December 30, 2007

• Culture Wars continued...

  The Christmas Tiger

  Part I:
  The Gauntlet

  On Jonah Goldberg's new book Liberal Fascism-- an attack on, among others, Woodrow Wilson:

  "'... at some point,' Goldberg writes, 'it is necessary to throw down the
  gauntlet, to draw a line in the sand, to set a boundary, to cry at long
  last, "Enough is enough."'"

  The Goldberg declaration is from a review in today's New York Times titled "Heil Woodrow!"

  
  Part II:
  Uncle Duke
  Goes to Washington

  Today's Doonesbury:

  

  
  Part III:
  A Holiday Tradition

  Dialogue from the classic Capra film "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"--
  

  SUMMERS: When the country needs men up there who know and have courage as it never did before, he's just gonna decorate a chair and get himself honored.

  DARRELL: Oh, but he'll vote! Sure. Just like his colleague tells him to.

  DIZ: "Yes, sir," like a Christmas tiger. He'll nod his head and vote...

  REPORTERS: "Yes."

  DIZ: You're not a Senator! You're an honorary stooge! You ought to be shown up!

  The film starred
  James Stewart,
  Princeton
  Class of 1932.

  
  

  Part IV:
  The Tigers of Princeton

  The Christmas evening Pennsylvania Lottery 4-digit number was 0666, the Christian "number of the beast." For the beast itself, see the Dec. 3 Log24 entry "Santa's Polar Opposite?" with its link to a discussion of a metaphorical tiger at the South Pole. A more realistic version of the beast appeared in the news on Christmas evening.

  The Christmas number may also be interpreted as a reference to 6/6/6, the graduation date of the Class of 2006 at Princeton University.

  
  Part V:
  "Heil Woodrow!"

  As noted above, this title from a book review in today's New York Times refers to Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States (1913-1921) and President of Princeton University (1902-1910).

  A suitable heraldic emblem
  to accompany the Goldberg Heil:

  
  
  The Princeton Shield

  For another heraldic emblem
  related, if only in this journal,
  to Princeton, see
  Religious Symbolism
  at Princeton:
  

  

  Goldberg might prefer,
  for his Heil,
  the following variation:

  Fahne, S. H. Cullinane, Aug. 15, 2003

  Dr. Mengele, according to Hollywood

  Click on the Fahne (flag)
  for further details.

  Goldberg might also enjoy

  An Unsuitable Santa:

  
  Santa from Aaron Sorkin's
  Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

  Related material:

  Taking Christ to Studio 60

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