I lived in South Florida (Naples) for a couple of years and there I encountered and learned much about Cuba and the thousands who had managed to flee Cuba. Last night, I watched a Netflix movie,  WASP NETWORK, and this brilliant film revived many memories and feelings I had experienced as I worked among and with the Cuban community.  The 2019 film is based on a book, The Lost Soldiers of the Cold War: The Story of the Cuban Five, (a book I just ordered). Oliver Assayas wrote and directed the movie. Much of the dialogue is in subtitled Spanish. The actors’ performance (including Penelope Cruz) is amazing.  The plot is based on the lives and experiences of Cuban spies operating in South Florida in the 1990s.  There are no happy endings for the Cuban Five.

The film has several (sometimes conflicting) threads. The movie reminded me of the fierce hatred Cuban emigres held and still have toward communism and Castro, of the harsh reality of lives for those who live in Cuba and how their desperation to escape the miseries of communism is so great that they will risk everything and launch out on rafts to cross the 90 miles to America. The film reveals how the Cuban community plans and organizes rescues missions for those making the crossing.

More observations of the Cubans and my experiences among them in future posts. Here’s a video trailer for the movie!

Rickey Pittman

Killing Crazy Horse by Bill O’Reilly & Martin Dugard: A Short Review

by Rickey Pittman, Bard of the South

“How little it takes to bring out the bloodthirsty savage in each one of us.”
― Marty Rubin

“There are many humorous things in the world; among them, the white man’s notion that he is less savage than the other savages.”
― Mark Twain

Every since I was a boy, I have had a fascination with Native Americans. By the time I was fifteen, I had read every book about American Indians in the Bachman Lake Branch of the Dallas Public Library.  Fueled by reading these books and by the westerns on television, I memorized every fact I could, and their stories fueled my play,  imagination, and fantasies. I have an impressive collection of books related to Native American history and culture–including biographies, historical events, and languages including the Comanche, Creek, Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw. So, I was delighted to read Killing Crazy Horse by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard. Having read several of O’Reilly’s books, I was not surprised to find this a good read, with many facts and thoughts that would prove useful to my historical Songs & Stories school programs, my reenacting events, my western novel and stories projects (hopefully, soon to be published), and in my college class of American literature.

The book is well-written, taking the reader through a fast-paced journey through America’s history with the Native Americans our founders met and encountered. From the Creek  Fort Mim’s Massacre (1813) to the surrender of Chief Joseph of the Nez Percé (1877), O’Reilly weaves an honest and often disturbing tapestry of Native American history. The character, world views, families, and lives of key players in this distinctly American drama–both American and Indian–are described, quoted and illustrated with details that are revealing and sometimes shocking. The reader learns that the Hollywood versions of America’s history and people are often glamorized and incorrect. The book has valuable footnotes, an excellent index, and a comprehensive bibliography.

I did discover one small historical error. On p. 111, the author has 1860 Texas Rangers armed with .45 -caliber “Peacemaker” pistols, instead of the 1851 Colt Revolver.  (The .45 Peacemaker was not in use until 1872.)

This is not a book containing the usual stereotypes. Many Native Americans in these wars often proved themselves to possess almost unbelievable cruelty. The torture scenes and violence they inflicted on other Native American tribes, Mexicans, and Americans, are horrifying. And the treatment Native Americans received from the hands of other Native Americans, Mexicans, Americans and the U.S. Government is just as shocking.

If you have an interest in a good overview of Native Americans and their wars, this is a book that will prove to be a valuable read.

I’ve always been fascinated with the world of the ancient Romans. I still remember my mom Jessie, and her friend Maxine, taking me and my brother and Maxine’s two boys to the drive-in theatre to view Spartacus. I was fascinated, and I still remember the sadness I felt at the ending when Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) dies. As a youngster, I read everything I could about the Roman Empire.

However, it later as an adult, studying the Bible in the seminary, that I learned about the Roman emperors, and again as was my habit and nature regarding things that held my interest, I read everything I could find about them–Tacitus, Suetonius, Ovid, Josephus, and others. I learned more about them by reading Fox’s Book of Martyrs, Persecutions of the Early Church (H.B. Millman),and The Early Days of Christianity  by F.W. Farrar. In my Biblical studies of Daniel and Revelation, I learned in prophecy how the emperors of Rome and their bloodthirsty empire would wage a war against Christians and the Church.

Recently, I obtained a copy of Michael Grant’s The Twelve Caesars. It was an interesting read. Grant is obviously well-read in the classics and sources and his careful research into the Caesars rewards the reader with important information and insights into these men who ruled the Roman world. Here are some of my observations on Grant’s book:

1. There were twelve caesars but only eleven emperors.Julius Caesar was the first caesar, but he didn’t quite make emperor, though I’m sure he would not have minded receiving that honor. The list of caesars ends with the reign of Domitian.
2. Grant shows how the Roman world, (like ours) suffered from political corruptions and intrigue. Sometimes the comparison to things happening in our world is uncanny and unnerving.  Grant also shows how each emperor handled the gift of “absolute power.”  One could easily use some of the accounts as a warning as how a republic can be destroyed by the greed and unbridled power of a ruling elite. Character and physical assassination, plots, military and economic disasters were threats an emperor were threats an emperor had to take seriously.
3. Though Grant avoids providing much information regarding the topic of Christian and Jewish persecution, he does provide interesting and little known anecdotes and facts about each emperor. Grant includes and comments on the strength and weaknesses of each emperor. Some proved to be efficient administrators, others were inept, and still others were madmen. Each chapter begins with a concise summary in italics of the caesar’s life. The list of emperors who followed Domitian would certainly demand their own book.
4. I was surprised by the amount of relevancy provided coinage and the stories those coins tell about the emperors. There are facts about the gladiatorial games, natural disasters that occurred, empire expansion through war and politics, and quirks of the emperors’ women. There are many references to poets and writers, advisors (some of whom were sycophants treacherous).  and There are also maps and 38 relevant photos.

Grant reveals the world of the Roman Empire, and that of the caesars themselves,  to be a martial world, where slaughter and brutality were meted out without mercy to any who opposed them. Grant’s book is a fine resource for any who study or make presentations regarding the emperors.

Rickey Pittman, Dec. 2021.

Here’s a poem I wrote followed by some videos of Country singers performing the songs mentioned:

On December 10, 2021, the Bard of the South was invited to a book signing with the other authors in this post. Many thanks to the Bienville Parish Library for hosting this event! Zoom in to see the books of these local authors.

This year, over 71 people have disappeared while traveling on the highway from Nuevo Laredo to Monterey. Highway 101 from Matamoros has also been described as a Highway of Death. Mexico is a place of death and kidnappings. Here’s a poem I wrote that I’m turning into a song:

The Highway of Death.

From Nuevo Laredo to Monterey,
A three-hour journey by car,
Only 135 miles they say,
It’s really not very far.

People have vanished here,
They call them the disappeared,
Stopped and taken by gunpoint,
In the haunted Mexican frontier.

Cartels once fought each other,
Now they target civilians,
And torture, murder and rob,
Men, women, and children.

Burned and bullet-ridden cars,
Grim memento mori,
Of moments when death appeared,
But we’ll never know their story.

Sometimes they are kidnapped,
And to safe houses they are taken,
Or murdered and buried in mass graves,
Helpless and by God forsaken.

Were they stopped at a roadblock?
Or dragged off the bus?
By men posing as police,
Could this happen to us?

The men who serve cartels,
Have lost all moral bearings,
Psychotic sociopaths to whom
The lives of others mean nothing.

Police and politicians,
Issue travel warnings,
But offer no solutions,
And end up doing nothing.

Image from The Evil Wiki Fandom

The tragedies. along the Highway of Death are certainly Cartel activity. Charles Bowden, thought by some to be the most disturbing American writer, in his books described and documented the lawless cruelty of the cartels in the Frontier just across our border. President Biden’s policies and reversal of Trump’s policies have opened the border to these atrocities spilling across–and they are.  I have worked in the Rio Grande Valley for years and have interviewed many who are horrified at the problems the invasion of illegals is causing. Rancher families in South Texas are outraged when they see the destructive hordes coming across their land. Be sure that the cartels are among them. The cartels now have armed members at the border actually firing at our National Guard soldiers.  It won’t be long till our soldiers have to return fire to protect themselves and our citizens. Biden is bringing the cartels to us. The evil, mad, genie will soon be out of the open-border, immigration bottle Biden rubbed, and America will find he will not return and the consequences cannot be undone.

Rickey Pittman, Oct. 2021

 The Little Bead Tree by Erin Rovin, is a sweet story for children and for anyone of any age who loves trees and Mardi-Gras. As many know, during and for days after the festival, one can see a long line of grand oak trees along Saint Charles Avenue covered with strings of beads tossed upon their branches for good luck. This children’s picture book illustrated with soft beautiful art is the story of how a grand old oak tutors and encourages a young tree, explaining the need of the youngster to have patience and belief that, though small in size, it is a special tree who will one day see and experience great and happy things if it will stay grounded and trust.

The grand oak’s prophesy that all will one day notice the little tree comes true and when Mardi-Gras comes, as the crowds gather and the parade and marching bands pass by, the little tree is covered with beads from trunk to crown.

Our children are like the little oak tree, insecure about who they are and sometimes too anxious to grow up and be like others. Like the little oak, this book gives them the message that they are special and can grow up to be a grand old oak, strong, loved, noticed by those who will toss to them beads of blessing.

This is a book that can encourage young readers, as well as help adult readers to never took at little trees, Mardi-Gras beads, and little children the same.

–Rickey Pittman, Bard of the South, October 2021

  About the author: Erin Rovin lives in the New Orleans area. Her previous work and writings include investigative reporting, print and online articles, and a stint as a New Orleans City Guide writer. Previous books include the Adventures of Little Laveau series of children’s books. She has a BFA from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She has worked in the film industry with shows, including Dancing With the Stars.

MLA Works Cited

Rovin, Erin. The Little Bead Tree. Pelican, 2021

Soda Fountain Blues by Lonnie Whitaker is one of the best young adult novels I’ve ever read. I found this coming-of-age novel to be a page-turner.  Once I started reading, I did not want to stop. That’s always a good sign.

Imagine if you can, that you are a college-age teen in 1965, living in a world without Covid, in a nation troubled by the Viet Nam War, an innocent age colored by radio songs that those of us who lived then will never forget.  Whitaker flawlessly transports the reader to that age with accurate and wonderful dialogue, sensory details, and a variety of interesting characters.  Whitaker did his research well. There are numerous memorable phrases in the novel, from the prologue to the epilogue. The chapters are of perfect length. The storyline has sufficient and surprising conflict and suspense that move the story and the characters along.

The novel is centered around two characters: Wesley (a Baptist soda jerk) and Lizzie (a Mormon cowgirl), who both work in Yellowstone Park. The couple finds friendship and love, though the romance had a rather rocky beginning. This is a story of young first love.  Family relationships and struggles are also woven into the storyline. The novel portrays many situations and emotions that readers have experienced and remember. It reminds us that some life events and some people who touched our hearts will never be forgotten.

  I highly recommend you obtain and read this novel. Read more about this award-winning author at lonniewhitaker.com  I am sure you will be interested in his other writings as well.

Whitaker, Lonnie. Soda Fountain Blues. Scribner Oak Press, 2021.