Three to Read #1

[amurderofcows]

Comments

[mizzoumark]

I'm not a fan of Christopher Hitchens, but he was spot on about Helms. That man had no business being in the Senate, well, ever, but especially after the civil rights movement took hold and his opinions on minorities became an embarrassing anachronism.

Probably the best piece of comic writing I've read this month was the North Carolina GOP's press release following his death. Of course, it wasn't meant to be comical, but it was all the same.

[amurderofcows]

I like Hitchens a lot, and agree with him far more often than I disagree, but I think it's a tragedy that Helms acquired power through sheer seniority. He had influence over foreign policy not because of the respect of his colleagues, but because he had simply hung on long enough to get the chairmanship. It's a crappy way to run a legislative body.

[agriking]

I loved John Adams. I got a copy of it on DVD for my father for father's day.

[amurderofcows]

As someone who reads a lot about the history of that period, I appreciated their portrayal of Jefferson as something of a cold fish. Most accounts say he was brilliant, but also humorless and a bit chilly, and I think they captured that nicely. And I never would have thought of casting Tom Wilkinson as Franklin, but he did a damn fine job with it.

[tko_ak]

Does one expect the San Francisco government to do any better?

As a U.S. history buff, I'm hoping I'll like the John Adams mini-series. My Dad was asking about it, so I put it to the top of my Netflix for next week. At least the first two discs.

[amurderofcows]

The level of care they took with the historical details alone makes it worth watching, but on top of that you get some first-rate performances by Paul Giamatti, Laura Linney, and Tom Wilkinson.

[tko_ak]

And Hitchens can be a total cunt sometimes, but his brutal honesty is right on some times. This is one of those times.

[amurderofcows]

I adore Hitchens' unsentimental style, and his willingness to go after sacred cows. If that's being a total cunt, then the world needs more vagina, not less. Which is not what you'd expect a gay man to say, is it?

[tko_ak]

If that's being a total cunt, then the world needs more vagina, not less. Which is not what you'd expect a gay man to say, is it?

My icon says it all.

Totally unrelated, but

[homais]

Hi. I'm more or less dormant internet-wise for the summer - I'm at a language gulag in rural Vermont, where we're not supposed to speak English. Luckily, I still check email to make sure, you know, my school hasn't expelled me because I forgot to file a form or something, so I caught that comment you left me.

And this journal looks really cool. So I added it to my friends list. Please do feel free to add back, even though I'm going to go back into semi-hiding for a while.

Re: Totally unrelated, but

[amurderofcows]

Language gulag in rural Vermont? Middlebury?

It's good to meet you. I wish you well in your semi-hiding.

Re: Totally unrelated, but

[homais]

Yep. Middlebury for Arabic. Talk to you again when I'm back among the Anglophones.