There are plenty of people that I truly wish were still with us. On the personal scale, my father… on the artistic scale, Jimi Hendrix and Jim Henson and even some people NOT named Jim like, of course, Terry Pratchett. But one that most of my friends would probably be surprised by is Tom Clancy.
Tuesday night, instead of reading Tom Clancy, I took Joey to the Depot open mic…. 
My friends Bobby and Kate enjoying the night…. This guy popped out last night and blew my mind. Tonight at the Depot, if anything, Jesse Moody IV was even BETTER. A rapper who’s phone failed him repeatedly. I don’t agree with the passive-aggressive soundguy’s response, but really – put your music on something that’s not smarter than you are (more a comment on phones than on people). It was a fun night right until it wasn’t. I’ve never been at a louder open mic, and it’s been a long time since I was in a venue being run this loud. I talked to the host – I’ll come back when / if they fire the soundguy…
I’m re-reading some of his books now and he’s got a fascinating, intelligent “alternate reality” (not that he would’ve ever been referred to in this fashion – that’s a sci fi term, I think he’s a “political thriller” writer or something?) version of the world that speaks especially true to me because his most famous novels take place right here in Baltimore, or just south in Annapolis and Washington DC.
Political intrigue and terrorism are the major plot points and though some aspects haven’t aged well (Jack Ryan is VERY impressed with his new laptop computer – partially because most people have never seen one before and he gets to explain it in deep technical detail – partially because it’s “bubble memory” can almost contain a WHOLE NOVEL!!!) and there are certainly dated bigotries (though Jack Ryan certainly has black friends, and the movies updated this by giving him an African American boss, it’s always mentioned that women would be “pretty with some effort” – and of course there are NO good Muslims… some of this evolves, and the attitude toward women slowly gets evolved as Jack’s personal view and one that he acknowledges as old-fashioned but… whatever)…
I’m babbling. Tom Clancy is from a previous age : a pro-military conservative who makes an effort to be socially progressive (ish) who intelligently works on the world’s problems and isn’t simply filled with anti-liberal talking points.
I imply he’s somehow a sci-fi writer, but really he writes fantasy books where our shining knight (well, as-of “Patriot Games”) solves the world’s problems with logic and precision and a tightly-controlled temper and runs around a DC government that is mired in deadlock and short-term politics.
Back in 1994, seven years before 9/11, Tom Clancy wrote “Debt of Honor” in which his disgust for DC politics glistens sickeningly, ending with the whole of American government being decapitated by a disillusioned Japanese man flying a jet airliner into a joint session of Congress, suddenly elevating humble, overwhelmed Jack Ryan to the presidency. The next book, “The Bear and the Dragon”, is primarily a fantasy novel about how wonderful everything could be if then the US government was replaced in one fell swoop by carpenters and cops, how it’s the one last politician still proving poisonous to America, but how much better everything could be if the whole… swamp… was cleared out…
And I really, really wish Tom Clancy was alive today to give us his thoughts on terrorism as it’s evolved, religious extremism in the United States, and of course the nightmare of the Trump presidency. He was an intelligent, conservative voice, whose novels show a remarkable case for smart intelligence, needed secrets, and honour in the White House. I’ve always wondered how he felt about seeing 9/11 – if he felt horrified to see what HE’D imagined as unimaginable, playing out on his television screen. About the Tea Party effectively putting into action the “wouldn’t it be great if we could get rid of the politicians” and… just as in his novels… getting mired and undermined by the previous politicians.
He wrote about how The Game of Washington Politics is horrible, and showed that until you get rid of ALL the players, the Game won’t end. We simply voted in a bunch of people that simply IGNORE said game and / or don’t play the rules and mucked up the works – but one day the new generation will get the hang of it and evolve the game into something THEY can play…
He had a conservative, but intelligent, view on how things “should be” and how to get there. I’d like to see his views on CNN now that it’s gone from the only source for 24/7 news to just another blaring, noisy voice struggling to remain relevant, his views on Fox as it devolved, I’d like to see him write about the rise of White Supremacy in the US… groups that he sort of laughed at in his novels rising to prominence. How would Jack Ryan (or his son) root out our next generation of problems? How would he feel (and fight against) big data and corporate control of our Lives? How would he deal with an even-more-corrupt-than-usual president who doesn’t play by the rules and throws over the table, not in the name of We The People, but for the sake of his piece of the pie, his ego and a massive profit.
This is just the swirly through my head as I read, wishing I could insert current updates, wishing Jack Ryan could see where these things go from there.
Tom Clancy.
He wouldn’t be first on my “resurrect” list, but I’d certainly put him in line for departed souls to consult through a solid medium. If he comes calling through a local crystal ball, let him know one rob Hinkal wouldn’t mind chatting with him.
