Note to POTUS

I have visited Washington, DC several times over the years but I must admit I had never walked around the Tidal Basin in its entirety and visited the Memorial to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. This tribute to FDR and his four terms as a US President is quite unusual. A strikingly different approach was taken in its design when compared to the somewhat more traditional (and arguably more photogenic) edifices built as homages to Presidents Washington, Lincoln and Jefferson.

FDR was an interesting president, hiding his disability at a time when it would have been considered weak to be anything less that an idealized “true man.” He was far from perfect, as the lack of dealing with racial equality on his watch attests, but he did make significant changes to the American way at a time of great turmoil and hardship, leading the nation through both the aftermath of the Great Depression and World War II.

The memorial is arranged to explore each of his four terms in office and, among the walls and sculptures contains several pieces of text carved into the marble. One of these quotes struck a chord with me for it’s prescience, and in my opinion, should also be reproduced over the doorway of the Oval Office so that every occupant, of every political persuasion, can contemplate it when seated at their desk.

~Richard

March 28, 2024 0

SCOTUS ’24

Late one night, following the recent activities of the US Supreme Court (aka SCOTUS), and to some extent goaded by my watching of the recent John Oliver episode regarding the ethics of the Supreme Court, I was minded to create some SCOTUS-related art.

Referencing the official photograph of the current SCOTUS members I felt that a little iterative deconstruction would crystallize my mindset. I am pleased with the gloomy to ominous outcome of my digital manipulations and feel it illustrates a fractious, angular storm-cloud that sits and opines over the populace. However, that’s just my opinion, what do you think of the piece?

~Richard

March 7, 2024 0

Barriers

It was a choice she never wanted to make. In fact, choice wasn’t really the word for it. She had to do it. No-one in their right mind would give up a family, home, lifetime of work, a successful career as an engineer and a middle class job. Unless they had no choice.

She thought back to the ones she had left behind, lost forever to the incessant bombardment. For what? A few square feet of a town that had been raised from the desert over a period of two thousand years, and now razed to rubble and would soon become sand again. That was why she had left. She had no-one left to save but herself.

How ironic that she was now standing on sand again, although this time with the sea foaming between her toes.

She looked up at the fence. So this was what salvation looked like?

~Richard

July 19, 2017 0

Haiku: Matryoshkapolitik?

~ Matryoshkapolitik? ~

Matryoshka doll

Hiding unspoken secrets

Realpolitik?

170531_Matryoshka

~Richard

May 31, 2017 1

May Day, Kitchener redux and Voting.

May Day Celebration isn’t a big thing in the USA. We don’t celebrate it as the start of Spring and there’s certainly no National Holiday for us on what is largely International Worker’s Day in many countries in the Western Hemisphere. In fact, it usually just passes us by as a regular working day. This year, though, many are talking to the streets, mainly protesting the current state of affairs in the government and the recent policies of the US Executive.

I find all this latter day engagement in the system fascinating. It is interesting to see just how much politics is being talked about these days compared to only a few short years back. This is a good thing as perhaps more people are finally taking active interest in the way they are being governed.

That being said, my point today is to highlight the still pathetic engagement that voters generally have in our Western democracies. It is staggering that we pontificate about installing democracies onto other cultures, rightly or wrongly, and belittle anyone who does not espouse our values and yet, when it comes around to election time quite often fewer than half of eligible voters actually turn up to the polls to actually make their mark in the box.

The next big election in my little transatlantic world is in the UK next month and I could not but help create this poster based on one of the many (in)famous WWI recruiting posters put out with Lord Kitchener’s prominent mustachioed visage.

My perspective – get out there and do your democratic duty by casting your vote – even if it means writing in someone else’s name because you don’t like any candidates. If you don’t make this small effort what right do you have to even comment on our government?

~Richard

May 1, 2017 0

St. George’s Day and a lesson from the French?

Last year I wrote this post relating to the patron saint of England, St. George. One year on and as Britain is stumbling forward through its self-inflicted exit from the European Union, I see little change in the mood of Little Britain, at least from what I read in the media.

Today, on the “other side of the channel” as we tend to call it, we saw the potential for a change in Europe as Emmanuel Macron finally gave Marine Le Pen a good run for her money and established that the center left candidate may actually stand a chance to win in a two-horse race for the Presidency for La Republique. Perhaps we will see a tide change and just maybe this will have a knock-on effect on the results of the snap election that Prime Minister Theresa May has called back in the UK. After all it may not be so much about St. George killing the dragon anymore but rather that the slumbering dragon, in the form of the disenfranchised populace who weren’t motivated to cast their democratic vote last time, will actually see that their opinions do count and turn up at the polling stations to make their mark.

Perhaps it is time for the dragon to roar…

~Richard

April 23, 2017 0

Haiku: Alternative Facts

~ Alternative Facts ~

Small child tells a lie;

But to people in power

they are but alt-facts.

~Richard

January 22, 2017 2

Haiku: Hacking

I played around with four different definitions of the same term in this one:

~ Hacking ~

Coping with a cough

or a bucolic horse ride

now wins elections…

170105_haiku-hacking

~Richard

January 5, 2017 0

Vote Like a Beast

How I wish the late great Frank Zappa was here to see this, and poke fun at the system. He was a great defender of democracy. In his absence all I can do is link to his video, with such an important message:

Now VOTE!

~Richard

November 7, 2016 2

Gunpowder Treason

For any British readers today is a significant date, for it is the day when, in 1605 Robert Catesby’s plot to destroy the English Parliament using gunpowder was foiled. One of the conspirators, Guy Fawkes was caught red handed guarding barrels of gunpowder that had been placed under the House of Lords so that it would kill everyone inside. The plot uncovered, Guy Fawkes was subjected to terrible torture and, along with his co-conspirators, executed.
Subsequently, throughout Britain the public have celebrated this date as “Guy Fawkes Night” or “Bonfire Night” when large community bonfires are built, usually with an effigy (“guy”) set atop, and fireworks are set as celebration. The ancient rhyme is also recited, or at least it was when I was a kid:

Remember, remember, the 5th of November
The Gunpowder Treason and plot;
I know of no reason why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.

161105_gunpowderplot

We always looked forward to the fireworks, the huge bonfire, and also the tradition of children making their own guys and then attempting to collect a “penny for the guy” in order to be able to raise cash to buy fireworks. I don’t think this happens so much anymore, at least the children buying fireworks part.

Another more modern development is the use of current figures of hate on the bonfires. Ironically, the British Prime Minister has been the target on several occasions, and I recall Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair being featured, but often there are international guys too, such as foreign “dignitaries” who have particularly struck a negative cord with the British populace.

One of the oldest and largest Guy Fawkes Festivals is the Lewes Bonfire Night Celebration which takes place in the tows, East Sussex. Here there are several competing societies that plan their effigies for months and compete in a parade followed by a series of bonfires.

As an American citizen, of British heritage, I can only remark on how fitting that this should be celebrated a mere 3 days ahead of US election day 2016, a situation that has not escaped the teams at Lewes in their choice of effigies to burn this year.

~Richard

November 5, 2016 2

Tag: politics

Note to POTUS

SCOTUS ’24

Barriers

Haiku: Matryoshkapolitik?

~ Matryoshkapolitik? ~

May Day, Kitchener redux and Voting.

St. George’s Day and a lesson from the French?

Haiku: Alternative Facts

Haiku: Hacking

~ Hacking ~

Vote Like a Beast

Gunpowder Treason

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~ Matryoshkapolitik? ~

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~ Hacking ~

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