Today's Tids Issue 3,727
For the brave, and for those left behind.
There is but one
spotlight that should be shown today. Not one upon the President Elect or
anarchists marching in the streets, but a bright light on all of the veterans
dead and alive who represent the conviction and courage of a great nation.
Today we illuminate all of those men and women who have donned proudly the uniforms
of the USA. All of those who faced the terror of battle, not only protect the
homeland but to inspire freedoms throughout the world. I feel my heart pounding
to the rhythm of the keys as I type; I look into the skies an see heroes from
all of the wars marching by. I see the determination and pride in their eyes.
I remember one
day in the latter sixties walking out to the street in front of my little
home and finding a record album lying there. It was one featuring Leonard
Cohen. “Leonard who?”, I asked myself, standing there in my pinstriped suit. I brought
it inside and put it on the turntable. We listened to it and then, we listened
to it again. It became one of my all-time favorites. Leonard’s husky voice and quiet
guitar soothed our home. It‘s a could lesson: Don’t dismiss anything out of
hand just because it may oppose your preconceived notion of the way the world should
be. I think I’ll go down and dig out that old record. I wonder if the needle works
through mildew!
I
just had a horrible thought. Americans have this
constant urge to emulate success. How bad would it be if men everywhere started
walking around with a Trump Hairdo! Holy tonsorium, Batman! Canada, here I
come.
The
Question:
What was the name of the Forest in which the
Armistice was signed that ended the fighting in WWI. Bonus: Who was the President who authorized the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier. Big Bonus: Who Was Mary Mallon?
Special Bonus: List the various of
wars by number of combat deaths of brave men and women.
The
Headlines:
--Trump And Obama Appear To have Talked Sensibly For
90 Minutes.
--Stocks Open Lower.
--Taliban Attack German Embassy In Kabul Killing 6.
--China’s Giant eCommerce Company Alibaba Smashes
Sales Record On “Singles” Day (China’s Biggest Shopping day).
--Trump Tweets Out Praise For Protestors; “We Will
Come Together And Be Proud”.
--UAW Supporting Trump On His Views Of NAFTA; Trump
Names Paul Atkins As Financial Regulations Guru – Atkins Is Anti Heavy regs;
Could Lead To Dismantling Of Dodd-Frank.
--Professional Protestors Turn Anti Trump March Into
Violence; Seattle Organization Recruiting “Professional Protestors” On Craig’s
List; Protest Looking Less And Less As Spontaneous.
--Riot Police Fill Egypt’s Streets As Threat Of
Violent Protests Over Austerity Cuts Loom.
--Leonard Cohen Dead At 82.
“So,
those elections were quiet the surprise.” I sat there in
the chair waiting for a response from my barber, a Chinese woman, an immigrant
about 40 or so years old. A great barber. I thought I felt a little silence, “Why
should I open my heart to this balding old man,“ the silence seemed to say. Finally,
in a blurting sort of way, “The little guy needs help in this country. My
husband and I work hard, but we are forgotten. He says the right things,” she went
on, “But all of the time he kept on saying something stupid, and that made me
worry.” I looked up and saw she was smiling. “So we voted for him, because he
is saying what we feel. I hope we didn’t make a mistake.” I told her, not to
worry, you and your husband own a little piece of land up in northern Maine and
you can always go up there and hide in the woods if it gets bad. Well, she thought
was pretty funny and started waving her scissors and laughing to the point where
I reached up to be sure my nose was sill there.
That
is for the people who keep complaining that it was white men
who elected trump.
In
these days of mass and rapid communication, the slow
plodding of an Electoral College process to elect is more important than ever. Eliminating
the Electoral College would be akin to eliminating the House of Representatives
in favor of an Internet vote on all bills, which would effectively eliminate
the voice of any minority.
Of
course, the Republicans in Rhode Island is one minority which
has no representation at all either nationally or on the state level.
Conan
O’Brien: “Don’t worry Hillary, America has a special place
for people who lose. It’s called Celebrity Apprentice.”
Samantha
Bee (Whoever
she is): “It was white people who ruined America”.
It
is no accident that the word “Good” looks a lot like the
word “God”.
I’m
thinking that Donald Trump will be the first president in history
who’s hair doesn’t turn grey after four years.
The
first thing that Congress should do is ban the use of Twitter
by sitting presidents.
I
remember always while watching international news reports feeling happy knowing that the USA doesn’t
look as chaotic as “those crazy Arabs” protesting on the streets of Baghdad. I
think we are regressing rapidly. This observation may have something to do with
“Let’s make America great again.”
Reading
Between the Lines Movie Reviews:
--Arrival is a different kind of alien invasion
movie. It is tense because of the threat, not the mass destruction. Amy Adams
is terrific as a linguist, part of team sent to decipher the intentions of who
is ever inside spacecraft hovering over key populated areas around the world. The
threat of works annihilation is very real in this one, and what makes it so scary
is that it is so real. I’d go.
--I watched the commercials for Almost Christmas and
crossed it off my list. Critics don’t like it, but for some reason audiences
do. A beloved patriarch of a family asks for one gift, that the family gets
along. If they can honor this by spending five days under one roof without
killing each other it will be a Christmas miracle.
--The plot of Shut In sounds super scary, and I believe
the movie is. Naomi Watts is a child psychiatrist in a small New England town treating
a young boy. He goes missing and she is sure his ghost is now haunting her home.
According to reviews, I don’t think it is too good.
There’s another new move out today starring Nick
Cage, Tom Sizemore and Tom Jane. It is “US Indianapolis”, and it is about the heart
pounding tale of American sailors shipwrecked and trying to survive in shark
infested waters towards the end of WWII. I’m seeing way below average reviews
for this one, though it may be special to some..
The
Answer:
The fighting ended with the Armistice signing in the
Forest of Compiegne. Bonus: Warren Harding Presided over the ceremony to honor
the remains of an unknown. Now honored by all Americans to represent all who are
missing. Big Bonus: Mary Mallon was more
popularly known as “Typhoid Mary”. She died on an island off of NYC after being
quarantined there for 23 years. That was less than 100 years ago, just incase
you wonder if we have made any progress in medicine. Special Bonus: At the top was WWII with 291,557 killed, Next is the
Civil War with 214,938 ((140,414 Union, 74,924 Confed). After those biggest two
we have WWI – 53,402, Viet Nam – 47,424, Korean – 33,686, Revolutionary - 8,000
(17,000 Civilian), Iraq-Afghanistan – 5,790, 1812 – 2,260 and 12,740 other.
(Note it is estimated that total number of deaths of Americans due to the
fighting in the Civil war was 750K, including the 214 K above).
Today
marching will fill the streets of America. People in unison
will cheer. Tears will be shed as memories ignite. And hearts will swell. Let’s
hope those other marchers take a moment to watch, and maybe understand.
Have
a great weekend, E-v-e-r-y-b-o-d-y!!
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