I am happy to note that one of the Turner channels ran 1776 last night, I hope you all decided to watch. I popped in the DVD when I got home because it was on at 8 and we were out.
It is now fewer than 200 days until George III will be out of the White House. Yesterday, as we drove to a friend's house to have dinner and watch the Studio City fireworks, I heard the news report about the protest when George III addressed new U.S. citizens at Monticello, Virginia.
At first I couldn't make out what was being said because of the loud, interfering, whirring in the background. I realized that was the sound of Thomas Jefferson spinning in his grave.
Then I tried to listen to what the protester(s?) was actually shouting. I swear to god, it was the list of grievances against the king from the Declaration of Independence. If anyone heard a better version of what was going on, I would dearly love to know if that was it. How very appropriate if it was.
Even the L.A. Times ran an editorial about how relevant the Declaration sounds to our country today. Maybe that's why 150 members of the newsroom got axed this week.
I am not, by the way, shedding any tears for Jesse Helms. Anyone who looks at him as a hero is not someone I want to know. He was a racist and helped keep alive that kind of hate.
I'm also tired of hearing how Wesley Clark's remark that being shot out of the sky does not equate to being ready to lead this country is a reason to jettison Clark from any short list for VP. How that quip, made in response to a proposition by an interviewer, can be construed to questioning someone's patriotism is just plain silly--I thought it showed that the General is mighty sharp without a speech writer in sight. That the main stream media is letting this be the story of the week shows a clear lack of journalistic responsibility. Getting shot out of the sky does not mean you know how to be a leader any more than having your PT boat destroyed does (although getting your men to safety despite your own injuries and then doing what needs to be done to get word out for a rescue of the survivors has a lot to say about leadership.)
I'd like to know why the MSM doesn't stop and evaluate the situation. The remark was a humorous one and has been yanked out of the context of the interview. Running additional material from the interview shows that there was nothing said to denigrate John McCain's service.
General Clark graduated at the top of his class at West Point after getting in on merit, was wounded in Vietnam, and made a career in the military, including being the Supreme Commander of NATO (a title that West Wing's President Bartlett called the one that was almost as good as his.) John McCain graduated near the bottom of his class at Annapolis (his admission no doubt was a legacy because of his father and grandfather), crashed several planes either before or after spending 5 years as a POW (I can' t remember those particulars), and can't seem to "straight talk" if his life depends on it. But I get it. General Clark is an "elitist" and John McCain is "one of the guys." The guys have got to stick together.
John McCain is not fit to polish General Clark's boots and I am mighty pissed that Barack Obama let the Republicans frame the story as one that questions patriotism rather than one that questions training, experience, and competence.
Showing posts with label Declaration of Independence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Declaration of Independence. Show all posts
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Celebrating Independence
We saw our first ad for Swing Vote on television the other night. Swing Vote is a film we saw at a screening several months ago. It stars Kevin Costner. If they haven't screwed it up after getting feedback, it's a terrific film. At least it was in February or March. It opens on August 1. Go see it.
Tomorrow is July 4. Len's off being a guest of honor at CONvergence, in Minneapolis. If you happen to be there, find him and say hello. It means that he cannot participate in our long-standing tradition of watching the wonderful film of 1776, which we always try to do on July 4. I love the film, the music, and the performances. I saw many of the same actors in the original Broadway production back when I was in college. Somewhere in those boxes I pay too much to store is the Playbill from the show. For me, no one has ever done John Adams as well as William Daniels and I always hear and see Howard Da Silva when I think Benjamin Franklin. If no network is running it, I'll play the DVD before the day is over.
The temperature promises to be be in triple digits, so I'm planning an early visit to the Arabian Prince tomorrow. A friend wants to come by and visit him--it's been several years since she's had a chance.
He was really good during our lesson last night, but Gayle said he was a real pain on Tuesday when she tried to do a dressage test with him (she wants to take him to a training show in August.) So she dropped by to do a little "join up" with him on Wednesday afternoon before I got there and he wasn't particularly cooperative. She made it even more annoying for him by turning on the sprinklers, which he hated. Apparently, it did convince of the benefit of following the program. Unfortunately, when Gayle turned her back to open the gate to the paddock when they were finished, Ace dropped and rolled. When I got there to tack him at 5, he had a lovely dried layer of sand on top and lots of grit underneath the surface of his coat. That's probably the dirtiest he has ever gotten voluntarily.
Gayle's taking him out on a trail ride today with a group of her students and expects to be out about three hours. He should be exhausted today and tomorrow.
In the late afternoon tomorrow, a friend is having a barbeque over in Studio City and, when it gets dark, we'll walk over to Ventura Boulevard to watch the fireworks. The Radford Studios, where shows like Grace under Fire and Dave's World were filmed does a big July 4 event. We can't really hear the music, but we can watch the light show.
During the 15 years I lived in the Washington, D.C. suburbs, I saw a lot of fireworks to celebrate Independence Day. The first year we lived there was the Bicentennial and we went to the Pentagon to watch the fireworks. Unfortunately, there were a lot of "groundworks" and the Pentagon, which is across the Potomac from the Mall, was not a good vantage point. The folks watching on TV had a better view. Another year I was on the steps of the U.S. Capitol shooting toward the Lincoln Memorial--one of the photographs was licensed by the DC Yellow Pages the next year. For a few years, I just sat on the stoop in the front of the condo where I lived and watched the local display in our suburban town. The last summer I was in D.C., I worked for a law firm located on Pennsylvania Avenue. The firm held a party on the roof of its building for all the employees and their families and we had a great time and a great view.
So enjoy your celebration and take a few minutes to read the Declaration of Independence. Or do a sing along to 1776. Happy holiday!
Tomorrow is July 4. Len's off being a guest of honor at CONvergence, in Minneapolis. If you happen to be there, find him and say hello. It means that he cannot participate in our long-standing tradition of watching the wonderful film of 1776, which we always try to do on July 4. I love the film, the music, and the performances. I saw many of the same actors in the original Broadway production back when I was in college. Somewhere in those boxes I pay too much to store is the Playbill from the show. For me, no one has ever done John Adams as well as William Daniels and I always hear and see Howard Da Silva when I think Benjamin Franklin. If no network is running it, I'll play the DVD before the day is over.
The temperature promises to be be in triple digits, so I'm planning an early visit to the Arabian Prince tomorrow. A friend wants to come by and visit him--it's been several years since she's had a chance.
He was really good during our lesson last night, but Gayle said he was a real pain on Tuesday when she tried to do a dressage test with him (she wants to take him to a training show in August.) So she dropped by to do a little "join up" with him on Wednesday afternoon before I got there and he wasn't particularly cooperative. She made it even more annoying for him by turning on the sprinklers, which he hated. Apparently, it did convince of the benefit of following the program. Unfortunately, when Gayle turned her back to open the gate to the paddock when they were finished, Ace dropped and rolled. When I got there to tack him at 5, he had a lovely dried layer of sand on top and lots of grit underneath the surface of his coat. That's probably the dirtiest he has ever gotten voluntarily.
Gayle's taking him out on a trail ride today with a group of her students and expects to be out about three hours. He should be exhausted today and tomorrow.
In the late afternoon tomorrow, a friend is having a barbeque over in Studio City and, when it gets dark, we'll walk over to Ventura Boulevard to watch the fireworks. The Radford Studios, where shows like Grace under Fire and Dave's World were filmed does a big July 4 event. We can't really hear the music, but we can watch the light show.
During the 15 years I lived in the Washington, D.C. suburbs, I saw a lot of fireworks to celebrate Independence Day. The first year we lived there was the Bicentennial and we went to the Pentagon to watch the fireworks. Unfortunately, there were a lot of "groundworks" and the Pentagon, which is across the Potomac from the Mall, was not a good vantage point. The folks watching on TV had a better view. Another year I was on the steps of the U.S. Capitol shooting toward the Lincoln Memorial--one of the photographs was licensed by the DC Yellow Pages the next year. For a few years, I just sat on the stoop in the front of the condo where I lived and watched the local display in our suburban town. The last summer I was in D.C., I worked for a law firm located on Pennsylvania Avenue. The firm held a party on the roof of its building for all the employees and their families and we had a great time and a great view.
So enjoy your celebration and take a few minutes to read the Declaration of Independence. Or do a sing along to 1776. Happy holiday!
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