George Herbert, "Redemption"Having been tenant long to a rich lord,
Not thriving, I resolvèd to be bold,
And make a suit unto him, to afford
A new small-rented lease, and cancel th’ old.
In heaven at his manor I him sought;
They told me there that he was lately gone
About some land, which he had dearly bought
Long since on earth, to take possessiòn.
I straight returned, and knowing his great birth,
Sought him accordingly in great resorts;
In cities, theaters, gardens, parks, and courts;
At length I heard a ragged noise and mirth
Of thieves and murderers; there I him espied,
Who straight, Your suit is granted, said, and died
Friday, August 8, 2014
Redeeming Nixon
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4 comments:
Thank you. I'm glad this sober, revealing clip still survives.
Robert Browning said much the same thing, albeit in a more romantic context, in Youth and Art, a wry backward glance at the glories that might have been, if only ...
... But you meet the Prince at the Board,
I'm queen myself at bals-paré,
I've married a rich old lord,
And you're dubbed knight and an R.A.
Each life unfulfilled, you see;
It hangs still, patchy and scrappy:
We have not sighed deep, laughed free,
Starved, feasted, despaired,—been happy.
And nobody calls you a dunce,
And people suppose me clever:
This could but have happened once,
And we missed it, lost it for ever.
~ Robert Browning (1812 -1889)
Whatever adverse criticism may be directed at Richard Nixon, one could never say he failed to grasp the meaning of life. In the end it really does not matter whether we lose or win as long as we've made an honest attempt to do something worthwhile with whatever time we may be allotted.
"The evil that men do lives after them.
The good is oft intered with their bones ..."
Thank you for helping us to remember the good in Richard Nixon, a man more sinned against than sinning, who, nevertheless, took his punishment like a man.
.
De nada. I was in high school when Watergate broke. My father, a Goldwater Republican, became a Democrat. I, however, remained unimpressed by the hearings, and unconvinced. The leak which the plumbers were investigating, was a serious one indeed... one that needed following to its' source(s).
...WHEREVER they might lie.
I have always longed for a thorough investigation of Woodward and Bernstein -- their backgrounds, ancestry, reigin, educaion, family life as children, romantic life, married life and -- whatever.
Why has NO ONE - not even Regnery sponsored a tell all book attacking The Deadly Duo -- and the FIENDS who FUNDED them -- Kay Graham", Ben Bradlee", Sally Quinn?, the Kennedys" -- the RUSSIANS? WHO?
The hypocrisy and utter disingenuousness of the "Watergate Investigation" was so palpable to me at the time I couldn't believe how so many like your father turned against their own because of it. A Goldwater Republican could not possibly make a good D'Rat.
Like the work of Arthur Schlesinger, Jr, and other revolting Kennedy hagiographers, "WATERGATE" has never passed the smell test.
Good for you for thinking independently and trusting your instincts!
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