Last R-E-S-P-E-C-T-s and Half-(m)ast Efforts

The recent deaths of two notable Americans has the Savant thinking about their legacies in these divisive times and the sharp contrast of their lives with that of the current resident at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. One of these celebrated individuals performed much of the soundtrack of the Savant’s youth and had a significant effect on the advances of the 60’s civil rights movement. The other, a Viet Nam war hero and Republican Senator, had views widely divergent from the Savant but a basic integrity and patriotism that one can admire. Both were esteemed in their fields and remarkable for the desire and the ability to bring people of differing views together for a greater purpose. It is that loss that Limerick laments the most. Here then are two elegies on what that loss "means to me" and what seems to be missing from the White House this week and probably in general.

Aretha, you taught us to see

What a beautiful world this might be

When we sing with one voice

And make the right choice.

And that spells RESPECT to a “T.”

His dis of McCain, now complete,

The cowardly Trump sent a tweet

On the patriots end;

But he’ll ne’er comprehend

How a hero can conquer defeat.

Heroes by any other name...

would tell us "geese."

Few fumble through life without blame.
Fewer ride their descent into fame.
But this pilot with skill
Has both given a thrill
And new meaning to "Sully" one's name.

Flight 1549: A Routine Takeoff Turns Ugly
Captain Sullenberger Recalls The Bird Strike
And The Tense And Crucial Minutes That Followed
Interview by Katie Couric, CBS 60 Minutes, 2/8/09

See it now!

Issues, present day journalists duck,
Ed Murrow confronted with pluck.
You're searching for heroes
But turning up zeros?
All I'll say is, "Good Night and Good Luck."

Sure to be on many top 10 lists for 2005, this is a wonderfully complex movie that looks at journalistic integrity in the face of political, societal and commercial pressures and even personal vanity. It's worth the price of admission alone for Dianne Reeves' smoky vocals on the soundtrack. (hint to the Savant's friends and family looking for a last minute gift idea)

News in Black, White and Shades of Gray
By A. O. Scott, The New York Times. 9/23/05

On the cul-de-sac

This one's inspired by Cowtown Pattie's latest post:

I once thought I'd head down that street
With poetic anger, replete;
But awed veneration
Of Jack's generation
Has turned into feeling just beat.

Spiders Across the Stars
Texas Trifles, 11/17/05

From her seat, she stood tall

When her heavenly transit embarks,
At the forefront will sit Rosa Parks.
For her one simple act
Will forever impact
And teach us from whence Freedom sparks.

Civil Rights Icon Rosa Parks Dies
NPR, 10/25/05