Random Stuff, it's a come down week

I spent most of last week in an extremely good mood.

Not only did Obama win, which made me smile goofily or tear up from time to time for days, but I also had a kick a$$ print job on voting day that makes me less of a financial drag than usual.

I also have spent the past week coming down from my election obsession. I don't have to be on the computer or have the TV on, and I seem to be able to get more done now.

My speech team started off the season well, and it was fun to see some of the kids break into finals and not be the first ones off the awards stage in 6th place or even 5th place.

Of course, I have peeked in to spy on the crazy ant farm at teamsarah.org, and they are angry and fearful and whiny and making up atrocious things to scare themselves. Obama has declared that he is king! Obama will force everyone to have an abortion! The financial situation is all his doing! He is STILL a muslim and will kill us all in our beds! Boycott Fox News they said something mean about Sarah! The conversation really didn't change, but now it bores me pretty fast. They are floundering, and most of them are not very bright. Still, I hope somebody besides me is keeping an eye on them. Crazy people for sure.

All is peaceful here. Sunny the cockatiel is perched on my shoulder with his head tucked under his wing. If he didn't poop so much, he would be welcome there all the time.

Now Neffy the cat has decided to perch on the back of the chair and Sunny awoke and started huffing at her. Neffy is not impressed or interested.

The kids are doing their homework, and when they are done we will have dinner and go work out at the Y.

I made pumpkin pies from scratch yesterday, and it was actually better than the pie one gets is stores. More work, but a better, fresher tasting pie.


Life is good. Breathe deep.


.

Whew. I say, whew.

I am so very pleased that Obama won.

I feel like I can have faith in America in general again, and the majority of Americans are not motivated by fear and smear tactics. It's a huge task to undo some of the damage of the past 8 years, and we have a huge job ahead of us, so celebration time is short. So today, I will have a little party going on in my heart.

I know I am not alone in feeling that the outcome of this election was keeping me awake at night for months.

John McCain is a great and honorable man, and he's one of my favorite politicians in Washington. However, his party had been taken over by some genuinely evil people, and there was no way for him to make it as his party's candidate without using them. I wonder if McCain had any choice about choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate, or if that was the final deal with the devil. I still think that he wouldn't have lived long had he taken office with her--he will have better and longer life because of this defeat. And we will need him.

They talked about "exciting the base"-- but what's left of the republican base after eight Bush years is truly some of the worst and most ignorant people in the country. Everyone else fled. It made a loud noise, but it wasn't a big enough group. Thank goodness.

Probably the best thing last night was the long faces and shaky voices at Fox News. They have been the perpetrators of the worst demagoguery and invective for the republican party, and now they can see that it was an epic FAIL.

I told my husband this morning that I feel like a big weight has been lifted from my shoulders, and he joked, yeah, we were all counting on you for this.

But perhaps all of us who voted so convincingly and overwhelmingly for Obama should feel that way. A new beginning can happen because the People spoke over the shouting.

I voted! Have you? It matters.

I was excited to vote today, and was pleased that I hit the voting area during a lull. I thought about getting there at 6:00am, but just couldn't make myself get up. Just as well, the election judges said it was a mad house then.


I would really like to get rid of the electoral college once and for all, but I hope that all will turn out well today.

Crossing fingers.

Palin hasn't apparently read the Constitution--still!

Palin expressed that the press criticizing her is against her first amendment rights.

Actually, she has it backwards. She can still say anything she wants, and the freedom of the press gives them the right to criticize it. Especially when it is deeply dumb and once again showing off how ignorant she is:

Check it out here.

6 Days and Counting

Oh, I sssooooo want this election to be over. I hate everybody.

Not really. I am just ready not to hear about it anymore.

Well, I hate the far-right "christian" "base" of the Republican party. That isn't anything new. They give christianity a bad name. What a hateful,vengeful, hysterical bunch of mouth-breathers.

I need to stop spying on the ant farm, Teamsarah.org. They are shrill, full of hate, full of fear, and just about none of them can spell worth a damn. They are a fascinating hate group disguised as Palin supporters. Should I be surprised? No, and I'm not.

Today, the craziness continued. The chat area is full of "We should boycott ___ because they support Obama" (Evangelicals and other conservative christians are BIG on boycotting as a culture.) If any of them were following their own boycott list, the only things for them left to do were to watch Fox News (the ONLY source of news they admit watching)or stare at a blank wall. You can't even watch "Jeopardy" because they used Obama as one of the clues. Lots of veiled and not so veiled threats of violence towards Obama on chat. No one says "black" but the code word is "muslim." Obama is the antichrist in several blogs, which usually are the ones with the poorest grammar and spelling and typed in caps. Lots of pro-lifers joined the site, as for many of them that is the only qualification they are looking for in a candidate. Never mind that McCain was pro-choice until he was against it.


It's distressing to see the Republican party turning in desperation into a true mob mentality, and catering to the basest of the base to have any support whatsoever. They deserve to lose.

After effects of a car crash and subsequent demon liberal actions

One definite effect of the hit and run car accident that my husband and I had summer 2007 is how much less I am interested in driving into the city at night. Past 10pm, you have significantly more erratic/DUI drivers to contend with, and I just don't like dealing with it. Tonight I had a chance to go into the city and spend some time catching some shows, hanging out with people, and I bailed on my plans. It makes me feel kind of boring and suburban and I resent it.

So what have I been doing? Well, one thing I am having fun with is "conversing" with crazy people at teamsarah.org. Actually, mostly I just look, sort of as if I am gazing at a hate-filled, dellusional ant farm. Among the posts are people wondering if Obama is hypnotizing them when they seem to agree with what he is saying(it's a sign of the anti-christ, you know), about a thousand posts saying he is not actually an American citizen, blogs yelling in caps he is a socialist/communist/Hitler (with no apparent clear concept of what socialist/communist or fascist means), and of course, Obama's unrelenting Ayers connected terrorism. I am peeking into this sordid little clique under an assumed name, and it amuses me how easy it is to make them angry. All you have to do is disagree slightly or ask questions. Oh, if you are not in lockstep for adoration of Palin, or if you are even taken aback with some of the vitrolic and hateful postings, you are an evil demon liberal.

Here is a sample blog to show you some of the inanity:

I got this in an email today. Who knows if it is true, but I loved it anyway and wanted to share it. It's priceless! :)

Today on my way to lunch I passed a homeless guy with a sign that read "Vote Obama, I need the money." I laughed.

Once in the restaurant my server had on a "Obama 08" tie, again I laughed as he had given away his political preference--just imagine the coincidence.

When the bill came I decided not to tip the server and explained to him that I was exploring the Obama redistribution of wealth concept. He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to redistribute his tip to someone who I deemed more in need--the homeless guy outside. The server angrily stormed from my sight.

I went outside, gave the homeless guy $10 and told him to thank the server inside as I've decided he could use the money more. The homeless guy was grateful.

At the end of my rather unscientific redistribution experiment I realized the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money he did earn even though the actual recipient deserved money more.

I guess redistribution of wealth is an easier thing to swallow in concept than in practical application.

I pointed out that it was unnecessarily mean spirited to deny a poor waiter his earnings just because he disagreed with you. To which she replied heatedly:

I think raising my taxes is "mean spirited" too. I also would miss the money. As I am a single mom helping my my sons pay for their college education. You see, they did not sit at home expecting the good people of this country to take care of them, they got an education so that they can live the American dream and they are both serving their country.

To which I replied:

So you'd take it out on a waiter??? There is so much in the way of mean spiritedness on this web site, I just joined and I am disheartened by it. Are there blogs on here with a more proactive and meaningful way of spreading the message? I have a hard enough time defending my stance without others making republicanism the party of the mean, angry and spiteful. This isn't all that we stand for, is it?

To which someone else replied:

If you think (she) was mean spirited, just what do you call yourself for labeling her? The liberals are famous for namecalling when someone has a different opinion, you need to examine your feellings. By the way, just what do you think spreading the wealth is going to mean?

To which I replied:

LOL are you labeling me a liberal because I don't believe in sticking it to some poor waiter to make a point about Obama's tax plan? I don't believe in hurting people to make a point. If that makes me a liberal, then I guess I do have to reexamine what conservative is.

Keep in mind, gentle readers, that Obama's tax plan does not raise taxes on people earning under $250,000 a year. I did not point this out, I didn't want to raise awareness to my actually thinking or reading much. It doesn't work well with this group.

Her reply;

The point of this blog was to demonstrate the concept of spreading the wealth, also known as redistribution. McCain/Palin supporters are not objecting to this simple exercise; BHO supporters are. McCain/Palin supporters aren't referring to each other as mean, angry and spiteful. BHO supporters are.

The message of this blog was blatantly clear, and one that all hard-working Americans should fear: in a BHO presidency, your money will be taken from you and given away those who earn less.

If you're hungry, BHO will give you a fish; if you're hungry, John McCain will give you a fishing rod and encourage you to reel in your own fish everyday.

To which I kindly replied (without questioning what the hell she is talking about):

But I still cringe at the idea of someone really putting this into practice. That would be mean spirited, and there is no way around that, it just would be. And it would reflect badly on us, and not change anyone's mind. How would you make a point about how his life would be better with McCain/Palin would be better. But what could we do, to illustrate how the McCain/Palin plan is good for working class Americans? The rich will be fine no matter what, and there aren't a whole lot of them to talk to anyway. What is our positive message? Negativity isn't working.

It has been hours and hours, and no one has responded. I suspect that no one actually knows, since the message from the McCain/Palin camp has been one of unrelenting negativity towards Obama, and just about zero about what they are planning on doing to make things work again. Their supporters don't know, they just repeat what has been repeated over and over again to them, whether it makes sense or not.

I know that posting this may "blow my cover," but that's okay. I just heard on the news that Palin is going ROGUE, crashing through the forests, trumpeting, stomping on advisors and elevating Obama to communist dictator single-handedly with her trunk.

Quite a useless blog entry.

Well. I promised myself that I would write here about once a week. I don't have a lot to say this week, though. I have a cold. I am not sleeping well.

I am very fatigued with all the election brouhaha, so I won't go on with that. The HuffingtonPost.com is very interesting, check it out, and just to scare yourself, take a look at sarahsteam.org to see women who have willingly blinded themselves and turned off their brains just to belong to a club.

Random thoughts:

Pledge drive time on public radio. Pledge, get some cool goodies. The news and all the other shows are da bomb. G'wan, listen and learn, and be entertained without fart and dick jokes and general puerile humor on the MIX or other morning shows. Commercial free! Do it because Mancow is going back on the air, ready to lower everyone's IQ again.

Cold medicine sucks just about as much as having a cold. I am not sure which one makes me feel like I am in a floaty, unreal bubble.

Why are gigs and auditions so cyclical? I had nothing going on for 2 weeks, and next week I am doing something almost every day. How does my skin know this and decide to break out spectacularly every time?

It occurs to me that I really don't go into the artistic side of myself in this blog. It is the main passion of my life, outside of actual current events. I will remedy this in a future bunch of blogs. Too loopy right now.


This is lame, but it keeps my resolution going. Leave me some banal comments.

Final Debate--whew.

Well, aren't we glad it's over. So exciting! Wow! I needed a drink.

As I was pouring a glass of merlot, I thought about this final debate. McCain was on the attack, but still stuck mostly to his talking points and veered again towards sounding cranky and petulant. Obama stayed mostly cool and classy, but sounded like he was tired or suffering from low blood sugar.

I took a little sip. Ah...I started to calm down. Debates get me all excited...

I still like both of these men. I still think they give a great debate. McCain all fiery, grinding his teeth and huffing like bear into his microphone when he isn't speaking, Obama looking all geeky cool, trying to stay awake even when he is speaking--tonight anyway.

Memories of the debate swirl in my mind as I stare at the glass...

Kudos to Obama for not going there when asked about Palin and what he thought of her. She is her own one woman wrecking crew, she needs no help. Biden, according to McCain, has been wrong a lot. Good guy though.

McCain defended his decision to add Palin to the ticket. It sounded a bit forced, answering the question about what he thought would be good about her as a president if need be. He described her more like she would be good advocate for a large non-profit center for special needs kids, not as head of the world's most powerful government. It was lame, and maybe even he knew it.

McCain tried to look tearful about how his campaign has been portrayed as hate mongering lately, but hey, it's all on video and audio, repeatedly. Note to McCain-- John, no one buys that you are wrongly portrayed. It is just another backfiring strategy, cut it out and let's move on. Hopefully, no one will try to go after Obama, and you and Palin will not be criminally culpable for inciting people to violence. Really, dude, what were you thinking??!! Make sure you include Palin in on the memo for this change too, okay? She always seems out of the loop with these things...

Obama seemed worn out. I have never seen him have so much trouble getting his words out. He still got them out, though. I was a little concerned with a few questions that he would run out of time before he completed a sentence.

Who won the debate? Well, each side held their own. There were no real revelations. I am sure it will be spun this way and that. Probably it will lean more toward Obama, since all he had to do was hold his own. McCain had more to lose, but he gave this one a good fight and should feel good about it.

My glass of wine is gone astonishingly fast. My stomach is warm, my pulse is slowing. I decide against another glass. All things in moderation.

I am glad there were only four debates with presidential and vice presidential candidates. If there had been more, the public would be wretching with the rhetorical overload.

So there it is. Let's put a cork in it.

Sarah Palin, Hate Monger

(I'm a speech coach. Tuesday nights are advanced forensics night, where we do mini-classes and coaching with the varsity speech students. It usually goes on til a little past nine, and then we coaches catch up with each other. I figured the debate wasn't going to be anything new, and if something unusual did happen, it would get played ad nauseum today anyway. So, I can't add any thoughts today on what I saw, because I won't comment on excerpts.)

Mostly, today I am concerned with the McCain campaign's latest use of Sarah Palin as the hate monger. She has been stoking paranoia and apparently getting an audience that represents the "base" part of the base, who scream "Kill him" as she talks about Barack (Hussein) Obama and his crazy 1960s terrorist neighbor (with whom he once worked on a literacy program in Chicago Public Schools).

You don't have to be smart or accurate or actually know about the national issues if you are hate mongering. You don't have to have any solutions when you are hate mongering. You just have to repeat hateful things over and over again, and say it with a wink and a smile. It is an effective use of her talents, but I sincerely hope that this sort of approach will wake up more of the decent republican voters to be aware of how badly their party has been taken over by dirty,evil and desperate means.

I have some hope. As a friend of mine said, "I am still a republican, but we don't all drink the kool-aid." And indeed, poll-wise it seems many republicans feel the same way.

When are the fiscally conservative, socially more open minded republicans going to take their party back over? The W. Bush years and the latest campaign have robbed thinking republicans of any self-respect. John McCain sold his soul to the far right, so don't think he will be a help anymore.

Republicanism has degenerated to meaning one who believes in huge deficits, environmental rape, greed, expansion of the wealthy class at the expense of the poor, and spreading fear and paranoia as a diversion from substantive discussion of the real scary issues.

I realize the latest turn in the McCain campaign is a mark of desperation--but how far will it go to rouse the basest of their base? What are they trying to achieve? Is the McCain campaign inciting violence against their opponent? Do they think this is the only way the will win?

VP Debate

Haven't listened to the spin meisters. Glad to see it wasn't a gaffe-a-thon. Would have felt terrible if Palin imploded, glad to see that 5 weeks of sequestering made her perform credibly, even if sounding quite rehearsed, and noticably evasive answering if she was in unfamiliar territory.

I am always struck by the difference in looking/listening to Sarah Palin and just listening to Sarah Palin. If you just listen, she doesn't come off nearly as well as when you are also looking at her. You can also tell where she is over-rehearsed, and where she is panicking just with vocal tone. Look at her, it is harder to tell. Very interesting.

Joe Biden was the debate winner, but Palin may still be on the ticket as of tomorrow. She will still be an albatross around McCain's neck if they let her talk unrehearsed again. Don't fall for tonight's performance. The Couric, Gibson and Hannity interviews show us the real person.

Hmmmm....I could use about $150 Billion in Sweeteners too...

Here they are, trying to ram this "necessary" $700 billion bailout through Congress--the most expensive bailout for stupidly managed companies ever, and the elected oaf-icials are adding "Sweeteners" to the tune of $150 Billion EXTRA dollars, and still no real way to get the money back that they are "borrowing" from the tax payers. Important things like "tax incentives" and money for the movie industry and for children's archery toy manufacturers...if McCain or Obama think they aren't going to hear about that as part of what is wrong with them and with Washington, I hope everyone will give them what for. Now 541 pages long, it is now big enough to obfuscate any embezzlement from the American people that they wish. Gosh, I wish I had a lobbyist who could give me all that sweetness...

Instead, make some calls to your representatives today and tell them to get those extra expenditures out of this travesty of a bill. I hope that the House of Representatives hears from enough constituents about the latest travesty that they fear for their political lives if they do not vote it off.

What an exciting Debate!

I was riveted by last night's debate, and was thrilled to see such an exciting event with two men who, each in their own way, are knowledgeable and forceful in their ideas and communicate those ideas well.

Neither Obama or McCain tried to dumb it down or get repetitive and rattled like a certain George W. who was always painful to watch. Sure, it was a little sound-bitey, but often I felt that each was talking straight and with passion.

I give them both a win for style and relative substance in the debate. Bravo for making it a great forum for summarizing what they have been saying all along in this freakin' long campaign. I also give them points for not collapsing with exhaustion along the way.

It was not a game changer for me, of course. Obama still gets my vote because of real life observations of the candidates. McCain has a lot of positives, and I really like him, but the choice of Sarah Palin for a running mate (made even more obvious this week) was a serious lapse of judgement, or a kowtow to the far right. His overall record is as a moderate, but I am afraid he sold his soul to the far right for financial backing for his campaign. Calling off his campaign and trying to delay the debate was also a head scratcher this week, a ploy for appearing presidential, but nothing more. It was interesting gamesmanship, but easily countered.

Obama is a liberal--not an unreasonable goofball liberal, so get over it. He is not prone to bizarre behavior or for getting rattled. He appears to be a listener, and he appears to have a good understanding of political maneuvering and compromise. Joe Biden is my big disappointment in this ticket. He is experienced, but kind of obtuse and old school. I wish Obama had the guts to pick Hillary for a running mate instead. The pair would have been a slam dunk.

Overall, though, I have been excited about our choices in candidates this year. I do not have the feeling like I have to hold my nose and vote like I have in the past few presidential campaigns.

Fascination

I have professed a dislike for the cable news stations before--they are repetitive, sensational, and biased. You can count on having to tune in to CNN, Fox and MSNBC to get each take and try to figure out the story from there--if you still care. However, sometimes when something huge is actually happening, I find myself drawn to them, like a dog to chocolate.

The financial meltdown is such an event. I don't understand well enough what is happening (about as much as anyone else), and I am desperate for the latest news.

John McCain decided to suspend his campaign, which at first looked like a bold move--but then just kind of didn't make sense--he is not a finance guy, and hasn't been involved in the negotiations or even congress much this year.

What was Obama going to do? Is he going to follow? I hope not, that would be so...so..Dukakis-y. Ah, he didn't. He even made it clear it was a stupid idea.

He will not consent to canceling the debates.

The agreement is reached, McCain shows up, it falls apart. Must he keep helping?...Will Obama and the news crews be hanging out in Mississippi for a chatty news conference instead?

I am glued to the TV, my kitchen is a mess, I haven't worked out, and I just finished knitting a scarf I forgot was in my hands.

I could go for some Jeffersonian Intellectual Elitism about now...

The past few days I have been pondering the phrase, "Intellectual Elite" that has been bandied around like a pejorative by the Republicans from time to time in this freakin' long campaign. It's kind of minor stuff anymore, given the fallout of the financial market, but I was caught by the concept.

Intoning darkly about the "intellectual elite" is (was) done to cast a pall on Obama's intelligence or academic achievement in an attempt to distract the "average voter" from the current administration's folksy "by the rich and for the rich" elitism for the past 8 years. During the GOP convention, the tactic was somewhat effective in causing a shadowy contrast in the "frighteningly inexperienced or crazy fresh?" showdown of Obama vs. Palin. He's an "elitist" Harvard trained community organizer/professor of constitutional law/legislator/senator, and she's a new home- grown governor of a little ol' state with only a bachelors in journalism, but a lotta gumption and lipstick.


My first reaction was, "Don't I want the smartest, best people I can vote for in charge?" (Actually my real first reaction is to mentally scream "I HATE EVERYBODY!" but that is just campaign fatigue.) However, I also knew what they were implying.

The phrase, "intellectual elite" conjures up the image of the narrow-minded, effete academic, sneering at "common people" from their ivy covered colleges and warping the minds of youth with their uber-liberal, doubletalking, groupthinking ways. American colleges are very bad about producing insular little worlds where conforming to what your professor/peers/faculty head want gets in the way of original thinking or innovation. Academics who conform might have been brilliant, average or weak minded, and often waste their talents being vicious, backbiting infighters in their own narrow fields, expounding theories with no use in the real world. (For a wonderful article/book review on intellectual elitism of this sort by one of my favorite authors, take a look here. (He's conservative, but he is brilliant and I love his writing and analysis even when we don't agree.))

But to the founding fathers, an intellectual elite meant something quite different. Thomas Jefferson wished for the best people of all economic backgrounds to be a part of the leadership of the nation but constitutionally held responsible and accountable by the Constitution and a government for and by the people.

Thomas Jefferson has been called an elitist, and in a sense he certainly was. He believed that government should be run by a trained elite, that young people who possess outstanding talent should be selected from all classes, poor as well as rich, and that those young people should receive the highest levels of education possible to enable them to serve in positions of responsibility.

"By... [selecting] the youths of genius from among the classes of the poor, we hope to avail the State of those talents which nature has sown as liberally among the poor as the rich, but which perish without use if not sought for and cultivated." --Thomas Jefferson: Notes on Va., 1782.

His chief concern was with the talented poor, since the talented rich have means at their disposal to develop their talents on their own. But whatever their origin, his elite was based on virtue and talent, not merely on wealth and birth.

"Instead of an aristocracy of wealth, of more harm and danger than benefit to society, to make an opening for the aristocracy of virtue and talent, which nature has wisely provided for the direction of the interests of society and scattered with equal hand through all its conditions, was deemed essential to a well-ordered republic." --Thomas Jefferson: Autobiography, 1821.

It is this elite of virtue and talent, wherever found, that should be nurtured and chosen to run the government. But in no case was confidence to be placed in even this aristocracy of virtue and talent so as to give them unlimited powers to run the government as they pleased. No elitist group was to be trusted to that extent. The fundamental structure of government was controlled by a Constitution which bound this elite of virtue and talent to certain principles.

"It would be a dangerous delusion were a confidence in the men of our choice to silence our fears for the safety of our rights. Confidence is everywhere the parent of despotism. Free government is founded in jealousy, and not in confidence. It is jealousy and not confidence which prescribes limited constitutions, to bind down those whom we are obliged to trust with power. Our Constitution has accordingly fixed the limits to which, and no further, our confidence may go... In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution." --Thomas Jefferson: Draft, Kentucky Res., 1798.

You can get the full article that this came from here.


Which side seems to be more in line with what Jefferson and the founding fathers had in mind? Is this not still an excellent ideal to get back to for our country? Exactly when did touting one's mediocrity become a campaign ploy anyway?

I know I would like to see a change in dynamic from the past 8 years of government fronted by a good ol' boy and run by elitists of the very worst sort with little regard for anyone but the very rich.

It's not intellectually elitist to want the very best we can get for our country. It's just plain old smart.

Addendum: Someone writing for Newsweek was thinking in the same vein/.

September 11 ™

It seems like yesterday, it seems like a million years ago.

As I listened this morning to WBBM 780AM on my way to a commercial shoot, I couldn't help but tear up when they reported about the ceremonies and moments of silence being observed all over the country. I listened to parts of the ceremony at ground zero when names of the dead were called. I heard about the firefighters all over the country holding observances to remember the brave ones who died trying to save others. Heard about the new memorial at the Pentagon being unveiled today.

I was surprised as the day went on that I was not hearing more of the bombastic rhetoric that we have been getting from the Republicans, since this has been more or less turned into their "rally" day. Then I saw this from CNBC last night. I don't watch this guy much, since I am really tired of cable news in general, but he really stuck it to them. I think it may have had an effect. My friend, Rachel, said she wished she could turn it into a public service announcement. I think he is over the top, and is some places dead wrong, but he does make some excellent points:

• Current administration and current contenders are make September 11 a tacky brand name, using it not as a call for unity of purpose for the nation as a whole, but an overbearing tool for fear. "Vote for us or it will happen again!"

• The "Tribute" to September 11 at the Republican Convention was in really poor taste. It was graphic, accentuated the horror of the day instead of honoring the dead and the heroes of that day, and it brought in the 1978 Iranian Revolution extraneously to stoke paranoia. It was shameful.

• Current administration is still escaping all culpability for its transgressions against the nation and the world.