Tom McEnery
Remembering the Kennedys
Sep 02, 2009, by Tom McEnery People Comments (18)
Ted Kennedy is dead.
Even after the funeral obsequies, how strange it is to hear; how jarring to read. Like all people, ordinary ones or acclaimed historians, I have been reviewing my connection to him and to the Kennedy family.
From Saigon to Hanoi
Jan 23, 2009, by Tom McEnery Comments (9)
Tom McEnery recently returned from a visit to Vietnam. This is the third article in a three-part series.
Perhaps it was never expressed better than by Graham Greene’s fictional journalist Fowler (played by Michael Caine in the recent film, The Quiet American) when he notes of the naïve American: “ I never knew a man who had better motive for all the trouble he caused.” As I visited Hue I thought of Tet, and the victories that broke the American will to continue, those pyrrhic victories, and the carnage on both ends of that offensive and its aftermath.
Saigon: the Second Look
Jan 22, 2009, by Tom McEnery Politics, Culture Comments (2)
Tom McEnery recently returned from a visit to Vietnam. This is the second in a three-part series.
Beyond the Continental Hotel and the Cathedral of Notre Dame—we just missed a wedding there—is a place I was both anxious and nervous to see. It was once called the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes. But in slight bow to political expediency, it has a new name: The War Remnants Museum.
Saigon: The Original
Jan 21, 2009, by Tom McEnery Politics, Culture Comments (3)
“My father insists that I call it Saigon—you see, he was in the Southern Army,” was the simple, direct way our guide informed us why he used the city’s old name. The comment was made in near perfect English. “Sometimes we say Ho Chi Minh City,” he conceded, “but I prefer Saigon.” This was our introduction to a place so much in American minds for the last forty years, just recently a significant factor in San Jose politics.
New Year’s Greetings
Jan 01, 2009, by Tom McEnery Comments (7)
Another year. They all seem to blend together at a certain point. Part of the problem of getting older, I guess, is the sameness. But it’s also an opportunity. You can see the similarities with a bit of perspective, and enjoy the way things seems so calm and, even, I venture, understandable. When you look at San Jose, you can’t help but getting a warm and positive feeling. Even in the face of the greatest economic downturn in our lifetimes, people remain positive and even hopeful for the new year.
About the Author
Tom McEnery is an author, businessman and teacher. He was Mayor of San Jose and has lived in the city all his life—so far. His column appears on Wednesdays. He can be e-mailed at tom@sanjoseinside.com.
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