Politics Plus

Yesterday’s radio opera was “I Puritani” by Vincenzo Bellini. Bellini was a composer of “bel canto” opera (Italian for beautiful singing), a style from the early 19th century which was pretty much out of fashion until brough back into prominence by Maria Callas and Joan Sutherland in the 1950’s and ’60’s, and has been part of the standard repertory since. Of course all opera is supposed to have beautiful singing, but bel canto specifically refers to a style which has lots of vocal ornaments and very little key changes or complexity. So in one way it’s virtuosic, but in another it’s simple. Opera singers say that singing it is good for the voice, compared to even mid-19th-cebtury like Verdi, but certainly compared to early 20th century like Puccini (“verismo”) and especially early-to-mid 20th century like Berg amd Schoenberg. It is filled with lovely melodies that leave listeners humming – in their minds, because unless you are trained you likely can’t produce all the twists and turns, especially at the tempos some of them are. Next week’s opera – in fact the next four weeks’ operas – were recorded in China – but only the last one will be in Chinese. The first three will be in French, Czech, and German respectively.

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Short Takes –

Letters frm an American – September 8, 2022
Quote – On this day in 1974, President Gerald Ford gave former president Richard M. Nixon “a full, free, and absolute pardon…for all offenses against the United States which he…has committed or may have committed or taken part in” during his time in the presidency. In the pardon proclamation, Ford said he issued the pardon to help the nation heal from the trauma of the Watergate scandal. A trial would “cause prolonged and divisive debate over the propriety of exposing to further punishment and degradation a man who has already paid the unprecedented penalty of relinquishing the highest elective office of the United States.”
Ford’s pardon of Nixon removed from our democratic system the principle that all of us are accountable to the same laws.
Click through for full letter. There was an episode of Antiques Roadshow to which someone brought a letter from Gerald Ford, written before he was Presient or Vice Preident, but not too long before that. It was written to his former first grade teacher, who he had just learned used to call him “Naughty little Gerry Ford.” Maybe she was right all along.

Civil Discourse – DOJ’s Motion For A Stay Explained
Quote – DOJ’s tone is respectful throughout, but the government does not mince words when it comes to arguing that the judge’s order is wrong, as in, missed the boat completely kind of wrong. And in delicate, polite tones it clarifies the precise nature of the damage she, a lone federal judge in Florida, is poised to do to our national security. This is exactly the tone experienced appellate litigators take when they are about to pillory a lower court’s ruling, which is what DOJ does in its motion.
Click through. Legal documents are usually written at a JD reading level. Vance interprets this at about a foourth grade reading level, so it should be pellucidly clear (or as much so as possible allowing for missing facts.) Because I get her newsletter, I have not tried navigating the site, but if it’s easy, she has two, possibly three columns after this (just ignore the stuff about knitting.)

Food For Thought