We all shine on.

I can’t tell you how many times I was reminded yesterday that it was the 69th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and I expect to be reminded at least that many times that today is the 30th anniversary of the murder of John Lennon. As someone who has always disliked anniversary journalism — the lazy morning-show producer’s friend, as s/he fills hour after hour with salutes to marshmallow fluff (celebrating its 50th, all this year!) and looks back at the O.J. Simpson case, now 16 years past — well, I disapprove.

I guess I do, anyway. When I’m bored, sometimes I look to Google for amusement. Today’s search: “today is the” + “anniversary of” and the results, while Pearl Harbor- and Lennon-specific today, reveal just how far we will go for a news peg:

March 15, 2010 — Today is the 25th anniversary of the first .com URL.

July 21, 2010 — Today is the anniversary of the Diana Ross downpour concert in Central Park.

November 28, 2010 — Today is the 115th anniversary of the first car race.

September 8, 2010 — Today is the 26th anniversary of Gerald Ford’s pardon of Richard Nixon.

And so on. Anniversary journalism is cheap, easy and makes everyone feel good, even on bad-news anniversaries. People who weren’t alive when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor can post “I remember” on their Facebook pages and maybe change their profile picture to a flag. So patriotic! So easy!

I’ll grant you John Lennon, today. Anniversaries that end with a zero or 5 get dispensation. But cool it for 31, please.

I can’t believe I once followed Ted Turner around CNN on the day of its birth and watched as he was asked, over and over, “But how will you fill 24 hours with all-news programming?” The answer: With people yelling at one another. And with anniversary pieces.

A late update today. I apologize. I’ve been reading a bit about Elizabeth Edwards, and hoping I die forgotten and obscure, so as to not scare up the squadrons of drive-by biographers Edwards did. She’s a saint, she’s a bitch, she’s a devoted mother, she’s a selfish mother, she’s this, that and the other thing. Of course she is — was — all these things, which the better obits captured. My favorite was the Washington Post’s, which contains this gem:

(Screeching right-wing harpy Ann) Coulter verbally attacked her husband and said she wished “he had been killed in a terrorist assassination plot.” Ms. Edwards, spotting Coulter on the MSNBC talk show “Hardball,” called in and on the air insisted politely but firmly that she refrain from personal attacks. Coulter refused to apologize and attacked the Edwards campaign for raising money by using her words. But the confrontation appeared to be a tipping point, costing Coulter advertisers and clients for her opinion column.

That right there is worth a free pass to heaven in my book, or at least a millennium of time off in purgatory. I know Ann has fallen on leaner times of late, but I didn’t know the dustup with Edwards was the instigator.

And then there’s Christine O’Donnell’s take. Why is this woman still in my newspaper? Don’t losers know enough to go away anymore?

She’s going to report him to President Obama? Is Helen Thomas old, confused or just a little spluttery, as we all get from time to time?

And now to do some real work for a change.

Posted at 10:20 am in Current events, Media |
 

58 responses to “We all shine on.”

  1. Jeff Borden said on December 8, 2010 at 10:35 am

    Christine O’Donnell no longer needs unemployment benefits because she’s sitting on a cool $800K-plus left over from her hilarious campaign for the senate. I hope the stupid, teabagging goobers who sent their hard-earned cash to this nitwit enjoy watching her spend it on rent, gas and groceries.

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  2. Kim said on December 8, 2010 at 10:38 am

    How about a trend story about anniversary stories? No – wait – how about a localized trend story about anniversary stories?

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  3. Mark P. said on December 8, 2010 at 10:45 am

    Christine O’Donnell and Sarah Palin, two idiots competing to see who can make the biggest splash in the shallow end of the pool. So ignorant. So stupid. And utterly without self awareness.

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  4. mark said on December 8, 2010 at 10:50 am

    I give Pearl Harbor and D-day a pass on the anniversary thing; fine with me if we commemorate those events monthly. The problem, I guess, is that these anniversaries are about history, which is hugely important in it’sown right, but sort of the antithese\is of “news.” It’s news mainly if the ceremony is newsworthy. like Obama speaking at Normandy.

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  5. del said on December 8, 2010 at 10:51 am

    Pondering our proprietress’ insightful comment about Elizabeth Edwards yesterday:

    Or perhaps she’s reached the place where it no longer matters, when you know for sure that life goes on without you, and you can only extend your influence on it for a short time after your death, if at all.

    Made me think of Chris Whitley: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ughlBC80Iuc

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  6. LAMary said on December 8, 2010 at 11:03 am

    The video of Ann Coulter taking Elizabeth Edwards’ call is in the comments in Gawker, related to the article about Elizabeth Edwards death. I guess Ms. Coulter made some reference to printing bumper stickers for John Edwards which said “Ask me about my son” referring to the oldest child.Of course, Elizabeth found these offensive (ya think?). Ann Coulter didn’t handle the questions Elizabeth asked very well and the crowd actually turned on Ann.

    edit:
    I caught the end of ABC’s 6:30 news last night (it’s on before Jeopardy!) and they did a very nice job using Elizabeth Edwards own words from her books and interviews. It was pretty moving.

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  7. John G. Wallace said on December 8, 2010 at 11:04 am

    This may be a day that changes space flight forever. The SpaceX rocket has launched the DragonX capsule into orbit. Private space ships contracted by NASA have many people on the Space Coast optimistic.

    The plan is DragonX ships will be used on deliveries to the ISS by the end of 2011, and SpaceX hopes to have their rocket and vehicle “man rated,” and able to carry up to 7 astronauts into orbit.

    http://www.spacex.com/updates.php

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  8. John said on December 8, 2010 at 11:05 am

    mmmmmmm Fluff!

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  9. Sue said on December 8, 2010 at 11:10 am

    Off topic:
    Pilot Joe, haven’t heard much from you lately, but how does a pilot not know there are 300 pounds of cocaine in his plane?
    http://www.620wtmj.com/news/local/111362599.html

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  10. Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on December 8, 2010 at 11:21 am

    …when it’s up his nose?

    [thanks, John; just saw that, too, and felt a thrill — in 2035, we might be reading on the holo-display a story on the 25th anniversary of Dragon reaching orbit, if the chip in our head is working properly to project it into our work-zone 3D space.]

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  11. Rana said on December 8, 2010 at 11:46 am

    John – small world, if that company is the one that I think it is. (It must be, unless there are several rocket-testing companies working out of Kwajalein.) My dad’s friend’s son works for them.

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  12. Catherine said on December 8, 2010 at 11:50 am

    Fellow space geeks, they’re streaming the new Mars rover’s construction here: http://www.ustream.tv/nasajpl

    Speaking of anniversaries, on January 3rd it will be seven years since the rover Spirit landed on Mars to begin a three-month science mission — and it’s still working away.

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  13. prospero said on December 8, 2010 at 11:57 am

    Helen Thomas is Aunt Clara, but what’s Little Miss Run-Amuck doing these days. She did a lot more damage and it was all selfish, all made-up, all the time. Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon because that was the deal. Elizabeth Edwards died well, as they say, but she had some recognizably human bumps along the way. Ann Coulter should probably die like a dog, and I mean, she should just haul her dying ass and Adam’s apple out into the woods and go away.

    Commemorating anything to do with wars is dehumanizing and depressing. When’s Ft. Sumter Day? How about Archduke Ferdinand Day?

    Or Oscar Romero Day? A sainted Republican American President murdered this guy. His trained thugs hit Romero while he was distributing Communion. The anniversary is sometime in March. Catholic guy.

    I’d imagine that’s when the Swiftboat obscene strategy was born.

    So, it’s all about framing and not about abject stupidity. People support political claims that are clearly against their best interests. Stupid, sure. But holy shit. How dumb is it possible to be?

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  14. paddyo' said on December 8, 2010 at 11:58 am

    RE: Helen Thomas. Yeah, she’s old and sputtery and probably a little confused — and she’s still one of the bravest questioners ever in 20th-21st-century journalism . . .

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  15. Tom M said on December 8, 2010 at 11:59 am

    Sue, it kinda depends on the plane, but the pilots don’t load a cargo plane, they just fly it. They include in a pre-flight check that the cargo is secure, not what it is. If it were a small or kit plane, yeah they should know what’s there but not a cargo plane.

    Coulter? Old Ann; the new Ann Immoral is Althouse. Sheesh (link to Roy not her)

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  16. Joe Kobiela said on December 8, 2010 at 12:02 pm

    Sue,
    The cargo could have been loaded while the pilot was not at the airplane, or it could have been in some sort of container. It sounds like the drug police were tipped off about the load. Hopefully the pilot was not in on it. I was in Hartford the Tue before thanksgiving but it was only for a hour so I figured it would not be enough time to meet, maby next time. As far as the private space flight goes, SIGN ME UP.
    Cheers from London Ky,
    Pilot Joe

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  17. Mark P. said on December 8, 2010 at 12:04 pm

    This was a test flight. Not to downplay the achievement, but don’t hold SpaceX to their expected schedule. It’s possible they can go from this launch to a man-rated system in three years (as one story indicates) but the launch business is a notoriously tricky one and there are many (many many many) obstacles to overcome before you can put a man on top of that missile. Even achieving a reliable commercial cargo launch capability will be hard. Going from cargo to humans is a giant leap in terms of requirements.

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  18. Sue said on December 8, 2010 at 12:15 pm

    Tom and Joe, so then why are the pilots being held? If you’re picking up cargo and you innocently step into an international incident, all anyone would need to do is check the company or person who hired the plane/is placing the cargo/ordered the stuff. Otherwise ohmygoodness, you could just sneak anything into or out of a country pretty much under everybody’s nose.
    What am I missing here? Everything seems to indicate that the detention is just a formality and the pilots will be released soon, but no one really seems too concerned about where the stuff came from.

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  19. Joe Kobiela said on December 8, 2010 at 12:20 pm

    Those people down there play by a different set of rules.
    Pilot Joe

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  20. nancy said on December 8, 2010 at 12:25 pm

    Tom, I saw that thing the day Edwards’ announcement was made, i.e., the day before yesterday, and was nearly speechless. However, I’ve learned that one thing the internet has enabled is a certain pose on behalf of certain people, mostly women — a variety of flirtatious contrarianism that seems mainly designed to get attention from men and outrage from women. I saw someone in Roy’s comments describe it as a triple-troll, and I guess that works as well as anything. I’ve always thought that was the market niche exploited by Kathleen Parker and others who fret about “men’s rights” (in divorce/domestic violence cases, mainly) and take other stances to position themselves as brave truth-tellers instead of women who are still seeking daddy’s attention. (I know I trotted that one out to explain Dr. Laura, but it applies here, too.)

    In Althouse’s case, it’s simply ridiculous, as when, in her entry about Edwards’ death, she took time to note that until she read the obit, she didn’t even know EE had a law degree, that “she was one of the new sort of political wives, who had independent career aspirations yet choose to move into a man’s shadow.” When even a skim of any story yesterday would reveal that Edwards had had a long and successful legal career that she only gave up when her son died, when she was flattened by grief and was looking for another way forward. I was particularly struck by Edwards’ statement that she hadn’t taken the Edwards surname until Wade died, and that “I didn’t take my husband’s name, I took my son’s name.” But that doesn’t fit the Althouse narrative so just, y’know, ignore it.

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  21. prospero said on December 8, 2010 at 12:30 pm

    Instant Karma is clearly the best John Lennon song. I’m fit, and I’d go. Why not?

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  22. nancy said on December 8, 2010 at 12:37 pm

    One final note: Today, Althouse added another Edwards post, quoting a commenter who wondered if she had arranged to die in December, thus foiling the estate tax. Then she quotes another idiot commenter implying that she stayed married to John for tax-planning purposes, and, further, that she’d “planned her death,” something “rich people” do. Not cancer patients, “rich people.” Because I guess those were two things that really needed to be said to a wider audience. Blech.

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  23. Linda said on December 8, 2010 at 12:51 pm

    IMHO, we are seeing some bizarro version of the late 1960s/early 70s. At that time, the left end of the political spectrum had no new ideas, and was a spent force, but still able to command a lot of attention, and the media was able to provide a good livlihood to attention whores of that persuasion. We now see it from the right.

    Conservative intellectual life consists entirely of 1) advocating for the right of the wealthy to print their own money and 2) pissant resentment of certain groups of people–immigrants, liberals, dark people, Muslims, etc. It’s not about anything else. And right-wing attention whores who are losers at anything else can make a nice living AW’ring while everybody else tries to salvage society.

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  24. LAMary said on December 8, 2010 at 12:59 pm

    How does someone like Althouse sleep? How does she live her life? What a completely warped effed up agenda. Elizabeth Edwards at the very end showed us how to do it with grace and generosity of spirit.

    Planned to die to avoid the estate tax? Bite me.

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  25. adrianne said on December 8, 2010 at 1:29 pm

    Here’s an anniversary to mark: It was 31 years ago today that Dave and I went on a marathon date in Boston and, even though he was passing out at the end of it because of sleep deprivation caused by meeting a play deadline, we’re still together!

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  26. Jolene said on December 8, 2010 at 1:31 pm

    Amen, LAMary. The idea that Edwards planned her death with tax advantages in mind is among the most repulsive things I’ve ever heard anyone say, and, given the times we’re living in, that’s saying a lot.

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  27. Mark P. said on December 8, 2010 at 1:53 pm

    Anyone with a half an ounce of decency, no matter what his politics, would shun Althouse. She is not fit for the company of civilized people.

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  28. Dexter said on December 8, 2010 at 2:08 pm

    I don’t feel bad about posting a Pearl Harbor attack photo and also FDR’s following speech to my facebook page because I was one of the few who did…my facebook world wasn’t clogged up at all with that stuff. I only left the speech up for a few hours because nobody hit on it anyway.
    I have discovered that few remember a lot of birthdays and anniversary dates, and I know I am too-tuned in to those vibes. I remember birthdays from kids I went to grade school with in the 1950s. What the hell. It’s a curse, I guess.
    I am glad this topic is here, because it gives me a chance to evaluate my postings, and yes, I am guilty of this and have been for a long time. Time to re-focus.
    This Althouse character sounds horrible. I never heard of her.

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  29. Bitter Scribe said on December 8, 2010 at 2:08 pm

    What kills me about Althouse is, not only is she a jerk, she’s a thin-skinned jerk. She has an unending ability to cast herself as the victim. I don’t feel like linking, but anyone who cares to root around her sewer of a site should be able to find plenty of examples. She’ll probably have a new post up tomorrow, whining about the criticism she got today.

    And Nancy, since I’m relatively new to this site, may I tell you how much you rock? I can’t believe you keep this site up like this on top of a full-time job.

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  30. Dorothy said on December 8, 2010 at 2:23 pm

    Bitter Scribe you reminded me to say something that’s not said as often as it should be: I am vastly indebted to Nancy, and the commenting folks here, who enlighten me, educate me and entertain me on a regular basis. My life is richer because of all of you! I could live without many websites, Facebook included, but I’d be bereft without nancynall.com! Even when we’re discussing loathsome creatures such as Dolthouse, I find something to ponder and that makes my brain expand.

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  31. Jolene said on December 8, 2010 at 2:38 pm

    Dexter, I have the same disease. I remember the birthdays of half a dozen or so people that I went to grade school and high school with. I think these memories stick, at least in part, because birthdays are such a big deal to kids, as are efforts to gain social high ground by determining who is older than whom. Being the first one to reach certain milestones is a form of social capital for kids. Funny how being the first one in your social circle eligible for Medicare doesn’t have the same cachet as being the first to get a driver’s license.

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  32. prospero said on December 8, 2010 at 2:49 pm

    Holy shit Nancy. Ms. Edwards decided to be a media ho.
    Seriously, she was married to a haircut trial lawyer running for president And if you are a lawyer and you don’t do trials, aren’t you an asshole? And that makes her memorable? She did live off the cash. Her bona fides are exceptionally questionable. Or they aren’t.

    She was in love. It’s irrational. Exceptional. Totally beyond logic or intelligence. It makes you a dumbass. Anyway, if it’s time to celebrate anybody’s passing, that would be Dandy Don Meredith. Awesome QB, even though he played for the most loathsome team in the history of sports, short of the Pats. If you build a legend on the tuck rule and you trashed Robert Edwards, you are seriously the most heinous bastards in the history of the NFL. That’s politics and that’s pro football.

    And there’s a fan that says we’re Number 1.

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  33. Sue said on December 8, 2010 at 2:50 pm

    Speaking of appreciating this site, I need to thank the commenters here who’ve occasionally mentioned the Keith Richards book. The comments kept me from giving up on the book myself, and I’m glad I didn’t. Once I got past the old-guy-talking-about-where-he-grew-up part, it started to move along.
    I’m not a big Rolling Stones fan and I had the usual perception of him. Even assuming his co-writer did a lot of the work, I assume the voice is his, and it’s the voice of … a nice guy? Who knew?
    A nice guy who really knows his stuff, who really appreciates and admires his musical influences, and who really likes his work. And who really shouldn’t be alive today, or at least not alive with a functional liver and brain.

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  34. alex said on December 8, 2010 at 3:05 pm

    And who really shouldn’t be alive today, or at least not alive with a functional liver and brain

    That’s what co-writers are for. Although She Who does have a functioning liver, far as as anyone knows.

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  35. 4dbirds said on December 8, 2010 at 3:12 pm

    I like Dandy Don Meredith, because we were living just west of Dallas/Ft. Worth in the 60s and early 70s. My dad loved the Cowboys and he’s been gone for over thirty years. I have fond memories of Dandy Don, Roger Staubach, Bob Lilly,Tom Landry, Bob Hayes and Mel Renfro.

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  36. Jolene said on December 8, 2010 at 3:24 pm

    I’ve been in a calling mood this afternoon. Called both my senators re DADT, the DREAM Act, and the START treaty. At least one of them seems to care who thinks what, as the person answering the phone took my name and zip code.

    Then, I happened to see on MSNBC that a Baltimore Orioles player named Luke Scott said on a radio show that he didn’t believe Obama was born in the United States. Since I was warmed up, I looked up the number of the Orioles and gave them a call. The operator acknowledged the player’s statement and said that they were passing along reactions to the Orioles top management. So, I pointed out the obvious and said that the player was an idiot and an embarrassment to the team. Since she was obviously writing down what I said, I added “un-American” for good measure. The operator was cool. She spoke with perfect professional courtesy and equanimity, but, based on the character of her voice, I’d say with 99% certainty that she was African American and seemed to be taking a certain amount of pleasure in what I was saying.

    She said the team plans to respond to people who contact them and took my name and email address. Will be interesting to see what they have to say. You can, by the way, reach them at (410) 685-9800.

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  37. LAMary said on December 8, 2010 at 3:31 pm

    Don Meredith played his animated self on King of the Hill. That’s enough for me.

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  38. Sue said on December 8, 2010 at 3:59 pm

    Jolene, it’s both awful and hilarious. We’ve got ourselves a mini-ted:
    http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Answer-Man-Luke-Scott-talks-Nugent-hunting-and?urn=mlb-292970

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  39. Jolene said on December 8, 2010 at 3:59 pm

    WaPo has an interesting collection of videos on one of its sports blogs re how John Lennon’s death was announced on Monday Night Football. Nothing too exciting, but kind of interesting to hear the behind-the-scenes machinations re whether to announce it during the game. Also a piece of tape from a guy who was then a young reporter who happened to be in the ER at Roosevelt Hospital, where Lennon was taken, because he was sick himself.

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  40. Jolene said on December 8, 2010 at 4:25 pm

    More awful than hilarious, I think, Sue, but definitely a mini-Ted.

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  41. nancy said on December 8, 2010 at 4:26 pm

    “Better at representing cows than people.”

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  42. Mark P. said on December 8, 2010 at 4:49 pm

    We have contacted our senators in the past, but since they are both old, white, male Republicans who think poor people should die, especially if they are dark, it doesn’t do much good and we haven’t bothered lately.

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  43. coozledad said on December 8, 2010 at 4:53 pm

    I keep trying to find the home video where Thers gets in Althouse drag. In lieu of that, there’s this, which makes me miss Jon Swift:
    http://jonswift.blogspot.com/2007/06/everything-you-always-wanted-to-know.html

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  44. Jolene said on December 8, 2010 at 5:19 pm

    Although not officially confirmed, it appears that the surgery that Aretha Franklin had (mentioned by Nance last week) was for pancreatic cancer. Bummer.

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  45. prospero said on December 8, 2010 at 5:41 pm

    Howard Cosell announced John Lennon’s death while my wife was asleep in our loft, many months pregnant with what would turn out to be a perfect child. She’s due in January. Her Gramma, with whom she shared a very close bond, died a few years ago of breast cancer. My mother, and she was beautiful and ferocious. In her political belief, her career, and in loving and protecting her kids. She was 5-1, 110 and entirely awesome.

    Her death was not tragic. I don’t think anyone’s is. Death is sad, always. Death occurs. Cast a cold eye is probably good advice. My dad kicked, recently. I was with him. At times, dying, he was his old self. We had a discussion about Smilla’s Sense of Snow while I was giving him ice chips. We shared an understanding of Teilhard. Something you don’t forget. Just part of living. Grieving is celebrating.

    And Keef, Mick wrote the words, and they are really seriously good, and Mick Taylor is a way better guitar player. Way better. Put that bird’s nest shit in your hair? How bout this

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3qgmVb4-kU

    Did that without your ass. And it’s greater than almost any Stones song.

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  46. joodyb said on December 8, 2010 at 8:00 pm

    i REALLY like this graf from the jonswift entry:

    “What if someone writes about her and doesn’t link to her?
    She becomes enraged, a reaction that one might describe as ‘link envy.’ But while she assails those who don’t link to her, she often prides herself on withholding links from people who link to her.”

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  47. Linda said on December 8, 2010 at 8:35 pm

    “We have contacted our senators in the past, but since they are both old, white, male Republicans who think poor people should die, especially if they are dark, it doesn’t do much good and we haven’t bothered lately.

    That’s about the size of it for everybody. Gerrymandering has created congressional districts so safe that if you are not of the opinion of the officeholder, they can tell you to fly a kite. So many people are angry and utterly impotent nowadays.

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  48. Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on December 8, 2010 at 9:31 pm

    For what it’s worth, since I decided to try an adult ed Sunday school Advent discussion of Hank Stuever’s “Tinsel” this year, what with it being out in paperback and everything, I feel moved to remind one and all — if you didn’t buy this in hardback last year, go get a copy now (much better cover design/art), and read it.

    I’ve now read it three times, and it’s really hitting hard this time. It’s what William Least Heat-Moon called in “PrairyErth” a “deep map,” of both a place and an era. It is, I think, an important book, in a very casual and friendly sort of way — no Thomas Friedman “look at me, I’m wise and insightful” tone — about what our culture’s bones are made of. Osteoporosis is part of the problem, but there’s a spare beauty among the debris of the season called “Christmas.”

    Read “Tinsel.” Really. You’ll be glad you did. Tiny Tim doesn’t always live, and there are some Christmas Shoes in the tinny distance, but there’s a whole bunch of people you know trying to make the light shine in the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it.

    OK, back to politics. But first:
    http://www.amazon.com/Tinsel-Search-Americas-Christmas-Present/dp/054739456X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291861822&sr=8-1

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  49. Catherine said on December 8, 2010 at 9:47 pm

    If I ever publish a real book, i can only hope someone writes as nice a blurb as Jeff’s for “Tinsel.”

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  50. jcburns said on December 8, 2010 at 9:51 pm

    I prefer tomorrow, December 9, for anniversaries. In fact, I remember 21 years ago, me and Sammy…

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  51. Deborah said on December 8, 2010 at 10:49 pm

    I agree Jeff ((tmmo) I read Tinsel last year and found it well worth it. I also encourage you all to read it. I bought the hardcover edition because it wasn’t yet out in paperback, but I’ve seen the new paperback cover and the graphics are much better.

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  52. Dexter said on December 8, 2010 at 11:03 pm

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS6nD_GPtRM

    Opie Hughes made it to Strawberry Fields and shot this video of today’s tribute to John, in Central Park, NYC.

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  53. prospero said on December 9, 2010 at 1:02 am

    I suppose standing on principle and leaving unemployed folks high and dry would have boosted the economy. It’s 60-40. Republicans want to rule, the President stood for the little folks. If you don’t get that, you are idiots.

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  54. brian stouder said on December 9, 2010 at 7:36 am

    congratulations, JC and Mrs JC!

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  55. basset said on December 9, 2010 at 8:43 am

    Avoided the Lennon death stuff last night… but Monday evening I went to iTunes and watched the entire 1964 Washington concert.

    On the night Lennon was shot I was in the newsroom at channel 38 in Terre Haute… where the phones started ringing off the hook…

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  56. prospero said on December 9, 2010 at 9:02 am

    Oh, Congressional Democrats have grown a pair? And they are pissed off at the President? That’s rich. Bad joke, though.

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  57. prospero said on December 9, 2010 at 8:03 pm

    I’m partial to Gerard Manley Hopkins on the subject of shipwrecks. He’s a Jesuit intellectual, and nuns drowning, And the great Irish poet . And the great Irish poet Shane McGowan.

    Then, there’s the Emily Dickinson;s accounting. It’s a remarkably good poem., one of her best.My kid’s named Emily. Her mom says it’s for the poet. I say it’s for the novelist. I’m persisting in being an insufferable jackass.

    Anyway, the kid is spectacular, successful, beautiful, headstrong, opinionated and going to have a kid in January. I like y’all, a lot, so I thought i’d tell you about that.

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  58. prospero said on December 9, 2010 at 8:12 pm

    Gerald Ford was keeping up his part of a rum deal. It’s a fact that Republicans dealt the US a dirtier deal with Raygun, and appointing W made the country a laughingstock and bankrupt.

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