his base happy and thereby win the Republican nomination in a crowded field. If it stays crowded, and it did in 2016, former President Trump will be the Republican Party’s nominee in 2024 because he will “win” all of the primaries, with nonetheless a minority of the total votes cast. Probably, about 35 – 40% of the total vote. It will be enough for him to win the Republican presidential nomination, again.

On the other hand we have President Biden, now fully announced as a candidate and running. He does not yet face a full field of candidates, but he has a poor approval rating, a son who is trouble personified, and a difficulty with gaffes when ever he speaks. 

Opposing President Biden so far we have Marianne Williamson, who also ran last time, but dropped out early, and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Ms. Williamson has been ignored by just about everyone, and deservedly so if her last performance as a presidential candidate is an indication of the quality of her current attempt.

On the other hand, the press has been quick to portray Kennedy as an “anti-vaxer” who peddles dangerous falsehoods about the efficacy of vaccines, and that not even the other members of the Kennedy family support his presidential bid. Thus far the media has uniformly ignored his enviable record as a trailblazing environmental lawyer and college professor who has taken on the “Big Guys”, he describes them as the big polluters, and repeatedly won equally big cases. While he personally does not have political experience, he also does not have any political debts to pay. Although Kennedy’s knowledge of vaccines is clearly questionable, his directness and honesty in continuing to hold and publicly profess his beliefs in the face of continuing disparagement by the press and others is refreshing. Like his late uncle, JFK, he does not adopt his opinions based on what is popular, but rather what he believes is correct. I think they all underestimate him, profoundly.

I predict that the Democratic New Hampshire Primary will once again shatter the hopes of an incumbent president. In 1968 Eugene McCarthy unhorsed President Lyndon Johnson in New Hampshire, not by beating him, but by showing beyond any doubt how weak he was as a candidate. The same thing will happen once again with President Biden. Whether fair or not, the man really never has been very good at thinking on his feat. His record for gaffes is endless. The most recent being forgetting that he had been in Ireland only three weeks before when questioned by a child. Comparing that to Kennedy’s vaccine views, it really matters little whether you are wrong because you don’t believe the science, or you are wrong because you can’t remember what the science is. Either way, you’re wrong.

Also, at some point the Kennedy Family’s famous loyalty to each other will kick in. When that happens Robert Kennedy, Jr., will have all of the political experience anyone could ever want at his beck and call. All by itself, when that happens it makes him a formidable candidate. It was his father, Robert Kennedy, Sr., who called Coretta Scott King when Dr. Martin Luther King was cast into the Birmingham Alabama Jail at the height of our 1960’s racial divide. It was also Robert F. Kennedy, Sr., as the Attorney General who repeatedly called the local officials, starting with the governor on down, to tell them that he, and the entire Justice Department of the United States of America was carefully watching everything they did with respect to Dr. King and that no one is immune to the law. Neither Dr. King nor his wife ever forgot the effect of those telephone calls, and many still remember them today. That will make the South Carolina Primary particularly interesting this time around.

We are about to see another upset. Stick around, the fat lady is not even in the building yet. 

 ———#####———-

My book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive  is available on Amazon both as a paperback and on Kindle. It is a Five Star book with lots of reviews, many by others that were there in Vietnam with me as well. Please give it a look. See; Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive 1968

Recent Reviews of Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive:

“John Harrison does an eloquent job writing what it was like being in the infantry during the Vietnam war. I know, I was in the infantry in Vietnam. There is a statistic which states that only 1 out of 10 who served in Vietnam were in the infantry. All of us have been asked what that was like at one point since our return. It is an impossible question for most of us to answer in part much less in full. John Harrison manages to do this in his book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive. So, if you are inclined and wonder what it was like, or you want to tell someone else what you went through, buy this book. Show it to your friend, show it to your family. It tells your story. To, “LT” John Harrison- thank you Sir.Salute.”

“John Harrison’s book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive, is a series of short stories, told mostly in the first person, that weaves together the humor and violence that only a talented writer can accomplish. The result is a compelling book that is hard to put down. John’s words flow easily on the pages, making an easy read. I highly recommend this book to anyone that has been there and did that, or anyone wanting to know a personal record of one lucky Lieutenant in Vietnam and the people that made it possible for him to return home.
Dan Hertlein, helicopter mechanic with the 192nd AHC at LZ Betty 1968″

“John is the soldier speaking the truest story of Vietnam. I will confirm his action as I was in a different company same battalion, fighting the same battles.”

.

The New York Criminal Case Against Trump

by: John harrison

Initially, the 34 separate counts are already a bad indication for the New York State criminal case against former President Trump. Loading up the counts is what prosecutors do when they are not sure of their case; throw everything at the wall and hope in the end, something sticks. Except for it being former President Trump, I don’t believe any other prosecutor would have brought this case. It is not that the case cannot be won, rather it is that there are so many ways to lose it. So many ways to raise a defense, to raise reasonable doubt, even before trial. Prosecutors, mindful of their duty to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt, usually require a criminal case to be more of a sure thing. No one, experienced in law, that I have seen so far has that opinion about this case.

The first problem is the statute of limitations on the underlying cause of action. It’s two years. There are several ways arguably to extend the statute of limitations, but the important word here is “arguably”. None of it is a sure thing and if the prosecutor loses on the statute of limitations, it’s all over unfortunately including only some of the shouting though.

The second problem is coupling the state felony charge to a federal charge in order to bootstrap the original state misdemeanor charge into the lowest felony charge allowed in New York State. I don’t believe that this has ever been done before. Simply stated, committing a federal felony in New York is only illegal under New York law is if it is also an existing state law crime as well. As a test case, it is a very creative theory, which also means that it is unlikely to prevail. The prosecutor is asking the judge to make new law in order to convict a former president. Judges don’t like to make new law, but they do now and then. Then the prosecutor must also convince the appellate courts that new law is both proper and needed in the case. That’s never easy either.

The third problem is that the expenses which are at issue in all 34 counts are at least arguably deductible as a legal expense. The Supreme Court of the United States in Commissioner v. Tellier, 383 U.S. 687 (1966), 1966-1 C.B. 32, held that legal expenses incurred by the taxpayer in the unsuccessful defense of a business-related criminal prosecution for violation of the fraud section of the Securities Act of 1933 and the mail fraud statute were deductible as ordinary and necessary business expenses under section 162(a) of the Code. In reaching this decision, the court relied on its position in United States v. Gilmore, 372 U.S. 39 (1963), 1963-1 C.B. 355, where it held that the origin and character of the claim with respect to which an expense is incurred, rather than its potential consequences on the fortunes of the taxpayer, is the controlling test of whether the expense is connected with the taxpayer’s trade or business within the meaning of section 162.

In Gilmore, the Supreme Court adopted the “origin of the claim” test to determine the deductibility of litigation expenses. According to the Supreme Court, “the origin and character of the claim with respect to which an expense was incurred, rather than its potential consequences upon the fortunes of the taxpayer, is the controlling basic test of whether the expense was “business’ or ‘personal.'” Id. at 49. In Gilmore, the taxpayer claimed his divorce litigation expenses were deductible since they were incurred to protect his controlling stock interest in his General Motors franchise from the community property claims of his wife. Id. at 41. The Court held, however, that since the wife’s claims originated entirely in the marital relationship and not from an income-producing activity, the expenses were personal and therefore not deductible. Id. at 51-52. In Trump’s case the claim arose well prior to the election, but a direct connection to the election is essential to the prosecutor’s case. 

In order to qualify for a deduction under section 162, the activities of the individual that gave rise to the expense must be substantial enough to constitute a trade or business. See, e.g., Graham v. Commissioner, 40 T.C. 14 (1963), rev’d on other issue, 326 F2d 878 (4th Cir. 1964). In Graham, the taxpayer attempted to deduct, under section 162, the amount paid in settlement of a suit against him based on his actions as a director of a corporation. During the tax year at issue in that case, the taxpayer was employed full time as the comptroller of Baltimore. Although the taxpayer was paid a salary as director and attended all board meetings, the Tax Court concluded that his actions as a director were insufficient to constitute a trade or business. Graham, supra, at 21. “On appeal, the forth circuit held, as we conclude below, that the amount paid was deductible under section 212.”

Boiled down, this means that an amount paid in settlement of a claim and the legal fees to defend against the claim are both properly described as “legal expenses”. Clearly protecting the “Trump brand” is at least arguably a valid business expense. While this has not yet been raised as a defense as far as I know, I expect that it will be soon. This would be in addition to Trump’s personal interest in defending his marriage to Melania, and in neither case does it make any legal difference whether the charges are true or not. Even a known Lothario, may have a protectable marital interest and business interest in their reputation, however tattered it may be.

With this many ways to lose the case, reasonable doubt of success begins to arise even if the case did not require also proving criminal motivation. Proving motivation is always difficult, particularly since the law requires the beginning assumption that the defendant intended a lawful act. The prosecutor must overcome this hurdle with evidence, not just an assumption based on his belief about the character, or lack thereof of the defendant. From a legal perspective, this part of the case will be fascinating to watch.

If you already hate former President Trump, and many apparently do, there is a very real risk that failure in the New York case will make other, arguably better cases, but not in as good a venue for trial, moot, or at least far more difficult to win. So besides being a very problematic case on its own merits, the New York case is also a dangerous case if what you want is a Trump conviction. On the other hand, they could win it, and if they do the other potential criminal cases against former President Trump may rise like kites in the wind. Get some popcorn, the previews are over and the big show is about to begin.

 ———#####———-

My book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive  is available on Amazon both as a paperback and on Kindle. It is a Five Star book with lots of reviews, many by others that were there in Vietnam with me as well. Please give it a look. See; Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive 1968

Recent Reviews of Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive:

“John Harrison does an eloquent job writing what it was like being in the infantry during the Vietnam war. I know, I was in the infantry in Vietnam. There is a statistic which states that only 1 out of 10 who served in Vietnam were in the infantry. All of us have been asked what that was like at one point since our return. It is an impossible question for most of us to answer in part much less in full. John Harrison manages to do this in his book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive. So, if you are inclined and wonder what it was like, or you want to tell someone else what you went through, buy this book. Show it to your friend, show it to your family. It tells your story. To, “LT” John Harrison- thank you Sir.Salute.”

“John Harrison’s book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive, is a series of short stories, told mostly in the first person, that weaves together the humor and violence that only a talented writer can accomplish. The result is a compelling book that is hard to put down. John’s words flow easily on the pages, making an easy read. I highly recommend this book to anyone that has been there and did that, or anyone wanting to know a personal record of one lucky Lieutenant in Vietnam and the people that made it possible for him to return home.
Dan Hertlein, helicopter mechanic with the 192nd AHC at LZ Betty 1968″

“John is the soldier speaking the truest story of Vietnam. I will confirm his action as I was in a different company same battalion, fighting the same battles.”

A good story, well and truly told

Sign Here for Sacrifice: The Untold Story of the Third Battalion, 506th Airborne, Vietnam 1968

Sign Here for Sacrifice, by Ian Gardiner tells the story of one battalion’s year in Vietnam. They were there for the bloodiest year, the bloodiest month and the bloodiest day of a long, bloody, war,1968. While it has been about 50 years since the Vietnam War ended and reams have been written about it, the books title still correctly notes that this is, The Untold Story of the Third Battalion, 506th Airborne, Vietnam 1968. However, that should not be a surprise because many of the the stories first told, and still told years later, about the Vietnam War have turned out to be false in many cases.

Author Ian Gardiner, a former British paratrooper himself, understands soldiers and particularly paratroopers. That is clear from page one through page 293 of the book. It is an expertise that has eluded many who have nonetheless written about war, and particularly about the Vietnam War. Slowly the real story of our war is being told and Sign Here for Sacrifice is part of that change.

You will not find any political polemics, nor strategic analysis of the war itself. This book has a sharper focus on the men that actually fought the war. No old axes are ground here, rather the ground pounders that had their boots on the ground are shown in full. What they did. Where they went. What happened when they got there.

I have watched probably thousands of TV shows and movies, cowboy movies, war movies, but I have never seen a weapon malfunction on any of them. There are few things worse than being in a gunfight with a defective gun, but it happened regularly in Vietnam when the M16 was first deployed. While the problem was fixed, men died because of it. The book tells you that story. It tells you what happened, good or bad, and it pulls no punches. This book is not about ideology, it is about what actually happened when America sent its sons and daughters to a war 10,000 miles away.

It is as true to what happened as this talented author could write, and he can write really well. How do I know it’s true to what happened? I was there. I am one of the men mentioned in the book. It was my unit, 2nd Platoon, Company A, 3rd Battalion 506th Infantry (Airborne) Regiment, First Brigade, 101st Airborne Division and this book finally tells our story.  

———#####———-

My book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive  is available on Amazon both as a paperback and on Kindle. It is a Five Star book with lots of reviews, many by others that were there with me as well. Please give it a look. See; Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive 1968

Recent Reviews of Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive:

“John Harrison does an eloquent job writing what it was like being in the infantry during the Vietnam war. I know, I was in the infantry in Vietnam. There is a statistic which states that only 1 out of 10 who served in Vietnam were in the infantry. All of us have been asked what that was like at one point since our return. It is an impossible question for most of us to answer in part much less in full. John Harrison manages to do this in his book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive. So, if you are inclined and wonder what it was like, or you want to tell someone else what you went through, buy this book. Show it to your friend, show it to your family. It tells your story. To, “LT” John Harrison- thank you Sir.Salute.”

“John Harrison’s book, Steel Rain, the Tet Offensive, is a series of short stories, told mostly in the first person, that weaves together the humor and violence that only a talented writer can accomplish. The result is a compelling book that is hard to put down. John’s words flow easily on the pages, making an easy read. I highly recommend this book to anyone that has been there and did that, or anyone wanting to know a personal record of one lucky Lieutenant in Vietnam and the people that made it possible for him to return home.
Dan Hertlein, helicopter mechanic with the 192nd AHC at LZ Betty 1968″

“John is the soldier speaking the truest story of Vietnam. I will confirm his action as I was in a different company same battalion, fighting the same battles.”