A Sunny Afternoon

[poliphilo]

Yesterday the sun came out- and stayed- so I sat in the yard and did a crossword puzzle and read Citizens.

There was a scruffy, little, fat bird hopping about in the bushes.  I think it must have been the dear baby the robins have been raising. It could fly in a raggedy sort of way, but still wanted its mum- to which end it kept going "peep, peep, peep".  Mum, of course, knew better than to answer while there was a scary human being around.

I'm halfway through Citizens. The way Schama tells it France was reforming itself hell for leather through the 1780s- and might have turned into a modern state a whole lot faster if the revolution hadn't intervened. We've reached the spring of 1789- and the weather has kicked in, with drought following a ruined harvest- and people are getting to be a little unreasonable. Rousseau- dead by this time- has a lot to answer for with his cult of feeling and authenticity. The enlightenment men- prepared to think their way through problems- are giving ground to a set of bleeding hearts who are looking for someone to blame.

Comments

[lblanchard.livejournal.com]

"The enlightenment men- prepared to think their way through problems- are giving ground to a set of bleeding hearts who are looking for someone to blame."

Gulp...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It's a scary story...

It's remarkable how little it takes to tip an all powerful state into anarchy. An order is given- and disobeyed- and no order from that source will ever be obeyed again.

[lblanchard.livejournal.com]

Yep. Sort of like "we're in charge of this oil cleanup," and the responses of the State of Louisiana and a couple of Florida counties, basically telling them where they could shove their plans.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Obama is in a tricky position. He's got to look as if he's strong and in control, when, of course, he's almost completely impotent.