2.23.2022 – things I never thought

things I never thought
would see see where this is
going, not pretty

‘I see,’ said the blind carpenter as he picked up his hammer and saw.

This ‘Wellerism” or pun goes back to 1845 when a version first appeared in print.

I heard it a lot growing up.

Most of the time it was when I finally understood something that for most people was accepted common knowledge.

I have been thinking about those things that I accepted as common knowledge in the field of politics this morning.

Maybe I should say ‘accepted as fact’ rather than common knowledge.

When I was in college, it was accepted as fact and so I was taught, that with their 104 seat majority in the House of Representatives, the Democratic Party would never lose control of the house.

Then came 1994 and 54 seats changed hands and a lot of fingers were pointed at feelings created by then President Bill Clinton.

Except for two non consecutive sessions, the Democratic Party held control of the house for 58 of the previous 62 years.

I never that I would see a Republican, conservative led house, but I did.

But things change and a lot has changed in the last 5 years.

I never thought I would see Republican Conservative Evangelicals support a foul mouthed, womanizing, lying creep, but I did.

I never thought I would see Republican Conservatives risk their health over politics, but I did.

I never thoughts I would see an American President come out against NATO and the USAs allies in Europe, but I did.

Then last night, watching the coverage of Ukraine, the coverage turned to the former President and his take on what was going on.

Not surprisingly, the former President is coming out on the side of Mr. Vladimir Putin and the Russians and against Mr. Biden, Europe and NATO.

He has hailed Mr. Putin as a genius.

I said to myself, what is going on here? Just WHAT is going on here.

Then, as the blind man, I picked up my hammer hammer and saw.

I never thought I would see Republican Conservatives backing Russia, but I bet I will.

You can go back to Rome and Carthage where Romans led by Cato the Censor ended every speech with Ceterum autem censeo Carthaginem esse delendam or Carthage must be destroyed

Didn’t matter what Cato was talking about, trash removal, the next public games or fire insurance, he would end with Ceterum autem censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

He did this long enough that Rome finally got around to attacking and destroying Carthage and scattering salt on the ruins to make sure nothing ever grew there again.

I mention this to describe this is how Republican Conservatives used to feel about Russia and the old USSR and communism.

For most Republicans the watchword was that Russia must be destroyed.

I for one, don’t think this new Russia is much different from the old USSR.

If nothing else, this was evident in the just concluded Winter Olympics.

New Russia but old story.

New Republican leader and new Republican story.

I can see it clearly.

All the angst, all the conflict, all the turmoil of the last couple of years will all back as again the former President has found another way to divide us.

It was General Patton who said, “Compared to war, all other forms of human endeavor shrink to insignificance.”

Well folks, compared to a depth of feelings over a foreign war, over sending men and women into danger, over situations where people, sons and daughters, get killed, all other forms of expression of feelings, feelings about masks, vaccines, convoys and elections, will shrink to insignificance.

What I am saying is we haven’t seen anything like what is coming.

Take all the scenes that have played out on TV the last couple of years.

Then turn the volume up.

Way up.

I can see it coming.

And it is not pretty.

Maybe Mr. Trump is right.

That Mr. Putin is a genius.

Also those other Russians, Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev, all wanted to beat the United States and spent fortunes in money, treasure and lives in the attempt.

Mr. Putin might just pull it off by letting the US destroy itself.

2.22.2022 – encourage the arts

encourage the arts
duty that good citizens
owe to their country

I like George Washington.

I like George Washington a lot.

I hope I am never in a situation where I might have to choose between the General and Mr. Lincoln because I couldn’t so I would break the rules and take both.

I had a Professor in college who complained about the General that the more you read these incredible stories about the General, the more you dug into his past and history, the more you have to admit, that the stories are true.

The man and the legend are more true together than not.

I don’t mean the legend legends – the cherry tree and throwing a silver dollar over the Rappahannock (or was it the Rapidan) and those stories.

Though I did hear of a version of the Cherry Tree that stated it took place in Texas, where the supposedly the Washington family first settled (not true BTW) and when the General’s Dad asked who cut down the cherry tree and young George said, “I cannot tell a lie, I did it.” The General’s Dad said that if he couldn’t tell a lie, he would never make in Texas and the family moved to Virginia.

But I digress.

The stories of his personal bravery in battle.

His concepts of leadership.

His realization that he was the revolution would last as long as the army would last and the army would last and long as he would last so he lasted them all out.

He realization that the United States was going to be around for some time and that he had a part to play as the First President that would set the bar for all other Presidents.

He really did say, “To encourage Literature & the Arts, is a duty which every good Citizen owes to his Country, & if I could be instrumental in promoting these, and in aiding your endeavours to do the like, it would give me pleasure.“

If he had said it a speech that would be one thing.

But you know where he said this?

In a private letter.

It gets better.

In a private letter to a bookstore in Phildelphia.

It gets better.

In a private letter to a bookstore in Philadelphia, Boinod & Gaillard, who were two DUTCH guys who opened up a new shop.

And in the letter, the General is requesting a copy (among other books) of The Histy of the Ud Provinces of the Netherlands by Wm Lothian.

This was in 1784.

The same year the General wrote to his friend, Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette, I am not only retired from all public employments but I am retiring within myself, and shall be able to view the solitary walk and tread the paths of private life with heartfelt satisfaction.

The General has retired and looks forward to tread the paths of private life with heartfelt satisfaction and what does he do?

He orders a book of Dutch History.

TOP THAT!

Then to read the note he sent, “Your Books being chiefly in a foreign Language (which I do not understand) & my Library containing the most valuable of those which are named in the English catalogue, my demand will be small, but if those mentioned below are yet in your Store, they may be laid by, or sent to me as occasion offers, & the cost shall be paid to your Order.“

I find it hard to imagine anyone today who could admit so graciously their inability to speak a foreign language and maintain a level of dignity and thoughtfulness.

I have to believe that when he said, “To encourage Literature & the Arts, is a duty which every good Citizen owes to his Country” he really meant it and meant it say to encourage literature and the arts for NO OTHER REASON but that literature and arts NEED to be encouraged for a country, any country, to succeed.

I like George Washington a lot.

By the way, these are the other titles the General ordered:

An Accot of the New Northn Archipelago by M.J. Von Stræhlin 8Vos.
The Histy of the Ud Provinces of the Netherlands by Wm Lothian 4to
A review of the characters of the principal Nations in Europe—2 Vols. 8vo.
Hermes, or a phlol enquiry, concerning Languages &ca by J.H. 8vo.
The true French master, or rules for the Fh tongue by Mr Cheneau of Paris, 8vo.
The New pocket Dicty of the Fh & Eng: langs. by Thos Nugent 2 vols. 8vo.
A course of Gallantries, translated from the Freh of Mr Duclos.2 parts—8vo.
The rise, progress & prest state of the Northn Govts by J. Williams Esqr. 2 Vols—4to.

2.21.2022 – start game toss the ball

start game toss the ball
be honest and no whining
the gaga pit rules

There is a school, Red Cedar Elementary, nearby and when we go for a walk, we walk past the school and sometimes, cut through the playground behind the school.

In a field next to the playground is the Red Cedar GAGA Pit.

Lucky for us there is a sign next to the pit or we would not have known what it was.

The rules of the GAGA pit are also listed on the sign.

The pit is used to play a version of dodge ball but the ball has to be bounced before it hits you so a line drive dodge ball throws doesn’t count.

Interesting to note that thinking about the bounce, the GAGA Pit versus Dodge Ball argument is much like the Cricket versus Baseball argument where in Cricket the ball has to bounce before it is batted.

I love rule 9.

Rule 9 states: BE HONEST & NO WHINING IF YOU GET OUT.

There are those who might say that more is expected of the grade school kids at Red Cedar Elementary School than is expected of the so called ‘grown-ups’ in the Government.

There are those who might say that.

But not me.

I want to avoid controversy.

But if the shoe fits …

And I will say that the image of putting everyone on Congress into the GAGA PIT really appeals to me.

Talk about must see TV.

And I will also say that Rule 9 could be abbreviated to just BE HONEST & NO WHINING and I would be happy.

There are those times where important learning takes place at school but not in the classroom.

Lot of life can be learned in the GAGAPIT.

The GAGAPIT Rules rule.

The GAGA PIT rules.

Grand daughter Dallas explores the gagapit

2.20.2022 – in cold blast I hear

in cold blast I hear
rattle of the bones, chuckle
spread from ear to ear

Part of the series of Haiku inspired by The Wasteland by T.S. Eliot and the article, ‘It takes your hand off the panic button’: TS Eliot’s The Waste Land 100 years on by Andrew Dickson.

Mr. Dickson asks, ‘Is it genuinely one of the greatest works in the language, or – as the poet once claimed – just “a piece of rhythmical grumbling“?’

Readers of this blog may remember that from time to time I struggle with the weight of effort of producing a daily Haiku and any thoughts I may have about the words and time that went in the Haiku that day.

This daily schedule of missing a day can bring on a personal mental paralysis wherein writing these entries becomes impossible.

I learned to deal with this by not dealing with it and let it go.

Then when I look at my register of entries and see blank days with no post, I will grab a topic or book or poem for a source and produce a series of Haiku to fill in those blank dates.

This is one of the great benefits of this effort being my blog and my blog, my rules.

It IS cricket because I say it is.

It is ‘according to Hoyle’ because I say it is.

Thus I have this series based on ‘The Wasteland.’

A thoroughly enjoyable connection of wordplay and source of endless discussion in the search for meaning.

For myself, I like that bit about a piece of rhythmical grumbling by Mr. Eliot so said Mr. Eliot.

I have remembered this story before in these posts, but it reminds me of a story told by the actor Rex Harrison.

Mr. Harrison recounted rehearsing a play by George Bernard-Shaw and that the company was having a difficult time with a certain scene when, wonder of wonder, Bernard-Shaw himself dropped by to watch rehearsal.

Mr. Harrison tells how great this was as they went to the play write and asked how did he see this scene – what was he striving for?

Bernard-Shaw asked for a script and read over the scene, read it over again and a third time, then looked up and said, “This is rather bad isn’t it.”

2.19.2022 – tomorrow and

tomorrow and
yesterday have lighted fools
the way to dusty death

Adapted from Big Bill in Macbeth, Act V, Scene V:

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

When I was growing up there was a secret agent craze created by the success of the James Bond movies.

For the serious side, there was The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

It wasn’t completely clear if UNCLE was a man or a secret service but they fought againt THRUSH, otherwise known as Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity.

James Bond fought against SPECTRE or Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion. Which was freaky if you were american and spelled it SPECTER.

Then there was GET SMART where agents of CONTROL fought KAOS which was the international organization of evil and KAOS wasn’t an acronym for anything.

It was the opening sequence of GET SMART that has been on my mind.

The show opened with Agent Maxwell Smart entering CONTROL Headquarters walking down a hallway as giant doors opened and slammed behind him.

It occurs to me that life is one long trip down that hallway and as our tomorrows turn into yesterdays these doors open and close behind you as you walk through life.

The other night while engaged in general conversation with some guys that I know, one of the fellers looked at me and shook his head.

We are all about the same age and have some common experiences.

Though the discussion in hand about car rental problems in Europe when staying for less than a month and whether the drive down the Adriatic Coast of Italy was better than the the drive on the Mediterranean side pretty much left me without much to say.

I did work driving from coast to coast into the discussion but I did not mention I was thinking of driving across from the coast of Lake Huron to the Coast of Lake Michigan.

So this one feller was looking at me and smiling and then says, “You just remind me so much … of my Dad.”

That was a new one for me.

And I heard another one of those doors slam behind me.

As George Washington once said, “Alas, my dancing days are over.”

To the last syllable of recorded time, life is but a walking shadow.