January 3, 2020

At the Least Interesting Sunrise Café...

680D3570-4F27-433E-AF49-F95F388C2082_1_201_a

... you make your own entertainment.

This was, I think, the dullest possible sunrise. You're seeing the western view at 7:25. The "actual" sunrise took place at 7:30, which is an interesting time in that it's the latest sunrise time of the year, and we're stuck on that number until the 7th.

95 comments:

Ken B said...

The dullest possible? Were you with Hillary Clinton?

Lucien said...

Why do people refer to possible armed conflict between the U.S. and one other country (Iran, North Korea) as "World War III"? Have they no understanding of what a real World War is like? Or is it just that hyperbole has become habitual?

wildswan said...

Point Turning Point.

Conflicts, impeachments, sunrises - Where will we be in four days?

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

"Soolaimon" -- N. Diamond, 1970

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IcKtw36VU4

J. Farmer said...

Had a major guilty pleasure song moment this morning.

Jon Secada's Just Another Day came on the radio, and I blasted it. Turned it down at the red lights, though.

FullMoon said...

U.S. Military Kills More Top Iranian-Backed Terrorist Leaders In Airstrikes, Reports Say

stephen cooper said...

When I get bored I often try to think about who the most boring person in the world is.

Is that person male or female?

What country could that person live in?

These are the things you need to think about if your goal in life is to understand, as God understands, that we are all loved by God in a way that is powerful, joyous, and significant.

Proverbs 8.

By the way I, a very humble person, with a second-rate education, happen to know who is the most boring person in the world.

Trust me, God loves that person so so much you would be basically overwhelmed if I told you one tenth of what I know about how much God loves the most boring person in the world.

I have had a hard life but trust me I know this ---- God loves us all.

Big Mike said...

Took the wife and son and DIL to see "Cats" before it leaves town. I don't see what the complaints are all about. Jennifer Hudson can't reach the high notes that Elaine Paige could, but the level of emotion Hudson pulls up when she sings is quite awesome. And Francesca Hayward is fantastic! IMAO this production is better than the 1998 film, though Kenneth Page sings vastly better than Dame Judi Dench.

"So first your memory I'll jog, and say a cat is not a dog."

mccullough said...

The PMF is Iraq’s military. And it’s more or less controlled by Iran. So we teamed up with the PMF to fight ISIS and now are killing them.

This is basically a gangland war.

hawkeyedjb said...

Bye-ku for Julian Castro:

Democrats reject
The Castro who did not turn
Out to be Fidel

hawkeyedjb said...

Bye-ku for Marianne:

The problem with her
Is that she was never weird
Enough for the Dems

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

Iran "Doesn't Seem to Fear Trump" Who "Is Eager to Resume Talks" with Tehran: Top New York Times Story Published During Baghdad Strike Is Unwittingly Hilarious

The NYT is completely embarrassed again.

https://no-pasaran.blogspot.com/2020/01/iran-doesnt-seem-to-fear-trump-who-is.html?m=1

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

from Suleimani's twitter account:

"Stop asking if there's goats down here.
This is Hell, not Heaven!!"

https://gab.com/system/media_attachments/files/027/318/310/original/bc2f471c81396030.png?1578086851

Ambrose said...

Every sunrise is a gift.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

hmmm- another SloJo & Son Humper/ Iran problemo??

A super PAC has been set up for Biden’s presidential run. The head of the PAC is Larry Rasky, a registered foreign government agent of Azerbaijan. Rasky also explored going into business with Hunter Biden and James Biden, the former vice president’s younger brother.

At one point, Rasky planned to provide a million dollars towards the Bidens’ purchase of Paradigm Global Advisors, a hedge fund. In 2009, DOJ says Paradigm offices (Biden Hedge Fund) owned by individuals helping Iran evade sanctions.

By 2017, feds contend that the building “served as a front for the Iranian government and as a gateway for millions of dollars to be funneled to Iran in clear violation of U.S. sanctions laws.”

A few years later, Biden and Kerry’s sons went into business yet again.

etc etc

https://mobile.twitter.com/SayWhenLA/status/1213226417854570499

Bay Area Guy said...

Bye-Ku for Marianne

Shakras have left us
No Yoga on Potomac
DuPont Circle sighs

Ryan said...

Sunrises are unlike politicians. Boring is just boring.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

another SloJo & Son Humper/ Iran problemo??

That's way more than enough info to get the FISAs issued.

Ryan said...

I'm THIS CLOSE to canceling my LA Times subscription. Their coverage of Trump lacks any nuance and is just nonstop Orange Man Bad nonsense. I'm ok with intelligent criticism of Trump. Has anyone been following WSJ? Maybe switch to them.

D 2 said...

"Look, look! Look over there, Joe!"
"What's up, Sally?"
"Over there, to the east!"
"What am I looking at, exactly, hon? Is there a strange bird or something?"
"No, silly! Look at that sunrise!"
"Uh... yeah. I see, yes, it's ah, very nice. Beautiful, it is"
"It's not beautiful, that happens pretty much once a week"
"..."
"It is exciting, Joe. Exciting is the word. Look at how it enters the horizon! Tremendously exciting!"
"..."
"Don't you agree? How can you not?"
"I'd be a bit more excited if it didnt rise... hey, where you going?"

narciso said...

Their coverage lacks nuance, heck it often lacks facts, thats why its known as the dogtrainer.

rcocean said...

The Dullest Sunrise?

Reading Saul Bellow while listening to Paul Anka at 7:24 AM.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

Boy that Franky is cranky!! Another smack by the prickly pontiff

On tonight's video episode of "Slapped by a Pope"

...you can almost hear the nun say "Yo, Francis!! Gimmee 5, Bro!"

https://twitter.com/i/status/1213243974158303232

rcocean said...

Dullest BHTV podcast:

Bob Herbert talks to Dan Drezner on Climate Change.

stevew said...

Least interesting is not the same as uninteresting. This one and my mood today are similar. That is not a bad thing. The Milk Carton Kids were on heavy rotation in my playlist today.

rcocean said...

Dullest TV sitcom: (when I was watching sitcoms) : Tim Allen's whatever that show was.
Dullest Great Novel: Henry James The Golden Bowl
Dullest Folk/Rock star: Cat Stevens

rcocean said...

Dullest American President: Jerry Ford.

Not.Even.Close.

rcocean said...

Dullest WW 2 American General:

William Simpson. You, say who? I say, See what i mean.

Narr said...

Worthwhile Canadian Initiative boring? Might be better than what we get.

Narr
Tomorrow is another fray

stevew said...

Dullest book you must read:

Atlas Shrugged.

Tommy Duncan said...

stephen cooper said: "...if I told you one tenth of what I know about how much God loves the most boring person in the world."

How do you know so much about me?

The book Dare To Be Dull on Amazon

narciso said...



Some fresh wisdom

https://mobile.twitter.com/banditelli/status/1212571013239590912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1212571013239590912&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Face.mu.nu%2F

stephen cooper said...

Tommy you are fascinating. You are nowhere near being boring.

gilbar said...

John Bolton Can't Believe He Left White House Just Before War With Iran

narciso said...

Yes they are that blatant don imus is more villainous then suleimani in their book



https://mobile.twitter.com/DrewHolden360/status/1213173911392784386

William said...

Churchill, in my opinion, was the only WWII leader with star power. He really did act the part of a world historical figure. FDR and DeGaulle were okay, but you've really got to adjust the lighting to give them any kind of glamour. Hitler and Stalin are interesting solely because of the magnitude of their evil deeds. They look so drab and shabby. Mussolini, to give him credit, really did look like a fascist dictator. He could easily play the part of a super villain in a big budget movie. Hitler and Stalin would be absorbed by the scenery.....Eisenhower was dull but in a reassuring way. He was a far better strategist than Churchill and doesn't get due credit for his contributions to Victory in Europe. Eisenhower orchestrated the efforts of Patton, Montgomery, DeGaulle and a bunch of other divas and kept them all in tune and on score, but Churchill had the big solo vocals.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

"Nuh uh, no I di'int !" insists the Man From De Mencha

Joe Biden just got CAUGHT LYING about how he OPPOSED the raid to kill Osama bin Laden.

In 2012, he told the story of how he advised President Obama not to give the order. It's on video!

https://twitter.com/i/status/1213233184445542400

stephen cooper said...

Seriously my friends I have had a hard life but I spent a few moments with the most boring person in the world, in Michigan, in 1988.

Try as hard as you want to tell me you have met someone more boring, you simply cannot ----

and as God is my witness I remember the joy on the faces of the angels who, like me, know this

GOD LOVES US ALL NONE OF US ARE BORING IT IS FUCKING SIGNIFICANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT

God loves us all. Nobody is boring HOW CAN YOU BE BORING WHEN YOU ARE A HEIR TO GOD

and seriously, not saying me and God are pals, but if were pals with God I would be much more eloquent than I am and I would be able to say

GOD LOVES US ALL EVERYONE WHO HAS THE COURAGE TO BE SOMEONE WHO HAS LIVED IN THIS DIFFICULT WORLD IS A BELOVED CHILD OF GOD

and trust me, I have spent a lot of time telling people who thought God did not love them this:

NOT ONLY DOES GOD LOVE YOU BUT GOD LOVES YOU MORE THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE

trust me, I have never met a boring person.
I could write a thousand page novel with hundreds of episodes where the reader cries tears of joy or sorrow hoping against hope that the "boring" protagonist does not suffer from the plot twists that seem difficult, and where the reader cries tears of joy from the beautiful passages where I describe exactly how much God loves the "boring protagonist"

that person who someone thought was boring

but who was to me --- a great loser in life, sad to say, not that you care ---- a true child of God with everything God wanted for him or her happening, in a way that the greatest of novelists could barely describe, happening for him or her

that person who someone thought was boring was a heir to God in Heaven.

Happy New Year SAMADEE BIN MAI

stephen cooper said...

William you are right about Churchill, in my humble opinion.

He had his faults but he was a real human being, which is more than you can say about most of the the evildoers in charge of the other countries involved in that horrific conflict.

Jon Ericson said...

Reduces irritation

Iman said...

red splashes pink mist
when I paint my masterpiece
so said donald trump

stephen cooper said...

Seriously you do not want to know how much God loves boring people.

It is ok for me to know that because i am who I am - a friend of God's and a loser on this earth - but seriously you do not want to know what I know. God loves us all but God loves us with complete understanding of the horrible world all of us live in.

Seriously you do not want to be that guy who meets God on the street and says to God "Hey dude by the way - you didn't fool me - I always knew you were not this great wonderful Disneyland thrill ride owner, I knew what you always knew --- and I cared about everyone who knew how horrible this world could be."

Sabadee bin mai, my friends.

Narr said...

After Churchill they broke the mold, it's true.

Narr
Let's hope we don't need another one

mccullough said...

The US and Russian militaries won WW2.

Churchill was a fine speaker. But Germany would have beaten England.

wild chicken said...

Oy Cooper's losing his shit again

narciso said...

Churchill was a more rough at the edges figure the british establishment preferred baldwin and later the son of joseph chamberlain.

stephen cooper said...

narciso - thanks for commenting.

It does my heart good to know that you care about what I say.


Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

-touching vid from Carpe Donktum: https://t.co/DYAbKmgswD?amp=1

-Democrats Hate Trump More Than They Hate Terrorists Who Kill Americans

https://thefederalist.com/2020/01/03/democrats-hate-trump-more-than-they-hate-terrorists-who-kill-americans/

-Suleimani's killing was long overdue. The last time Iran was chastened on the world stage was when the U.S. sank half of the Iranian navy in 1988.
"Operation Preying Mantis"

https://thefederalist.com/2020/01/03/the-killing-of-qassem-suleimani-is-a-reminder-that-iran-is-weak/

narciso said...

Churchill was considered to have too much baggage, his stance on india, the gold standard, gallipolli, et al, its only after all viable options had been exhausted.

Seeing Red said...

From Insty:

John Ringo emails:

So far Trump has gotten the Democrats and the media (repetitive) to:

Defend terrorism
Defend pedophiles
Defend rapists
Defend blackface
Defend mass murderers
And
Openly hate dogs.

HE’S A FRICKING GENIUS!
Very stable, too.

Narayanan said...

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said

Joe Biden just got CAUGHT LYING about how he OPPOSED the raid to kill Osama bin Laden.

In 2012, he told the story of how he advised President Obama not to give the order.
____&&&&&&++++++
Was Biden asked about his reasoning?

I would have doxxed Osama and let Pakistan deal with stampede pilgrimage etc.

alanc709 said...

"mccullough said...
The US and Russian militaries won WW2.

Churchill was a fine speaker. But Germany would have beaten England."

Germany turned to attack the USSR because Hitler a). couldn't cross the Channel and b). didn't want to beat England. The true enemy was always the USSR.

traditionalguy said...

Not everybody is interesting. One of the most interesting people I have known died yesterday. We went through High School together, and we spent time goofing off in a free period setting up the Physics Lab one year. He was a nice guy and brilliant guy. And his hand was twice the size of my hand. But I had not seen Sammy since graduation. His death was reported today on ESPN Radio Moment by Boomer Esiason who agreed with me that Sammy Wyche was very special person.

stephen cooper said...

narciso ---- there is no way I would have wanted churchill to marry a daughter of mine.
That being said, there was someone, somewhere on the British Island, who, long ago, had a daughter who was not completely displeased to have Winston Churchill as her husband.

Narciso, my friend, God wants all of us to be happy.

Narciso, you know I delete most of my comments, but you also know that the male evildoers of the world - Castro, Jimmy Carter, Bergoglio, that whole crew, and
all of the WWII clowns who were in charge back in the day ---- including the poor gimp Roosevelt, the poor OCD sociopath Stalin, poor DeGaulle with his cowardly heart, lots of medals without a single wound, and all the other poor clowns who pretended to be soldiers = you know what I know, you know they were never anywhere near to being what God wanted them to be, and you know they all made a conscious decision to be losers.

There is no way a daughter of Churchill would have been someone I wanted to be the wife of a son of mine.

And let us be kind to the others ..... God loves us all.

Look, I am an expert on hatred, which is an emotion I despise ----- I know exactly what the poor bastards who have hatred in their heart are thinking ....

but I am also an expert on forgiveness, for God's sake I have said hundreds of times that if the Devil himself wants to apologize to God I will be more than willing to say on the poor creature's behalf please please God remember what you said when You said you are a God of Mercy -----

and as God is my witness I will pray for any evildoer who wants God to look with those eyes only God has at them, and to think, in that way only God knows ------ HERE IS SOMEONE WHO NEEDS TO FORGET WHAT IT iS TO BE A LOSER AND TO UNDERSTAND


that God loves us all.


Thanks for reading.

Guildofcannonballs said...

It is no small thing to love something that has never been loved in this world by anyone.

No small thing indeed.

Now I would like everyone to think "Yeahbsolutely" in strange and wonderfully overdone campy inflections 5 times.

Yeahbsolutely Yeahbsolutely Yeahbsolutely Yeahbsolutely Yeahbsolutely.

There will be peace when Trump is done.

William said...

Churchill was shockingly wrong on a number of important issues and still achieved greatness. I'm reading the second volume of the Manchester biography. His absolute low point in Parliament came during his defense and support of Edward VIII. King and Country, no matter what, no matter who. Churchill was dead wrong about Edward. His wrong decisions had ramifications. According to Manchester, he was regaining a following in Parliament, but his addled loyalty to King Edward caused many to doubt his judgement....There's a kind of time capsule within the time capsule to Manchester's book. Manchester wrote the book in the 80's, some fifty years after the events. I'm reading the book in 2020, another thirty odd years after his chronicle of those events. Churchill was a dated figure, the last Victorian, but some of the appreciation and criticism of Churchill from the eighties is now also dated.... With the passage of time King Edward looks ever more fatuous and foppish. Churchill was a damned fool to commit his reputation to that particular monarch. Fortunately for Churchill, it's all gone down the memory hole. Who remembers that Churchill was a supporter of King Edward?

stephen cooper said...

traditional guy - of course not everybody is interesting,

but in God's eyes we are all equal.

Seriously, even Mozart at his best at the piano, Raphael at his best while painting, were mere children compared to what God sees in the least of us when we try to sing or try to paint with angelic inspiration.

I guess my main problem is this - when I see someone I cannot help thinking they have immediate access to angelic inspiration.

Maybe I am wrong.

BUT MAYBE I AM RIGHT.

Look, I completely understand that most people are unlikeable, unkind, and selfish. Everybody who knows what the world is like knows that.

But I know something almost nobody else knows.

I have seen God crying real tears. The tears a father cries when he is, after years and years, finally convinced that his children are losers.

I also know something else.

I know what it is to be a loser in this world.
You do not want to know what I know, but if you do know what I know:

please join me in praying for the losers in this world.

As God is my witness ....

But I said that already.

narciso said...

A friend reminded me of lytto stracheys eminent victorias which took a scalpel to florence nightingale charles gordon and matthew arnold because none matched to his standards

Seeing Red said...

...figure, the last Victorian, but some of the appreciation and criticism of Churchill from the eighties is now also dated.... With the passage of time King Edward looks ever more fatuous and foppish. Churchill was a damned fool to commit his reputation to that particular monarch. Fortunately for Churchill, it's all gone down the memory hole. Who remembers that Churchill was a supporter of King Edward?...

I once read an argument that one could make the case Wallis saved the monarchy because Edward supported Hitler. If he was sitting on the throne...

We just finished those episodes in The Crown. It was an interesting perspective.

stephen cooper said...

Guildofcannonballs you just simply cannot hurt my feelings because I know this:

You are one of the most interesting people who has ever been born,

"It is no small thing to love something in this world that has never been loved by anyone."

For God's sake I know you know how eloquent that was.

God wants you to be a faith healer.

Trust me.

walter said...

Jonathan Turley @JonathanTurley

Schumer's statement today is curious since he not only opposed any witnesses in the Clinton trial but also supported a summary vote without a trial. He is insisting on "following precedent" that he opposed creating. He also ran on the pledge to vote to acquit before any trial.
7,852
11:57 AM - Jan 3, 2020

narciso said...

Are we still on this circle jerk, youre srunk schumer go home.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

OK, Schoomer

Guildofcannonballs said...

Ol' Guildy abides.

rightguy said...

Dullest pop singer? Neil Diamond, hands down.
Runners up : Franky Avalon, Celine Dion, Bread...

Put them in a bottle and call it Sominex

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

"Cherry, Cherrie"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlcuAsgc5-c

"Kentucky Woman"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-YpI-eJgDc

"Thank the Lord for the Nighttime"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4QAEMDA3Cc

...and if you're still bored, there's always Michelle's face:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUr5_QVPCAI

,,,And the darkest hour is just before dawn

Birkel said...

Smug > stephen cooper
Howard > ARM > adSs
Chuck = Inga

Which is nice.

narciso > Guild

Relative rankings =/= dislike (for some of the pairings)

stephen cooper said...

and the darkest hour is just before dawn ,,,,


props

Jon Ericson said...

whisper a little prayer for me

stephen cooper said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jon Ericson said...

direct from Hell

James K said...

Churchill was wrongly scapegoated for Gallipoli. Had his advice been followed it wouldn't have been the disaster it turned out to be. Like Trump, the British establishment pols hated Churchill and wanted him discredited and out of power.

Mark said...

Italics. Or quotation marks. Or that stupid @ sign. Or at least a line between what someone else said and your response to it so it is clear that someone else already said it and where that comment ends and yours begins.

It ain't that hard.

Seeing Red said...

Via Lucianne:

In May 2011, discussions began secretly in Mexico between a known Los Zetas associate and Quds Force operative Manssor Arbabsiar. The discussion would lead to planning a C-4 detonation at a Washington, D.C. restaurant frequented by Saudi Ambassador Adel al-Jubeir. The Quds Force operative did not know that he was being recorded in a DEA operation. Over the course of a few months, several clandestine meetings in Mexico planned strikes against the Israeli Embassy in Washington, plus and the Saudi and Israeli Embassies in Argentina. New opium trafficking lanes between the Middle East and Mexico....

Seeing Red said...

San Diego officials have unveiled a new plan to spend $90 to $100 million over the next decade to complete a backlog of more than 81,000 city sidewalk repairs to stem a recent tide of large injury payouts. (snip) ...a jury awarded Cynthia Hedgecock, the wife of former Mayor Roger Hedgecock, just under $85,000 in December 2017 for ruptured breast implants she suffered during a 2015 sidewalk fall.

narciso said...

That ties into here:
https://english.mojahedin.org/i/qasem-soleimani-irgc-quds-force-20200103

Surprised political militancy and control of drug routes overlap

Jon Ericson said...

...a jury awarded Cynthia Hedgecock, the wife of former Mayor Roger Hedgecock, just under $85,000 in December 2017 for ruptured breast implants she suffered during a 2015 sidewalk fall.

Appalling.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

"Smug > stephen cooper
Howard > ARM > adSs
Chuck = Inga

Which is nice.

narciso > Guild

Relative rankings =/= dislike (for some of the pairings)"

Blog commenting as jazz disguised as math. It's what makes Althouse great.

Seeing Red said...

When President Donald Trump gave the order to kill Iran's Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani, he not only made an arguably proportionate response to the invasion of the U.S. Embassy this week but he also reversed a policy of the Obama administration. According to a report from 2018, Israel was "on the verge" of assassinating Soleimani in 2015, but Obama's officials foiled the plan. In fact, they reached out to Iran with news of Israel's plans. The Trump administration, on the other hand, gave Israel a green light to assassinate Soleimani, according to a January 1, 2018 report from the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida.

narciso said...

No i dont quite think so, when inga gets past her paint by numbers polemics, ive been able to elicit information, the other is like talking to a wall.

Jon Ericson said...

well narciso, I nod to that, but while they both have the locked down chompers of a pit bull, the former has sparks of humanity from time to time.

Jon Ericson said...

delete the 'but'

Churchy LaFemme: said...

Churchill supported a *naval* operation to force the straits, the so-called "Carden Plan". He was incensed that the navy gave it up after a very short try as too dangerous -- he felt that was riduculous when thousands of infantry were dying daily and the RN wouldn't hazard a few obsolete ships. He didn't want a huge allied landing at all (although that might have worked but for Stoppford).

Churchy LaFemme: said...

Judging Neil Diamond by his post 1975 output (that is to say now most of his career, unfortunately) is to wrong the man. He's a bit like Bob Hope who had a brilliant run and then settled into a long, unfunny rut. Get "The UNI Years" collection, lot's of great stuff there. For some reason after the Beautiful Noise album, he stopped trying.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

or... if you like marimbas, there's Sloopy

The McCoys - Hang On Sloopy (1965?) Featuring: Liz Brewer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E0xJpi9rK8

Jon Ericson said...

but I do

Jon Ericson said...

Chirp?

AllenS said...

Mark said...
Italics. Or quotation marks. Or that stupid @ sign. Or at least a line between what someone else said and your response to it so it is clear that someone else already said it and where that comment ends and yours begins.

It ain't that hard.


A big yes to that. Nothing is more irritating when people do that. Some of the smartest people comment here, along with some of the dumbest. Also, LEARN HOW TO MAKE A LINK, YOU LAZY FUCKERS!

I was a C to C- student in high school, and my schooling stopped there. Worked in a factory, and I figured out how to make a link.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

good lawyers dont, but Kevorkian's lawyer did

Fieger grew up in Oak Park, Michigan, a northern suburb of Detroit, Michigan, the son of June Beth (née Oberer) and Bernard Julian Fieger.[2] Fieger's father was Jewish, and his mother was of Norwegian descent.[3] He earned B.A. (Theater, 1974) and M.A. (Speech) degrees from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 1976 and his J.D. from the Detroit College of Law (now the Michigan State University College of Law) in 1979.

Fieger is the older brother of the late Doug Fieger, lead vocalist of the late-'70s/early-'80s rock group The Knack, best known for their hit song "My Sharona" in 1979. Fieger and his wife, Kathleen ("Keenie"), have three children and live in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

Jon Ericson said...

That a statesman, with a due sense of his responsibility,
should so far mislead the people by promises
which can only, in the long run, lead to disappointment,
is a bad sign of our times.

Surely [s]he must know that if the people once taste the sweets of plunder,
if they begin to enjoy the unearned increment,
there will be larger demands made,
and that the only end to those demands will be the end of that useful milk-cow,
the capitalist class.

Having recreation at the expense of another can only be a temporary,
a very temporary, expedient.

In the first place the wealth of this country is not, by any means,
so great as to enable the whole of the inhabitants to enjoy life in the way suggested,
and even if it were, a time would very soon come
when the person who supplied the recreation would have no more to
"pay the piper" with, and then, we fear, the dancing must cease,
or go on without music.

But will it last even so long? An American candidate said
"Capital is sensitive; it shrinks from the very appearance of danger."

We think that it is shrinking in this country,
and if capital goes beyond the seas,
if it is taken to other and safer countries,
we shall have the poor of this country dancing to quite other tunes
than those which are being composed by their
over-sanguine guides for their delectation.

We shall have the poor of this country condemned to misery and starvation.
They themselves cannot see this,
but it behoves those who would constitute themselves
the leaders of the people
to take heed lest they mislead them into such
"sloughs of despond."

pp 18-19
--The Westminster and Foreign Quarterly Review, January 1886.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

"Annie Dont Wear No Panties" --Erykah Badu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9d9eydCfTdw

wildswan said...

[This NYT story just hours before Qassim Suleimani was killed said that Iran "Doesn't Seem to Fear Trump" and that Trump "Is Eager to Resume Talks" with Tehran. https://no-pasaran.blogspot.com/2020/01/iran-doesnt-seem-to-fear-trump-who-is.html"]

New York Times Headline International Edition
Friday, January 03, 2020
Trump's talk fails to quell threats from adversaries."

OK, BOOM.

Michael K said...

Churchill was a fine speaker. But Germany would have beaten England.

But they didn't, did they? Had Halifax been PM there would have been an armistice with loss of the fleet.

I also agree that Churchill was wrongly blamed for the fiasco at Gallipoli. It was the only chance to avoid the bloodbath at the Somme where idiot generals marched thousands of men into machine guns. 60,000 died in the first day of the Somme. It was fatal to England even though the rump survived until 1945.

ngtrains said...

William & Jon Ericson:

Very interesting comments. Made reading blog comments worthwhile today.

Ike was quite a person. Probably the last president we’ve had with an understanding of administration. Ridiculed for no knowledge of politics,but dealing with Degalle, Patton and Montgomery was quite an achievement.

JE: great find from 1886. I’m currently reading a 1980 book “can capitalism survive”. Similar thesis. It will not because the historical units (family, churches, community) are going away

Ted

Narr said...

Normally I just skim through cooper's pious bloviations--get over yourself!--but when he tries to play historian I have to speak up.

De Gaulle was wounded and gassed in WW I. You don't have to like the guy, but you don't get to lie about plain historical facts. Same with Hitler--wounded and gassed.

The Brits didn't lose 60k dead at the Somme, that was the total casualty count for the day--some 20k dead IIRC. And there were two distinct Gallipoli operations in 1915--the all-navy attempt to run the Dardanelles in March 1915 and the later land campaign. When
Churchill was sacked because both failed, he went to France with the Royal Scots in 1916--not wounded or gassed.

One of Churchill's biggest problems was that he really, honestly, and sincerely believed in monarchy. He was adamant that Greece, for instance, should remain a monarchy. Go figure.

Narr
I'd say a 6'5" guy who survives combat in WWI is destined for something big (ha)