So Little Polish

My mother had a description for people who behaved rudely. She would shake her head and remark in a wistful tone, "People have so little polish these days."

Mom observed a great deal of bad public behavior during her one hundred years, but Barack Obama's blatant, completely inappropriate political rant at Rep. John Lewis's funeral yesterday brought the issue of "no polish" to a stratospheric level that would have shocked her.. All of the Democrat rally-goers--in this case, funeral attendees--displayed a similar classlessness by leaping to their feet in the church and applauding throughout Obama's campaign speech. John Lewis certainly proved to be useful in death. An icon of the mid-20th century civil rights battles, he deserved more respectful treatment.

We'll soon find out if America really wants such rude individuals in charge of the country. I hope not. After decrying a lack of polish, my mother often would add a more forceful and dismissive "No manners." If you need a succinct description of the current crop of Democrat radicals, I can't think of a better one.

Fearless in the Wild

Any rational person who watched any painful part of US Attorney General William Barr's "testimony" yesterday can see that he drives Democrats insane. They ranted at him, insulted him, refused to let him answer--they even refused to allow him to use the restroom, let alone have a lunch break. It was a truly pathetic demonstration of the ignorant and inept vs. an intellectual master.

The unflappable William Barr played the part of the fearless honey badger to the rude and disgraceful behavior he encountered throughout the "hearing."  The cast of characters in the video, linked in the photo's caption, would appear as follows:

The Honey Badger........................................................Attorney General William Barr
The House of Bees........................................................House Judiciary Committee
Birds and Jackals..........................................................The Mainstream Media
The Cobra......................................................................House Chairman Jerry Nadler

"Honey Badge Doesn't Care"

Banner Yet Waving

Like so many Californians, I'm working from home most weekdays. At the workday's end I usually take a long walk, just to get out of the four walls and to enjoy some fresh air and sunshine. I travel various routes in my longtime neighborhood. Lately I've noticed many more American flags flying from individual homes.

I thought seeing more flags on display was my imagination, given the current strife within our country. But today I turned down a small side street I haven't walked on for many months. What I saw stopped me in my tracks and warmed my heart. In the space of one short block, on both sides of the street, I counted fourteen American flags flying proudly in the late afternoon sun. Most rode high on standing flagpoles; some hung on shorter poles, next to front doors or over garages. It was such an uplifting sight that I felt breathless for a moment.

This is one small street in one neighborhood in California. It appears the neighbors have all agreed to fly our flag to show their support for our wonderful, wounded country. How many other streets are there, in how many towns, cities and states all over America, where residents have made the same commitment to honor our national unity? It's a question that inspires in me a sunny shaft of hope.

A Legend Leaves

Olivia de Haviland - 1916 - 1920

The golden age of Hollywood has fallen to what Abraham Lincoln called "the silent artillery of time." The incomparable Olivia de Haviland died over the weekend at age 104.

Aside from admiring all of her film work, I've always followed news of her for a personal reason: she was born on the same day as my late father, July 1, 1916.

Although she is best known for portraying Melanie Hamilton Wilkes in the suddenly controversial Gone With the Wind, de Haviland played a wide range of roles over many decades. She captured national attention when she played the leading lady opposite 1930s superstar Errol Flynn in Captain Blood and The Adventures of Robin Hood. Although nominated for an Academy Award in GWTW, she lost to co-star Hattie McDaniel but went on to four additional Oscar nominations, winning two Best Actress Awards for her performances in To Each His Own and The Heiress.

With her death, Olivia de Haviland essentially shuts the door on the panoply of legendary stars that shone so brightly in vintage Hollywood. The "golden age" has lost its last bit of luster.

Calling the Game

"Don't Take Me Out to the Ballgame"

Leave me out of your ballgame,
Leave me out of your gripes!
You earn more money than fans, by far,
And we just don't care what color you are!
So if you're not happy to live here,
You're free to leave any day.
For it's 
One
Dear
Country
To us in the USA!

A Play on History

"I never expect a perfect work from an imperfect man."

~Alexander Hamilton


With much fanfare, Disney+ began streaming the Broadway smash hit play, Hamilton, on July 3. Now, I had heard so much about this play since it opened five years ago, and none of what I had heard really lit my fire. I knew the play's dialog was delivered in all hip-hop style, probably my least favorite musical genre. In a blatant pander to identity groups, the Hamilton cast is deliberately comprised of minority individuals. I'm certainly fine with minorities--the US was created for everyone of any origin--but this overt effort to portray the Caucasian lead characters as other ethnicities struck me as a painfully self-conscious overreach.

Consequently, I never had much interest in seeing Hamilton. Nevertheless, as a Disney+ subscriber, I could not resist my curiosity to evaluate this supersonic hit that, pre-COVID, had tickets selling in the thousands of dollars. I decided to allow fifteen minutes before switching streams.

I was all in after five minutes. Furthermore, I've watched the entire play twice--the second time with my son, who has never sat through a musical in his life but was completely absorbed by Hamilton. I plan to watch it a third time next weekend. This play is worth suffering pinwheel eyes.

Hamilton is, quite simply, fabulous. The writing is smart, the performances are captivating, the music is outstanding, and the action is non-stop. Some historians may quibble with the finer points, but there is no doubt that Hamilton provides a fascinating rough sketch of the United States' early history in a modern and engaging format. The actors are amazingly talented and infuse their historical characters with a vibrancy and passion that overrides any distraction of race. As Shakespeare wisely said, "the play's the thing"--the story is what counts. Hamilton is a story that our country quite urgently needs to hear right now.

Hamilton may not be perfect, but it's as close to it as a play can get. Treat yourself. Settle down in front of your big screen and make your home the room where it happens.

Celebrating Independence Day

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness... 

~ The Declaration of Independence

Mount Rushmore ~ July 3, 2020

Having A Conversation

We hear a great deal these days about "having a conversation" on various pressing topics of the day. We are told we need to converse about "systemic racism" (for which I have never seen a single coherent definition), about "white privilege"(a term that confuses many Caucasian people living hand-to-mouth), and "reparations" (something every ethnicity in history is probably entitled to receive).

Yet how do we "have a conversation" when currently only one totalitarian viewpoint--a Communist one--is tolerated by the leftists, the media, academia, professional sports, and Hollywood?

No doubt that question reveals me to be a systemic racist descending from white privilege, but let's give it a go, shall we?

I'd like to have a few conversations about the following questions:

• How did a "systemically racist country" elect Barack Obama, a black man, to two terms as president--with the same percentage of white votes received by Bill Clinton in 1992?

• Why do NFL players, who make more money on one contract than most "systemically racist" white people could dream of in their entire careers, whine and complain about "racism" and "oppression"?

• Why are the achievers of the black community throughout American history not recognized and celebrated as inspiring role models?

• Why isn't the Chinese Communist Party's brutal crackdown on Hong Kong's human rights making the news? Aside from the obvious reason of greed, how does the NBA get away with sucking up to China, citing "mutual respect" for "different views"? (Hint: see "totalitarian viewpoint" above).

• Why should I, or anyone in my family, pay "reparations" when we didn't arrive in the US from Ireland until the 20th century? Wasn't Ireland experiencing enough of its own suffering over the centuries? Shouldn't Irish descendants be screaming for "reparations" from the British government, which enforced a fierce and merciless rule over Ireland for centuries, resulting in numerous bloody rebellions and Irish executions and deaths?

• As for police officers, I'd like to have a conversation about the Paul Harvey tribute (on YouTube) that underscores the excellent work that the overwhelming majority of these heroes accomplish every day. 

The above are just a few topics about which I would enjoy "having a conversation." My challenge in today's America is to find anyone who will listen.