These are the mad political rantings of one Matthew McNeil, Liberal/Democratic radio host in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN. The postings are mine, the thoughts are mine. Mostly about politics, but I will occasionally get into raising kids, cooking, gardening, the arts and my favorite sports. Bon Appetite!
Hi all! Happy Memorial Day! I hope you have a nice weekend.
Memorial Day is a day to remember the sacrifice of those who have died in battle. When it comes to remembering those we've lost, World War I stands out as a particularly brutal conflict. I've talked about it in the past, how one day the world wasn't fighting, and almost immediately, there was fighting in every corner of the globe.
It's not like the US Civil War and World War II didn't also produce brutal fighting, but the intensity and the proximity of World War I were the definition of brutal.
This video from Battle Guide will highlight what I am talking about: 4 years of constant bombardment and shooting over ONE FIELD! The insanity of war comes to light when you realize that so many people died trying to win one piece of land, a piece of land that was basically a medium-sized park in your neighborhood. This was ONE spot on the Western Front.
The survivors made remembrance important after World War I because no one could forget what had happened.
I know I featured some from the Revolutionary War a few weeks back, but this video came across my timeline, and it's a pretty good overview of the battle for American Independence. It also talks about how that war was not just a war in the colonies, but a global conflict, which Britain horribly mismanaged.
This is from Kings and Generals.
Finally, tonight is a military story dear to me. Minnesota saved the Union in 1863 at Gettysburg. The 1st Minnesota holds the distinction of being the military unit with the highest casualty rate that still existed after the battle. Horribly outnumbered, they held the line and saved the day.
And no, you can NEVER get back the flags they captured that day.
I tear up every time I hear this story. I am so in awe of what those men did that day. Facing certain death, they didn't blink. I'm proud of the bravery Minnesota showed that day. There is a reason Minnesota has the 2nd biggest memorial at Gettysburg, after Pennsylvania.
Seeing what real sacrifice is, it sickens me that any Minnesotan sides with the South or the Southern cause today.
Remember this Monday.
Please make sure you stay up to date on your vaccinations and have a nice weekend.
This upcoming week will be the last of Stephen Colbert's The Late Show.
Colbert is an insane talent, a man who is an all-time funny man. Late-night hosts are all pretty good, but Colbert understood the gig better than anyone else, and (as someone who has interviewed people my entire career), he's the best interviewer to ever sit in a late-night chair.
He did a lovely little piece with The Hollywood Reporter where other Late Night hosts asked him questions about his show. It's a good watch.
Recently, Colbert got to visit with President Obama again, and they had a rematch of their waste paper basket basketball challenge in the replica Oval Office at the new Obama Presidential Center. Dear Lord I miss Presidents who actually cared for their country.
Here is one of my favorite recurring buts from Colbert, Alter Egos! Twenty-one minutes of them!!!
I loved Colbert's Community Calendar. It was perfect comedy, and the original one he did with Nick Offerman (two weeks in a row with Nick!) was my favorite.
Recently, Offerman revisited Community Calendar. Pop the Balloon Speed Dating? Who the F came up with that idea?!?
...(sigh)...
From the bottom of my heart, CBS can go F- itself. I will never watch your network again, including NFL games. I'll listen to them on the radio instead.
That's it for this week.
Please make sure you stay up to date on your vaccinations.
This week, we start to get ready for the 250th Anniversary of the United States.
We are not exactly at a high point in American history right now. Trump is a biblical villain, Batman nemesis, pedophile, and deranged, physically unwell, psychopathic narcissist willing to bomb a country and tank our economy to keep the Epstein Files hidden. This country has never been under a greater threat.
But this modern nightmare aside (and that's a big ask), America is an imperfect but insanely cool place. It really is. That's why it's so hard to see a man desecrate this country as deeply as Trump has.
American history is far more complex than the Schoolhouse Rock version of events. To give you a look at how it all started, let's let Ken Burns talk about the Battle of Yorktown and the end of British rule, from his wildly entertaining The American Revolution.
Americans should be proud of what happened back then, but it is still right to acknowledge the disgrace of slavery, the insane mistreatment of the Native Americans, and the flawed nature this country has embraced at times. We are a country at its best when we take pride in what we've done, realize the mistakes we've made, and commit ourselves to making it better.
This gets at what is pissing me off about this 250th anniversary. Trump is trying to make it all about himself. It's a disgrace. When the US Men's Hockey Team won gold at the Olympics, it should have been a unifying moment, but Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel made it clear that the celebration was only for MAGA-aligned jackasses.
Trump is doing the same thing with EVERYTHING for this upcoming celebration. To hear how bad it's getting, Nick Offerman went on the Daily Show to talk about it.
I have a National Park pass. It's freaking disturbing. It's like getting a parks pass with a rotting butternut squash as the featured image; it's grotesque, upsetting to sane people, and has no connection to the National Park system.
Maybe what we need to get through this celebration is a reflection of what America at its best can be. Thank you, Chris Evans, for your great version of Captain America. The Winter Soldier is one of the best Marvel movies and one of the best spy movies. The elevator escape scene is amazing, and what we need to get out of this national orange quagmire.
That's it for this week. I pray things are better in two months.
Please make sure you stay up to date on your vaccinations.
This week, we start with a little video that shows us how far we've fallen in leadership in the USA. I don't have to tell anyone that Trump is an absolute failure at leadership. The reason is simple. He's an Nth degree narcissist, and he only cares about his self-gratification. He is the absolute worst human being to have in charge in this country.
What I think a lot of people miss is how far we've fallen. Last week, King Charles of England came for a visit. There was the usual pomp and circumstance that comes with a major world leader visiting Washington DC, and Trump, multiple times, embarrassed us.
But after the DC schedule, the King went on to be a bit of a tourist (with a purpose). This is video coverage of King Charles visiting Shenandoah National Park.
I don't think anyone would ever call King Charles the most dynamic personality, but what he does with this visit is show us what exactly we've lost in this country: civility. The King seems genuinely interested in everything and everyone, as he enjoys the beautiful park. And Shenandoah pulls out all the stops with a bald eagle, a chance for the King to meet with Native Americans (reminder, they are part of a sovereign nation), and even gets a lovely plaque.
I miss leaders who did stuff like this. I miss when life was normal.
Next up, it's planting season in America! I am plotting out my gardens, and I came across this video where the average gardener can get some really good advice from the Amish. Some of these hacks are fringe, and some of them are not really new, but I will actually use a few of them (planting tomatoes sideways, planting other plants to lure away bugs naturally).
And finally tonight, what is all this talk about Uranium! With the Iran War going on, there is a question about Iran having uranium for nuclear weapons, but as Neil deGrasse Tyson breaks down, there are more uses for uranium than nuclear weapons. And there are different uses for different levels of enriched uranium.
That's it for this week! Have a great weekend, everyone!
Make sure to stay up to date on your vaccinations!
