On Oprah and Raising Hope
First Oprah, h/t Instapundit we find out that Oprah tells the BBC that Americans disrespect Obama because he’s black.
There’s a level of disrespect for the office that occurs. And that occurs in some cases and maybe even many cases because he’s African American. There’s no question about that and it’s the kind of thing nobody ever says, but everybody’s thinking it.
Actually, no. The race card has been pulled out time and time again in response to any criticism of the current President of the United States. Of course, being the first black president, the race card had never before been pulled for a President. But that doesn’t make pulling the race card legitimate. Barack Obama was elected, and re-elected, President of the United States. The people knew he was black when they voted for him. The race card is overdrawn, and it’s been canceled.
Oprah attributes to me, and others very like me, thoughts that do not, in fact, exist in our minds. I don’t ever think about him as a black president. I don’t think of him with the more accurate description of half-black and half-white. My first thoughts about anyone don’t have anything to do with their ethnic heritage or the level of melanin in their skin. People who have a problem with President Obama have a problem with him because of his policies. People have a problem with him because of his attitude, his lies, his blame shifting, and more. Just as people had problems with President Bush that had absolutely no association with the color of his skin.
Update: Here’s a good rebuttal to Oprah from Kevin Jackson.
Now to what this has to do with Raising Hope. (episode spoilers follow) The new season started Friday, November 15th with two episodes. The first was “Déjà vu Man”. Virginia comes home and tells Burt that she’s seen Déjà Vu Man again. He appears out of the blue, takes her picture, and disappears just as quickly. She’s seen him ever since she was a little girl. Burt thinks Déjà Vu Man is Virginia’s invisible friend. Burt talks about Cookie Man who has shown up since Jimmy was little when Burt had taken Jimmy to the park. Virginia thinks Cookie Man is Burt’s invisible friend.
Veterans’ Day
Armistice Day, Veterans’ Day, Remembrance Day
The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month…
In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe;
To you, from failing hands, we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Written by Lt-Colonel John McRae (1915)
Palace of Spies
A Children’s/Young Adult novel by Sarah Zettel, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
A great read about a young girl (Peggy Fitzroy) in the early 18th century thrust into intrigue and mystery as a lady in waiting to Caroline of Ansbach, Princess of Wales. The story takes place near the beginning of King George the First’s reign. He was the closest Protestant in the line of succession, and his throne was threatened by the Stuarts of Scotland. Lots of history and detail about being a lady in waiting at the royal court.
The story takes you from Peggy’s life as an orphan living with her uncle and his family. Her best friend is her cousin. When a proposed betrothal fails spectacularly, Peggy is left to fend for herself. She is taken in by a strange little man and taught to become another girl who had been a lady in waiting, and had died while away from the court. Peggy was to spy on the court and report back what she learns. Peggy soon begins to worry that her predecessor had been murdered…
