800
02/09/23 10:28
September 2, 2023 (Vol. 17 No. 36) - What started 17 years ago this month as a form of self-therapy following a deeply personal tragedy reaches a milestone with this post. Amazingly, this is the 800th Snapping Turtle post. Some may say this is a tribute to my perseverance. Others may suggest it is an exercise in ego based upon an overinflated sense of self importance. To be honest, there may be some truth in both interpretations. However, I'd like to believe that the primary motivation is nothing more than I fact that I like to write. Between the six books I have either written or co-written, the dozens of academic research papers I have had published, the scores of news stories and news releases I have crafted, and, of course, the creation of this blog, I have quite literally written millions of words over the past half-century. There is a certain self-satisfaction when it comes to turning a clever phrase, such I did in writing the headline for my most recent post about the former President's arrest, "The Smug Mug." (See below) There's also a lot of satisfaction in simplifying a complex story to increase the reader's understanding, such as I did back in 1986 when I wrote the media kit for the state of North Carolina's bid to host the Superconducting Supercollider. (As it turned out, the $6 billion atom smasher was awarded to Texas, only to have Congress pull the plug on funding after spending $2 billion to dig a big hole in the ground.) While subjects relating to politics and current events have been most prevalent in this series, a significant number have been testimonies about things going on in my own life or have expounded upon my personal philosophies. My personal favorite is a post on May 20, 2010, entitled "The Gold Dress," about an unexpected final gift from my late wife Jan. Another favorite is a more recent post from this past July 4, "An Aspirational America." It speaks of my love of our country, reverence for the principles on which it was founded, and my confidence in its future. I have no idea how many - if any - actually read this blog. However, Snapping Turtle has helped me remain sane in a sometimes insane world by giving me a creative outlet to say what's on my mind. So, for the 800th time, that's it for now. Fear the Turtle.