More Birthdays
Benedict Arnold, Martin Luther King, Richard Savage, Magdalen Nabb, Ben Franklin, Al Capone, Arnold Rothstein, Pope Pius V, Cassius Clay, A.A. Milne, Archie Leach,
The Fleming Foundation Cultural Commentary
Wednesday’s Child: Tripping Hither, Tripping Thither
The plot of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe, or the Peer and the Peri turns on a clause in the fairy constitution which states that “any fairy shall die who doth marry a mortal.” At the end of the second and final act of this masterpiece of English sarcasm, however, the Lord Chancellor, who has declared himself an old hand at all matters legislatorial, proposes a small change that will allow members of the House of Lords to intermarry with fairies. This the constitutional guardian achieves by changing the word “doth” to the word “don’t,” so the problematic clause now says...
Middle East Fighting and Killing
“War means fighting, and fighting means killing.” — Nathan Bedford Forrest At the risk of being redundant, General Forrest could have added, “…and dying.” He also neglected the war profiteers, for whom he could have added, “…and an abundance of money and power for those not involved in the fighting, killing, and dying.” Whether one considers it just or not, every time the United States government intervenes militarily in the Middle East, there are many people in and around the District of Columbia who smile, pump their fists, and rub their hands together. For they know that our constant and never-ending presence in...
Bernie v. Lizzie to the Max
In politics, there’s nothing more fun than seeing two of your opponents tear one another apart. So I hope you’re enjoying the war between Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
Poetry: Savage Comments on Journalists
Richard Savage, whose birthday falls in January, was a close friend of Johnson who celebrated his unfortunate life and death in prison from liver failure. This passage is from a longer satire “The Authors.” Note how brutally relevant are down to the last detail, e.g., the stupid press’s attack on inoculation and their cruelty toward the unfortunate.
Ring Out the Old, Ring In the New
A 13 minute podcast responding to comments on requests sent in at the end of the year…
Wednesday’s Child: The “Nasty” in “Dynasty”
I recalled the episode, and the man, while perusing the British papers overflowing with the Royal Family scandal of the moment. Briefly, this centers on the person of the American mulatta C-list actress who has married the younger son of Prince Charles and is now blackmailing the Queen into releasing her and her husband from Royal duties
A Time to Kill? (Conclusion)
In deciding whether it would be just to retaliate against an act of aggression, we should also consider the nature of the intended target. Is it an old an honorable ally, whose current leadership has made a mistake or is it an inveterate enemy that has consistently transgressed the laws of nations? It makes a difference…
Some January Birthdays
A 19 minute podcast on the birthdays of Captain John Smith, Paul Revere, Zora Neale Hurston, Joan of Arc, Jesse Presley (the good twin), J.R.R. Tolkien, Karl Čapek, Frank James, Theodosius I, Bob Denver, Richard Nixon, Robert Stack, Ray Price, …. and David Bowie..
Bloomberg Misrepresents Trump on Veterans
Mike Bloomberg is pushing a campaign slogan, “Mike Can Do It,” which ripped off Jeb! Bush’s “Jeb Can Fix It” from four years ago. And Bloomberg is pushing “I Like Mike,” which rips off “I Like Ike” from Eisenhower’s 1952 and 1956 campaigns.
