Some mighty fine men on view in this week's edition. As always, you can save time if you pause the video and right-arrow through the pics. BTW, there's now a link to Clint's uncensored website in the NSFW section of the Blue Truck, at the bottom of the sidebar.
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In this similar black-and-white film produced a year or so later, you can see a few extraordinary pictures of the hollowed-out White House interior during Truman's reconstruction, starting about the 40:45 mark:
Bonus: Lady Bird Johnson dedicates the new Jacqueline Kennedy Garden in 1965. This was on the eastern side of the rear of the residence, while the Rose Garden was on the western end, extending to just outside the Oval Office in the West Wing. Mrs. Johnson is beautfully well-spoken, the epitome of a cultured, gracious Southern lady.
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If you're in a rush, just pause the video and right-arrow through the pics.
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Episode 15: Second Floor Possibilities
Episode 16: A Fountain for Poseidon
Note to readers: I admire the energy and know-how these fellas have; but the work is proceeding very slowly, and in future I may not post all their vids. The last one above was interesting with the fountain, furnace, and apples. The one prior to that was dreadfully dull: scraping and painting all those window frames.
Problem is, they still haven't made the caretaker cottage livable, and winter will soon set in. The amount of work needed on the big house is mind-boggling, and so is the expense. No doubt somewhere in one or both families is an indulgent Big Mama or Big Daddy with very deep pockets. It must be nice not to worry about how to pay the rent or keep food on the table while picking out designer decor and furniture.
Frankly, I think with this beat-up chateau way to hell out in bumfuck, they have bitten off much more than they can chew or ever make a profit on, but what do I know? I wish them good luck with this monster reno. It will certainly be a great learning experience.
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I don't agree with some of Bernie's proposals, and he is wrong on a couple of points of history. But I endorse the main thrust of his message. There's far too much money in too few hands. Money = power, and power, as Lord Acton said, tends to corrupt; and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
That's why our Founding Fathers set up a government with three branches (divided power; checks and balances) and periodic elections, ensuring that power changes hands from time to time. They also endowed us with a Constitution that cannot be easily changed (the rule of laws, not men) and a free press that can expose the misuse and abuse of power to the attention of the people. But when 3 or 4 people own most of the wealth in this country, working hand-in-glove with a would-be dictator, you don't have to be a "communist" to see that means the end of democracy.
The system is not perfect, but then NO system is. There is not now, nor has there ever been, nor will there ever be a Utopia where everyone gets everything they want when they want it. The best that can be done is to provide the greatest good for the greatest number most of the time. Capitalism properly restrained and regulated can be a good thing, bringing prosperity and security to many millions - with enough left over in the public treasury to provide a social safety net for the elderly, disabled, and unfortunate - as has been generally the case in the Western world for over a century now.
But unbridled, unregulated capitalism is simply the dictatorship of the rich, and profoundly un-American.
Unelected and unaccountable, the super-rich could buy and sell all the lawyers, judges, police, and politicians they need to get their way, immune from any and all consequences. They could control all sources of news and information, in print or online, indoctrinating everyone young and old with their corrupt wordview, and inciting the masses to fear, resentment, hatred, or violence against anything or anyone, as their masters pleased. And rhey could manipulate the price of all goods and services and housing to squeeze the last dime out of the propertyless common people, in effect making them serfs perpetually dependent on the goodwill of the overlords and their digital informers/enforcers. America or Soviet Russia? Who could tell the difference?
The super-rich could also dispose of whoever is president, if he doesn't do their bidding. There is an old saying that "there is honor among thieves." But who knows what might happen when thieves fall out with one another?
And by the way - don't fear what may happen one day. It has already happened. That little god-box in your hand that you just can't live without? That plastic slab you carry everywhere you go and use to do everything with? You do know, don't you, that it tracks every movement you make, 24/7, and they are recorded somewhere, as is every call you make and every word you type. So are all your purchases, all your bank and credit card data, the names and numbers of all your friends and kinfolks, even your casual hookups and favorite porn. It can all be used against you - and may well be. Don't fear the slavery to come - the chain is already around your neck and the knife at your balls. Resistance, I'm afraid, is too late. You have been assimilated. And paid good money for it, too, you fool. So enjoy it while you can.
But what do I know? I'm just a tired old man who has outlived his time, waiting for his flight to be called, that's all. Move along, nothing to see here.
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If you're pressed for time, just pause the video and right-arrow through the pics.
Study Questions (some will appear on the exam):
2:45 - Is it really John Wayne, or is it James Cagney? Explain.
2:55 - Which one is the gay brother? Justify your answer.
3:30 - Why does this look like the Marx Brothers at play?
6:25 - Who knew Leslie Jordan was such a stud muffin?
7:55 - Springsteen's great-great-grandaddy? Why or why not?
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1. Short Order Cookery (1973) - This vocational training film shows how one man can cook everything, all at the same time. Who knew that griddles had different heating sections?
2. Give Your Eggs a Break (1966) - Another vocational film, with some comedy relief thrown in.
3. Spider (197x) - Kenneth Osgood, a former Golden Gloves boxer, was a phenomenal short-order cook at a diner in New Hampshire. When you watch this film, you'll understand how he got the nickname of "Spider."
4. New Jersey's Busiest Diner (2021) - A look behind the scenes at a ginormous diner with 125 staff in the kitchen, serving 15,000 meals a week. I know M.P. will love the mountain of disco fries, an old favorite of his - I like them too. We also love chicken and waffles, a Southern treat that goes back at least to the 1920s.
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I'm posting this for the scenery and the sociological interest: two gay dads with kids, and everyone seems to be happy, wholesome, and well-adjusted. Lovely. I'm glad for them - but a little cutesiness goes a long way. Your mileage may vary, of course.
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If need be, you can save time by pausing the video and right-arrowing through the pics.
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Epsidode 13: Fishing for Treasures
Episode 14: Tower of Troubles
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Geography note: The Grand Tetons were so named by the first explorers, Frenchmen, because they reminded them of their girlfriends. I'm not making this up.
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Video description:
Choral High Mass on the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
Sermon by Mother Nora Johnson
The music for the Mass is:
Missa Octavi Toni – Orlande de Lassus (1532 - 1594)
O Lord, Increase Our Faith – Henry Loosemore (? -1670)
Love Bade Me Welcome – Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
The service leaflet (PDF) for today's service is found here.
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If you please, you can save time by pausing the video and right-arrowing through the pics.
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| The Good Shepherd, 1880 magazine illustration via Wikipedia. Click to enlarge. |
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If you're in a hurry, just pause the video and right-arrow through the pics.
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(Leaf raking was never my favorite chore.)
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To save time, you can just pause the video and right-arrow through the pics.
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A few things Kinzinger forgot to mention. In addition to the loss of electricity and running water, there would be no working toilets. Just sit with that thought a minute.
No air conditioning, either, which would be devastating across the South. Up north, the lack of heating in wintertime would be just as bad. Apart from military casualties, many millions of people - of all parties and persuasions - would be suffering and starving across the nation.
Also, there would be no front line, as in the wars we read about in history books. There would be numerous fronts and areas of conflict; and no safe place "behind the lines" anywhere.
But just exactly what army would be fighting what army? Think about that a moment. The rightwing boys show up with all their cool army gear and guns . . . and who shows up on the other side?
A moment's reflection shows that this whole idea of civil war is just a gung-ho fantasy - which, left unchecked, could become, God forbid, an excuse for wholesale manslaughter.
It is certainly a symptom of unreasoning hatred, not human decency, and certainly not Christianity: Remember the One who said, "Put your sword away. He who lives by the sword will die by the sword."
Much more likely, though hardly less horrible, would be for the federal authorities to find some flimsy excuse to declare a National Emergency and suspend the Constitution, the courts, and all state and local governments not directly subordinate to military rule from Washington. The few pockets of resistance that might spring up here or there would quickly be put down by military patrols, which are already occurring in some cities.
So no need for a war, which would disppoint the rank and file, but too bad. Life would go on and profits continue to fill the coffers of the ultra-wealthy. Which was only to be expected.
Let us hope that these dire situations never arise, and that all this stupid talk is just stupid talk. I have to believe that cooler heads and good sense will in time show us the way out of this dark tunnel. Please God.
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Episode 11: Fun with spray paint; a difference of opinion; late riser vs. early riser; a quick lunch in the town market; and Damien's design plans for all the first-floor (American: second-floor) bedrooms.
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California governor and prominent Democrat Gavin Newsom has posted this tweet on the murder of rightwing activist Chrarlie Kirk at a college in Utah today, and I agree with every word:
Kirk was no angel. He was an archetypal bully - smug and self-righteous, with a cruel mouth. But I'm sorry he was murdered. Not only for the reasons Newsom stated - which are essential to civilized society and individual human decency - but also because of what the repercussions will be.
Yet the brainless vicious bitches over on the comments section of Joe.My.God.'s blog are whooping it up in celebration. YOU STUPID JERKS. Your attitude is as disgusting as anything that ever came out of Kirk's mouth. You are not on some higher moral plane. You are down there in the gutter with all the other self-righteous ratbastards of the world. Cold-blooded murder is never a cause for celebration.
But I'll stop right there - the morality of all this, regardless of which side you are on, is obvious to any decent adult. A society where it's okay to just shoot anybody you disagree with is not a society I wish to live in.
I despised Kirk's hateful words and attitudes towards gays and all others who weren't just like him - I thought him an arrogant SOB just like the ones who beat, bullied, and humiliated me in high school, and were unkind in more subtle ways later on. But my thoughts tonight are with Kirk's widow and two small children; no one should have to go through a tragedy like this, regardless of politics or religion.
From the Sermon on the Mount:
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1965 was a very good year for pop music - this is my kind of music, from that sweet slice of time after Meet the Beatles but before Sgt. Pepper. No, I wasn't part of the counter-culture. Too square; still am.
For more fun with Isaac, go watch him listen to Rumours for the very first time! (How the hell do you get to be a music producer without ever having heard Fleetwood Mac? Sheesh! Kids these days . . . )
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There's a sprinkling of famous faces in this one. As always, you can just pause the video and right-arrow through the pics to save time.
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| Official portrait of President Truman by Greta Kempton, 1947. Click to enlarge. |
I am so disgusted with all that is going on in our country and in the rest of the world now that I can't stomach the news anymore. A couple of times a week, I run my eye over the headlines on the news feed, ditto the headlines on Joe.My.God., but I don't want the details. I see the abyss opening wide ahead of us, and I can't bear to think of what may come. Of course, I have no crystal ball, and things may yet get better instead of worse; but having a long view of human history, and knowing how mighty states have often fallen from greatness into ruin -- well, it's best not to fill my mind with dread of things I cannot prevent or control.
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| The Farm Journal, May 1916 |
I find comfort in my faith, and in revisiting the brighter spots in history. Harry Truman was one of them, and I offer this video summary of his life in the Oval Office as a reminder of what a president can and should be. His small-town upbringing was the source of his virtues as well as his shortcomings; but by God, he had the right stuff, never waivering in his faith in American democracy and his respect for the inherent worth of the common people. That was a true man, a strong man, and a good man. One of the greats.
If you find this video refreshing, I heartily recommend the definitive biography, entitled Truman, by the late historian David McCullough. There is an audiobook version on YouTube (slow the speed down to about 75%) that makes for fascinating listening - though you can start in the middle, if you like, with Truman's sudden elevation to the presidency on the death of FDR in April, 1945, a few weeks before Germany surrendered. The job just got rougher and tougher from there on out, but Truman plowed right on, true to his lights, keeping the country and the world on course for peace and prosperity, doing an astoundingly fine job that would have broken many a lesser man. That's why ever since he left office in January 1953, he has consistently been ranked in the top ten of American presidents.
The video opens with Truman thanking his hometown neighbors for the rapturous welcome they gave him when he returned to Independence, Missouri, after leaving the White House for the last time. Enjoy.
On a personal note, it's odd to realize I am older now than FDR was when he died, and older than Truman was when he left office. Where does the time go?
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The mountain boys put windows in the potting shed.
M.P. says it would be easier to just remove the siding and put translucent fiberglass panels all around the outside. When I said, why don't we do that with our own storage shed, he just growled and looked away.
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Julie London sings it in English, 1963:
From Latin America, a singer and two dancers:
From Mexico, maybe; two dancers have the floor to themselves:
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As always, if you don't have to time to watch it the regular way, just mute the sound and right-arrow through the pics.
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Episode 7: Our First Thirty Days as Chateau Owners
Episode 8: Let's Talk about Money
They've also posted their first video en francais here.
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| Ossobuco. I found this pic on the net. It looks very much like what M.P. cooked up. |
The main dish was ossobuco, which M.P. made for the first time last winter, and again last weekend, filling the house with a most delicious aroma. The name means "hollow bone," and that's where the marrow is. The beef shank with attached meat is cooked low and slow in the oven as the marrow melts out into the meat, giving every bite a rich, fatty, scrumptious taste! It puts us into orbit, and we are only sad that we had to wait 70-odd years to discover this fabulous dish.
The green vegetable was fagiolini in fricassea (hey you in the back - watch your damn mouth, buddy), which is green beans cooked in a creamy sauce of egg yolks and lemon juice. An Italian recipe, perhaps of Greek origin, it has a new and different taste. I liked it.
For the starch dish, we had linguini alfredo, with a standard alfredo sauce, which we both love. The bread was M.P.'s wonderful focaccia, handmade. Our dinner wine was Gato Negro, something M.P. discovered a while back, which is dark and strong like Chianti. Yeah, I know it's Spanish, but it worked fine.
Finally, the piece de resistance was the chocolate & caramel cheesecake that M.P. had baked that morning, which was totally Out.Of.This. World. OMG, you have no idea. Here's the one picture we got of it:
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| This made us pork boys happy as pigs in the sunshine, I tell you what! |
We finished it off last night. And that's all I have to show, but I hope from here on I can get more food pics to show here on the Blue Truck. Later, guys. Buon appetito!
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I wonder if this speech would get her sent to Alcatraz today.
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Ten years ago, the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. Now a new petition asks the court to overturn that decision. Read this summary from ScotusBlog to get up to date on what's happening:
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| Monument to Allied dead in the Kohima War Cemetery, India. |
Here is the speech broadcast by his grandfather, King George VI, in 1945:
Earlieri that day in Washington, President Truman had announced the unconditional surrender of Japan, sparking riotous celebrations across the United States:
My dad was an Air Force mechanic stationed in Aachen, Germany, at the time. I don't know how he celebrated, but I do know that just two months later, after being shipped stateside with maybe ten thousand other G.I.'s on the Queen Elizabeth, he was back home with his parents, safe and sound. Many others never made it home, or were disabled for life. Living or dead, we owe them all an immense debt of gratitude - as it says on the monument pictured above.
Their service and sacrifice saved the whole world from depraved tyranny and unspeakable horrors. As President Roosevelt had remarked some years before, that generation had a "rendezvous with destiny." They met it with courage and righteous determination, bequeathing to us who followed three generations of general peace, progress, and unparalleled prosperity in the free world.
What destiny lies ahead for today's linked-in generation, and how will they meet it? This weary old man in his twilight years wonders -- but would rather not stick around to find out.
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P. S. -- The lyrics are found in the video description on YouTube. A bit of autobiography, perhaps?
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The Feast of the Transfiguration
On the holy mountain, a glimpse of God's glory, the splendid Reality behind and beyond all the anxious concerns of this transient life. A profound thought for the faithful. See also today's Forward meditation here.
Among other interesting confessions, they admit they spent $4000 or $5000 on flowers and plants and stuff this year. Wow. They are very fortunate.
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The peanuts are too crunchy for me at this late age, but I wonder if I can persuade M.P. to come up with a softer version. I have to tell you all that he made a chocolate pie for dessert last Sunday, and it is out-of-this-world delicious! Like going to chocolate heaven. You never had anything better in your mouth. Trust me.
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My friends, do you recall this horrific, nauseating balcony scene from Schindler's List?
That is what I immediately thought of that when I read this in the Guardian the other day:
[D]ozens of American doctors and nurses who served in Gaza . . . last year testified they had received the bodies of Palestinian children shot in the head or chest by Israeli snipers. Israeli soldiers have confessed that they are deliberately targeting children. Nick Maynard – a British doctor working in Gaza’s Nasser hospital – says that he is seeing clusters of young teenagers who have been shot in different body parts: on one day, it’s the abdomen, on another, the head or neck, on another, the testicles. “So there’s a very clear pattern and it’s almost as if a game is being played,” he says.
What is the difference between the movie scene and what is happening in Gaza now? The answer is, none: it is murder for sport. Just like the filthy Nazi in the film. If that is not an abomination in the eyes of God and all mankind, what is?
This devil's work has nothing to do with religion. It would be the same whether the perpetrators were Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, atheist, or Martian. Murder is murder. And the word for murder of a whole nation or people is genocide. If you need to see it with your own eyes, here are some videos that are very hard to watch - but the world is watching. So is God. And God is not partial.
A report from Turkish state television:
An American veteran describes the war crimes against civilians he saw perpetrated by other Americans working for the Israelis:
Dr. Nick Maynard, quoted above, describes the mass starvation and horrific target practice the Israeli Defence Force has been using on Gaza children:
A final comment from an editorial in the Guardian, emphasis mine:
Faced with the systematic destruction of Palestinian life in Gaza, other states must together produce a systematic, comprehensive and concrete response. If not now, when? What more would it take to convince them? This is first and foremost a catastrophe for Palestinians. But if states continue to allow international humanitarian law to be shredded, the repercussions will be felt by many more around the world in years to come. History will not ask whether these governments did anything to stop genocide by an ally, but whether they did all they could.
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If you're pressed for time, just pause the video and arrow ahead through the pics.
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It's almost as if Amos and Jesus were responding to today's headlines, isn't it?
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An old favorite song of mine:
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BTW, don't miss the light show in the last eight minutes.
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In their second video, they give a mini-tour of the chateau:
(Mais je ne comprends pas pourquoi les gars ne parlent pas le francais dans leur videos. Pour le convenence de leurs telespectateurs anglophones, je me suppose.)
For a full tour of Chateau Poseidon from top to bottom, and a bit of the grounds, see the video they made for So Chateau here.
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Pete Buttigieg is rocking the beard and stache, with a message of hope for all Americans:
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Bonus: Jane Pauley interviews Jeanne and Jules Manford, founders of PFLAG, on the Today show, July 6, 1978:
This was about the time I came out to my own mom, while I was in college. Mama was great, she was immediately supportive, but it took her a while to process it all. I brought her to a meeting of the gay rap group at school, where a lady who had started a chapter of PFLAG gave a talk, and that helped my mom a lot.
Times were changing, but in 1978 it was still quite a scary thing to come out to anyone. There were as yet no openly gay celebrities on TV or in public life, certainly not in the Deep South. Only Anita Bryant running her mouth about the "homosexual threat" . . .
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I believe in the United States of America as a government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a republic; a sovereign nation of many sovereign states; a perfect union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes.
I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it; to support its Constitution, to obey its laws; to respect its flag; and to defend it against all enemies.
Bonus: Adam Kinzinger's Fourth of July message "Still Worth Believing In":
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