My Tricentennial, Part Four
Dear readers, by ‘tricentennial” I mean not to refer to my AGE (although it sure feels like it sometimes!), but rather to the fact that I have posted over three hundered essays on this website.
The term “flor regium” is a Latin term that translates, literally, as “a bunch of flowers”, but its figurative meaning refers to a collection of selected quotes or memorable passages derived from other works. A sort of “greatest hits”, if you will. So, ladies and gentlemen, to celebrate posting over 300 essays, I present this “Flor regium” of excerpts. I’ll spread them out over four separate posts to prevent overdose. After each vignette I’ll list its title and date, so the full essay can be found, if desired. This is the last post in a series of four. The individual vignettes are arranged chronologically. I hope you enjoy them!
Addendum: This Part Four was intended to be posted in October, 2018, when the three hundred essay milestone was reached. However, since it was written, a large number of topics came up in November, December and January that literally “begged” for comment: the #WalkAway demonstration in DC, the midterm elections, the holidays and, finally, the border wall and government shut down, all of which I covered in some detail. I am, in fact, now up to my 335th essay, and, having addressed all of the topics mentioned above, I am now at liberty, finally, to post part four of my Tricentennial. So, without further adieu, My Tricentennial, Part Four:
On February 16, 2018, I had a little fun with the Trump/Stormy Daniels affair:
What is this world coming to? We have learned recently that porn star Stormy Daniels (née Stefanie Clifford) intends to break her contractually agreed upon gag order regarding a laison that she may or may not have had with Donald Trump in 2006. The contract, signed in 2016, was a non disclosure agreement regarding any relationship with Donald Trump. For this agreement she received a payment of $130,000. She was paid by Mr. Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, who incidentally, has stated that the $130,000 was his own money (NICE lawyer!). Be that as it may, Ms. Daniels was contractually bound (for once) to keep her mouth shut, but now feels an overwhelming need to express her innermost feelings, and wants to “open up”. She’s shopping around for a book deal of the “kiss and tell” variety, thereby breaking her non disclosure agreement. This, to me, is SHOCKING…. If you can’t trust a middle aged porn star who works under an alias, WHO CAN YOU TRUST???
And, if the accusation of extramarital sex is thought to sully a President’s reputation, presidents Bill Clinton, Lyndon Johnson, John Kennedy and even Dwight Eisenhower would stand up and argue otherwise. I bet it’s safe to guess that, combined, that group must have been involved in extramarital sex, approximately, eight hundred times.
And, mere mortals (like you and I) might, surreptitiously, be a bit jealous. Here’s a sixty year old guy keeping up, presumably, with a professional porn star HALF HIS AGE!… For a year!… Wow!… Now, THAT’s Presidential material! (Presidential Material, Feb 16, 2018)
On April 13, 2018, I discussed the lates event in the famous Yankee/Red Sox rivalry:
On Wednesday Red Sox pitcher Joe Kelly made a bad decision. He intentionally hit Yankee first baseman Tyler Austin with a 98 mph fast ball. As a consequence Kelly and his teamates were treated to a bit more than just a “Bronx Cheer.” Kelly’s pitch was indisputably deliberate as it struck Austin ON HIS BACK. It wasn’t a “brush back” or an “expanding the strike zone” pitch. It came in at NINETY EIGHT MILES PER HOUR. It was a cruise missile. Austin took umbrage at Kelly’s impropriety and immediately charged the mound. Benches emptied from both sides of the field and an old fashion brawl ensued. Although Kelly could be seen getting a few punches in, he emerged from the melee bleeding and with his CLOTHES HALF OFF. Now THAT’S something you don’t see every day!
Now it must be admitted that Kelly’s pitch was in retaliation for Austin’s hard slide into second base earlier in the game, and although a number of pitchers (including Pedro Martinez) said that they would have done the same thing, I think it’s clear that Kelly remains at fault. Although there may be some rational for the Sox to throw at Austin, the 98 mph is the problem. While we can understand “tit for tat”, Kelly shouldn’t have tried to KILL HIM.
So, in my opinion, Kelly got what he deserved. And, as mentioned above, the Yankees, quite literally, BEAT the Sox. And, oh yeah, they went on to win the game. So, ladies and gentlemen, the historic Yankee/Red Sox rivalry, after a couple of years of relative tranquility, is back in full swing. And it’s only APRIL. (Yankees Beat The Red Sox (Literally), 4/13/18)
On April 15, 2018, I recalled a frightening quote from Laventry Beria, an associate of Joseph Stalin, and commented on its relevance to Special Counsell Robert Mueller’s investigation:
There’s a chilling quote that dates back to the first half of the twentieth century by a member of Russian Secretary General Josef Stalin’s inner circle that that bears consideration even today, some seven decades later. The quote was made by Soviet Marshal Lavrentiy Beria, who, in addition to being a Stalin confidant, functioned as Director Of Security and also as head of the secret police. When Stalin and Beria were discussing plans for the arrest and execution of scores of dissidents, Stalin reportedly asked Beria what charges would be used. Beria replied quickly: “Show me the man, and I’ll find the crime.” The implication is, of course, that EVERYONE could be considered guilty of SOMETHING. In post revolutionary Russia, it could be a dissident, a deviant or it could be anyone deemed “unworthy”. In today’s America, it could be you or it could be me. It could be ANYONE. Chilling, isn’t it? (In a great example of karma, however, after Stalin died, Comrade Beria fell out of favor and was executed with a bullet to the forehead for a number of charges, not all of which were true).
But it’s a “relic of the past” you say? and “Surely we’ve moved beyond such an unjust and draconian sentiment, haven’t we?” Well, no, unfortunately, we HAVEN’T. Not really. Shockingly, in 2018 America, the spirit of Beria’s statement is alive and well. We can hear his voice echo through our televisions and radios. We can see his words in our newspapers and magazines. We can watch a modern reenactment of Beria’s modus operandi in the tactics of Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his desperate “Russian Collusion” investigation. Though it’s unlikely that the targets of Mueller’s “investigation” will be executed, they could face jail time, and many will have their lives ruined. Like Diogenes with his lantern wandering through ancient Greece looking for an honest man, Mueller, with a crack team of partisan investigators as his “lantern”, is, in essence, an investigator wandering through the private lives of American citizens LOOKING FOR A CRIME. (In Search Of A Crime, 4/15/18)
On April 27, 2018, I called attention to the humanitarian disaster caused by our open border:
Our “porous” southern border is an ongoing humanitarian catastrophe, and its closure would not be cruel but rather would be an act of compassion. Hordes of would be immigrants face unspeakable hardship along their journey to our border. Many of the travelers aren’t even from Mexico. Many are from Guatemala and Honduras. And some may even be “from” ISIS. They manage to pass into Mexico through ITS southern border, but Mexico won’t let them stay (which is pretty ironic considering Mexico’s vocal criticism of OUR immigration policies!). The migrant’s only chance for success is to cross Mexico one way or another to get to OUR border and then hope for the best. For many, however, this journey is a nightmare. Shockingly, MANY of the pilgrims are CHILDREN. And, many of those children are without parents or family to protect them. Many are brutalized, and, yes, many are raped. Disease is rampant.
And, what is the up side to our open boarder? Businessmen like it for the cheap labor it provides and Democrats like it for the future democratic voters they covet. In other words illegal immigration is a windfall to the naked greed of businessmen and the Democratic Party, consequences be damned! They should be ASHAMED of themselves. (The Compassionate Wall, 4/27/18)
On July 6, 2018, I had a little fun with Chuck and Nancy:
The following conversation took place recently behind closed doors: Chuck Schumer to Nancy Pelosi: “DAMN it, Nancy! That “Make America Great Again” thing they keep putting on baseball caps and coffee mugs…it’s got a certain RING to it! You know, it’s SO much better than “I’m with her” or, even, “Feel the Bern”! We’ve GOT to get something with some pizazz!”
Pelosi back to Schumer: “True, Chucky! How about: ‘Let’s Spread The Wealth Around’!” Schumer: “No, no! The 49% of Americans that AREN’T on government assistance might get NERVOUS with that one”!
Pelosi: “Then, how about something with an immigration theme? Something like: ‘Give us your tired masses!’” Schumer: “No, Nancy! Americans know that what the masses are really tired of is WORKING! They’ll never go for it”.
Pelosi: “Okay, how about a bold show of strength? How about: ‘Don’t Tread On Us, PLEASE!’” Schumer: “….hmm…”
Pelosi, “Then how about this: ‘Diversity: Like It Or Not!’ Schumer: “…hmm…”
Then, a smile comes over Schumer’s face: “Wait a minute!…Nancy…I’ve GOT it!… I KNOW what to do!…Everyone likes THAT song…what WAS it?…Beautiful America?… America is so beautiful?… Beautiful is American…something like that!…Anyway, EVERYONE likes the word ‘BEAUTIFUL’! We’ll use that”! Pelosi: “but Chuckster, that’s only ONE word!”. Schumer: “Listen, Barack got himself elected on three words: ‘Hope And Change’, didn’t he? We can do it again!…How about this? We can turn their slogan into ours! Instead of ‘Make America Great Again’ we’ll say: ‘Make America Beautiful Again’! Pelosi: “That’s pretty good, Chuckmeister! No WONDER you’re minority leader! It’s GOT a nice “ring” to it. Let’s GO with that!” (A New Slogan For The Democrats, 7/6/18)
On September 7, 2018, I had a little fun with what passes for Hollywood wisdom:
Although there are many genres of Hollywood movies, in the psychological realm Hollywood is much less diverse. In fact, through the lens of HUNDREDS of Hollywood movies, there is precisely just ONE theme that occurs over and over again. Across many different genres, many different directors and many different actors, there’s just ONE life lesson, as far as Hollywood is concerned, to be learned. There’s just ONE piece of advice to be tendered. ONE message. ONE bit of imparted wisdom.
What IS this ONE insight that Hollywood wishes to impart to us over and over again? What is this ONE secret to life? The ONE pearl of wisdom?….Well, it’s that, under any and all circumstances, all we have to do, when faced with ANY problem or predicament, big or small, complicated or not, is to….BE OURSELVES! That’s it! That is the sum total of Hollywood wisdom. To repeat, ALL we have to do is to BE OURSELVES and EVERYTHING will work out okay. It’s that simple! If WE (and presumably every OTHER human being alive today) simply had the good sense to BE OURSELVES, ALL the problems of the world would melt away like cake frosting in the rain.
Now, being ourselves, according to Hollywood, may involve accepting our own (ubiquitous) LGBTQ sexuality. Or leaving that job on Wall Street to minister to the downtrodden of the earth. Or standing up for your SELF in a relationship. Or rejecting all the unfair assessments of you made countless times by your parents, teachers and co-workers. Or turning away from mainstream society for its many and varied failings and evils. Or a host of other life changes advocated by those geniuses in LA.
Nowhere, does one find, however, the concept that there may be GOOD reasons for all those negative assessments you’ve received from EVERYONE in your life. Nowhere does the possibility arise that you might be a ROYAL SCREW UP and that, if you were fully up front about your real self, you’d be more despised than John Wayne Gacy. Nowhere does the possibility come up that you might be a contemptible cad that should at least TRY to hide this fact from the rest of humanity. Or a lazy slug that should somehow try to LOOK BUSY. Or an uncouth lout that might have to camouflage this fact to EVER garner the attention of an attractive lady? Or an incompetent nincompoop that should DOWNPLAY these attributes in the hopes of EVER getting hired? Or a serial deadbeat that might want to DISGUISE this fact in the hope of EVER getting a loan?
No, none of the above seems to faze the writers of Hollywood, who, incidentally, MUST have SOMEHOW hidden their own lack of talent and originality, however, in order to have GOTTEN their jobs in the first place! (Hollywood’s ONE Message, 9/7/18)
On Sept 9, 2018, I ponder Muslim activist Linda Sarsour’s apparent lack of knowledge regarding her own religion:
Most Americans are, no doubt, familiar with Linda Sarsour, a women’s rights activist and self described Muslim. News coverage of her is ubiquitous because she seems to represent two contradictory sociopolitical ideologies that “progressives” fantasize can coexist: feminism and Islam. Sarsour does garner much media attention, simply because there are so few real life individuals in that category. That’s not to say that there are no Arabic women activists, however. There are numerous advocates of women’s rights in the Arab world, but the vast majority of them, such as Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Nonie Darwish, Wafa Sultan, Bridgette Gabriel, and others, leave Islam, the religion of their birth, and the mideast, behind. Other activists, like Benazir Bhutto, leave behind their lives (Butto was Prime Minister of Pakistan, and a committed liberal. She was assassinated on Dec 27, 2007. The attack was carried out by a teenager but the mastermind was Baitullah Meshud of the Taliban. Her crime was “insulting” Islam with her liberalism). So, as a result, there’s an acute shortage of female Muslim women’s rights activists. The astute reader will, of course, ask “Why is that?”
The foremost explanation is that Muslimas more knowledgeable than Sarsour know that sharia is incompatible with women’s rights. In fact, aside from the imperative of wearing the hijab, one might ask if Sarsour knows ANYTHING about Islam or Sharia.
During her participation in the women’s march in January of 2017, she appeared blissfully unaware that she was taking part in participatory democracy, which is prohibited in Islam. (In fact Islamic teaching prohibits democracy because the laws of society shouldn’t come from man, but only from Allah).
This question came up, again, last week when she showed up at the Congressional hearings for the appointment of Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court (how DOES this women get all these invitations?). She’s seen on video screaming as she is being forcibly removed from the chamber for her blatantly disruptive behavior. Her appearance at the hearings prompted condemnation from a number of prominent Muslims. In fact, Imam Mohammad Tawhidi tweeted: “Linda Sarsour violated Sharia Law once again by purposefully and intentionally putting herself in a situation knowing that she will definitely be touched by men other that her husband (police).” In case the reader is wondering about credentials, Imam Tawhidi is an Iranian born Muslim living in Australia. He was ordained in 2010 by Grand Ayatollah Sayid Sadiq Shirazi at the Qon Seminary in Iran. So, Ms. Sarsour, the self described “Muslim advocate of women’s rights” has violated the Sharia Law that she also advocates! Isn’t that rich!
Unbeknownst to Ms. Sarsour, Sharia Law prescribes a host of extremely anti women laws such as stoning for adultery, female genital mutilation, caning for touching any man who is not a husband, half value of female legal testimony, extremely lax divorce laws (all a Muslim husband has to do to get a divorce is to SAY the talaq: “I divorce you” three times! A Muslim woman on the other hand can NOT get a divorce unless the husband agrees). And, in addition to ignorance of Sharia, I suspect that Sarsour doesn’t know much of anything about the Arabic language either. Why? Because if she did, she might consider changing her last name… Why so?… Well, in Arabic, the word “sarsour” means… cockroach!… Don’t believe me?… Look it up!
On September 30, 2018, I took a look at the flip side of the #MeToo movement:
The Supreme Court confirmation proceedings of Judge Brett Kavanaugh (that we’ve all witnessed, in excruciating detail, from multiple media sources over the past three months) represents nothing less than the collision of today’s #MeToo movement with America’s tradition of due process and the presumption of innocence (which are rights that we all enjoy and are clearly delineated in our Bill of Rights). As this collision plays out in the crucible of public opinion it will be highly instructive to consider the flip side of blind belief in any and all accusations that proceed from the mouth (or the pen) of any and all women. The flip side of the “WE BELIEVE YOU! WE BELIEVE YOU!” zeitgeist is shown in “bold faced print” in the sad case of a very unfortunate black man. His name?…Brian Banks.
For those unfamiliar with Mr. Bank’s story, he was a young standout football star at Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, California. In his junior year he had finalized an agreement to play college ball for USC. It seemed that his future was incredibly bright. Then his world came crashing down. He was accused of rape by a classmate, Wanetta Gibson. The DA and Grand Jury found her accusation to be CREDIBLE enough to charge him with the crime. Faced with the prospect of 41 years behind bars, he took a plea deal that put him away for five years (which he served) and branded him a “sexual predator” for life. Ms. Gibson sued the school for not providing adequate security and received 1.5 MILLION dollars in compensation.
The only trouble is, her story was completely false. In 2011, Gibson admitted, in the presence of an attorney, that she had made the story up. The nonprofit California Innocence Project got involved and, on May 24, 2014, all charges against Banks were dropped, as was his sex offender status. The school has sued Gibson to reclaim the money it payed her. Not surprisingly, Gibson has gone into hiding and has not appeared at any of her scheduled court dates (and has not repaid the money). And Brian Banks lost FIVE of, perhaps, the best years of his life. (Credible Is Not Proof, 9/30/18)
On October 1, 2018, I look at some of the CRAZY things going on with the Kavanaugh confirmation:
In the heady “beatnik” days of the late 1950’s, a favorite expression of the members of that culture was: “CRAZY, man!” That idiom eventually faded from the popular lexicon to be replaced by “FARRR out, man!”, “GROVVY!”, “TOTALLY AWSOME!” “COOOOOOOL!”, and other colorful expressions. Well, after all these years, it’s time, I think, to bring it back. Why so? Well let’s just take a look at all that’s going on in contemporary America’s public square. Some of these are just CRAZY.
Lurid claims against Supreme Court nominee Bret Kavanaugh, initially by just one woman (Christine Blasey Ford), have forced President Donald Trump (by way of Senator Jeff Flake, R-AZ) to order the reopening of the previously completed investigation of the nominee, making this, effectively, the SEVENTH investigation of the Judge by the FBI (investigations 1 through 5 were carried out for prior appointments, and the sixth was completed as part of the current vetting process). This was done despite the COMPLETE lack of material evidence and the complete lack of corroboration by ANY of the “witnesses” FORD HERSELF named in the case!!!… Their sworn statements were REFUTATIONS, actualy…. none-the-less, the investigation trudges on!… Crazy, man!
A second supposed Kavanaugh accuser, Deborah Ramirez, claims that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party at Yale, but after discussing the situation with the New Yorker magazine, TOOK FIVE DAYS “going through her memory” to decide that it was Kavanaugh’s member that she saw! What’s next? Will Feinstein demand that Kavanaugh drop his drawers on the Senate floor so that Ramirez can clear up the matter once and for all???… “Yep, THAT’s the one, Senator Feinstein! I’d recognize it ANYWHERE!”… Crazy, man!
A third supposed Kavanaugh accuser, Julie Swetnick, has accused Kavanaugh and Mark Judge of “spiking” the punch at parties for the purpose of taking advantage of the women guests… SPIKED THE PUNCH???… What did she THINK they were serving?…FRUIT JUICE??? (It has, by the way, recently come to light that Ms. Swetnick, in the year 2000, was sued by HER EMPLOYER, Webtrends, for, verbatim, “unwelcome and sexually offensive behavior.”)!!!… None-the-less, she goes on to say, apparently with a straight face, that there were “gang rapes” at the Kavanaugh parties and that she attended approximately TEN of them!…Wow!!!…TEN?!!… It seems like she just couldn’t get enough of that “gang rape stuff”, doesn’t it?!!! And, after all of this, she’s getting media attention???… Crazy, man!
And, last but not least, Swetnick’s lawyer, Michael Avenatti, also of Stormy Daniels fame (how DOES he find these women?), is considering a run… get this…for the Presidency of the United States!!!…
Wow!!!… Really CRAZY, MAN! (CRAZY, Man!, 10/1/18)
Well, ladies and gentlemen, that’s my tricentennial flor regium. I hope you have enjoyed it. And, if there are other quotes that you are particularly fond of, please let me know.
And, to close, I’d like to take a small step, if I may, into the realm of “rhetorical glory”. All my life I’ve marveled at the power of a great speaker to use just a few words to elucidate a great idea or to encapsulate a major moment in history. I have long been in thrall of legendary speakers. John F. Kennedy: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” And, Kennedy again: “We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship…to assure the survival and success of liberty.” Ronald Reagan: “Mister Gorbachev…TEAR DOWN THIS WALL!” William Faulkner: “I believe that mankind will not only endure, it will PREVAIL.” George W. Bush: “Those who think they can attack us – BRING IT ON.” Niel Armstrong: “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” There are, of course, many others.
So, as an individual who deeply cares about great quotes, I would like to put forth, humbly, one of mine:
“Though empathy and tolerance are, indeed, great virtues, never forget that there is NO virtue in the tolerance of evil”.
So, dear readers this concludes my Tricentennial Flor regium. I hope you have enjoyed it.
Incidentally, interested readers might want to look back at a recent essay (Chip On Their Shoulder Americans, 1/26/19) as I have rewritten portions of it in light of information that came out after my posting. I have also improved parts of it.
Lastly, ladies and gentlemen, please note that I will be taking a brief “sabbatical” for travel and study. To insure the necessary “mental space” for my sabbatical, I will temporarily suspend my website, Facebook, and phone service. I plan to restart all of these at the conclusion of my time off in late February.
I use the term “sabbatical” figuratively, however. Normally, a sabbatical is a year long paid leave of absence granted to tenured professors in order to give them the opportunity to freely carry out research and study into topics of interest to them. It is a traditional privilege of tenure in academia. Now, although my sabbatical will have a similar purpose, it will likely be only three or four weeks in duration, and, sadly, unless something quite unexpected occurs, will not involve any type of salary. Hopefully my recompense will be in the realm of experience, thought, ideas and understanding. See you again in late February!