Obesity, is it racism?

 In the United States, everything that is bad is blamed on racism.  Especially health issues.  And racism of course, is blamed on the history of African slavery and Jim Crow within the U.S.  But what about Britain? Overweight adults - GOV.UK Ethnicity facts and figures (ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk)

• in the year to November 2021, 63.5% of adults (people aged 18 and over) were overweight or living with obesity – up from 62.8% the previous year
• 72.0% of adults from black ethnic groups were overweight or living with obesity – the highest percentage out of all ethnic groups
• 37.5% of adults from the Chinese ethnic group were overweight or living with obesity – the lowest percentage out of all ethnic groups
• compared with the year ending November 2016, the percentage of adults who were overweight or living with obesity went up in the white British ethnic group (from 62.1% to 64.5%), mixed ethnic group (from 53.9% to 59.5%) and 'other' ethnic group (from 58.9% to 66.2%)
• the percentages were broadly similar to those from the year ending November 2016 for all other ethnic groups

Their ethnic census list is even more complicated than the U.S.  Our government continues to break down the country into race categories.

The UK ethnic groups for the Obesity Survey were:

Asian or Asian British

Indian
Pakistani
Bangladeshi
Chinese
Any other Asian background

Black, Black British, Caribbean or African

Caribbean
African
Any other Black, Black British, or Caribbean background

Mixed or multiple ethnic groups

White and Black Caribbean
White and Black African
White and Asian
Any other Mixed or multiple ethnic background

White

English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British
Irish
Gypsy or Irish Traveller
Roma
Any other White background

Other ethnic group

Arab
Any other ethnic group

In Wales, ‘Welsh’ is the first option in the White category. See the article for how race is recorded in Ireland.

In the USA, obesity is also a problem. 

Obesity in the United States from Statista, Obesity rates U.S. adults by race/ethnicity 2021 | Statista 

 Unless the definition of overweight/obesity is different, it looks like the Brits are fatter than the Americans! The Statista data represent adults who reported having a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 25.0 kg/meters squared.

"Obesity is a present and growing problem in the United States. An astonishing 32 percent of the adult population in the U.S. is now considered obese. Obesity rates can vary substantially by state, with around 41 percent of the adult population in West Virginia reportedly obese, compared to 25 percent of adults in Hawaii. The states with the highest rates of obesity include West Virginia, Kentucky, and Alabama.

Diabetes 

Being overweight and obese can lead to a number of health problems, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Being overweight or obese is one of the most common causes of type 2 diabetes, a condition in which the body does not use insulin properly, causing blood sugar levels to rise. It is estimated that just over eight percent of adults in the U.S. have been diagnosed with diabetes. Diabetes is now the eighth leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for three percent of all deaths.

Obesity rate by race/ethnicity

White 31.5%

Black 43.9%

Hispanic 36.7%

Asian/Pacific Islander 13.2%

Native American/Alaskan Indian 38.6%

Other 32.9%

The CDC provides additional information on obese Americans.

• The US obesity prevalence was 41.9% in 2017 – March 2020. (NHANES, 2021)
• From 1999 –2000 through 2017 –March 2020, US obesity prevalence increased from 30.5% to 41.9%. During the same time, the prevalence of severe obesity increased from 4.7% to 9.2%. (NHANES, 2021)
• Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. These are among the leading causes of preventable, premature death.
• The estimated annual medical cost of obesity in the United States was nearly $173 billion in 2019 dollars. Medical costs for adults who had obesity were $1,861 higher than medical costs for people with healthy weight.

Here's a shocking statistic from CDC:  "Over a ten-year period [1998-2008], the number of states with 40 percent or more of their young adults who were overweight or obese went from 1 to 39." MR_Too_Fat_to_Fight-1.pdf (missionreadiness.org)

Corona virus mutation

 "Health officials have announced a new coronavirus mutation that has been discovered in the UK, which seems to be spreading quickly in some parts of England."

I was watching Israeli TV this morning (i24) and one of the big stories was that a fast spreading mutation of the Covid19 has been found in England.  Israel has closed out tourists from that area, and is imposing new lockdowns.  I think the virus laughs at lockdowns and masks, and particularly is making fools of the Democrats who spread the hoax that the deaths and numbers on the increase are President's Trump fault.  Other countries are having the same problems, but the Trump haters used the virus to "impeach" him because he is such a threat to the entrenched politicians and bureaucracy.  

A new coronavirus mutation was discovered that’s spreading rapidly – BGR

England COVID Mutation 'Out of Control' Health Secretary Says (msn.com)

Israel to ban people entering from 3 countries due to new UK strain - DeasileX

Interview with Roger Scruton, 2017

Sir Roger Scruton was an English writer and philosopher who passed away this last week on January 12. He was 75, born in 1944.  He has published more than fifty books in philosophy, aesthetics, and politics. His book discussed in this episode was How to Be a Conservative; it was published in 2014. He was a fellow of the British Academy and a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He taught in both England and America and is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington. DC. He taught an MA in philosophy course for the University of Buckingham. Sir Scruton was knighted in 2016 by Queen Elizabeth II for his “services to philosophy, teaching and public education.”

https://www.hoover.org/research/how-be-conservative?  Watch the video interview.

https://www.rogerscruton.com/

A saint who came late to the party, St. Claude la Colombiere, 1641-1682, beatified 1929

"I am resolved to put no limit to my trust, and to spread it out to everything. It seems to me that I ought to make use of Our Lord as an armor which covers me all about, by means of which I shall resist every device of my enemies. You shall then be my strength, my God! You shall be my guide, my director, my counselor, my patience, my knowledge, my peace, my justice, and my prudence. I will have recourse to you in my temptations, in my dryness, in my repugnances, in my weariness, in my fears; or rather I will no longer fear either the illusions or the tricks of the demon, nor my own weakness, my indiscretions, not even my mistrust of myself. For you must be my strength in all my crosses; you promise me that this you will be in proportion to my confidence. And wonderful indeed it is, my God, that at the same time that you impose this condition, it seems to me that you give me the confidence wherewith to fulfill it. May you be eternally loved and praised by all creatures, my very loving Lord! If you were not my strength, alas! what would I do? But since you are, you assure me that you are, what shall I not do for your glory? “Omnia possum in eo qui me confortat.” [Phil 4:13] You are everywhere in me, and I in you; then in whatever situation I may find myself, in whatever peril whatever enemy may rise up against me, I have my support always with me."

St. Claude la Colombiere, Jesuit, 1641-1682, beatified 1929 https://catholicsaints.info/saints-for-sinners-blessed-claude-de-la-colombiere/

I like "lists," although I don't make them. . .

God shall be . . .

my strength,

my guide,

my director,

my counselor,

my patience,

my knowledge,

my peace,

my justice and

my prudence.

This saint didn't have the usual qualities--no miracles, no great books, no apparitions, and was sick much of his life due to imprisonment, persecutions by the Protestants and bad climate of England. But I came across this in today's devotions  (Magnificat, vol. 21, no. 11) and liked it.

Downton Abbey—a look back

Downton Abbey was a delight as a TV series, and I hope to see the movie. But have you ever wondered why the Grantham family were living in an abbey? Definition of an Abbey: a monastery under the supervision of an abbot or a convent under the supervision of an abbess. I don't claim to know anything about the British aristocracy or what the titles Countess, Earl, or Lady mean, but I do know they aren't priests, nuns or abbots. Our status symbols in the U.S. are all about money and celebrity, not titles--Jeff Bezos for instance is the richest man the world--and that means more power than a title handed down from his father. Even the wealthiest and most admired dynasties in the U.S. disappear in a flash when the money is gone, or the government takes it away. Movie stars who have a different admired status become wrinkled and don't get the good roles.

So why did Anglican British royalty and lesser folk live in buildings built by Roman Catholics? It goes back to the English Reformation and is one of the nastiest and unloving chapters in Christian history. King Henry VIII stole the wealth of the monasteries, had the owners killed off, chased off or imprisoned, and gave the lands and buildings to his supporters. The church had traditionally taken care of the poor and sick (as Jesus told them to do)--they were turned out also, and we had the seeds of the terrible poverty, wealth and abuses of the industrial revolution.

Random internet truth

“Saying you believe in science rather than religion is like saying you believe in screwdrivers rather than democracy. Science is a tool and nothing else, it's literally just recorded information. It isn't a belief system that contradicts religions. You can be a completely rational minded and logical person and still hold religious views. They don't conflict, in times they can even complement each other.”

I didn’t bother to look up who or what he was responding to, but this comment was at Agnus Dei performance on YouTube performed by the Choir of New College of Oxford, conducted by Edward HIGGINBOTTOM. VOL. I, recorded in New College Chapel-Oxford-England, January/April 1996.  So those beautiful boy sopranos would now be 22 years older, in their 30s or early 40s, scattered in various careers, or countries. And the music (this one played over 9 million times since uploaded in 2012) plays on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRwhkBAeheM

“The Choir of New College Oxford is one of the most celebrated and acclaimed choral groups of the UK. When William of Wykeham founded his ‘New’ College in 1379, a choral foundation was at its heart, and daily chapel services have been a central part of college life ever since. The choir comprises sixteen boy choristers and fourteen adult clerks; the latter a mixture of professional singers and undergraduate members of the college.”

“New College Choir was the first in Oxford to launch regular webcasts of choral services – to offer choral services to all who are unable to be in chapel.   One service is selected for webcasting each week, and listeners will find choral evensongs as well as major festivals and the annual carol services. The webcast services are recorded live, with minimal post-production editing; so listeners will be participating in a ‘live’ experience, as if they were sitting in New College Chapel.   

The music is offered not as a concert, but as part of the chapel’s tradition of Christian worship. “ http://www.newcollegechoir.com/page/?title=Webcasts&pid=10

Hymns of praise

 

We attend the traditional service at our Lutheran church (NALC) in Upper Arlington, Ohio.  There are two other types of services—one I call “happy clappy” which I’m guessing is mostly post-1960s songs and praise music without liturgy and the other “clangy bangy” with very loud guitars and drums, and we have two locations for one congregation. Right now we have a total of five services, but I can remember a time when we had 10, trying to suit all the tastes in worship style and preaching. Our traditional service at Lytham Road has a choir and the other two have praise bands with perhaps a quartet to lead the music.  The pastors rotate, so we all eventually hear the same sermons by the same pastors. Right now we’re in a study called “Gathered,” which is about worship.  Last week was on music (song) with sermon by senior pastor Steve Turnbull and yesterday was the sacraments by Aaron Thompson who is director of the high school ministry.  Lutherans have two sacraments—baptism and communion, but for 1500 years the Christian church had six sacraments, but Martin Luther cut them to two, and today many Protestant and Bible and non-denominational churches have no sacraments, only memorials.

So this all leads to the opening hymn of praise, “Praise the Lord! O Heavens. I always read the information about the hymn writers at the bottom of the page (I don’t like to read words on a screen, because I like to see the music so I can practice my dwindling ability to read music.) This one said, Text: The Foundling Hospital Collection, London, 1796.  One of the beautiful things I appreciate about the Internet is I don’t have to wait long to satisfy my curiosity. An antiquarian book dealer, Simon Beattie of London had one for sale and was discussing its history. You can go to his website for further explanation of the institution and its collection, and also http://www.intriguing-history.com/foundling-hospital-collection/  The hospital has a fascinating history which includes Dickens and Handel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundling_Hospital

The Foundling Hospital, Britain’s first children’s charity, had been established by Thomas Coram in 1739.  ‘The Hospital chapel, in use by 1749 and officially opened in 1753, soon became well known for its music as well as for its elegant architecture and adornments …  The singing of the children at ordinary Sunday services was a great attraction to fashionable London and became an important source of income to the Hospital through pew rents and voluntary contributions.  Music was specially composed and arranged for the Hospital chapel, and the success of the singing led to a demand for this music, which was met by the publication of a book called Psalms, Hymns and Anthems; for the Use of the Chapel of the Hospital for the Maintenance and Education of Exposed and Deserted Young Children.  It is generally known more informally as the Foundling Hospital Collection’ (Nicholas Temperley, ‘The Hymn Books of the Foundling and Magdalen Hospital Chapels’, Music Publishing & Collecting: Essays in Honor of Donald W. Krummel (1994), p. 6).  [from Beattie’s blog)

This hymn is in the 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship and the Lutheran Service Book and Hymnal of 1958, which notes the text is by John Bacchus Dykes, 1823-76, which wouldn’t work with the copyright of 1796.

July 26, 1833 William Wilberforce and slavery

I have a morning routine of about 30 minutes which includes some reading and journaling, and before we went to the Lake I’d checked out of the UALC library “The One Year Christian History; a daily glimpse into God’s powerful work” by E. Michael and Sharon Rusten, c. 2003.  The passage for July 26 was on William Wilberforce (b. 1759) and his battle to free the slaves of the British Empire.  On July 26, 1833, when Wilberforce was on his death bed he received word that the Emancipation Act freeing the slaves of the British Empire was assured of passing. (The British slave trade itself had been abolished in 1807. The U.S. Constitution had written into it the abolishment of the slave trade in 1807 and which took effect  Jan. 1, 1808.)  He had been working with a group of Christian men and women, wealthy and powerful,  and although Wilberforce is the name known on both sides of the Atlantic as a dedicated abolitionist, his band of friends were essential to his mission.

This link (not in the book) is additional information on his group, and contains an interesting outline describing when Christians band together in common cause and take the long view, much can be accomplished.  ttp://www.cslewisinstitute.org/webfm_send/471 

The outline of how Wilberforce’s group functioned would itself make an interesting topic for a small covenant group or Sunday school class.

• They shared a common commitment to Jesus Christ and a clear sense of calling.

• They were committed to lifelong friendship and mutual submission was the norm. • Their advocacy was marked by careful research, planning and strategy.

• They worshiped both privately and publicly, gathering twice weekly at the Clapham Church.

• Their friendships were inclusive and focused on the essentials. For example, Wilberforce was a Wesleyan and his closest friend, Henry Thornton, was a Calvinist.

• They made family life a clear priority and delighted in each other’s marriages and children.

• They kept the “long view” on completing projects. Abolition of the slave trade took 20 years!

• They made no dichotomy between evangelism and social action. Their magazine, The Christian Observer, exemplifies this.

• Their faith was integral to all of life, family, career, friendship and more. It was a faith that the younger generation calls, “24/7.” They talked together of a faith that impacted every part of their lives. There were no “compartments.”

• They enabled one another vs. trying to “have it all.” They recognized each other’s passions and supported one another in addressing them.

The Rusten title would make a nice gift—especially for one with a shorter attention span but who can still make it through a few pages.  https://www.christianbook.com/the-one-year-of-christian-history/e-michael/9780842355070/pd/55073

The English Reformation was like Mao’s Cultural Revolution of the 20th century

Did you ever wonder why the Crawley family of the fictional Downton Abbey TV series lived in an abbey?  “There are many old country houses in the UK called "xxxxx Abbey", due to the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538, after which the land and the buildings themselves were sold to the wealthy.”  (Quora) “In Apr 1536, there were over 800 monasteries, abbeys, nunneries and friaries that were home to over 10,000 monks, nuns, friars and canons. By April 1540 there were none left. Much of the property was bought by or granted to landowners; monastery churches were sometimes converted to parish churches, while some buildings, such as Tintern Abbey, were left to ruin.”

“One of Eamon Duffy’s key resources [The Stripping of the Altars: Traditional Religion in England, 1400-1580] are the extant last wills and testaments. By collecting the data from wills he was able to trace the changes in English religion that Henry VIII and his officers enforced. Put simply, the wills made by Catholics before Henry VIII’s break with Rome expressed simple belief and enthusiasm for the Catholic faith.

In their wills the English provided for Masses to be said for the repose of their souls. They left funds for the maintenance of the church and her services. They left money to build extensions to churches and monasteries, provide for bells, vestments, altar cloths and candles. They provided funding for the poor, left money in their wills for schools and hospitals, and left endowments for colleges and orphanages.

In short, the wills are evidence of the health and vigor of the Church in England just before Henry VIII enforced the destruction of English Catholicism.

Similarly, the wills after the break with Rome reflect the new understanding of the faith. The old clauses granting funds to the Church and all her good works began to disappear. Being taught that Masses for the repose of their souls were pointless, they stopped providing for them in their wills. Being taught that religious art, vestments, stained-glass windows and statues were vain or idolatrous, they stopped leaving money for such things. They no longer left money for the poor, but left it for their relatives.

England in the Middle Ages was referred to as “Mary’s Dowry.” The churches, cathedrals, monasteries, convents, colleges and shrines were wealthy. There was corruption, certainly. Wherever there is a concentration of money and power there is bound to be corruption. But Duffy shows that the state of the monasteries and of religious life in England was robust, dynamic and strong.

Henry VIII’s depredations were about more than wanting to marry his mistress and have a male heir. He and his commissioners had also spotted that the monasteries and churches provided rich pickings. The king himself grabbed vast amounts of land for the crown and he awarded his faithful subjects with rich prizes of religious houses and their lands and goods.” Catholic England

The Bill of Rights and our precious freedoms

There is no right to abort (aka kill) another human being in our Constitution or Bill of Rights. SCOTUS "found" that right in the 14th amendment--made it up. Fragile as a spider's web. We ARE absolutely guaranteed that the government won't deny us our religious rights, our speech, our right to assemble peacefully, our right to a "free" press, and our right to petition the government. If you know anything about western civilization* (which probably isn't taught anymore, you know why these are treasured freedoms).

And there's that 2nd amendment, which comes 2nd because it defends the first. It's no accident that while liberals whine about the 2nd and try to undo it, a much larger group of them are organizing against the first, particularly religion.

I have no problem with more checks on potential gun buyers, but that isn't the goal--destroying the 2nd amendment is the prize. And then those pesky freedoms outlined in the 1st.

*1215 (England) Magna Carta, somewhat evolved, from the unwilling King John by his rebellious barons, is signed. It will later be regarded as the cornerstone of liberty in England even though it was not for common folk.

1689 (England) Bill of Rights grants 'freedom of speech in Parliament' after James II is overthrown and William and Mary installed as co-rulers.

1787 Northwest Ordinance for new states and territories guarantees  trial by jury, habeas corpus, due process, and religious freedom. Excessive fines and cruel and unusual punishments were banned. Slavery was also banned in new territories.

1791 The First Amendment of the US Constitution guarantees five freedoms: of religion, speech, the press, right to assemble and right to petition the government.

Do you (or anyone) understand the European Union?

This film is obviously biased--the producers want Britain to leave the EU.  But what is interesting is the bureaucracy it describes, created to be obscure, and how this fits into an idea of "We the People." I'm convinced that the Brits are subjects of a vast machine they didn't elect and can't get rid of.  Now maybe you think that's a good idea, because power without accountability is pretty much what we have, and we're not members.  The EU bureaucracy has 10,000 employees (if that's what they are called) who are paid more than the British Prime Minister--no idea how many total.  They have their own housing, shopping centers, entertainment, restaurants and art museums.  "Investing in your future."  Sounds familiar doesn't it, but to get back one pound, Brits have to pay about 2.5.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTMxfAkxfQ0

Looking through the comments, I thought this one was interesting. "I'm Polish and have lived in the UK for over 10 years now. So, from my personal perspective open borders were beneficial. However despite a chance that I might have to leave this beautiful country, I truly hope British people will overwhelmingly vote to be a sovereign nation once more. Come on Brits! You've got once in a lifetime opportunity to get your country back - don't mess this up!."

There's a lot in this movie that is a message for the United States about regulation and how it is faceless, unelected, (in the historical, post WWII part) and not beneficial for the people.

Why is Downton Abbey called an Abbey (monastery)?

                            

 Along with millions of other Americans, tonight I'll be staying awake to watch PBS' Downton Abbey, now in its final season.  Why is it called an Abbey when it is obviously the home of very wealthy people with a lot of servants? Maybe PBS explained it with a sentence, and I missed it. I certainly missed it in school, or ignored it, after all, what did it matter to me if King Henry VIII wanted to divorce his wife, split with Rome, started a new church and then stole all the land in England owned by Catholics? The King gave the land to those who supported him. People who didn't get along with the hierarchy in the new church became those who settled in the U.S. They were the descendants of that church whether Church of England or Methodists or Baptists.

 http://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item106122.html

 http://www.churchmilitant.com/video/episode/the-vortex-stolen-property

 http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/tudor-england/the-dissolution-of-the-monasteries/

"In that [16th] century, land was the primary source of wealth and political power. At the dawn of that century, the Church, through its cathedrals, parishes, hospitals, colleges, monasteries, and other embodiments, owned perhaps one-third of the acreage in England, more even than the Crown. Much of the Church’s income was used for aid to the needy, care of the sick, help for travelers, provision against poor harvest, and education."

 http://www.culturewars.com/2011/Whig%20Plunderers.html

 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3439293/Hampton-Court-Palace-chapel-holds-Catholic-service-Henry-VIII-broke-away-Rome-16th-century.html

Stealing is stealing, no matter which century

Today I was reading an article about how King Henry VIII confiscated (stole) all the monasteries' land and wealth in England, making about 8,000 people in religious orders homeless, plus destroying the culture and economy built up around them, all in the name of redistributing the wealth. Libraries with wonderful manuscripts were destroyed.  Some got very rich, like the King and his buddies, then the small middle class who got some of the land, but the poor got very little, in fact by the King destroying those who had fed, sheltered and nursed the poor, they were worse off. No one says there weren't abuses, or that the original owners weren't misusing their donated wealth (rich living, lots of servants, etc.), but it is always the poor that is worse off in these government grabs of property, whether by kings or presidents, dictators or czars.

http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Dissolution-of-the-Monasteries/ 

 http://www.britainexpress.com/History/Dissolution_of_the_Monasteries.htm

Beautiful sacred music

To find inspiration for my morning bike (stationary) ride, I type in to Google, Choral sacred YouTube, so this morning I found

AGNUS DEI - Sacred Choral Music - The Choir of New College, Oxford. (recorded 1996) Album

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRwhkBAeheM

Likewise, about 3.5 million others have also been listening to it.

I wonder where the performers are now, 2 decades later?

Director Edward Higginbottom

College of New College  web page and schedule of performances

 

Liberals are bullies, bigots and babies

“Tim Hunt is a serious scientist. He shared the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his research. In 2006 he was awarded the Royal Medal, whose past recipients include Michael Faraday, Charles Darwin, Francis Crick, and Paul Dirac. His topic at the conference where he made his offending remark was the public good of science, and why scientific research should be publicly supported. He was making, as the Royal Medal award says, “important contributions to the advancement of natural knowledge” — in this case, on the subject of cancer.”

But he made a joke about women in science labs (I think it was about his own wife and I didn’t even think it was offensive like the author of this article) and he and his wife were fired. Liberals are bullies, bigots and babies.

Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/419712/pc-mob-tim-hunts-scientific-contributions-couldnt-matter-less-ian-tuttle

There are perhaps 10-20 people who run the Twitter campaigns to destroy lives, to make it look like thousands, like it’s burning up the internet with outrage.  So phony. Obviously, no support from his institution or colleagues or even his country to which he has given so much.

“His treatment also demonstrates the innate cruelty of social media, and in particular the savage power of Twitter, which first revealed the scientist’s transgression. The tale also demonstrates how PR departments, in trying to protect the reputation of institutions, often do so at the expense of the individuals who work for or make up those bodies.”

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jun/13/tim-hunt-hung-out-to-dry-interview-mary-collins

A perfect cycling lecture—Sir Martin Gilbert on Churchill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hArErdaiOW0

I consider him the best writer of the 20th century.  One volume of his history of the 20th century is on my bedside table—still unread.

http://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/01/gilberts-history-of-twentieth-century-v.html

This speech was given in 2001.   Sir Martin Gilbert died February 3 at age 79.

Citizens of London

Our book club selection for December is no easier than The Book Thief of last month—another WWII story, although this one isn’t fiction. The three primary figures, Edward R. Murrow, Averell Harriman, and John Gilbert Winant all have their own biographies, but Lynn Olson is a master at pulling their lives, loves and contributions to England’s war effort into an interesting stew. What an amazing writer!  I’m having to skip large segments, that I’m sure are interesting and rich in detail, but I’ve only got a few more hours to finish the book.

“At this point [1941], Britain's policy of appeasing Adolf Hitler had failed, and the old appeasers were out of power. Winston Churchill had taken over as prime minister, and Britain was at war with Nazi Germany. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was aiding the British, but faced a U.S. Congress skeptical of actually going to war. As London endured devastating German bombing raids, some Americans were there, assuring the British of support and agitating for American entry into the war.” NPR 

What is more revealing in the book is what isn’t said: 1) even in modern times, authors will not criticize FDR for the communists in his administration who fought to keep the U.S. out of the war, and 2) inside politics regardless of whether it is Lincoln, Clinton, Bush or Obama, is a nasty, sausage making stink.

Winant’s reaction to FDR’s death I think sums up how so many minions in Washington, London, Paris, Baghdad, or Beijing feel about those whose boots need a licking:

”Despite his frustrations with a number of FDR’s policies and the president’s occasional offhand treatment of him, Winant never wavered in his support and fondness for the leader who had been his friend and close ally for more than a decade.  “I’m Roosevelt’s man,” he once said.  “If Roosevelt wants me to do anything, I’ll do it.  That’s my political future.”  In a telegram to the president several years before, Winant said simply:  “Thank God for you.” pp. 356-357

It could Holder talking about Obama—although I can’t imagine Condi Rice slobbering over Bush that way. It’s a type of loyalty and subservience usually accorded to Christ or global warming/climate change gurus.

The sexual liaisons seem to be right out of the bedrooms of Europe’s monarchs in the middle ages you read in romance novels.  Really, the sexes have made no progress at all. Or wait, maybe it’s politics that has made no progress in centuries.

OK, back to the book, and the last chapter which tells what the 3 men did after the war.  I know Winant committed suicide, and I think Harriman’s wife, Pamela Churchill, became the darling Democrat who went on to fame and glory as a political activist for the Democratic Party and a diplomat  and wrote her own autobiography including information about her sexual escapades. People my age followed the slow death from cigarettes of Edward R. Morrow.

[Mrs.] Harriman's life was equally scrutinized for her many liaisons. Her second husband once called her "the greatest courtesan of the 20th century," the Irish Times reported. "She loved men, and men loved her, and she knew how to please men," said Garry Clifford, the Washington bureau chief of People Magazine. CNN Obituary

That said, this is a lively group that has been meeting for 30 years, and they are always bright, witty and gracious. This will be our Christmas gathering at Carolyn’s home in Clintonville.  I think she is one of the “founding mothers” of the club which I didn’t join until October 2000.

Shakespearean Insults

You’re nothing but a yeasty, milk-livered maggot pie; Oh yeah? Take that, you paunchy, rump-fed pignut.

December 16 is Tea Party Day

Today is the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. On December 16, 1773, a band of patriots called the "Sons of Liberty," disguised as Mohawk Indians, boarded three ships and threw 342 chests of tea into the harbor. Tea was heavily taxed and had become a symbol of British oppression. Earlier that year, the men of Marlborough, Massachusetts, declared in writing: "Death is more eligible than slavery. A free-born people are not required by the religion of Jesus Christ to submit to tyranny, but may make use of such power as God has given them to recover and support their liberties. ... [we] implore the Ruler above the skies that He would bare His arm in defense of His Church and people, and let Israel go." From Faith2Action newsletter.

Of course, the story was much bigger than tea in the harbor. England had ignored laws which forbade the colonists to trade with any other country, resulting in great wealth for New England. When George III came to the throne in 1763 and ships of war showed up to enforce the old laws, and soldiers began to break into businesses and homes, the citizens protested. The cost of the wars with France were enormous and since it was to protect the colonies, George decided the Americans could pay with new taxes. This was done without the people's consent--a basic principle of English law. A Stamp Act was passed requiring paid stamps (a tax) on documents and newspapers. The "Sons of Liberty" pulled down a building were the stamps were sold and hung and burned a stuffed figure of one of the sellers and other riots followed. The Stamp Act was repealed.

In 1767 new taxes were levid on glass, paper, paints and tea, to pay for the king's soldiers in the colonies, judges and other officers who answered to the king not the people, and to line the pockets of leading citizens so they would be loyal to the king. In answer to the new taxes, the people agreed not to import these items, "eat nothing, drink nothing, wear nothing" from England. So the taxes were removed--all except on TEA. The cost wasn't the issue--the price was made very low--it was a tax to show the American people that they couldn't thumb their noses at the king.

From my grandmother's American history textbook, "The Leading Facts of American History," by D. H. Montgomery, Boston: Ginn & Co., 1891.

As seen on TV--terrorists for global warming

Children are executed in a British global warming terror commercial which has to be the most evil, most cause-defeating ad ever created. After 2 children do not agree with the teacher to encourage their families to reduce their carbon footprint, they are blown up, splattering the other children with body parts. Hard to imagine any ad agency this stupid. It's British, not USA, but the hard sell for global warming is about the same.

I guess it's true--you can't fix stupid.  It's called the 10:10 campaign.