Some stuff.

West Wing Season Three rocks muchly, just as the previous two did. I would appreciate it more if my head weren't still a bit hurting and wasn't trying to write an assessed council report thing.

Have actually completed said council report, but it sucks. Will try and do it a bit better tomorrow when I have some time before the class.

Also: Sir Peter Ustinov, I salute thee. Alistair Cooke, I salute thee. Both of you have touched my life in seemingly small but really quite deep ways and I thank you most sincerely.

Am now perhaps off to bed. To sleep, perchance to dream and all that caper. G'night.

Some stuff.

West Wing Season Three rocks muchly, just as the previous two did. I would appreciate it more if my head weren't still a bit hurting and wasn't trying to write an assessed council report thing.

Have actually completed said council report, but it sucks. Will try and do it a bit better tomorrow when I have some time before the class.

Also: Sir Peter Ustinov, I salute thee. Alistair Cooke, I salute thee. Both of you have touched my life in seemingly small but really quite deep ways and I thank you most sincerely.

Am now perhaps off to bed. To sleep, perchance to dream and all that caper. G'night.

A moment on England, Ireland, the USA and West Wing.

I'm pausing with the usual high-jinks and rock and roll frolicking to post about something:

A quote from West Wing season three that leads me to believe that at least a few Americans have a concept of what Ireland is:

Lord John Marbury, Britain's ambassador says in 'Dead Irish Writers' when talking to Toby Ziegler about a Sinn Feiner/terrorist man coming to the White House:

"The shadow on our souls... the biblical sins of the fathers. Slavery is your [America's] original sin. That and your unfortunate history with your aborigines."

"Native Americans," Toby cuts in.

"For the English it's Ireland," finishes Marbury.

The writers have, in my opinion, got it spot on. I don't always agree with things said in the West Wing, although I usually do and love the show. But this... it's still echoing in my head because... it's exactly what it is. It's the tugging in my brain, the ripping in my heart every time I think about this whole godawful mess that was once called 'The Irish Question'. It has affected England and Ireland in both obvious and subtle ways.

The problems few of us understand anymore have been passed down to us from our mothers and fathers, our grandmothers and grandfathers and made worse by every generation, including the one above us and given the chance, our own. For England and Ireland, there seems to be no way to fix what's been broken for centuries.

And I swear to God, that breaks my heart.

A moment on England, Ireland, the USA and West Wing.

I'm pausing with the usual high-jinks and rock and roll frolicking to post about something:

A quote from West Wing season three that leads me to believe that at least a few Americans have a concept of what Ireland is:

Lord John Marbury, Britain's ambassador says in 'Dead Irish Writers' when talking to Toby Ziegler about a Sinn Feiner/terrorist man coming to the White House:

"The shadow on our souls... the biblical sins of the fathers. Slavery is your [America's] original sin. That and your unfortunate history with your aborigines."

"Native Americans," Toby cuts in.

"For the English it's Ireland," finishes Marbury.

The writers have, in my opinion, got it spot on. I don't always agree with things said in the West Wing, although I usually do and love the show. But this... it's still echoing in my head because... it's exactly what it is. It's the tugging in my brain, the ripping in my heart every time I think about this whole godawful mess that was once called 'The Irish Question'. It has affected England and Ireland in both obvious and subtle ways.

The problems few of us understand anymore have been passed down to us from our mothers and fathers, our grandmothers and grandfathers and made worse by every generation, including the one above us and given the chance, our own. For England and Ireland, there seems to be no way to fix what's been broken for centuries.

And I swear to God, that breaks my heart.