Miscellany

Housekeeping and clarifications

The Housekeeping Part

It’s been a while since I’ve mentioned it, but you are the best commentors on the planet. I only wish I had time to respond to every single one of you replies. As you may have noticed, the trolls have been out in full force so, in addition to thanking you for your thoughtful, witty, and knowledgeable comments, I also wanted to thank all of you who’ve been bringing the trolls to my attention. I’m very serious about keeping this community of ours free of the cruel vitriol which appears to be the only thing these people traffic in, so I try to ban them as soon as I’m aware of their presence. And I ban them for life.

(By the way, trolls, if you’re reading this, when you use the word “Democrat” as an adjective 1) you make it really easy to identify you, and 2) you sound like immature idiots.)

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The Clarifications

9/23/23

In the post “Crossing the Line,” I wrote, “There are plenty of things to criticize about Milley’s time as head of the Joint Chiefs, the worst of which was his participation in the walk to Lafayette Square during George Floyd protests for which he has repeatedly apologized.” I wanted to provide a little more context so we understand just how seriously Gen. Milley himself took his breach of protocol.

During a commencement address to the National Defense University, Milley apologized to the armed forces and to the country. “I should not have been there,” he said. “My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics.”

9/26/23

People had a lot to say about “Kisses Sweeter than Wine” and album sizes.

First of all, even though 78s were no longer being produced when I was a kid—singles were recorded on 45s (as we called them) and full albums (which we called simply albums) were played at 33 1/3 rpms—I had a few 78s because we found a box full of them that an unknown neighbor had thrown—maybe because they were incredibly heavy. Many of you pointed out that 78s were made out of shellac, not vinyl which, it turns out, actually was heavier. Shellac was also incredibly brittle, which explains why my recording of “Kisses Sweeter than Wine” snapped in half one day when I picked it up. (I’ve never completely gotten over that.)

The picture that accompanies the YouTube link to “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine” is of a 45.

When I said that the version of “Kisses Sweeter than Wine” I posted was the only one “anybody should ever listen to,” I was speaking specifically about The Weaver’s versions of the song. A lot of you recommended recordings by other artists—Jimmy Rodgers, Peter, Paul, and Mary, and Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt (!). Others may be “better,” but the 1951 Decca recording, for technical and sentimental and reasons, will always be my favorite.

9/27/23

During the last episode of The Nerd Avengers, Brian was talking about all of the major legal trouble Donald is in. The problem, he suggested, is that even if Donald isn’t the Republican nominee, there will be plenty of other Republicans willing to fill the void he leaves behind.

The broader context of the conversation was the malpractice of corporate media and its failure to focus on the real problems plaguing our politics. When Brian finished speaking, I turned to Waj and said, “Waj, Joe Biden is old, so I mean, who cares?”

Some of you were concerned that I had drunk the media Kool-Aid that Biden’s age is not just of concern, but more important than any of the horrors happening on the right. I assure you, I have not. I was being sarcastic. What I actually think is that the media focus on Biden’s age (while ignoring Donald’s age, incompetence, fascism, and criminality) is tantamount to malpractice.

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The situation in Israel is horrifying. My thoughts are with anybody who has friends and family there. I hope they are all safe.