Posted on 07/29/2010 5:47:54 PM PDT by hiho hiho
Even today, the Crown expects certain standards of behavior and conduct from those who have been Knighted.
(ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.) - Recently Sir Paul McCartney, you accepted the Library of Congress Gershwin Award for Popular Song at the White House. As you accepted the honor you mumbled:
"It's a fantastic honor (for) the Gershwin family to give me this incredible award and for me to be awarded it by the Library of Congress. And in fact, after the last eight years, it's great to have a president who knows what a library is,"
While we will forgive the Yoda-like ending of the sentence with a verb, the context must be addressed. Sir Paul, you must try not to sing out of tune or you will need a little help from your friends. You see, Sir Paul, the President to whom you are referring in your pithy jibe possesses a Master Degree in Business Administration from Harvard Business School. He was also the President of the United States. In comparison, Sir Paul, you are a Knight Bachelor with an education that would not qualify you in the USA to enter into the Harvard Business School. In fact, Five General Certificate of Secondary Education Ordinary Level subjects and an Advanced level subject are about the equivalent of a US High School Diploma and six semester hours of College work for a Baccalaureate Degree.
Now, Sir Paul, during your most creative years with the Beatles your contribution to modern culture is without parallel. No one can argue the fantastic string of musical hits that caught America’s imagination. It was during this time that the man you made fun of recently was serving on duty in the Texas National Guard. He stood ready, when called, to defend his country in time of war. In this country we call that honor and dedication. They are traits we admire and hold in high regard, kinda how England used to be back in World War II.
Sir Paul, I understand that you are enthralled with the new American administration. So enthralled, in fact, that you sung one of your famous songs “Michelle” to the First Lady with much passion and poetry. This was admirable of you considering the venue. But what song would you sing to President Bush if you wished to apologize for your statement quoted above? I have a few suggestions:
“Nowhere Man” – to indicate your lack of knowledge regarding President Bush’s educational achievements?
“Day Tripper” – because it might give you a reason to take the easy way out?
“Fixing a Hole” – to stop your mind from wondering where it will go?
“From me to You” – to keep things satisfied?
“Getting Better” – so that you won’t continue to hide your head in the sand?
“Girl” – so you won’t feel a fool?
“Golden Slumbers” – so you have a way to get back homeward?
I suppose the list could go on and on but I think Sir Paul gets the idea. So at this point I would like to remind Sir Paul of what it means to hold the title of Knight. Perhaps this is best explained through the words of Chaucer in his Prologue to his Knight’s Tale.
"And ever more he had a sovereign price, And though that he was worthy, he was wise And of his port as meek as was a maid. He never yet no villainy he said In all his life unto no manner wight He was a very perfect, gentle knight."
Clearly in Chaucer’s day a Knight was not expected to make snide, unfounded comments at Heads of State. Even today, the Crown expects certain standards of behavior and conduct from those who have been Knighted. For Her Majesty has been known, when circumstances warrant, to annul honors. An example of this was Lester Piggott, who had his Order of the British Empire (OBE) removed after being convicted for tax evasion. Of course, Sir Paul, you were aware of this royal tendency in a song you wrote many years ago:
“Her Majesty’s a pretty nice girl but she doesn’t have a lot to say, Her Majesty’s a pretty nice girl but she changes from day to day.”
That history degree from Yale probably involved a little reading also.
Wow...OK. Fair enough. I live to rock and rock to live. I always have and I always will. I'm not a cultural misfit. Rock 'n roll is music, that's all. Our "cultural demise" as you call it was more likely brought about by a generation that didn't have to make any sacrifices and wouldn't have even if it had been necessary. Blaming a music genre for that is, with all due respect, rather silly to me.
BTW, please don't respond...you've brought me down enough already.
I watched some of the PBS special and all it did was remind me of how old I’m getting. Paul sounded terrible.
But ya know, folks, First Lady Laura Bush took essentially the same swipe at GWB while he was still in office. She, of course, worked in a library at the time that she and George met. In her famous address to the Washington press (the video of which was widely praised on FR), she made a joke of the unlikelihood that she would have met George in a library.
I do think that McCartney's comment was inappropriate. But poking fun at GWB about libraries is not new with Sir Paul, that's all I'm saying.
bttt
A typical airhead comment from someone with money not brains.
A typical airhead comment from someone with money not brains.
To which generation do you refer when you speak of a generation that didn’t make sacrifices and wouldn’t have “even if it had been necessary”?
Are you talking about us baby boomers? A generation that was drafted and fought courageously in Viet Nam,even though many draftees were too young to vote or even buy a goddamn beer? Who were then spat upon and reviled and betrayed for their heroism. Is it my generation you are talking about?
A generation that solidly supported the civil rights movement? Hmmm? A generation that was traumatized in our youth by the murder of our president and somehow we had to cope with that?
A generation left vulnerable by the blind trust in government by our “greatest generation parents”?
A generation that is the most generous that has ever existed in this nation.
That is my generation. I hope you don’t mean my generation in your disgusting lying put-down. Do you?
The second smartest surviving Beatle.
I’m pretty sure President Bush knows more about libraries than McCartney and Obama combined. Seeing as how Laura had a Masters in Library Science. You know? Just sayin’. And McCartney is a dickhead. Just sayin’
Laura Bush has had a love for books and reading since childhood, and her life and education have reflected that interest. She graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1968 with a bachelor’s degree in education, and soon took a job as a second grade school teacher. After attaining her Master’s degree in Library Science at the University of Texas at Austin, she was employed as a librarian. She met George Walker Bush in 1977, and they were married later that year. In 1981, the couple had twin daughters.
Nowhere Man, Day Tripper , and Girl were Lennon’s composition. From me to you was co-written(as some of their earlier songs were).
Part of this, I believe, was all the Americans going overseas and tearing the heck out of GWB during his Presidency and making fun of him. This in turn lead foreign celebs to think that it is ok to poke fun at him here in the US. Not realizing that those few US celebs who did that are cowards and afraid to stand in front of a US crowd to make the comments.
I don’t care if GWB knows anything about a library, I can tell you though, he is more of a man then the current usurper sitting in the Oval office and any one in his cabinet. Who would you rather follow into battle? This man showed real courage of convictions. I didn’t agree with alot of his actions during the 2nd term but the man protected this country and took the fight to the enemy.
...and of what generation did those who did the spitting belong?
Look, I don't want to get into a pissing contest with you over this. I'm a part of the same generation and there were/are a whole of sh!theads in that generation. If you'd prefer to go through life thinking otherwise, fine. Be a fool. I couldn't care less. As far as I'm concerned you can blow it out your ass! Don't waste my time with your friggin' whining.
Yeah? Oh Yeah?? Don’t put down patriotic Americans,you disgusting,vile jerk!
Are you a Viet Nam Veteran who is disillusioned and hurt or are you a Commie sympathizer?
Don’t ever ever speak to me in such crude terms again. Call me a fool,maybe you loved Jane Fonda et al,eh?
Oh,in case you didn’t notice,the ones who reviled our soldiers were mostly older and in college. It wasn’t so much a generational thing as an economic class thing,still...most of those who insulted our patriots who bravely fought the vicious Communists were older than those young,drafted soldiers.
So apparently,you mix those who were wealthy and or conncted enough to avoid the draft and who then took the side of the Communists with the average working class young people who had to either go to war or work after high school. They weren’t the ones doing the spitting. They were the ones crying over deaths of their family members and friends. The older elite and some of the younger priviledged,Commie classes were the contemptuous ones.
So don’t try to BS me.
EVER.
I wish somebody would have read this thread and stood up for all of the baby boomers who fought the Communists in the Viet Nam War.
I got called whiny and a fool and was put down for standing up for their courage and fo the courage of my generation. Nobody answered to stand up too.
LOL...I don't need to. You do a great job of it yourself. BTW...you might want to consider therapy. You're carrying around a lot of baggage and an outside opinion might do you good...
...or not!
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