Happy Fourth of July to everyone on our blog. The Turleys will hold our annual Fourth of July celebration with fireworks tonight with a cookout, pies, and of course fireworks. However, this year I am also going to watch my Chicago Cubs play the Nationals as the guest of a friend. I will then return to watch them again on Sunday with one of my sons and a very generous friend and his son. (Yes I am completely scarfing off friends).
I love this holiday. Despite the continued assault on civil liberties and our rather dysfunctional politics, it is a day that unites Americans over a common convenant of faith in representative government. While a new Gallup poll shows a record drop in the satisfaction of Americans over their freedoms, this holiday reminds us that we do have the ability to change our government — and a duty to do so. Moreover, this holiday we have a victory to celebrate in the unanimous ruling of the Supreme Court in rejecting the Obama Administration’s effort of strip citizens of privacy protections over their cell phone records and data.
Indeed, the erosion of our civil liberties should only make us more appreciative of our Framers and more committed to regaining what they left us . . . and what we have lost. I remain an optimist about this country despite a depressing decade as a civil libertarian. Hell, I am a Cubs fan . . . I was raised looking at next year for a turn around.
So there for a great Independence Day to everyone on the blog. I will hoist a burger and a beer in your honor today.
leejcaroll – I would accept the flawed rationale of salon if Reagan had not been picked best President. Salon is deep in the hip pocket of the administration. I think we are going to find that the Obama administration has been feeding them talking points since they got into office.
The #1 Paul wrote “I put Hearts and Minds in the same category as Birth of a Nation, brilliantly constructed but horribly biased”
I would agree with that, but the facts remain. Nixon, like LBJ before him, disregarded civilians deaths in his quest to prevent imaginary dominoes from toppling. We had no right to intervene in a Vietnamese civil war, assassinate its leader Ngo Dinh Diem, and turn the country into a wasteland.
“Obama has just earned Worst President since WWII honors”
I am not fan of Obama, but that sort of thing often happens in the moment. I am convinced that future historians will rank Nixon as the worst, with Obama, Bush the Younger, and Harding also in the bottom-five ranking.
saucy – if you are really going to blame someone for Vietnam you have to go back to FDR, who thought he could handle ‘Uncle Joe’ and did not keep Truman up-to-date on what he was doing. Truman allowed the French back into Vietnam, following agreements made secretly by FDR. So, let’s pick on FDR, rather than Nixon.
Here’s the thing about Quinnipiac’s question: It’s largely meaningless. Pollsters have been asking some variant of this question for over 15 years, and the person occupying the Oval Office at the time the question is asked always finishes at or near the top of the “worst president” rankings.
Quinnipiac asked the same question in 2006, when the Bush administration was just beginning to slip into its irreversible skid in public opinion. The result? “Bush Worst President Since 1945.” Is it true that George W. Bush had, by that point, done more damage to the country than, say, Richard Nixon? Hard to say! But Nixon and his administration were long dead by that point, and America was angry at Bush, so they named him the worst.
http://www.salon.com/2014/07/02/obama_is_the_worst_president_since_wwii_says_meaningless_poll/
(salon is not onlyplace saying this)
Funny how right wing, repubs, conservatives always leave out the part about every current occupant being last or close to it.
Let’s see Watergate v 52 straight months of employment growth (with no repub help) as a start. Yep Obama the worst.
Let’s see lying us onto a war, bringing us the worst recession ever (plus another recession to boot) v bringing us out of the recession.
(that’s just a start)
saucy – Nixon inherited the war. Civilians always get hurt in war. Part of being a good general is being willing to send men to their deaths. It is not easy, but you have to do it. The was McClellan’s problem during the Civil War. He was beloved by his men, but unable to put them at risk.
I spent part of my 4th viewing a movie I had checked out from the library, “Hearts and Minds,” depicting the violence and lies of the Vietnam War. The end featured the complete footage of Phan Thi Kim Phuc, the 9-year-old girl seen running naked after being burned by napalm. The photos of her understandably became famous, but the movie also showed a women carrying her badly burned baby who certainly died shortly thereafter. Nixon, easily the worst president we’ve ever had, mused after seeing the photos, “I’m wondering if that was fixed,” proving what a heartless, stupid bleep he really was.
saucy – Obama has just earned Worst President since WWII honors. Reagan is best. I put Hearts and Minds in the same category as Birth of a Nation, brilliantly constructed but horribly biased.
Al
the onion?
I just looked up the score and it is reported that the Cubs won 7-2.
I had season tickets at Busch Stadium in Saint Louis from ’83 to 2005. I am a Cardinal Fan but I am also a Cubs Fan. That is difficult for some people to accept because we are in the same Division. But when the Cards are not playing the Cubs, I root for the Cubs.
Don, I’ve listened to old radio broadcasts of Harry and Buck. They were great. Harry was great w/ Piersall as White Sox announcer in the 70’s. I may have told you this story, so I’ll keep it brief. I was a juvenile probation officer in KC back in the 70’s. When I had kids get good attendance and grades I would take them to games or to the hotel where visiting teams stayed for autographs. I was leaving the hotel w/ 2 kids after they got autographs from White Sox players. Harry was standing in front of the hotel waiting for a cab to the park. I offered him a ride and to my surprise he accepted w/o thinking twice. He was very engaging w/ the kids. He left us tickets for the game that night. By the time he got to the Cubs he sadly turned into a drunken buffoon.
Edit: almost all of the important Cardinals players from the 60’s forward. I never saw Dizzy Dean or Rogers Hornsby.
Oh.
Happy Independence Day to all! And my condolences to you, Prof. Turley for enduring what you have endured as a Cubs fan. I saw my beloved Cardinals beat the Giants yesterday. I have the greatest respect for Cubs fans, even the ones that almost burned my Cardinals cap when I sat with the bleacher bums for a Cards-Cubs doubleheader when I was in college. I’ve never seen them play live in the post-season, but I have been lucky enough to see almost all of the important Cardinal players play live over the years: Lou Brock, Bob Gibson, Ted Simmons, Ozzie Smith, Willie McGee, etc.
Yes, I’ve read Halberstam’s book on the 64 Series. Great book. And I will never forgive Augie Busch for firing Harry Caray. He and Jack Buck were the best tandem of baseball announcers ever.
Well, neither of us saw the most important Cardinal players: Dizzy Dean, Marty marion, Pepper martin, etc. Gashouse gang. 🙂
Thanks, Gigi. Same to you. There’s an alternative Hate the USA parade on the Louis Zamperini thread. Lovers need not attend.
Happy Independence Day.
A short animated film called, “Make Mine Freedom” (from 1948) is going around on Twitter today:
Happy Independence Day everyone! Enjoy the games, the food, the relaxation, and friends. God Bless and keep America safe!
Barkin, May I suggest David Halberstam’s great book, October 1964 about the World Series you attended.
I just received a sad call from my daughter, Jeter is not playing today!
On the Cubs: Last time they won the World Series, the Wright Brothers sprung into action and flew the first airplane. Go Cubs! Some day! As John Goodman put it, “The doormat of the National League.”
Baseball is one of the best things out there. I went to all the home games for the Cards in the ’64 World Series against the Yankees. Waited in line all night for the bleacher tickets. I can name from memory each player at each position for both teams. My favorite stadium in all baseball is Wrigley Field. In day games during the week you could get good seats from scalpers for decent prices. Any of you folks are thinking about college for kids or for self, Chicago is the best city in America for that. There are several choices of colleges or universities. The White Sox are my favorite team in the American League. It is a great town to be in on the 4th.
Happy Fourth of July! The weather here is dismal today. I’m watching the World Cup at the moment–Germany v. France. US goalie Tim Howard had an outstanding game (16 saves) earlier this week when the US lost to Begium.
Wow Chuck.
and Happy 4th all!
I am not surprised to hear you say Reggie is smart. He is a “very clean and articulate for being a black man.”
Bonds has shrunk back to close to the size he was when he played for the Pirates. He’s into competitive bike racing and they really drug test those athletes.
Happy Independence Day to all! And be safe.