#485 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Tuesday October 18)
“Tonight I say this to my Republican colleagues who are defending the indefensible: There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone, but your dishonor will remain.”
--Liz Cheney, June 9, 2022
Good morning,
Today, a Tuesday potpourri…
GRAMMAR AND STYLE, REDUX
Can we please teach our children (and our grad students…) that “who” is the subject and “whom” is the object? To wit, “Who went to the store?” versus “with whom did you go to the store?”
Among the worst mistakes, of course, is messing up “I,” “me” and “myself.” “I,” of course, is the subject, and “me is the object.” Just as “she” is the subject and “her” is the object. “Her and I” didn’t do anything together. And, although it may “sound” smarter, trust me when I suggest that one does not look intelligent saying “Just send a copy of the document to him and I.”
OTHER THOUGHTS ON RELIGION IN AMERICA
Because Justice Alito is so transfixed with historical precedent, including an analysis of the nation’s traditions, I thought it worth sharing a few of our leaders’ views over history regarding the separation of church and state. One wonders how public prayer by a football coach—an authority figure—joined by many people on the teams and in attendance isn’t a coercive exercise of one religion over others. Or how one religion’s view of the beginning of life trumps other religions’ equally defensible and strongly held belief. Here are voices from history. You can be a judge of whether the current Court is “getting it right”:
“Whatever one’s religion in his private life may be, for the officeholder, nothing takes precedence over his oath to uphold the Constitution and all its parts — including the First Amendment and the strict separation of church and state.” ~John F. Kennedy 1959
“As you know, the separation of church and state is not subject to discussion or alteration. Under our Constitution no church or religion can be supported by the U.S. Government. We maintain freedom of religion so that an American can either worship in the church of his choice or choose to go to no church at all.” ~Richard Nixon 1960
“We believe in separation of church and state, that there should be no unwarranted influence on the church or religion by the state, and vice versa.” ~Jimmy Carter 1977
“Strongly guarded...is the separation between religion and government in the Constitution of the United States…the devotion of the people have been manifestly increased by the total separation of the church and state.” ~James Madison 1819
“The United States of America . . . [In] the formation of the American governments . . . it will never be pretended that any persons employed in that service had interviews with the gods, or were in any degree under the influence of heaven. . . . These governments were contrived merely by the use of reason and the senses.” ~John Adams 1787
“We establish no religion in this country. We command no worship. We mandate no belief, nor will we ever. Church and state are and must remain separate.”—Ronald Reagan
COMMENTS ON GREAT DANCE MOVIES
Mark DiMaria points out that the actor in Singing in the Rain is DONALD O’Connor, not Dennis O’Connor. And Grease was released AFTER Saturday Night Fever.
Sindy Kessler expanded my list of dance movies to include Swing Time, Chicago and the original West Side Story.
Paul Kanin adds everything starring Fred Astaire, particularly Shall We Dance and Dancing Lady.
MAYBE I SHOULDN’T BE “ROOTING” FOR TEAMS
David Rochkind shares: “During a trip to Europe 30 years ago I met some Australians. I asked them what Australian Rules Football team they root for and they snickered. Apparently “root(ing)” is a slang term in Australia for having sex. Ever since then I always say ‘cheer.’”
Have a great day,
Glenn
From the archives: