"I AM A PIRATE KING"

Because my friend Cathy and I are going to Penzance, and who knows but that we may spot the Pirate King?

PAY THOSE DEBTS!

The absolute worst mistake Obama has made as president came back in 2011 when Republicans first pulled this stunt. At that time, Obama desperately wanted a bargain over long-term fiscal policy. So he tried a bit of too-clever-by-half political jujitsu in which GOP debt ceiling hostage taking became a pretext to start negotiations over long-term budgeting. All manner of evils have fallen forth from that fateful decisions, including an economic weak patch in 2011 the ongoing mess of sequestration, and worst of all the setting of a precedent for future crises. The good news is that the White House recognizes they made a mistake, and the last time Republicans tried to pull this they didn't give in. And they can't give in now. Not even a little bit. A terrible monster was let out of the box in 2011 and the best thing Obama can possibly do for the country at this point is to stuff it back in and hopefully kill it.

Matt Yglesias is correct.  The Republican sharks smelled blood, and they have never let up trying to repeat that success.  For the life of me, I cannot understand why Republicans in the US Congress, who make much of personal responsibility when the matter under discussion is programs for the neediest among us, think it's right and proper for the federal government of the United States to default on debts that are owed, an occurrence which has never happened before in the history of the country.  Why is paying our debts a matter of controversy?

HUMANITARIAN AID NOT MISSILES TO SYRIA

Syrian President Bashar Assad is a cruel despot, but the US should not involve itself militarily in Syria's civil war. The tangled alliances and relationships in the Middle East change quickly, beyond our abilities to follow or understand, but the civil war is not simply a struggle between the good guys vs. the bad guys.

More than a dozen key Syrian rebel groups said Wednesday that they reject the authority of the Western-backed opposition coalition, as U.N. inspectors returned to the country to continue their probe into chemical weapons attacks.

In a joint statement, 13 rebel groups including a powerful al-Qaida-linked faction but also more mainstream forces slammed the Turkey-based Syrian National Coalition, saying it no longer represents their interests.
....

The rebel groups' statement was titled "Communique No. 1," a term used before in Arab countries following military coups that suggests the creation of a new leadership body.

A video released on the Internet showed Abdel-Aziz Salameh, political chief of the Liwaa al-Tawheed brigade that is particularly strong in the city of Aleppo, reading the statement.
....

The signatories called on all military and civilian forces "to unite under a clear Islamic framework based on Shariah law, which should be the sole source of legislation"— an apparent reference to the al-Qaida faction's aspirations to create an Islamic state in Syria.

Our efforts should be directed toward humanitarian relief of the Syrian people, who are suffering greatly, rather than sending missiles that will surely serve to inflict further suffering.  The plight of the 1 million Syrian refugees who fled to surrounding countries is, in many cases, desperate, and we must focus our attention on giving aid to relieve suffering.  

LIGHT OF THE WORLD

Starry Night Over the Rhône - Vincent van Gogh

Light of the World
Phos hilaron

Light of the world in grace and beauty,
Mirror of God’s eternal face,
Transparent flame of love’s free duty,
You bring salvation to our race.
Now, as we see the lights of evening,
We raise our voice in hymns of praise;
Worthy are you of endless blessing,
Sun of our night, lamp of our days.

Image from Wikipedia.

OFF TO MERRIE OLDE ENGLAND

In a little more than a week, I will head to Merrie Olde England for my final trip across the Atlantic. Traveling by plane has become so difficult and unpleasant, that I don't see myself making the attempt again. Even I think it's a bit crazy for me to attempt it now. Grandpère surely thinks so, and he will not travel with me. On this trip, I will be in the south of England, with Oxford as my outpost farthest to the north.

While I'm there, I will have access to the internet mostly on my friend's laptop.   Email messages to and from my family will be my priority, so it's likely few posts will appear on Facebook or my blog.

I've just been summoned to jury duty on a date when I will be out of the country, so I must write to be excused, though I like to do my civic duty when called upon. The notice tells me that I may also be excused due to my great age, but I would not ask on that account.

DOCTOR'S OFFICE CONVERSATION

A man with a cough is examined by his doctor and asks, "Doc, are you sure I'm suffering from pneumonia?  I heard once about a doctor treating someone with pneumonia but eventually finally he died of typhus."

The doctor replies, "Don't worry about that:  It won't happen with me.  If I treat someone for pneumonia, he will die of pneumonia."


Cheers,

Paul (A.)

ALLEN TOUSSAINT AND ELVIS COSTELLO - "WHO'S GONNA HELP A BROTHER GET FURTHER"

From their wonderful album, The River in Reverse.

From a review at Amazon:

By 

Tim Brough "author and music buff"
The most searing of musical indictments during 2006 didn't come from some young buck MC or a snorting enraged punk band. It came from a pair of wizened musical vets. Elvis Costello teamed up with Allen Toussaint and dropped this amazing 13 song collaboration that both celebrates the spirit of New Orleans' music makers at the same time it ravages those that willingly stood off and averted their eyes. "Ascension Day" is this album's centerpiece, mournfully delivering the lyric "40 days passed by, 40 alibis" with the clarity of his best work. "The River In Reverse" takes on this dichotomy and doesn't flinch. The angry young man of old finally gets to harness his vitriol to a new cause, and Toussaint gives Costello a whole new batch of colors to work with.

Oddly enough, it is the catalog numbers from Toussaint that really bring out the soul to "The River In Reverse." Versions of "Tears and More Tears," "Freedom for the Stallion" and "Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further" (with the lead sung by Toussaint) make their emotional mark to the time, even despite their age. Toussaint's arrangements (often not varying much from their older recordings) also draw out some of Costello's better vocal skills. He sounds more soulful here than on his "My Flame Burns Blue" CD, released with the same year as "The River In Reverse."

FAMILY GATHERING - SEPTEMBER 2013

In the month of September, we celebrate four birthdays (Patrick, Alison, Joey, and me) and one anniversary (Tom and me).  We try to gather the family together each year for the celebration.

As the grandchildren grow older, it's not easy to have everyone together at the same time.  We're missing two grandsons because they were out of town.

We had dinner at Café Milano in Houma, Louisiana, and I believe we all agreed the food was excellent.  My daughter kindly let me taste her delicious appetizer that included rolled crepes stuffed with goat cheese - food for the gods.

A Facebook friend suggested the restaurant would do well to check the silver as we looked like a shady bunch.  I was thinking a motley crew, but my friend said she never liked that band, so shady bunch we are, not to be confused with The Brady Bunch.

THE TREACHERY OF IMAGES

René Magritte

Image from Wikipedia.

NO WORDS

Until I see the possibility of the enactment of sensible laws to regulate ownership of guns in the United States, I have no words. I am silenced by the insanity of acceptance of a culture of frequent mass shootings with no will to change.

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Surely, when the framers of the Second Amendment to the US Constitution included the words "A well regulated Militia", they did not intend the amendment to give free rein to the carnage we see happening all too frequently today.  Why do we continue to ignore the words "well-regulated" in the amendment?  That is all.