Interlude

Today is Friday, 29 December 2006.

I’ve opened several windows a few inches, to enjoy the sound of steady rain now falling upon The Museum of the Bourgeois.

Pasternak wrote of a candle burning upon a table, as snow swept the world.

Nothing more delights me than to retire to sleep, with the sound of a steady rain.

Herewith, in the spirit of the moment, John Donne:
No man is an island, entire of itself
every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main
if a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were,
as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were
any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind
and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls
it tolls for thee.

As the minutes count down, is not Saddam Hussein as much a clod as his victims?

No Goode?

Today is Thursday, 21 December 2006.

“I fear that in the next century we will have many more Muslims in the United States if we do not adopt the strict immigration policies that I believe are necessary to preserve the values and beliefs traditional to the United States of America and to prevent our resources from being swamped.”

Thus saith Representative Virgil H. Goode Jr. (Republican, Virginia).

Mr. Good-e’s real problem is that a newly elected Representative, Mr. Keith Ellison, elected by the people of Minnesota (a state which did not commit treason in 1861, which Virginia did), will have a faux swearing-in on the Quran.

It’s a tangled web here.

Recently, a reactionary talk-radio demagogue, Dennis Prager, “broke” the news of the Quran incident. “Ellison’s doing so will embolden Islamic extremeists and make new ones, as Islamists, rightly or wrongly, see the first sign of the realization of their greatest goal --- the Islamicization of America”.

(One “Christian” site broke this news, breathlessly reporting, “… Prager, a Jew, said …”)

Reality.

When a new Congress is sworn-in, the Members face the chair, raise their right hands, and swear an oath of fealty to the Constitution. No book, “religious” or otherwise, is involved.

Many Members choose to play act a swearing-in ceremony, in which they traditionally place their hand on a “Bible”. Of course, it’s a photo op.

Such is Mr. Goode’s plan.

But wait, there’s more.

That book, the “Bible”, well, Mr. Goode claims to be a “Christian”, and that book is one Jesus wouldn’t have known. In the time of Jesus, there was only the so-called “Old Testament”.

BOTTOM LINE.

HH has a problem with both Mr. Ellison and Mr. Goode.

Doing a photo op with any kind of “book of faith”, seems to me, is exploitative, just a gig for personal profit. An attitude of degrading the faith one claims to hold.

Don’t parade faith, philosophy, or any other damn thing for personal gain.

Live what you believe, quietly, in works of kindness and mercy, and whenever possible flee the limelight for doing Good.

Just Lynch Him

Today is Wednesday, 20 December 2006.

Keep punchin’.

If there is a god in heaven, today will mark the debut of the last of the odious “Rocky” movies.

Yes, Rocky Balboa is on screens nationwide TODAY!

Should we set aside the fact that Sylvester Stallone portrayed a Vietnam Veteran in the “Rambo” franchise, although he refused to “serve” there, thus aligning himself with fellow cowards/hypocrites George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, etc.?

Should we just cut to the chase?

I’ve not had the chance to see this film (it’s 7:24 AM CDT as I write), however, based on the review and photo in The New York Times, well golly gee gosh, ain’t that a surprise, it’s yet another Stallone boxing movie where the white guy beats crap out of the African-American.

Why not cut to the chase, Sylvester?

Just lynch him.

The Cat Concerto

Today is Monday, 18 December 2006.

One more Barbera for the road:

"The Cat Concerto", 1946: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8z5JON-fOc.

Purr-Chance to Dream

The Museum of the Bourgeois continues to report:

With great sorrow:

the second half of Hannah-Barbera, dead at 95.

to paraphrase Auden, writing about the poems of Yeats, in Auden's poem 1 September 1939: "Tom and Jerry have become their admirers."

I'm trying to do a real tribute here: how many other sites, could one google Hannah, Barbera, Auden, Yeats, Tom and Jerry, 1 September 1939, "have become their admirers", and hit the same item?

Yaba Daba Doo!

Today remains Monday, 19 December 2006.

As HH wrote today's column, unbeknownst to him, word was coming in on alternative channels: the great Joe Barbera has died, aged 91.

Yes, HH is "of a certain age".

Tom and Jerry.

Among the greatest animationists ever, Hannah (D. 2001) and Barbera.

"The Flintstones," "The Jetsons," "Yogi Bear," "Scooby-Doo" and "Huckleberry Hound and Friends."

A staple of '50s suburban America was the "Tom and Jerry", a punch-type cocktail. (Not sure if the cocktail has a bit to do with the characters.)

Here's a representative recipe:

TOM AND JERRY

3 egg whites
3 egg yolks
3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 jigger lukewarm brandy
1 jigger lukewarm rum
hot water, milk or coffee
grated nutmeg

Beat egg whites til stiff froth. Separately beat egg yolks until light in color and then gradually beat in sugar, allspice, cinnamon and cloves. Fold yolk mixture into whites and pour 2 tablespoons of this mixture into each of four 8-ounce mugs. Add 1/2 jigger brandy and 1 jigger dark rum to each mug. Fill mugs with very hot water, milk, or coffee. Stir well and sprinkle the top with grated nutmeg.

You found this recipe on 1st Traveler's Choice Internet Cookbook. (www.virtualcities.com)

One could purchase punch bowls and mugs. I think it antedated the cartoon characters, since all the bowl and mug sets, one of which HH and Mrs. HH own, have archaic decorations of carriages, etc.

So long, old friend, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.

Hey, George!

Today is Monday, 18 December 2006.

Apologies: a perfect storm at MoB. Long time, no see.

The holidays, friends old and new being actual in the area, HH still recovering from chronic bronchitis, etc.

A few days ago, the Most Esteemed, the Princess of the Far and Farm Realms, asked, So, OK, who would you appoint Secretary of War instead of [“Bloody” – ed.] Bob Gates?

Well, Bloody Bob Gates was a key CIA executive thug when the RayGun Junta paid warlords and druglords to fight the Russians in Afghanistan in the 1980s. Which ended with the departure of the Russians, the victory of the War/Drug/Lords, when the Afghans, tired of disorder, corruption, theft, famine, mass murder, hey these Taliban look The Lesser of The Evils, and then the Victory of the Taliban, “Hey, Osama, mi casa, su casa” …

Perhaps a Secretary of War whose hands don’t drip with blood?

Who would I choose for Secretary of War?

And don’t give me that “Secretary of Defense” crap? Who ever won football by playing “we won’t score any goals defense”?

George W. “Send your kids to die, mine are getting thrown out of Argentina for Excess Partying”, and ain’t that, after Evita and Peron, a damn hard thing to accomplish” Bush …

George W. Warlord’s appetite for conquering Iraq and all the oil in the world, and he’s not the only one, there are tens of tens of thousands who don’t mind drenching the world in hundreds of thousands’ blood, just as a poker ante, in the Quest for Oil …

TO BE CONTINUED ……………………….
______________________________________

1865 -- 13th Amendment ratified --- slavery outlawed

1965 --- Steve Biko, great South African activist, murdered in 1976, all honour to the rebels failed, born in this date, and i'm supposed to care about G. Washington, slaver

Would Gov. Rounds Be An American?

Today is Thursday, 14 December 2006.

I hope Senator Tim Johnson (D, South Dakota) makes a full recovery from brain surgery.

Were Senator Johnson not to recover, and were unable to continue serving, it raises a momentous question.

The governor of South Dakota, Mike Rounds, a Republican, would appoint a temporary replacement, to serve until 2009.

Were Mr. Rounds to appoint a Republican, it would result in a 50-50 split in the Senate, giving control to the Republicans, since President of Vice Cheney would be the tie-breaker.

The people of South Dakota have clearly spoken: by electing Mr. Johnson, a Democrat, they want his seat to be held by a Democrat.

Were such a situation to arise, would Mr. Rounds appoint a Republican replacement, thus elevating his partisan loyalties over the people of his state, and thus betraying his allegiance as an American, to democracy?

Or would he do the right thing, and appoint a Democrat, and thus affirm his allegiance to the people of South Dakota, and his allegiance to America?

Would Governor Rounds be a Republican, or an American?

You can send a message on this subject to Gov. Rounds at http://www.state.sd.us/governor/.

One hopes, were this situation to occur, that Gov. Rounds would have the decency, honesty, and integrity, to be an American, and appoint a Democratic replacement.

Good Riddance

Today is Monday, 11 December 2006.

How appropriate were the deaths of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and former U.N. Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick within a few days of one another.

By overthrowing the democratically-elected President, Salvador Allende, Pinochet betrayed his oath of allegiance to the people of Chile. He compounded his dishonour by conducting a 17-year reign of terrorism. The icing on the cake was recent revelations that he and his family had embezzled at least $28 million of taxpayer funds.

Far from being a “Hero of Anti-Communism”, as he portrayed himself, he was just another uncommon thief and murderer.

Jeane Kirkpatrick’s corruption was far more profound. She will be remembered, if at all, as the champion of a cynical foreign policy, which argued that the only standard should be selfish American interests, and that therefore the USA/USE should support every friendly dictatorship, no matter the extent and nature of the latter’s crimes against their own people. All while insisting this policy was the epitome of morality.

My only regret regarding their deaths is that neither spent a day in prison for their crimes.

They will not be missed.

Funny or Sad?

Today is Saturday, 9 December 2006.

Go here first: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N3N1MlvVc4.

Sorry: this is the cover isn't it, but it's the same damn song, same damn MSG.

It’s Tears for Fears, “Mad World”. Here be lyrics:

All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
And their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression

Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had

I find it hard to tell you
'Cos I find it hard to take
When people run in circles

It's a very, very
Mad World

Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday
Made to feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, no one knew me

Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson
Look right through me, look right through me.

As another song says, “The first cut is the deepest”.

HH hears “Iraq”, and the echo includes, “The Nam”.

Mad World.

Imagine/You May Say I'm a Dreamer/Not the Only One

Today is Friday, 8 December 2006.

On this date in 1980, a friend called.

"Do you know?"

"Know what?"

“Then you don't. Is your TV or radio on?”

“No.”

“Then sit down.”

I did.

“John Lennon has just been assassinated.”

She knew it would be a great shock to me, and wanted to break the news gracefully.

Over to John:

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
Nowhere below us
Above only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one.

A few days later, a concert/rally in the public square of the city where I lived.

A mother holding her baby: "You don't know now who Lennon was, but someday, I'll tell you, and you'll know you were here when we mourned him."

In Death There Is No Victory

Today is Thursday, 7 December 2006.

As readers of this column may have noticed, HH has a healthy hatred of war and violence.

Which is why, once upon a dime, when HH was archivist at the library of a university in the lower Great Plains, he always attended a particular ceremony.

When, on the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, the troops of ROTC had a memorial flag raising at dawn, at the flagpole in front of the Administration Building.

HH did not attend to celebrate the “warriors”.

HH went to mourn the dead.

Contrary to public opinion, there are no “good” deaths.

There is only Death, extinction, suffering, in which there is no upside.

In Death there is no victory, only sorrow.

Fast Times at Fiji High

Today is Wednesday, 6 December 2006.

In case you’ve not heard, some military fascist would-be Franco named “Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama” has staged a coup in Fiji, and named himself Fuhrer and Savior of the People.

He’s so sorry to have been forced by events (aren’t they all, “forced by events”, and "sorry"?) to, as he said, “step into the shoes of the President” and dismiss the Prime Minister.

Having made a swift survey of the Constitution of Fiji, I find no reference to shoe stepping.

[Maybe it’s an Imelda Marcos thing.]

Or, maybe it has something to do with the fact that the police were investigating allegations of a “death squad” style killing by the military.

For the record, it’s the second coup the “Commodore” has staged. This time, he’s overthrowing the government he helped put in power.

As Harry Truman said about Washington, DC: “If you want a friend, get a dog”.

Perhaps the “Commodore” is imitating the Peronist Hugo Chavez.

Or Evita:

“Don’t cry for me, Argentina,
‘Cause I stole what wasn’t nailed down,
And even ‘though I’ve got cancer,
I don’t care, ‘Cause I’m Broadway bound.”

See “fijitimes.com” for details, except they’ve had armed treasonous soldiers brandishing weapons in their offices, so they may not be able to report full details.

Of course, this Napoleonette may be in some trouble: he announced that anyone wanting to be part of the new puppet prime minister’s puppet cabinet should submit a resume!

Which you can do at: http://www.fiji.gov.fj/".

Think I will:

Dear “Commodore”:

While not “technically” a citizen of Fiji --- but then, what the hell, you’re not “technically” Fuhrer of Fiji, just some traitor with guns who stole a guy’s shoes, so what should it matter I’m not Fijian?

Anyhoo, I’m excited at the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a military dictatorship, even if it sucks as 10th-rate and lame as yours. My skill set includes complete moral flexibility, kissing serious superior booty, doing the John Bolton on subordinates, and a general contempt for civilians. I could even strangle cats for a good time, like you do, if necessary.

Oh, and I want to tele-commute to the dictatorship (dude, it’s the 21st-century), so just FedEx the uniform and snappy beret to me.

As to cabinet positions, anything to do with ready access to large amounts of cash would do just fine. (Keep in mind: in elementary school, I was always rated 5 out of 5 on "shares materials with others", if you know what I mean.)

Yours for cold brews, hot chicks, and tanks in the streets,

HH

Wide Is the Gate ...

Today is Tuesday, 5 December 2006.

In the realm of the Junior W-arlord, travesties continue to abound.

After less than a day of hearings, the Senate Armed Services Committee unanimously approved the nomination of Bobby Gates as Secretary of War.

Bobby, as Deputy Director of CIA, didn’t know anything about Iran-Contra crimes. Meaning: either he lied or was incompetent.

And back during the criminal Iraq war of aggression against Iran (1980-1988), when the Reagan-Bush junta supported Iraq, does anyone really believe Bobby had nothing, as DD/CIA, to do with supplying targeting information to Iraq, so Iraq could use poison gas against Iranians and Kurds?

Gates is not merely unfit to be Secretary of War: he should be, as American law was formulated at the Nuremberg Trial, sentenced to life without parole, for participating in a war of aggression, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

Following is the rollcall of shame of those who proved themselves traitors to humanity:

John Warner (Virginia), Chairman
John McCain (Arizona)
James M. Inhofe (Oklahoma)
Pat Roberts (Kansas)
Jeff Sessions (Alabama)
Susan M. Collins (Maine)
John Ensign (Nevada)
James M. Talent (Missouri)
Saxby Chambliss (Georgia)
Lindsey O. Graham (South Carolina)
Elizabeth Dole (North Carolina)
John Cornyn (Texas)
John Thune (South Dakota)

Carl Levin (Michigan), Ranking Member
Edward M. Kennedy (Massachusetts)
Robert C. Byrd (West Virginia)
Joseph I. Lieberman (Connecticut)
Jack Reed (Rhode Island)
Daniel K. Akaka (Hawaii)
Bill Nelson (Florida)
E. Benjamin Nelson (Nebraska)
Mark Dayton (Minnesota)
Evan Bayh (Indiana)
Hillary Rodham Clinton (New York)

Matthew 7:13 - "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it."

Welcome to the Atomic Age

Today is Saturday, 2 December 2006.

On this day in 1943, at approx. 3:47 PM, CST, humanity entered the atomic age.

Chicago Pile Number One, located in a squash court at the University of Chicago, went critical, and created the first human-made chain reaction.

Humans had succeeded in tapping the energies of the atomic nucleus.

More to say on this later. For now, my city is covered in snow, and we have many errands to run. The temperature is 11 degrees F. Thursday morning, my wife saw, here in the midst of the city, a red fox against the snow in our front yard.

World AIDS Day

Today is Friday, 1 December 2006.

World AIDS Day.

With the most profound sorrow, The Museum of the Bourgeois memorializes the 25,000,000 dead of AIDS.

Would it be asking too much that “Western” “civilization” invest in those suffering from HIV/AIDS, before squandering precious resources on Play Station 3?

Reporter: Mr. Gandhi, what do you think of Western civilization?

Mr. Gandhi: I think it would be a good idea.