DOWNTON ABBEY TALK BACK & A FINAL STOP ON THE GRATITUDE TRAIL-THE GREATEST GENERATION

ENTERTAINING HISTORY

     Their off and on romance engaged us and once they managed to get past all the obstructions we took delight in their marriage.  The birth of their child brought us no end of joy and then suddenly and shockingly Matthew was killed in a freak auto accident leaving Lady Mary a widow with a baby.

     Apparently many of us told Godfather Julian Fellowes we were unhappy with the plot-line he had crafted for his inhabitants of Downton Abbey, but in serialized drama, even elegant British Drama, soap operas need a few twists to keep us tuned in.

      The promotional season is underway and we countdown to the beginning of 2014 to see how our characters from the early 20th century transfer into the 1920's.  It is after all a century ago that we are so engrossed by.  Downton Abbey is a hit in 200 nations and is translated widely. 

      Though it is all fiction, Downton Abbey teaches history in a marvelous and rich way.  The British Empire is fading as the English aristocracy bumps into changing mores and social values and even technology.  Ideas of liberation, freedom, class discrimination, wealth transfer and management all perk along in the intricate script and plot turns. I was one of those guys who loved history back in high school, but oh how I wish teacher Donald Foreman could have played a few videos, as engrossing as Downton Abbey.

      Yes, it's only TV, but such good TV!  A masterful opiate for we masses. But still, did they really have to kill off Matthew?! And yes, we'll be there to see how poor Lady Mary copes.

OOPS

    Well, I goofed and apparently a few hundred of you also missed it.  Last week in a Thanksgiving post, I paid tribute to these "Turkeys."  Trouble is, I am told, they are Peacocks.  Sorry about that. Now, how is it that so many of you didn't catch me on it?  I guess we all need an editor, eh?

OF THE REASONS WE COUNT

MY MOTHER AND FATHER AND THEIR PEERS
A Last Stop on the Gratitude Trail

     Americans have rightly embraced Tom Brokaw's acclamation of the WW II generation as "the Greatest Generation."
     My father Karl and my mother Mary Helen played their part. Dad was in the infantry in the South Pacific.  Mom was like thousands of other women, waiting and praying for their men to come home from war.  When I made my first visit to the World War II memorial, I was there to pay respects to my parents and their peers, most of whom are gone.
     More than 16 Million Americans were involved, in some way in World War II.

   At first I felt a shudder of loss, seeing the 4,048 gold stars. Each star represented 100 deaths. More than 400 thousand American service personnel died.  After the shudder I felt an inexpressible sense of gratitude.

   This is a place you'll want to visit, next time you are in DC.

   And so we transition from the season of gratitude to the merriment of the "Holiday Season."

   I hope you have a wonderful and meaningful season of Advent, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice or even bah humbugging. Remember,'... you better not pout or you better not shout..."

    See you down the trail.

THE WAY TO FIGHT BACK

THE COUNTER PUNCH

     Bostonians, as New Yorkers before them, will no doubt evince the right American response to the cowardly act of terror, denying victory to those who would seek gain.

     As the courageous Brits demonstrated during the blitz of World War II when nightly bombs killed thousands, life must go on as normal. Refusing to cede liberty or freedom is the democratic response of defiance.

      A premeditated violence against civilians by clandestine means is the tool of those we loosely call terrorists, either foreign or domestic.  I have written and argued these acts are a continuum of guerrilla warfare.  Though Mao and Che are the best known practitioners of our age, guerrilla warfare's great proponent was Sun Tzu, in the Art of War.

     An objective of the tactics of guerrilla war, and I include terrorist bombing, is to create a crisis in the population. What the warrior or terrorist hopes for is a forced over- reaction, a compromising of the feeling of security, a lack of trust in the capability of the government. In short a paranoia and fear.

     As nightly bombs fell on London, the English went on with their lives, even conducting theatre, dinners and social life, albeit with blackouts and air raid shelters.  New Yorkers responded to both World Trade Center bombings with getting on with life, even while mourning.  The Bostonians I know are tough and I trust their getting even includes not budging an inch on life as normal.

     There will be a natural call by some to fight back with measures that further erode individual liberties by surveillance, control, intrusion and other "security measures."  We need to be extraordinarily careful to examine any such idea with a cool eye and diligent scrutiny.    I am one who believes the Patriot Act response to 9/11 went too far.  I understand that it has given intelligence, security and law enforcement a greater tool set.  I have friends and contacts in that community and I know the challenge of the work they face and their need to gather and analyze, but it is still a delicate balance.  Each time we cede a bit of freedom, as an aftermath to an attack, we give ground, a small victory, to those who attacked us.

      I trust that Boston's famed "in your face and up yours" toughness will lead and guide how we counter punch.

      By the way, I have given away many copies of the Art of War. I always had a copy on my desk. It was surprising and even amusing the conversations that would ensue.

      Link here for an interactive map of the London Blitz

THE PRIZE AND THE PURSUIT

    Our raised bed lettuce crop has been especially bountiful this spring.

    So, naturally, the ridge line marauders have been lustful.

   The fence has kept them out and assigned to working the 

  ample  open acreage.  Still they edge near the tomato 

  shelter and a lower raised bed out side the defended perimeter.

   Despite the rain deficit, the slopes remain green with plenty of "deer food."  On the higher slopes directly opposite, cattle are being well grazed.

   See you down the trail.