Hi readers. Thanks for coming by for a read.
Yesterday I rammed my way through physical therapy and came away feeling like a million bucks a hundred bucks. When I arrived back at Jeanne’s house I had life left in me I hadn’t squandered yet, so we decided to brave the heat and visit the National WWI Museum. The day was warm, but a lot cooler than the average first week of July would have a person expecting.
Anyway, that museum is impressive. Didn’t attempt to dream up any serious rationale for that war having been justified in any way. On the part of any of the parties involved. Didn’t do any more flag waving than old propaganda posters high enough on the walls so’s a person had to stretch the neck to view them. And some were in French, German.
Sure, they did have a copy of the Zimmerman telegram on display, translated. But nobody trying to keep a straight face saying it justified the US entering the blood bath. Too much has happened since then to allow any rosy cheekism on that score. Been far too many Zimmerman telegrams written in US English over the century since.
What they did do was display roughly a thousand small arms, hand grenades, field artillery, aircraft, mortars, vehicles and several thousand photographs. Firearms were redundant and soon became a blur. A home made reproduction of shell crater 20 feet deep with a lot of war debris in it was graphic, made for a nice demo. Peep holes into trenches watching men doing war things in trenches also. The kids visiting loved it, and I didn’t think it was the worst way to get across a concept that is WWI.
Reminded me vaguely of a cross between the Empirial War Museum in the old Bedlam Hospital for the mentally ill in London, and the Admiral Nimitz Museum of the Pacific War in Kerrville, Texas [before Texas Parks and Wildlife took it over and ruined it]. Which puts it up there head and shoulders above most museuems I’ve ever visited.
No RARARAH we’uns won flagwaving Hurray for the US patriotic idiosyncracies, no hint any lives given weren’t entirely in vain, was pleasant. And there were maps on the walls allowing you to examine how many countries all over the world were dragged into the bloodbath by the mere misfortune of being part of the British Empire. How many because they were part of the French Empire, etc etc etc [in the manner of the King of Siam].
Seems to me the yardstick that fit best serves is that repeatedly inside in front of displays and later as we left, Jeanne remarked. “This was worth it. I’m glad we did this.” Jeanne has zero interest in wars, WWI, anything of that sort.
It was worth it. I’m glad we did it, too.
Old Jules
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So Far From Heaven 