Hi everyone.
Welcome to this week’s Daly Weekly, where I answer whatever questions you throw my way.
Let’s get right to it…
As a fairly active reader, it occurred to me the other day how much great literature was written in captivity. Epictetus was born into slavery but wrote timeless stoic philosophy. The Apostle Paul wrote his Prison Epistles from different jail cells, and these later became part of the New Testament. Cervantes imagined most of the plot of Don Quixote from a prison cell. Viktor Frankl, Martin Luther King, and Nelson Mandela scribed works advocating civil and human rights from places of captivity. The list is long and impressive. I’m asking you as a professional writer, why is this? Why does physical captivity seem to bring out the greatest in philosophical thought and literature that lasts for centuries? — Steve R.
Good question, Steve. I think it’s a couple of things. Emotional pain tends to inspire great art. It brings people closer to themselves, allows for deep introspection, and focuses the mind on the things they long for. There’s also something to be said for solace, and being free of distractions. I think all of it contributes to creativity.
I’ve never lived in captivity, of course, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I discovered my love for writing during a five-year period (between college and getting married) in which I lived alone. Without that experience, I highly doubt I would have ever gone down the writing path (first as a hobby, and later more seriously).
It looks like the peace deal between Israel and Hamas is going to happen (at least the first part). I’m glad to see the remaining hostages are coming home, but disheartened to see that 2,000 Palestinians (I assume hundreds of whom are terrorists) will be released in the exchange. Your thoughts? — Alex D.
I think it’s a very good thing, despite all the terrorists that will be released. Those 20 living hostages have been held and tortured for about 730 days, which is beyond horrific. October 7, 2023 ended up unleashing a show of Israeli strength that really turned the tide in this decades-long conflict. An extraordinary amount of damage was caused to Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as to Iran’s nuclear program (with our help). I think all paved the way to this deal. Many experts seem to agree that last month’s attack on the Hamas compound in Qatar sealed it (Qatar sheiks, realizing there was a price to pay for their support of Hamas, apparently pulled the plug). I’m happy to give the Trump administration credit for its role in the peace deal, as well. I just hope, as you say, it actually goes through and is upheld.
Sir John: district attorney Democrat candidate in Virginia, Jay Jones, made some rather uncivil remarks about his Republican rival back in 2022 in text messages that he accidentally sent to a Republican colleague. He basically talked about how he would like to shoot Republicans and their children and urinate on their graves. He also mentioned that if his rival and Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot were in a room, and if he himself had only two bullets, that both of them would go into his Republican rival and that his rival’s “little fascist”children should be murdered also. The woman who accidentally received the information told him he should stop that, but he gave her the LOL response to it and started talking some more smack. Some mainstream news media outlets are reporting it and others are downplaying it. Some Democrats may have spoken out against it, but I haven’t heard any. I would like your opinion on this but more important, I’m asking why all those tolerant Democrats who hate violence and criticize Republicans for their “violence and culture of hate” are for some reason or other are not commenting on this or asking Jay Jones to step down from the nomination. Your thoughts? —“Hypocrisy On The Left In Virginia: and In Other News, The Pope Is Catholic” regards from The Emperor
My opinion? Jay Jones should drop out of the race. Democrats should be pressuring him both privately and publicly to do so. I don’t care that Jones’s texts were intended to be part of a private conversation. No one who harbors such perverse feelings is fit for public office. To me, it’s disqualifying.
I’d leave it at that, Emperor, but you also asked me about the hypocrisy factor at play with the Democrats. It’s true. Their silence on this matter is glaringly hypocritical. There’s no getting around that. Unfortunately — as is the case with most political controversies these days — so is the rhetoric of many of the Republicans calling it out. Over the last ten years, I’ve been told by many of my fellow righties the a politician’s words don’t matter, and that only their deeds do. I’ve seen virtually every Republican leader who’s had the gall to call out disqualifying conduct on their own side (usually from the leader of their party) vilified by the party, threatened, and purged from office. I’ve been told that the provocation of a deadly insurrection, through two months of incendiary lies told to millions of Americans, was neither disqualifying for public office, nor really even worth getting bent out of shape over (unless, of course, I wanted to blame the Democrats for it). I witnessed virtually no inner-party push-back against the pardoning of hundreds of violent criminals who beat up cops (some so badly that they had to retire from the force).
Personally, I’d love to see public officials held to consistent standards, on both rhetoric and other matters (like political violence). But unfortunately, that’s not how these hopelessly hypocritical factions operate.
Did you happen to see the now infamous Katie Porter interview? Do you think she sank her chances of becoming California’s governor? — Ben G.
I did indeed see it. Man, is she insufferable. Lol. I hadn’t paid much attention to Porter in the past. I just knew that a lot of Democrats liked her (or maybe found her entertaining) because of some whiteboard prop-gimmick she did. From everything I’ve since read, the person you saw in the interview is exactly who she is: a rude, overbearing, obnoxious person. Will it prevent her from becoming governor? I’m not sure. Whichever Democrat wins the primary (she’s currently the frontrunner) will very likely win the general election. Maybe one of her primary competitors will benefit from this latest display, but I wouldn’t count on it.
I haven’t thought about “I Come in Peace” in a long time! Didn’t the killer alien use a music CD as a weapon? 😂 — Michael M.
Yes! — something like that, anyway.
I actually found that flick pretty entertaining at the time. It was fun seeing Dolph Lundgren play someone other than Ivan Drago. At minimum, the movie had some slick action scenes.
Thanks everyone! You can send me questions for next week by leaving a comment in the comment section.
I don’t like Israel releasing violent terrorists in exchange for hostages because I believe that this nothing more than encourage more hostage taking
"Many experts seem to agree that last month’s attack on the Hamas compound in Qatar sealed it (Qatar sheiks, realizing there was a price to pay for their support of Hamas, apparently pulled the plug). "
It is clear that the Hamas leadership negotiated as part of this deal that Israel and the US would not attack their leadership. Call it "Save my own skin deal".