Two Left Boots

My school opted to show the President’s speech today, but we had to reserve the cafeteria for students who did not want to watch the speech. It was as though their parents were fearful that little Sally was going to watch an X-rated movie starring a big scary black man. The speech ended up being non-political and inspirational to all children, especially for minority youth. The education community bangs its collective head against a wall every school year in hopes of finding a way to reach minority students, so a speech from our first African American President can only help. Of course, the screamers have been shitting their pants since last week in anticipation of the speech. Taking their cue from hysterical crybaby Glen Beck and cynical Rush Limbaugh, the birthers/screamers/racists created quite a stink over nothing. Oh well, Obama’s speech to Congress tomorrow night should give them more to scream about. (For the record, we had only one kid report to the cafeteria in order to avoid hearing the scary black man.)

So what to expect tomorrow night? I’m not sure. Obama is in quite a bind with the screamers on the right side and disgruntled liberals on the left side. According to recent polls, a majority of Americans support a public option; however, Gallup released numbers today that revealed less than 40% support health care reform with another 24% undecided. Maybe Americans don’t really understand the public option or the reform plans. Or maybe we want don’t really know what we want. The fear, as always in this country, is taxes for any public plan despite the fact that we already have the most expensive (and wasteful) health care system in the country, and we already have public plans called Medicare and Medicaid.

We’re at a weird crossroads in this country, and I really thought the November election was going to be our final transition into the 21st century. Liberals want it all right now, and conservative want nothing to change—at all. I still remain optimistic (and patient)!

This has really been the year for good-byes to many of the icons of our times. Of course, Ted Kennedy ends the Kennedy dynasty that most of us remembered as America’s royal family. And what a true liberal if ever there was one in American politics! He never shied away from the liberal label as most Democrats do, and he was a true champion of the least privileged in our society. Had he been active in the current health care debate (or bally-hoo), I have no doubt that a real reform bill would already have been signed. Before his death, we also lost Eunice Kennedy Shriver; Eunice was known for her work with the handicapped, and this work culminated in the creation of the Special Olympics.

Other talented people passed away this week, too. Author Dominick Dunne passed away yesterday as did Ellie Greenwich. Ellie was a prolific songwriter from the 1960s and responsible for the girl group sound of the ’60s. She wrote hits for the Ronettes, the Shangri-las (Leader of the Pack), Neil Diamond, and many others.

Teachers reported back to school yesterday, and my summer vacation has come to an end. Sigh. My class sizes are very large with the potential to get even larger as students continue to register for classes. On top of that, I’ve been given a section of US History to teach even though that is not my area of expertise, and it’s a freshman level class. I really don’t like working with freshmen, and its been thirteen years since I’ve taught at that level. In fact, the last time I taught a freshman class, one of my students told my that I was “mean, ugly, and looked like Satan.” However, I will be optimistic about the school year. (How many days until the next summer break?)

Archerr and I had a wonderful summer break. We went to lots of summer concerts and wine tastings, and we enjoyed lots of extra snuggle time. We also spent time bird watching from his balcony and identified at least eleven different kinds of birds. And we also grew the most spectular container gardens including several different kinds of herbs (all legal, of course). The biggest news of the summer, of course, was that Archerr quit smoking! Yay!! I’m very proud of him!

Let’s hope Category 4 Hurricane Bill stays far away!

Today I came over to the boyfriend’s early so that we could do a photo shoot at the cathedral. We took a few hundred photos. Our goal was to re-create photos that we had taken a few years ago but lost in a horrible hard drive incident. We think we succeeded in re-creating the photos lost. Here’s one. Notice the boyfriend’s boots. Is he wearing two left boots?

Yes, it’s been quite a while since my last post. I went down to New Orleans to visit my family, and then we all went off to Dauphin Island beach off of the Alabama coast. Then I returned to DC and went off with Archerr to visit his family in the Charlottesville area and to do some wine tasting while we were there. Now I’m back in town for the rest of the summer.

The beach trip was very restful. Dauphin Island is indeed a hidden gem—white beaches, lovely surf, and very quiet. The island took quite a beating from Hurricane Katrina with most of the beach houses destroyed by storm surge and extreme winds. However, it’s made a comeback since then with most of the island back up and running. I did get lots of sun, played paddle ball on the beach with my nephew, took long walks, etc., I read a few books, too. A couple of favorites include Narrow Dog to Indian River by Terry Darlington and Genesis by Bernard Beckett. Narrow Dog was an easy, entertaining read and a perfect companion for the summer traveler. Genesis was a spellbinding page-turner with the author exploring themes previous raised in such classics as Brave New World.

So summer is quickly drawing to a close for me, but it’s good to be back home; I missed Archerr terribly while I was gone.

On July 14, 1789 an important historical event occurred in Paris. The Paris mob stormed the King’s prison known as the Bastille, the very symbol of absolute monarchy in France. This action occurred after a National Assembly declared a new government about a month earlier at Versailles. Now its time to dispel some myths and/or generalizations about the Bastille’s storming and destruction. The event did not start the French Revolution; in fact, it started with the nobility, or Second Estate, in 1787. The issue was taxes, and the nobility (the Second Estate) forced King Louis XVI to call the Estates General, a representative body that had not been summoned in over 150 years. Louis XVI had been advised by finance minister Jacques Necker to levy taxes on the Second Estate in order save the country’s dire financial situation. The nobility objected and cited its right to representation before being taxed. Historians claim that it was this action by the nobility that began the French Revolution. Why? Louis XVI, faced with a stubborn Second Estate and a frustated Third Estate, had no choice but to call the representative body, the Estates General. Once the body convened at Versailles in May, 1789 the Third Estate, which represented the majority of France, declared itself to be the new government of France. This was done with liberal defectors from both the Second Estate and the First Estate which represented the clergy. The new governing body was called the National Assembly, and it began the task of writing a constitution for France. It remained at Versailles with the King and Queen in these early weeks of the Revolution.

So what about the Bastille event? It had nothing to do with the National Assembly. The Bourbon monarchy had long abandoned the realities of Paris for the idyllic neverland known as Versailles. Bad harvests in 1788 meant food shortages and high prices in Paris for whatever was available. News of the National Assembly and its efforts to convince the monarchs to adapt to a representative government with a limited monarchy were closely watched by various political clubs in Paris. The most radical clubs fanned the flames of discontent in Paris, and this was not difficult to do given the dire economic circumstances. To the radicals, the King’s actions would signal his willingness to reform, and rumor reached Paris that Louis XVI intended to dismiss his reform minded advisor, Necker, who had become a hero of the Third Estate. Radical elements in Paris planned to incite a mob reaction if the rumors about Necker proved to be true. And indeed they were true—on July 11, 1789 King Louis XVI fired Jacques Necker. Three days later and from atop the Montmarte in Paris, the radicals signaled for violence to begin. The target? The Bastille, the symbol of absolutism.

So what did this mean for the French Revolution and France’s monarchy? In the immediate sense, the storming of the Bastille did not bring about a transition to the radical phase usually associated with the French Revolution. The monarchy remained until 1792, and the guillotines would not start to drop in earnest until 1793. Meanwhile, the Revolution remained in the hands of moderates who still were hopeful that the King and Queen would be reconciled to the causes of the Revolution. However, the Bastille event did bring a dose of reality to both the Assembly and the monarchs—to assume any credibiilty, the new government and its sovereigns would have to leave the bastion of noble indifference, Versailles, and return to the real world, Paris. This eventually happened in October, 1789 but only after another mob reaction, this one organized by the women of Paris, marched from the city to Versailles. Armed with knives and any other weapon they could find, their target was the Queen, Marie Antoinette.
Marie Antoinette barely escaped this episode!

So the storming of the Bastille was a significant event in the early stages of the French Revolution, but it was largely symbolic. It represented the end of tyrannical government in France, and the French revere the day in much the same way that we honor July 4, 1776. So enjoy a croissant with a cafe au lait today or sip a nice Bordeaux with dinner this evening!

Oh—Queen Marie Antoinette did not say, “Let them eat cake!”

So as of today, same sex marriages performed in other states will be recognized in Washington DC. I do believe that DC is well on the way to allowing same sex marriages.

So are we all tired of the 24/7 coverages of the Michael Jackson circus? I’m not surprised by all of the hoopla, but I am done with it. Every cable news channel is covering today’s memorial service, and I’m sure that there will be more commentary from the talking heads after it’s done. Of course, if it’s not MJ then is SP—Sarah Palin and her latest nuttiness. Want the definition of attention whore? Sarah Palin.

I’m off to play some tennis today, and then Archerr comes over for dinner and snuggles. What’s for dinner? Archerr insists on grilled artichokes as a side dish. Since I aim to please, that is what we will have with a chicken dish.

what a day! this will be brief—I injured my left wrist today while playing tennis and it hurts like hell. i am icing the wrist but am only able to peck away with my right hand. Anyway, I am in shock over the day’s news, First, Farah dies but not unexpected, and then Michael Jackson suddenly passed today. I remember when Elvis died in 1977, and this is on par with that untimely event. The passing of MJ will be in the news for quite a while. Watch for revelations of prescription drug abuse—painkillers, sedatives, etcs., So tragic!

Time for more ice on the left wrist. I’m supposed to play doubles on saturday, but I have a two-handed backhand. either it’s time to perfect that one-handed slice or forfeit. Maybe if archerr kisses it, the pain will go away.