At the moment, apparently, there’s nothing to watch…
Have I even done one of these this year? Well, I’m doing one now:
- Ukraine Refuses to Surrender Mariupol; Thousands Trapped — Or, I could have brought up one of many other angles. I don’t know what to say beyond the fact that I want it to end as soon as possible — with Russia as the clear loser. I fear that second condition would take awhile, though. But Putin must fail.
- Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Confirmation Hearings Begin — As y’all know, confirmation hearings are not one of my fave things. But a lot of folks out there take interest in them — may even be watching them. Thoughts? (That is to say, original, non-talking-points thoughts?) Have at it.
- Thoughts on NCAA tournament basketball? — If so, y’all bring them up. I tried bringing up the topic earlier, but y’all weren’t interested. For my part, here’s the thing that makes me the happiest to have been wrong on my bracket: St. Peter’s. Here’s the thing that makes me saddest to have been right: Memphis losing to Gonzaga.
- And the Lady Gamecocks won again — If you’ll recall, this is the full text of my NCAA women’s “bracket:” “But if you want to know who’s going to win, it will be the Lady Gamecocks. Duh…” So, you know, no surprises yet.
- Thoughts about Frank Martin, or his replacement? — Yes, a record third basketball headline in a row. You’ll note that the link is to a story about Murray State’s Matt McMahon. So, what’s the thinking: That after this weekend, maybe they can get him cheaper?
- Film recommendation — “De Gaulle.” — A new feature, if y’all are interested. I’m thinking about highlighting films I’ve found that maybe no one else has mentioned to you. Anyway, one thing I like about Amazon Prime is that it surprises me sometimes with something I’d never heard of. This weekend it was “De Gaulle.” Not only was it engaging to watch, but I learned a lot. Stuff I should have known, but didn’t, about such a key figure in such recent history. It’s in French, but if you’re a subtitles guy like me (I always have them turned on), that shouldn’t matter.
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I see that the Senior Senator from Seneca appears eager to get back to the petulant schtick he let loose during the Kavanaugh hearings, while also lobbing unfounded claims (i.e. lies) about attacks on non-nominee Childs, along with the rabid assertion that the actual nominee will mark another victory for the “far left.”
He likes to think of himself (and have others believe) he’s an unvarnished, tell-it-like-it-is guy. But, in reality, he’s just another tell-it-like-it-ain’t demagogue. He is unfit to represent this or any other state.
We often hear political pundits and media folks tell the general public not to listen to the voices on the extremes- that they aren’t important- that people don’t take them seriously- and that the public shouldn’t get caught up in that stuff because serious people don’t take it serious.
Then – Lindsey- A US Senator – whined to the nominee about some leftist groups that most people have never heard of being mean to Michelle Childs. The nominee reminded the Senator that she had nothing to do with such things and that people on all sides have their favorites and pull for certain people over others- and that she was just being doing her job and not getting caught up in such things.
The whiner- Graham- wasn’t too satisfied with her mature- adult response.
Thank goodness we live in a country where groups on the extreme right never say anything mean about a Democratic nominee- like accusing them of being sympathetic to pedophiles and murderers.
De Gaulle looks like a good movie. I don’t know much about him other than how he’s involved with the liberation of Paris in August of ’44. Certainly a good bit of history there. Will check it out.
As so often happens — I’ve mentioned this before, but it still blows my mind — I learned something BIG that I hadn’t known before about a period of history that I used to think I knew pretty well.
I’m talking about the fact that in 1940, with France nearly completely in German hands, it was proposed — by De Gaulle, Churchill and others (both had qualms, but both thought it worth trying) — that Britain and France merge to become one country — the “Franco-British Union.”
It almost happened. British leaders were all for it. The president of France was thrilled. But Pétain and the other defeatists in France preferred to be conquered by the Nazis than merge with England.
And I knew nothing about it…
It’s just one of those things that I SHOULD have known — that everyone should have known — but I didn’t.
A bigger example, from a number of years back — was about the Munich Agreement in 1938. Well into adulthood, I had this black-and-white notion about what happened there. I thought Chamberlain went there and made not only a strategic mistake, but a political one — and that this led directly to Churchill becoming PM.
Then I realized that Chamberlain was doing what most of the British people wanted him to do. Like voters in the U.S. — who were alarmingly isolationist until Dec. 7, 1941 — the Brits were for anything that avoided war. Which was understandable in light of their experience during the first one.
By the way, in looking for a link about this, I found this piece that acknowledges those factors, but argues against them to some extent. And makes valid points in doing so.
You know why? Because history is complicated as anything can be. Which is someone that no one who is so passionate on either side of the “CRT” fight seems to understand.
I’m always complaining about how ignorant people are of history, and how awful it is that so few are even interested in it. Unfortunately, when they DO get interested, it’s in such a facile, destructive way…