THE TO THE POINT SALON

One of the basic contributions of France to civilization was the salon, where the most intelligent and literate of Parisian society would gather in elegant relaxation to courteously discuss any matter of interest.

The founder of the French salon was Catherine de Vivonne (1588-1665), known as the Marquise (for she was married to a French noble or Marquis) de Rambouillet.  In 1618, she began receiving guests in her salon bleu of the family home, the Hôtel de Rambouillet on the Rue St. Thomas-du-Louvre in Paris.

There were nobles like La Rochefoucauld, cardinals like Richelieu, generals, scholars, poets, artists, wits, and the most cultured ladies of French aristocracy.  There was good cheer, good manners, discussion flourished, and erudite conversation became an art.

I am in no way going to compare myself to the Marquise (or TTPers to Richelieu!), yet we may be witnessing the emergence of a salon that she might appreciate on To The Point.  I am referring to the massive response – 70 posts – to Beatles in Baghdad in our User Forum.

It took me close to two hours to read them all, for many were not one or two liners, but massive missives.  Let me congratulate all the participants for such an extended, thoughtful, informative, and (ahem) for the most part courteous discussion.

Let me give you an example of just one exchange.  To "Leebailey's" well-argued contention that we simply do not have the manpower required for our military to optimally function, "Michbris" responds:

But one thing is also for sure: we don't need a huge military anymore. Thanks to the high technology in use, a single armored combat team of today is more powerful than a WWII division. A single carrier group has as much lethality than half of our WWII navy. Four of the dispersal/penetrator bombs the Air Force has can stop an entire armored Chinese column. Sure, we need highly intelligent men and women to make them work, but we have just those people serving right now (including my own son, in the Marines).

As for China: I think you are overestimating the threat we face from them. China has massive problems of its own: a filthy, polluted environment; massive wealth gaps between the coastal cities and the sprawling rural areas; an aging population, thanks to the one-child policy; and a totalitarian communist government that will cling to power no matter what. The Chinese will not take over the world. They may not even take over Asia.

To which, regarding China, Leebailey answers:

You are overestimating the problems within China. They are no more dire than the problems faced by Korea in the 70s and 80s, or Brazil in the 60s and 70s. They will come to a stable point. The countryside is emptying just like it has in every industrializing nation, the population in 2020 will be almost entirely urban. The corruption is a problem they are handling as well as any other Asian Tiger. They are having an unusual shift within the business sector, many executives are becoming Evangelical Christian, and having a positive effect on the corruption problem… the history of industrialization is never anything but rough-and-tumble. But with rare exceptions, nations muddle through.

I am not suggesting you wade through all these discussions.  I am suggesting that they are offering a marvelous opportunity to have an intelligent and often eye-opening conversation with your fellow members of To The Point.

Share your knowledge of the world with them, for they will share it with you.  I am encouraging you to actively participate in To The Point.  You don't have to at first – you can benefit by lurking in on and reflecting upon an ongoing discussion.  But such discussions are becoming one of the most rewarding benefits of TTP.  Be a part of them!

I might as well take my own advice, so here's a response to Leebailey's contention that:

Looking back at the last 100 years a person can clearly see that what we face right now with the "Islamic Problem" is the crescendo of the Fall of the Ottoman Empire, and the nature of that Empire.

At least as great a factor if not more is the emergence of the Saudi Kingdom from the sands of central Arabia (Ibn Saud's conquests began in 1902, well before WWI and Ottoman collapse), an area never under Ottoman control.

The geological fluke of the world's largest oil fields under those sands, and the world's subsequent dependence on that oil, has enabled the Saudis to spread their Wahhabi Islam fanaticism around the world.  Saudi oil money is the "Islamic Problem" to a very considerable degree, and is not a consequence of what happened to the Sublime Porte.

Okay, that kicks that one off.  There are so many other possible discussions to choose from, for the number of issues covered in To The Point is wide. 

And as the Marquise would advise – good cheer, good manners, and a polite respectful decorum are required for courteously informed conversation.  So welcome to the To The Point Salon.