Of Iowa Caucuses, Golden State Warriors, and the Battle of Borodino

[mallorys_camera]

I don’t understand why anyone should care about the Iowa caucuses.

Iowa is not a representative state in terms of its ethnic or ideological demographics. Nor has it proven to be a particularly effective bellwether in terms of predicting which candidates will actually go on to win their party’s nomination.

More empty frenzy to fill the 24/7 news cycle.

###

The Knicks/Warriors game was last night. The Warriors won; RTT must have been in heaven. I remember when I bought those tickets for RTT – 21st birthday gift – the game seemed to be at some unfathomly distant time in the future. And here it’s already in the past.

For years and years and years, the Warriors were the worst basketball team in the U.S., but Oakland loved them.

Now that they’re wildly successful, of course management wants to leave Oakland.

###

I’ve been watching the BBC’s production of War and Peace. As War and Peace productions go, it’s a goody. Paul Dano may be the best Pierre I’ve ever seen.

Last night was the Battle of Borodino. 70,000 casualties in a single day. Think of that! 70,000 corpses in the same space. Only 200 years ago, too, which was pretty recently. But when was the last time you thought about the Battle of Borodino?

The oddest thing about the Battle of Borodino from the post-modernist perspective is that the generals seem to have made an appointment to fight it. Really! On such-and-such a day we will meet by prearrangement to maim and brutalize and kill one another. Any element of surprise was considered ungentlemanly.

I think wars are ridiculous.

When I read Hemingway, Norman Mailer, Michael Herr, or even Homer, all I can think is, Well, this is stupid! There’s no romance on any battleground that I can see.

I continue to think that World War II was that rare war that was worth fighting, but that’s probably only because my DNA had a direct stake in it.

In the final analysis, the cause of every war that’s ever been fought is tribal identity bubbling up as xenophobia. Which is complete horseshit.

Comments

[millysdaughter.livejournal.com]

I am so totally confused by that whole caucus idea. My imaginary picture of a caucus is amusing - to me at least - but I am well aware it is not real.
(Unless they really do hold the caucus in a roller rink?)

[mallorys-camera.livejournal.com]

Do you watch The Good Wife? It really is an excellent show, and their recent episode about the Iowa caucuses was amusing as well as instructive.

[millysdaughter.livejournal.com]

I honestly wanted to like that show, but quickly discovered it taps deeply into my worst prepper/moonshiner/hill country paranoias about the evils of politics and law, courts, and the crooked legal system, convincing me to plot out my trek - on foot! - to the nearest off-the-grid enclave in Montana.
So I do not watch...
The cute guy watches it, but, for the sake of my blood pressure, I avoid paying too much notice...

[mallorys-camera.livejournal.com]

:-)

Ask The Cute Guy to fill you in on what happens in the Iowa caucuses. :-)

[bb-lurks.livejournal.com]

Fun fact. Even though actually about 7000 French were killed outright, the other 25-30000 listed as wounded probably died as there was neither food or treatment available. Probably Russian wounded fared better because they might have had better chance of being fed by their relatives. "Treatment" probably did nothing or worse.

[mallorys-camera.livejournal.com]

Not seven thousand. Seventy thousand.

[bb-lurks.livejournal.com]

Nope read the Wiki. 7000 French killed the others wounded or captured. Since wounded were as good as dead the French total was about 35000. Russians had 10000 killed rest wounded or captured. P

[mallorys-camera.livejournal.com]

From the Wikipedia entry on the Battle of Borodino:

The fighting involved around 250,000 troops and left at least 70,000 casualties, making Borodino the deadliest day of the Napoleonic Wars.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Borodino

[bb-lurks.livejournal.com]

n the final analysis, the cause of every war that’s ever been fought is tribal identity bubbling up as xenophobia.

That's where Hitler stands out as frank if not honest. His motives were just what's stated above. As laid out in Mein Kampf.

I just put a hold on Tim Snyder's new book on this. Black Earth.

[sulphuroxide.livejournal.com]

tolstoy wanted to show many things. he was a deeply conflicted and unhappy man. he wanted to show that common people's values, idk, a kind of heidiggerian-ish equivalent of cultural authenticity with the farms and the land was the only way to be. i think he goes out of his way to emphasize that the generals and the upper classes took credit for what common people did, even though common people were the ones who suffered. also that they were out of touch with reality. which in a way, is STILL a criticism of people in charge today. hilary clinton is out of touch. trump is out of touch. it seems bernie sanders critics say he is out of touch, but in a unique way. the first two are claied to be out of touch with common people. all three are out of touch with how things are supposed to be run. so apparently you can't be in touch with the elite and in touch the commoners at the same time.

[mallorys-camera.livejournal.com]

Well. What does it mean to "be in touch"? Understanding? Sympathy? The desire to work in that group's best interests? If the latter, then, no you can't be in touch with the elite and the commoners at the same time except on issues that effect them both. The only example of an issue like that I can think of off the top of my head is climate change -- and Sanders has identified that as the single most dangerous threat facing the U.S.

[immemor.livejournal.com]

The Warriors are ridiculously good. Jordan and the Bulls went 72 and 10 one year and the Warriors could easily beat that.

My version of The Charge of the Light Brigade is the second one down. Different war, but same idea - war is stupid. http://immemor.livejournal.com/271470.html

[mallorys-camera.livejournal.com]

I don't follow professional sports at all. But I did live in Oakland for many years, and I remember how supportive Oaklanders were of that team when they were the worst team in the NBA.

[chochiyo-sama.livejournal.com]

Why would Rubio be the sure winner? He is an Ayn Rand wannabe. My dumbass relatives are voting for him because they think he is handsome. He makes me want to puke.