Mark Arbour

In the past, political discussion here at GA has often been contentious and less than productive, and that ultimately caused GA to shut down the Soap Box and ban political discourse from this site. As we move into more current politics with Streak, it's probably that discussions about the story will become political. I think that's important to the story and to the topic. It's always been that way for CAP, but those issues were more remote, and time had perhaps dulled our passionate arguments. That isn't true of the turf we're now breaking into. I will amend this post as rules change or are clarified by the Admins, but in the meantime, I'm going to approach things in the following manner: 1. When political discussions ensue, those discussions must relate to the storyline. Broad ranging diatribes aren't appropriate. 2. The posts on these topics should be designed to be informative and not argumentative (which is a nice way of saying 'don't be a dick'). 3. If you post something with political content that is off-topic, it is likely that I will simply delete it. 4. While site staff do allow me to moderate my forum and determine the suitability to discuss politics in relation to CAP plot events, please remember that is not allowed elsewhere on the forums.

The issue is not the position in Triton, it was that Stef and Brad were bulking up on defense/oil companies (increasing their positions) in anticipation of a war. It may not look immoral to others, but within the family, it looks as if they're trying to cash in on a war.

There are multiple factors that are influencing JP's issues, but a general antipathy to defense contractors is not one of them. I think the root of his issue can be traced back to Eisenhower, who warned of the dangers of the military-industrial complex. It is also important to put it in the context of his past history, specifically with Vietnam, where he sees the same forces coalescing. What JP is seeing is that some of these big players are joining in the cry for war, of which they will be big winners. In his mind, if these companies actively encourage an invasion of Iraq, they are doing it for their own benefit, and it makes them complicit. And if you are a shareholder and participate in those rewards, you are also complicit. JP can write off Triton as a venture not motivated by that cause, but when Stef and Brad begin bulking up on defense and oil company stocks, JP sees that as them trying to cash in on the upcoming war. It is that which he finds so abhorrent. Some would view it (as mmike pointed out) as a legitimate business opportunity, and focus on diversifying their investment portfolios. There are two problems with this strategy as it pertains to this family. First of all, with Triton, they're already heavily invested in the defense sector. Second, as Will pointed out, this is not a family that needs the money. It's not like their retirement incomes are going to be reduced because they don't jump into this investment sector. But of all of these issues, the most important one that must be plaguing JP is that despite the fact that he's explained how badly this issue bothers him, Stef and Brad have viewed the investment opportunity to be more important. They picked making money over him, even though neither one of them really needs it.

Well, I pretty much addressed this below, but I'll reiterate that while you may not like what Wade did, what he did was actually pretty smart. I think that it's important to remember that Matt is tuned into Wade, and understands him better than anyone. He'll have gotten all of these issues you raise. That he chose to treat it as a positive probably makes it one, regardless of how the rest of us see it.

You're assuming that Elizabeth is done with Hammer. She is usually much more thorough than that.

Thanks for the review! I think that Claire is probably used to controversies at dinner. ;-) I don't think Hammer is going down under either.

You don't have to like Wade's move with Matt, but I think it is classic Wade: smart. Like I said, there's no downside to his approach, and it's rare to find a win-win situation, despite what Stef said. And I think it's pretty reasonable that Zach doesn't get what Will is saying. As Will acknowledged, Zach can be pretty ruthless, and can be an opportunist. He probably looks at Will's outrage and thinks there are other things to get upset about, but he tolerates his aristocratic boyfriend and his noble passions.

Thanks for the review...hope you had a good flight. Matt turned Wade down...sort of. He left the door open, just in case. And when you're dealing with assholes (like Hammer), it helps to have your own master of evil.

I think that Wade is still adapting his mind to the Matt who is a monogamous partner. In this scene, we see Wade viewing Matt through that college lens. Having said that, I think what he did was pretty smart. If Matt goes to Australia and lets the rush of the games get to him and fucks someone, Wade said it was OK, so their relationship isn't damaged. If Matt doesn't, it gets even stronger. And I also think he's a realist...the regular Olympics are pretty much a total sex-fest, so I can't even imagine how slutty the Gay Games would be for an athlete.

I like to keep you guessing. Elizabeth is usually pretty thorough. :-)

Nice summation. In most families, I'd think Will was a bit off base, but with this group, if you don't smack them pretty hard (especially Brad), they don't seem to get it.

Glad I could bring some humor to your day! I think that beyond the politics of the thing, the real issue here is that Brad and Stef are ignoring what a big deal this is to JP.

October 27, 2002 Escorial Will We all watched Grand walk out of the dining room, saying nothing as he did. But even though he was gone, our tempers hadn’t abated. I turned my attention back to the food in front of me, and started eating, even though I could feel Stef glaring at me. I finally glanced up and made eye contact with him, and that spurred him to talk to me. “We planned a lovely celebration for your aunt’s birthday, and you have ruined it!” “I’m sorry if I

Thank you so much! I've been feeling guilty, because I don't think I've ever left a story hanging as long as this one, but I am doing my best, so it will have to be good enough.

What a lovely review! Thank you so much for your nice comments! They are inspiring.

Thanks for the review! Actually, while my timing is off, the movement of the troops really happened, and those regiments were dispatched, per Nelson's request, to help defend Sicily. I can see, in a sense, why that may not be such a bad thing. Having too many troops on the island, and dealing with the extra carousing and the like, may be difficult. Plus, I would think that too great a military presence would make the place feel like it was occupied. The British had been in charge of Minorca for quite a while before they lost it to Spain.

I suspect that it will only impair their mobility. I would guess that they left behind carts and carriages, perhaps any artillery they may have had...things like that. In any event, they've got their guns. :-)

Granger is a very loyal person, and is genuinely concerned about the welfare of those who serve him. It is something that he and Caroline have in common, one of those links that may help them rebuild some ties between them. In this case, Granger probably looked at the Toulonais as "his" people, and the thought of ruining their world was just that much more painful.

I'm so glad you enjoyed this chapter! I hope you enjoy re-reading the saga as well. I'm sure you know this, but all of the books except this current one are in the e-books section here at GA. I usually do my research, looking through past stories, on my ipad.

We'll call it lucky, not blessed. :-) Glad I could make your rainy day brighter.

Thank you so much, Maarten. I think that Granger took a calculated risk, and realized that there wasn't much this merchant captain could do to cause him harm. And I think he is already accustomed to Lady Elgin's animosity, and is not overly worried about it. Her reputation is well-known, which means her credibility is lacking, and despite her links to the Guild, she is no match for Granger in the glittering world of the Court.

Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked it!

Vomited off the ship. That's hilarious. I'm still laughing.

After 9-11, I remember how proud I was to be an American. We took a hit on 9-11, but damn near the whole world rallied behind us. Then we took all of our diplomatic credit, all of our military supremacy, and tossed it into the fire that was Iraq. Sad.

JJ is such an endearing snob.