The Speaker's House Has a Blog

Those of us who live in Virginia are downright spoiled by the presence of historic homes. Just within a few-mile radius of Charlottesville, we have Monticello (home of Thomas Jefferson), Montpelier (home of James Madison), and Ash Lawn-Highland (home of James Monroe). There are also Mount Vernon (home of George Washington) and Gunston Hall (home of George Mason) in Northern Virginia, the John Marshall House and the White House of the Confederacy in Richmond, John Tyler's plantation house (Sherwood Forest in Charles City County), Stratford Hall (birthplace of Robert E. Lee), and many more.

Up in Trappe, Pennsylvania (I'm sure you've never heard of it) is a home belonging to the first Speaker of the House of Representatives, Frederick Muhlenberg. Long in disrepair, the Speaker's House, as it has come to be known, has recently been rescued by a non-profit group and will soon be open to the public for tours just like our stately homes in Virginia.

I visited the Speaker's House in 2006, I photoblogged about it a while back.

Now it turns out that the historians working on the Speaker's House have started a blog of their own, which you can find here. It looks like the blog will be used to alert people to activities and events attached to the Speaker's House:

This blog will post updates on the renovation done to the House, any new artifacts or historical records discovered in connection with the House, interesting historical facts and anecdotes about the House and its inhabitants, and best of all, your story.

Don’t forget to come to our Bar-b-que and Open House Fundraiser on July 26, 2008, 11:30 AM – 7:00 PM. Check out our announcement on our Home Page!

The blog is an effort, in addition to the Speaker's House web site, to bring the Frederick Muhlenberg House (and Muhlenberg himself) to the attention of the history-hungry public.

Although Muhlenberg may seem obscure when compared to such giants as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, or Alexander Hamilton, he played an important role in the founding of this country and its constitutional order: In addition to being the Speaker of the House in the First Congress, Muhlenberg was a member of the Continental Congress, a delegate to the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention, and the first signer of what we know as the Bill of Rights.

Update on the Oklahoma Three

On April 2, I posted some video of citizen activist Paul Jacob, who was being interviewed by WINA-AM radio host Rob Schilling about the initiative process, term limits, the taxpayers' bill of rights (TABOR), and related issues.

During the interview, Paul spoke about how he and two colleagues were being prosecuted in Oklahoma in a blatantly political fashion.

Now there is an update on the "Oklahoma Three" (as they're known) and what they may be facing in the weeks to come.

From the web site "freepauljacob.com" comes this news:

On July 23, the Oklahoma Three—Paul and his two co-defendants, Rick Carpenter and Susan Johnson—will have a preliminary hearing in Oklahoma City. At the hearing, the government must establish enough evidence to convince a judge to schedule a trial.

Theoretically, at least. In reality, it is rare for a judge to dismiss a case at this stage no matter how skimpy the evidence or twisted the logic of the charge.

A number of citizens and groups in Oklahoma, as well as in neighboring states, will be attending the hearing, which begins at 9:00 am on Wednesday, July 23. If you’d like to attend the hearing or events being held the day before, or have any questions about it, please email Brandon Holmes at bholmes@samadamsalliance.org.

Paul has been inspired by how pro-initiative citizens in Oklahoma are working to reform the petition process. During the recent legislative session, Attorney General Drew Edmondson vigorously lobbied Senate Democrats to block a bill to do nothing more than create a task force to study the state’s chained and neutered initiative process. Foes of direct democracy managed to thwart that proposal. But the issue isn’t going away.

According to a 2007 poll, 92% of Oklahomans support the right of citizen initiative. Yet, thanks to adverse court rulings or the sheer difficulty of the petition process, voters have been able to cast ballots on only two of 23 citizen initiatives filed this decade. (See The Oklahoman’s editorial about the hamstringing of the process.)

Now Oklahomans for Initiative Rights is doing what the legislature has refused to do—launching its own citizen task force to study the state’s petition process and make recommendations for reform.

The Attorney General’s assault against the Oklahoma Three is vindictive and outrageous. But it may also spur some much needed change. Stay tuned.

Many Americans who have used the initiative process to achieve justice will be watching these proceedings in Oklahoma to see if the rule of law is maintained, or if citizen activism just becomes another in a long list of crimes imposed by the political class on the rest of us.

What I Missed on Tuesday Morning

Business matters kept me away from the monthly Tuesday Morning Group Coalition meeting in Richmond today, but Steven Latimer helped fill the gap by providing a summary of the proceedings.

Apparently the host of the meeting, John Taylor of Tertium Quids, minced no words with regard to the special legislative session on transportation. Latimer notes:

Taylor reported that when he spoke with newly minted Republican Party of Virginia chairman Jeff Frederick, Frederick said that he did not anticipate that Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw's bill to increase the gas tax would be supported. Taylor then assailed HB 6055, describing it as "3202 - part deux" -- a reference to last year's unpopular HB 3202, parts of which were unanimously declared unconstitutional by the Virginia Supreme Court. According to Taylor, HB 3202 allowed regional transportation authorities to levy taxes, whereas HB 6055 would allow municipalities to increase taxes. Taylor finished by referring to Republicans who support tax increases as "weak sisters."

And that's just a taste of what went on. Read Steven's blog to find out more.

Jesse Helms Dead at 86

Reuters is reporting that former Senator Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) is dead at the age of 86.

Coulrophobes everywhere breathe a sigh of relief.

Liveblogging President Bush at Monticello

From the air-conditioned comfort of my living room, I am watching this year's naturalization ceremony at Monticello, with featured guest speaker George W. Bush. Channel 29 (WVIR-TV) is covering the event live, with Crystal Cameron on the scene and the Charlottesville Municipal Band playing in the background.

Seventy-six immigrants are being sworn in as American citizens today.

Black-robed members of the judiciary are taking their seats on the platform on the west front of the house at Monticello. Governor Tim Kaine is in attendance, as well as First Lady Ann Holton.

The band is playing Ruffles and Flourishes, and "Hail to the Chief." The President is introduced.

Dan Jordan takes the podium. "What a magnificent day, and let's give a hand to the Charlottesville Municipal Band." He welcomes everyone on behalf of his wife and the trustees of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation. He notes that we are celebrating what Mr. Jefferson "that great charter of independence... an everlasting and universal expression of self-evident truths."

Jordan says we "honor the men and women who wear our country's uniform whose sacrifices make it possible for us to be here today," and he singles out a gentleman on the platform. He thanks the President and Governor for being here. (Jordan does not mention that this will be his last time presiding over this annual event, as he has announced his retirement.)

Jordan presents Judge John Charles Thomas to read the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence. (See last year's video post to hear what he says.)

The platform looks a bit more formidable than in years past. A black ruffle surrounds the stage, about waist-high.

Alice Handy takes the microphone to quote Jefferson, a few days before his death. She mentions the three previous presidents who joined us at Monticello to celebrate Independence Day: Roosevelt, Truman, and Ford. "Today that number becomes four, with George W. Bush." She introduces the President, who is cheered and applauded.

The president takes the microphone. "I am thrilled to be in Monticello."

Protesters erupt in heckles. Bush says, "We believe in free speech in the United States of America."

"This is a fitting place to celebrate the Fourth of July. Thomas Jefferson said he would rather celebrate the Fourth of July than his own birthday. For me it's easy: the Fourth of July weekend is my birthday weekend."

Bush addresses the new citizens-to-be.

More protests erupt in the background. Bush mentions the governor, Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling, Attorney General Bob McDonnell, and other distinguished guests.

More protesters in the background. Also applause.

Bush thanks the Thomas Jefferson Foundation for "preserving this treasure," Monticello, which he calls "the first western White House."

He mentions how "late in life, he founded a public university that has become one of the nation's finest, the University of Virginia." Applause.

"It seems," he says, that Thomas Jefferson "got away with delivering only two public speeches during his presidency. I am sure there are people who wish that were the case today." Applause, then more hecklers shouting in the background.

Bush moves beyond the quips to the substance of his speech. Text will no doubt be posted to whitehouse.gov later today.

Bush says that on this occasion, "we pay tribute to the brave men and women who wear the uniform of the United States of America." Great applause, standing ovation (even from the judges, who should know better).

Loud hecklers in the background. Apparently David Swanson did a good job in organizing.

"This love of liberty is what binds our nation together," says Bush.

Bush mentions a Burmese immigrant who lives in Charlottesville. "The desire for freedom burns inside every man, woman, and child."

"I wish you all a happy Fourth of July. Thanks for inviting me.... May God continue to bless the United States of America." Speech ends. It was short; shorter than 15 minutes.

The Clerk of the Court opens the session. Judge James B. Jones is presiding and takes the microphone. It looks like J. Harvie Wilkinson is sitting to his right and behind the podium.

The names of the new citizens are read out. The immigrants walk up to the platform as their names are read. You have to give the clerk credit for pronouncing all those names in unusual languages.

The list of names is long.

Judge Jones administers the oath of citizenship, which is much wordier than the oath of office taken by the President on Inauguration Day. (Perhaps ironically, because the President is required to be native-born, he never has to take the oath of citizenship.)

Judge Jones declares the immigrants to be "citizens of the United States of America." Lengthy applause from the crowd. He invites the President to assist him in welcoming the new citizens.

Each new citizen walks across the stage to shake the President's hand and receive the certificate of citizenship. The Charlottesville Municipal Band begins to play a medley of Irving Berlin songs, starting with "This Is the Army."

The president poses for photos with some of the new Americans.

Shane Edinger and Steve Rappaport of Channel 29 provide color commentary from the studio. It reminds me of coverage of the Tournament of Roses Parade.

President Bush looks like he's really in his element. There's no doubt that he enjoys meeting and chatting with each of these new citizens. He's all smiles, standing tall, shoulders broad. For their part, the new citizens are beaming.

Edinger notes that the President flew in on Marine One today, landed at Monticello High School and then took a motorcade to Monticello from there.

Steve Rappaport mentions that Channel 29 meteorologist Clayton Stiver is a member of the Charlottesville Municipal Band.

The presentation of certificates ends. Judge Jones says "ladies and gentlemen, we can now truly address you as 'our fellow citizens.'"

Jones mentions the other judges on the platform: Wilkinson, Judge Allison Duncan from Raleigh, Judge Sam Wilson from Western District in Roanoke, Judge Norman Moon from Lynchburg, Judge Glen Conrad, Judge Jim Turk from Radford, Judge Dan P. Jordan III of the Southern District of Mississippi in Jackson. "He is the son of our beloved Dan Jordan." Judge Crigler of Charlottesville, Judge William Webb from the Eastern District of North Carolina.

Judge Jones asks Judge Wilkinson to say a few words.

Wilkinson: "I want to welcome our new citizens. I feel like giving each and every one of you a big bear hug... We couldn't be happier to see you.

"It's such a pleasure to see the president on this Independence Day. He and I were at college together and I can tell you that he was widely liked and widely admired.

"This is Dan Jordan's last naturalization ceremony as president of Monticello, and that hardly seems possible. He's been here for 25 years and he has enhanced Thomas Jefferson's legacy in the most magnificent way. He's faced some difficult and delicate controversies and he's met them with a healing and inclusive spirit....

"This is a day of family pride...

"Do you know what my favorite part of the Fourth of July is? Do you think it's the fireworks, perhaps? I love fireworks.... But as much as I love fireworks, that's not my favorite part of the Fourth of July.

"Do you think my favorite part of the Fourth of July is the Charlottesville Municipal Band?...

"I love to see the Pledge of Allegiance ... I particularly admire the Boy Scouts because I wanted to be an Eagle Scout, but I stopped at being a Tenderfoot. I couldn't tie the knots....

"The favorite part of my day is the chance to hear from you, the new citizens, because of everything you did and went through to get here. Think of all those documents you had to fill out. We had an expression in the Army called 'hurry up and wait.'...

"The wait is over now, and here you are. I want to express my appreciation to the senior citizens among you, who have waited all their lives for this day, and for those young folks....

"It's a two-way street. It's not about us telling you what America means to you. It's about America in your own words. So if some of you would ... tell us what it means to you to be here today, to say a few words about America from your heart. You might think, 'well, the President's here, I might be embarrassed'... but don't be embarrassed. If you speak from your heart, you'll do just fine.

"Congratulations to each and every one of you."

Judge Jones notes that it has been the tradition to ask the new citizens to say a few words, and invites them to come to the microphone.

Mary McFadyen (sp?) came to the United States from Scotland over 30 years ago. She is the first to take the microphone. She thanks her friends and neighbors from Herndon, Virginia. She thanks the President for giving her the inspiration to complete the naturalization process.

A man takes the microphone and says, "I am proud to be an American."

Zenia Diaz (sp?) from El Salvador says "I came here when I was ten years old, I have lived here half my life.... I am very happy and I am speechless."

A man with an unspellable name from India says "It is a great opportunity to be an American."

Another former Indian citizen says he came here to seek "a better life for my family." "Some people don't like the freedom that we live," he adds, and thanks the President.

A woman says she has lived here for about 11 years. "What I am asking, Mr. President, I need Iraq to come back to peace with God's help."

A man from Burma who has been here about six years says "I am very proud to be a U.S. citizen. Thank you."

Jason Kim says he has spent half of his life in Korea and half of it here. "The reason I am proud to be an American now is that the United States is a country where God brought people of different races ... religions ... together."

Judge Jones says "Those remarks mean a great deal to all of us."

Judge Jones says that Mr. Carl Proffitt will lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Mr. Proffitt landed in the first wave on D-Day in 1944.

The Clerk declares the Court "stands adjourned."

Dan Jordan returns to the podium. He congratulates the new citizens and their families. He thanks the President for his presence and his remarks. The President waves to the crowd, acknowledging their applause. Jordan thanks Judge Wilkinson.

The National Anthem is played by John D'earth. The crowd stands and is invited to sing along. (It's hard to hear if any of them do. The solo trumpet predominates. The crowd makes the right choice in listening rather than singing.)

Jordan says the program is ended but asks everyone to remain in place. The president exits through the house and says "congratulations."

Edinger and Rappaport come back to give their voice-over. The camera returns to the studio.

Crystal Cameron is back. "Quite a morning, indeed, Steve," she says. "This is truly what America is all about.... Hopes, dreams, and opportunities they could never even imagine in their homelands.... Quite an awe-inspiring morning... Overall the event was pretty peaceful."

Cameron says the president spoke for about five minutes and he was interrupted by protesters. "In classic George W. Bush style, he took it in and he smirked and said free speech is what it's all about," says Cameron.

The departing crowd closes in on Cameron and begins to interview individuals. One says: "People who stayed away missed a great day."

Someone says "it was the wrong place and the wrong day for protesters."

That's it for liveblogging. The whole thing took about an hour and ten minutes. Now it's time to enjoy the rest of the day.

Happy Independence Day, readers!

Update: The MSM is now reporting on the event. The Washington Post has an AP story on line here. NBC 29 has a text report here. WCAV-TV (another local Charlottesville station) has its report here. Business Wire has a transcript of the President's remarks.

Remembrances of Independence Days Past - Part I

Today (July 4, 2008) will see President George W. Bush speaking at Monticello's Independence Day celebration. He is the fourth sitting president to do so, following Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936, Harry S Truman in 1947, and Gerald R. Ford in the Bicentennial Year of 1976.

Eight years ago, the principal speaker at the ceremony was, like Monticello's builder and first owner, a U.S. Secretary of State. At the swearing in of some six dozen new American citizens, Dr. Madeleine Albright spoke about her own experience as an immigrant to the United States and of the contributions foreign-born Americans have made to our culture and our communities.

I covered the event that year for the Metro Herald in Alexandria. It was my first time visiting Monticello on the Fourth of July and certainly not my last. (Last year I used the new citizen-journalist tool, YouTube, to post video of the event.)

This article appeared in the Metro Herald on July 7, 2000:

ON THE MOUNTAINTOP: A CELEBRATION OF CITIZENSHIP AND FREEDOM
Rick Sincere
Metro Herald Charlottesville Bureau Chief

Atop the “little mountain” he called by its Italian name, Monticello, Thomas Jefferson reflected on life and liberty, wrote thousands of letters, and received many visitors from Virginia and elsewhere.

As the epitaph on his gravestone, Mr. Jefferson chose to be remembered for only three things: that he was the father of the University of Virginia, the author of Virginia’s statute on religious liberty, and the author of the Declaration of Independence.

Mr. Jefferson died on the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, just after noon in the bedroom that was the center of his life in the home he built at Monticello.

Every year since 1963, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation – which owns and runs Monticello as a monument to the third president – has sponsored a ceremony on the anniversary of American independence and Mr. Jefferson’s death at which immigrants to the United States take the oath of citizenship, forsaking their foreign allegiances to become true Americans.

On July 4, 2000, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was the keynote speaker at a ceremony on the West Lawn of Monticello. Nearly 80 adults from 27 foreign countries took the oath of citizenship, and nine children adopted into American families were given certificates of citizenship.

Secretary Albright, herself an immigrant (from Czechoslovakia) and a naturalized American citizen, welcomed her new compatriots in a brief but impassioned speech.

Speaking of her own arrival in New York Harbor at the age of 11, a refugee from Communist tyranny after previously fleeing Nazi occupation, Albright remembered her doubts and worries. But, she said, “I should not have been worried. At its best, America’s embrace is as vast as this continent is broad. We [her family] were welcomed, given refuge, and provided the chance to make new friends and build new lives in freedom.”

Addressing the concerns of those who fear the aliens among us, Albright reminded us that America is richer for its immigrants. Today, she said, “we see the contributions of immigrants everywhere in the vitality of our neighborhoods, the health of our economy, the strength of our democracy, and the enduring miracle of our unity.”

Gently scolding those xenophobes who would have prevented her and such eminences as Albert Einstein, Mother Frances Cabrini, and Andrew Grove from coming to America and helping to make it great, Albright noted: “There are some who resent all this and think that the day after they entered is the day the door to America should have swung shut. Let us pray that day never comes. For our nation needs the continued refreshment of new sources of energy and strength.”

It would have been impolite to fail to make note of the day’s host, Mr. Jefferson. So Secretary Albright paid tribute to him by saying that “the mind that conceived Monticello’s original design also helped to conceive an approach to government that had never truly been tried before. It was based on a conception of the individual not as a mere subject to the throne, but as a citizen with responsibilities and rights, and tracing all the powers of government back to the will and consent of the people.”

Those principles, Albright added, “fueled a revolution and launched America on its journey from wilderness to greatness – with important milestones of slavery’s abolition and the full enfranchisement of women and minorities along the way.”

Not content to make a speech and then return to her duties in Washington, Secretary Albright stood alongside the new Americans as they were sworn in by Samuel G. Wilson, the chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia. She took the oath of citizenship with them and then greeted each one of them individually, shaking their hands and presenting them with the certificates proving their new nationality.

Also speaking at the ceremony were former Virginia Supreme Court Justice John Charles Thomas, who read the stirring opening section of Mr. Jefferson’s Declaration (“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness…”), and James H. Michael, Jr., the senior U.S. District Judge, who tried to explain, in a few words, how the day’s ceremony was not the end of a journey for the new citizens, but a beginning. Opening remarks were provided by Daniel P. Jordan, president of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, and the Foundation’s chairman, Benton S. Halsey. The ceremony closed with the Pledge of Allegiance led by local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and the assembly sang the National Anthem, accompanied by the Charlottesville Municipal Band.

All photos by Rick Sincere.

(Special thanks to the Metro Herald's Greg Roscoe for digging up this piece from the newspaper's dusty archives.)

But Who Can Fill Those Shoes?

Larry Harmon, who portrayed Bozo the Clown and made the character famous, is dead.

Coulrophobes everywhere breathe a sigh of relief.

My New Blog

Faithful readers, be not afraid: The headline above does not portend the abandonment of this blog but rather the addition of another.

After becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of copy editing in daily newspapers, which leads to factual errors, grammatical mistakes, and syntactical loopiness landing in print, I decided to create a narrowly-focused blog to point out such items.

You can find it here, at "Where Are the Copy Editors?", also powered by Blogger.

From time to time, I may cross-post items on both that blog and this one.

Read, enjoy, and feel free to add your own examples when you find them.

Constitutional Fact Check

Perhaps it is understandable, if not entirely excusable, when a historian makes a factual mistake in something he writes, when the mistake deals with more recent events than those he is describing.

But one would think that a prestigious newspaper like the Washington Post would have fact-checkers on staff to make sure that errors do not end up in print, especially on the heavily-visited op-ed page.

In a piece published Wednesday, "Three Cheers for July Second,"Andrew Trees -- who used to teach at a tony New York private academy, Horace Mann School, until a racy roman à clef called Academy X got him in hot water -- talks about the how John Adams predicted that our big national holiday would be celebrated on July 2, the day the Continental Congress voted for independence (two days before the Declaration of Independence was subsequently approved). Trees makes this suggestion:

I propose we make July 2 a national holiday to celebrate the Founders for some of their greatest but least appreciated attributes -- their mistakes.

Irony alert: Later in his article, Trees writes about the originally proposed amendments that led to the Bill of Rights:

The Bill of Rights as we know it also is not what was initially proposed. The original first two amendments, one of which concerned the number of constituents each member of Congress had and one regarding congressmen's salaries, were never ratified by the states. What we think of today as our First Amendment freedoms were actually third on the list.

"Never ratified by the states"? Um, perhaps the first one, but not the second.

What could have been the First (or Second) Amendment eventually became the Twenty-Seventh Amendment, ratified on May 7, 1992. It is the most recent amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the one that took the longest path from proposal to ratification. It reads, according to the National Archives:

AMENDMENT XXVII

Originally proposed Sept. 25, 1789. Ratified May 7, 1992.

No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of representatives shall have intervened.

Trees may have missed this development, focused as he was the "delicious, malicious stuff" (in Jonathan Yardley's words) recounted in Academy X. If he didn't learn about the 27th Amendment while writing his book, The Founding Fathers and the Politics of Character (could that require another irony alert?), then at least the Post's opinion pages staff should have caught the error.

Or maybe it's just one more mistake for us to celebrate on July 2.

Lamentation for Independence Day

The editorial board of the Jewish Daily Forward gets it exactly right in the June 26 issue, written in anticipation of Independence Day one week from now. Under the headline, "The Gift of Freedom," the Forward says:

Most of us seldom give much thought to the Fourth of July. It’s one of the most important holidays on our national calendar, one of the very few that is observed simultaneously by all Americans without regard to faith, origin or regional whim. It is, some say, the only holiday specifically dedicated to celebrating this nation. For all that, we mostly celebrate with barbecues or trips to the beach. If we seek some holiday spirit, we might watch a parade or catch some fireworks. A few of us might even get to thinking — some joyfully, others with mixed feelings — about patriotism, the flag or our soldiers overseas.

Ever since I moved to Charlottesville (with, I think, one exception), I have spent the morning of the Fourth of July on top of Mr. Jefferson's Little Mountain to celebrate Independence Day with new citizens as they take their oath of naturalization at the able hands of judges from the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Over the years the speakers have included Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (in 2000; photo at left), author Frank McCourt, newspaper publisher Al Neuharth, artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, and actor Sam Waterston (in 2007, photo below) (I've been hoping that late-night talk show host Craig Ferguson will be invited soon; he became an American citizen in February and talked about the process on his show -- his pride in being an AmCit is palpable.)

I've been lucky in that some years I've gone as "press" (even before I was blogging) and usually had a great seat in the media corral. Consequently, I've got some terrific pictures and (last year, for the first time) video. In addition, Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville take turns, year by year, in setting up a voter registration table to grab the new citizens before it's too late.

I won't be going up the mountain this year, however, because although it was earlier announced that the speaker would be documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, today the word went out that Burns has been bumped by Bush -- President George W. Bush, that is.

It's not that I have any objection in principle to the president speaking. Under other circumstances, it could be interesting. But his presence is going to cause inconvenience of major proportions. What has been a rather informal, local event -- the Charlottesville Municipal Band plays patriotic tunes, local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts lead the Pledge of Allegiance -- will be turned into a circus.

Normally, anyone can attend the naturalization ceremony. It requires no ticket, no entry fee. People are free to wander the grounds. (The ceremony ends just before noon, so that those who wish to do so can walk down to Mr. Jefferson's gravesite to observe a family service commemorating the anniversary of his death.)

None of that will be true this year. Security will be at a premium. People will be searched, prodded, and scrutinized for their political opinions. It won't be fun, entertaining, or informative -- just a hassle.

It's not just the metal detectors and body cavity searches that concern me. When President Bush comes to a public event, those who disagree with him are discouraged from attending -- sometimes even prevented from attending by force. What will happen if someone shows up with t-shirts indicating support for Barack Obama or Ron Paul? Or t-shirts with slogans like "The Constitution Means What It Says," "Stop the War!," or "What Part of 'Limited Government' Don't You Understand?"? (Placards and signs of any sort will, of course, be forbidden, though t-shirts can be hidden under other garments and displayed at the right moment.) Will Albemarle County police be on hand to arrest people for exercising their First Amendment rights?

This won't be the first time a sitting U.S. President has spoken at Monticello on July 4th. In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford was the featured speaker. Unlike our current president, Ford was modest in his approach to the office. (Churchill might have said he "has a lot to be modest about," but he would have been incorrect.)

Ford inherited the White House from another president who, like Bush, failed to understand that the Constitution provides for three co-equal branches of government. Like Bush, Richard Nixon tried to expand the powers of the presidency with utter disregard for Congress and the Courts. Like Bush, Nixon was paranoid and rigid, with little understanding for free markets or individual liberty. Nixon famously compiled an "enemies list" of those who disagreed with him on policy issues.

Ford, in contrast, understood that Congress and the Courts also had a role to play in the making of public policy. He rejected the "imperial presidency" model, although his chief of staff (later vice president) Dick Cheney took away from the Ford White House a festering theory of the "unified presidency," which manifests itself in such things as "signing statements" in which the President, rather than vetoing a bill as provided by the Constitution, signs it but explains what parts he feels the Executive Branch can disobey. (Ford vetoed more bills in a month than Bush has vetoed in the entire eight years of his presidency.)

One of the traditions at the Monticello Independence Day celebration is for the Clerk of the Circuit Court to read the preamble to the Declaration of Independence (the part that begins, "When in the course of human events ...")

Wouldn't it be delicious if this year, in addition to the preamble, he could also read the bill of indictment that makes up the core of the Declaration? For those unfamiliar with it, here are a few lines of reminder:

The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good...

He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only...

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands.

He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers.

He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislature.

He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation:...

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury:

For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses:...

For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments:...

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation...

In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people....

While I would love to see the expression on George Bush's face as that text is being read out, I still prefer to spend my Fourth of July without being wanded by a security guard. So I expect I'll be as far from Monticello this year as possible. I may even head up to D.C. for the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival and the fireworks on the National Mall.

Leave it to this White House to ruin the Fourth of July.

Update, Monday, June 30: Monticello has announced that there will be a limited number of tickets available to the ceremony on July 4. Only one thousand free tickets will be distributed beginning at 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 2. I wonder whether the friends and family members of the new citizens will be required to get those tickets, or if they have another means to attend the ceremony.

Hunter Parrish, Hunted Celebrity

Hunter Parrish, who plays teen hunk "Silas" on the Showtime cable TV series, Weeds, is unusually popular these days. I have seen a rush of hits today (and in recent weeks) from people looking for him.

According to SiteMeter, these are the twelve most popular searches leading to my blog:

hunter parrish shirtless
circumcised celebrities
hunter parrish nude
hunter parrish gay
josh hutcherson shirtless
hunter parrish naked
tyler whitney
rick sincere
aaron carter drugs
us airways sucks
mark ellmore
"hunter parrish" shirtless

Republican congressional candidate Mark Ellmore must be pleased to find himself in eleventh place, directly behind "US Airways sucks" and close on the heels of "Aaron Carter drugs."

I wonder if anyone is having success in finding nude/naked/shirtless pictures of Hunter Parrish or his nearest rival on this list, Josh Hutcherson.

Update: Hunter Parrish continues to be unusually popular, especially on nights that Weeds is on TV.


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Mamma Mia! Comes to Washington

The national tour of Mamma Mia! (best known as "the ABBA musical") arrives tonight in Washington, D.C. The show opens at the National Theatre on Pennsylvania Avenue for a two-week run.

I interviewed one of the members of the cast, Rebecca Covington, for the Metro Herald. Here's the result of that interview.

Mamma Mia! Comes to Washington:
An Interview with Cast Member Rebecca Covington
Rick Sincere
Metro Herald Entertainment Editor

Mamma Mia!, the West End and Broadway musical with the songs of ABBA (written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus), comes to Washington for two-week engagement ending on July 13, just in time for the debut of the film version of the stage hit. (The film opens July 18 and stars Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan.)

Now in its tenth year in London and after six years on Broadway, Mamma Mia!’s national tour comes to the National Theatre from Denver and St. Louis, on its way to Philadelphia, Cleveland, Tampa, and Chicago.

Leading the cast of 30 is Susie McMonagle as Donna Sheridan, the independent single mother whose carefree past catches up with her on the eve of her daughter's wedding. Prior to Mamma Mia!, Susie could be seen on Broadway as Fantine in Les Misérables and in the National Tours of The Secret Garden, The Sound of Music, Les Misérables, and Pump Boys and Dinettes. Bride-to-be Sophie Sheridan is played by Rose Sezniak, who is a recent graduate of Catholic University in Washington, D.C. Her fiancé Sky is played by Geoffrey Hemingway.

Kittra Wynn Coomer and Michelle Dawson play Donna's best friends and former back-up band, Rosie and Tanya (respectively), who reunite with their best friend on the island for Sophie's wedding. The three men from Donna's past and Sophie's possible dads are John Hemphill (Sam Carmichael), Martin Kildare (Bill Austin), and Michael Aaron Lindner (Harry Bright). Sophie's and Sky's best friends are played by Rebecca Covington (Ali), Nicole Laurenzi (Lisa), Adam Kaokept (Pepper), and Anthony CeFala (Eddie).

The Metro Herald had an opportunity to speak with cast member Rebecca Covington, who was on the road with Mamma Mia! in Denver, about her life in the theatre, how she came to join this production, and her previous visits to Washington, D.C.

Covington was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky, where she showed early signs of musical talent. She started playing the violin at the age of two. “My older brother was playing violin,” she said, “and I begged to play it. That’s why I started so young, because it was in the house.”

Playing the violin led her to a local school for the performing arts, where she was a “violin major” by the time she was in the fourth grade. That is when she had her first experience on stage. “I did a show called Big Moment, Small World,” which was a Disney revue, and “I played a fork in ‘Be Our Guest.’”

The turning point in her life – when she decided to move from orchestra pit to the apron of the stage – came when “my orchestra went on tour in Europe and I saw a West End production of West Side Story.” At that moment, she said, “I knew that was what I wanted to do.”

Covington explains: “My mom was with me and she said afterward, ‘I saw you sitting on the edge of your seat the entire time.’ She knew that’s what I wanted to do.”

When the tour was over, Covington went back to her high school, where she became more involved in student theatrical productions. She went on to Belmont University in Nashville to pursue a bachelor’s degree in music and musical theatre. In college, she said, “I decided I was burned out on violin, but theatre was one thing I could not live without. So I decided to reroute my life.”

In college she participated in a series of shows: “Bye Bye Birdie, 42^nd Street, Crazy for You, Smokey Joe’s Café, Hello, Dolly!, Oklahoma! – we did two musicals a year and we stayed pretty busy. Raisin in the Sun was my only straight play while I was in college.”

Covington’s professional career began when she went to the Southeastern Theatre Conference, which, she explained, was like “a mass audition.” Each performer had 90 seconds to sing and do a monologue. As a result, she was invited to do an audition for a non-Equity touring company of Thoroughly Modern Millie. “I was so excited,” she said. “We were on the road for ten months. We closed after the matinee on June 11 in Newark, New Jersey, and I moved to New York City that night.”

Once in New York, Covington signed up with an agent, and “that allowed me to get going professionally.” And fast, too: “I started a production of Ain’t Misbehavin’ in September.” Covington’s other credits include Aida and Hair.

Covington came to the cast of Mamma Mia! through her agent. She auditioned in February 2007 and was added to the cast in March. “I am so thankful to be here,” she said. “I’ve been on the road with [this show] for a year and three months.”

The engagement at the National Theatre provides Covington with her first opportunity in years to visit the Nation’s Capital. “My middle school took a trip to Washington,” she said. “I’m excited to go back, because I’ve never experienced anything like the Fourth of July in D.C.” The contrast with Independence Day a year ago will be sharp: “Last year for the Fourth, we were in Canada. So we’re going from it not being a holiday to where it’s the mecca of celebration!”

Traveling with a show means living out of a suitcase, which can be a drain. “It’s hard to sleep in different hotel rooms,” said Covington, but “you try to keep healthy. I try to eat as well as I can. I also go running at the gym, lift weights, and try to walk around as much as possible.”

What does Covington think of Mamma Mia!? “It’s the most fun you will have in the theatre in one night. The energy is crazy, and the audience is on their feet,” from start to finish. “It’s so exciting.”

One might think that cast members of the stage show of Mamma Mia! might be worried about competition from the film. Not at all, says Covington. “We’re very excited about seeing the movie and how they do it.”

There are currently eleven productions of Mamma Mia! running concurrently around the world (nine permanent productions and two tours). The original cast recording of Mamma Mia! is available on Decca Broadway. For information about Mamma Mia! around the world, visit www.mamma-mia.com.

Tickets for Mamma Mia! may be purchased now through Telecharge only at Telecharge.com or by calling (800) 447-7400. Tickets are priced $46.50 to $91.50 plus service charge, with a limited number of premium seats available at $151.50. Tickets go on sale at the National Theatre box office Tuesday, May 27. For groups of 20 or more, call (866) 276-2947. For more information, call (202) 628-6161 or visit www.nationaltheatre.org.

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid...

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to Poodle Beach comes this summer blockbuster:

Gay Zombies - Watch more free videos

Will you be next?

Tainted Tomatoes

Salmonella is still in the news. Reuters reported earlier today:

U.S. food safety officials on Wednesday said more than 350 people have fallen ill in a Salmonella outbreak linked to certain types of tomatoes.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 383 people in 30 states have been infected with Salmonella Saintpaul, a rare strain of the bacteria.

The most recent report of onset is June 5 and at least 48 people have been hospitalized, CDC said.

Yesterday, the New York Times noted:

The Food and Drug Administration may never be able to pinpoint the origin of salmonella-tainted tomatoes that have sickened hundreds of people, an agency official said Wednesday.

“We may not ultimately know the farm where these came from,” Dr. David Acheson, the agency’s associate commissioner for foods, told reporters in a conference call. “Some trace-backs that we thought were looking pretty good have been falling apart.”

Dr. Acheson said he remained optimistic, but added, “I’m trying to be realistic.”

The agency is investigating a cluster of nine people who ate tomatoes at the same restaurant chain, but has not disclosed the chain’s name or location.

Finding the source may ultimately prove irrelevant as well as fruitless. (Can tomatoes be fruitless? That may be an oxymoron. But I digress.)

Last week in the Chicago Tribune, the former head of the FDA's office of biotechnology, Dr. Henry I. Miller, lamented:

Unfortunately, produce growers cannot protect us 100 percent of the time. A several-month-old outbreak of food poisoning first linked to a rare strain of bacteria called Salmonella Saintpaul in raw tomatoes is tied to at least 160 cases of illness in 16 states in the West, Midwest and Northeast.

Modern farming operations—especially the larger ones—already employ strict standards designed to keep food free of pathogens. And most often they're effective.

But because agriculture is an outdoor activity and subject to all manner of unpredictable challenges, there are limits to how safe we can make it. If the goal is to make a cultivated field completely safe from microbial contamination, the only definitive solution is to pave it over and build a parking lot on it. But we'd only be trading very rare agricultural mishaps for fender-benders.

Dr. Miller, who is the co-author (with Gregory Conko) of The Frankenfood Myth, suggests there are ways of building confidence in the food supply while making it safer:

In the longer term, technology has an important role—or more accurately, it would have if only the organic food advocates and other food-kooks would permit it.

Irradiation of food is an important, safe and effective tool that has been vastly underused, largely due to opposition from the organic food lobby and to government over-regulation. "If even 50 percent of meat and poultry consumed in the United States were irradiated, the potential impact of food-borne disease would be a reduction [of] 900,000 cases and 300 deaths [a year]," according to Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research at the University of Minnesota.

This point reminded me of an article I once wrote (history lesson alert) about the benefits of food irradiation. An early version appeared in The New York City Tribune in 1989; the version that appears below ran in The Metro Herald in August 1993:

The Benefits of Food Irradiation
Richard E. Sincere, Jr.

Nearly 40 percent of the poultry sold in the United States contains deadly salmonella bacteria. According to Consumers' Research magazine, 40,000 cases of salmonella infections are reported each year, though experts believe this is only the tip of the iceberg—the actual number could be between 400,000 and four million. At least 500 people die each year from salmonella infections.

Salmonella is present in a wide range of food products—chicken, beef, pork, shellfish, raw milk, eggs, and fish. It is almost impossible to avoid. A relatively safe, cheap, and simple method to prevent salmonella infections, however, is now available: ionized food processing, also known as "food irradiation."

Because "radiation" is the Freddie Krueger of the anti-consumer network—the nightmare of those groups founded and funded by Ralph Nader as well as all manner of anti-nuclear activist groups—ionized food processing has not yet been fully accepted by American consumers. Still, after more than 35 years of tests and experiments, we know more about food irradiation than almost any other form of food preservation.

The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations recommends ionized food processing—which uses low levels of safe radiation to break down the DNA of infectious bacteria and fungi—as a means of preserving food for the hungry people of the Third World.

USA Weekend magazine reported recently (August 20-22, 1993) that the beef industry may begin to use ionization techniques if a study it is currently conducting shows consumer support for the process. Beef producers probably have nothing to worry about. When Florida approved the sale of ionized food, one Miami supermarket chain, Lorenzo's, began selling irradiated food at premium prices—and customers, pleased by its longer shelf life, quickly bought up all the stock.

Still, fearmongering and irrational beliefs about radiation have prevented the general use of food ionization, to the disadvantage of American consumers. David Rothbard, president of the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT), a grass-roots consumers' organization, has noted: "Opponents of this technology are well organized and have succeeded in misleading the public, as well as many of our elected officials. Relying on flawed studies that have been rejected by almost every credible scientist, these opponents have used scare tactics to block the widespread use of this needed technology."

CFACT and two other groups, the American Council on Science and Health and the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology, have begun a nationwide campaign to encourage use of ionized food preservation. These groups work to educate consumers and grocers across the United States about ionized food preservation. Their message includes these points:

Food irradiation delays spoilage. We lose millions of dollars worth of produce and meats each year due to spoilage. Ionizing radiation can delay the spoilage of highly perishable fresh fish and shellfish, and prolong the shelf life of fruits like strawberries.

Food irradiation is a substitute for toxic pesticides. The American Council on Science and Health reports that "low-dose irradiation can kill insects in grains and other stored foods" and can substitute for fumigants like EDB (now banned by EPA regulations) that are hazardous to farm workers and food handlers.

Food irradiation eliminates trichinosis hazards in pork.

Food irradiation kills salmonella and other infectious germs.

Despite all these advantages, some vocal opposition to ionized food processing still exists. Explains Craig Rucker, executive director of CFACT: "While public demonstrations have intimidated some grocers to boycott ‘irradiated' food, the more serious obstacles to advancing the technology lie in the state legislatures. Most states have passed laws requiring companies to label ionized foods with the word ‘irradiated.'" The clear purpose of this legislation, he adds, "is to saddle ionized food with a negative nuclear connotation." (David Rothbard asks, "Why not just make the labels carry a picture of a mushroom cloud?")

Alaska, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, and other states are considering even more extreme legislation that would ban the sale and distribution of ionized foods; Maine, New York, and New Jersey have already instituted sales bans. These laws carry harsh penalties for offenders.

Fears of contamination from food irradiation are as foolish as fears about contamination from a microwave oven, a common household appliance. USA Weekend notes that despite opposition from some groups like the Beyond Beef campaign, "tests show no ill effects of irradiation." Every form of cooking is, in essence, a form of radiation. A barbecue uses the radiation from flames; sun-dried raisins use the radiation from the sun's rays; smoked salmon is preserved with the radiation of burning hickory; an egg is poached with electric stovetop radiation. To deny American consumers inexpensive, safe, and disease-free fruits, meats, and vegetables on the basis of anti-nuclear hysteria is simply bad policy.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Richard Sincere, vice chairman of the Libertarian Party of Virginia, is a candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates in the 49th District (Arlington County).

To be sure, irradiation is not a panacea that will prevent all food-borne illnesses, as Miller notes in his Chicago Tribune piece. (It will not destroy toxins produced by bacteria even as it destroys the bacteria themselves.) Still, Miller adds:

There is technology available today that could inhibit microorganisms' ability to grow within plant cells and block the synthesis of the bacterial toxins. This technology also can produce antibodies that can be administered to infected patients to neutralize the toxins and produce effective treatments for diarrhea, the primary symptom of food poisoning.

This solution may find its own opposition, however, because it involves recombinant DNA technology, also known as gene-splicing or genetic modification.

Who knew that Mary Shelley was really writing metaphorically about the attack of the killer tomatoes?

Hymn for a Sunday Evening

Sixty years ago tonight, television history was made. Or, perhaps, it would be better to say, television history began.

Philo Farnsworth and Lee DeForest aside, the raw cultural power of television as an entertainment medium arguably sprang forth from a show that premiered on Sunday, June 20, 1948, from a midtown Manhattan theatre that now serves as the home of The Late Show with David Letterman.

Yes, it was on that night that a newspaper columnist with no discernible talent as a performer became the most influential prime time television host of the twentieth century. Gossip columnist Ed Sullivan took the helm of a variety program called Toast of the Town and made Sunday night the first "must see TV" for the American family.

Over 23 years on the air, Sullivan brought opera stars, Broadway musicals, classical pianists, and Shakespearean actors into our homes -- along with jugglers, acrobats, plate-spinners, folk dancers, and a mouse called Topo Gigio.

So influential was the Sullivan show that it could make or break a Broadway musical.

In his memoir, The Street Where I Live, lyricist and librettist Alan Jay Lerner explains how bringing the stars of Camelot to the Ed Sullivan Show brought that production back from the brink of disaster. CBS was an investor in Camelot, which made what happened all the more significant.

"I have always had one way of judging if a play has gotten over or not," wrote Lerner:

If at ten o'clock on the morning after the opening there is a line at the box office window, the play is a hit. If there is not -- trouble is afoot. At ten o'clock I called the theatre. Trouble was afoot. But we still had an enormous advance sale and unquestionably the play would have a run. But how long? Nobody knew.

William Paley, the head of CBS, commissioned a Nielsen survey that concluded the "show could not possibly run past May."

The play had opened in December 1960, and the advance sale was based largely on the reputation of My Fair Lady, which had, like Camelot, been written by Lerner and Loewe, directed by Moss Hart, and starred Julie Andrews, as well as the distinguished Welsh actor, Richard Burton. The first few weeks floated on that advance. But Lerner continued:

I returned in February to a bleak Camelot. There was hardly any window sale at all and people were walking out of the theatre not by the dozens, but some nights by as much as two to three hundred. The album was rising slowly in the charts, but the word-of-mouth was not good and the chances of recovering the investment seemed infinitesimal.

The situation seemed hopeless. But, as Lerner put it,

And then came the miracle.

Three weeks before, Ed Sullivan, who then had the most popular variety show on television, had decided to do a full hour devoted to Lerner and Loewe. He had honored other composers and lyricists in the past and, in fact, it was the second time he had so honored us. The occasion was the fifth anniversary of My Fair Lady. The program usually consisted of a scene or two from whatever show the authors may have had running at the time, and a medley of their previous hits. When Ed, Fritz, and I were having a meeting to discuss the content of the show, I asked if we might be allowed to routine it ourselves. Ed, one of the most gracious gentlemen in television, gave us carte blanche.

It had always been the custom to do only the briefest possible moments from a current play, in order not to give too much of it away. What I had in mind was to do very little from My Fair Lady and then spend the last twenty minutes doing all the best songs and scenes from Camelot, much more than had ever been prsented before from any play running on Broadway.

The Sullivan Show was Sunday night. During the previous week the cast not only rehearsed the T.V. show but, under Moss's direction, the cuts and changes in the play as well. On the television show, Goulet sang "If Ever I Would Leave You"; Julie sang "Where Are the Simple Joys of Maidenhood?"; Richard did "Camelot"; and he and Julie together did "What Do the Simple Folk Do?" All in costume. And they were a smash.

The following morning I was awakened by a phone call from an excited manager at the Majestic Theatre. "You better come down here," he said, "and look at this." "Look at what?" I asked. He answered, "Just come and see what's going on at this box office." I got to the theatre as quickly as I could. For the first time there was a line halfway down the block.

That night the audience came to the theatre and saw the vastly improved musical that Moss had rehearsed the week before. And at eleven-fifteen the curtain came down! The reaction and the applause were overwhelming. The people came up the aisles raving.

Camelot was finally a hit.

Given Sullivan's background as a journalist who wrote mostly about Broadway and the entertainment world, it should come as no surprise that, when he came to television, he became Broadway's biggest booster. So big, in fact, that "Ed Sullivan" is the primary lyric of a song in the 1960 musical, Bye Bye Birdie, called "Hymn for a Sunday Evening." (In a case of life imitating art, Paul Lynde sang that song on The Ed Sullivan Show on June 12, 1960; the other guests that night included Dick Van Dyke as well as Louis Prima and Keely Smith.)

Two of the guests on the first episode of Toast of the Town were Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. No doubt they tried to resuscitate their failed experiment of a show, Allegro, which was then in its death throes. (It closed weeks later, on July 10, after only 315 performances -- a major disappointment after the blockbuster status of Oklahoma!, which had closed three weeks later after a five-year run, and Carousel, which enjoyed 890 performances.) Or perhaps they were plugging a show they hadn't written, but produced: Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun, which was in the midst of a three-year engagement of nearly 1,150 performances.

Television audiences who came upon Toast of the Town that first night would have seen the comedy team of Martin and Lewis -- Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, that is. And another comedy team, not so familiar to us now, called Goodman and Kirkwood. Other guests were John Kokoman, Kathryn Lee, Monica Lewis, Eugene List, and a dance troupe called "The Toastettes."

The Ed Sullivan Show went off the air on May 30, 1971, with a Memorial Day special. Generations of TV viewers have grown up without it, unless they have been fortunate enough to see individual episodes on DVD. (One set available for purchase, for example, includes the four episodes that featured the Beatles, whose debut on the Ed Sullivan Show was the biggest television event between Elvis' first appearance on that show and the moon landing -- which happened on a Sunday night (July 20, 1969), preempting Sullivan in favor of Neil Armstrong.) Sullivan's imprimatur made both Elvis and the Beatles (as well as the Rolling Stones, The Doors, and other rock acts) acceptable to Middle America.

While decidedly middlebrow in its approach, the Ed Sullivan Show brought highbrow culture into American homes along with the low-brow arts that appealed to the groundlings. Adults and children could watch together and know that, if what they were watching now is unsatisfying, they could wait five minutes and something more enjoyable would come along.

It's hard to believe it's been six decades.

Silent Flows the Don?

From Novosti, the Russian News and Information Agency:

A statue is to be unveiled to an enema at a health center in the southern Russia's town of Zheleznovodsk, the center director said on Monday.

The 1.5 meter-high bronze monument, weighing 350 kilograms (771.6 pounds), portrays "three angel-like children carrying above their heads a big pear-like enema," the Alexander Kharchenko said.

"This will be the first monument to an enema in the world," he said, adding that the initiative to erect the monument was proposed by the center's administration, where hundreds of similar procedures are carried out every day.

"It is high time a monument to an enema was erected," he said.

Considering all the odd things along America's highways and byways, it's rather surprising that the Russians erected the first enema monument.

At least we beat them to the moon.

Redpath Certified for Senate Ballot

The U.S. Senate race in Virginia now has a fourth official candidate: Libertarian Bill Redpath has been certified by the State Board of Elections. His name will appear on the ballot along with Democrat Mark Warner, Republican Jim Gilmore, and Independent Green Gail Parker.

Redpath is the national chairman of the Libertarian Party; he was re-elected to a second term at the LP's national convention in Denver over Memorial Day weekend. That same convention nominated Bob Barr of Georgia as the party's presidential candidate.

The Redpath campaign will be issuing a news release soon with more information about the ballot certification.

Doing It Later

Yesterday's "Sunday Source" section of the Washington Post has what appears to be an informative article about procrastination and how to overcome it.

It looks so interesting, I've decided to set it aside to read later, when I have some extra time.

Liveblogging the Tony Awards

Tonight's the night. After a season of ups and downs, the rivals are meeting tonight in a single arena to decide who will be the ultimate winner. Competition is fierce, of course; it is every year.

I'm prepared, too. I just returned from Kroger with an eight-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon and a package of chicken wings. I'll be settling into my easy chair to watch television, uninterrupted, for the next three hours.

The broadcast channels know what a big night this is, too, with all of them deferring to CBS. The CW has reruns of Everybody Hates Chris and Aliens in America. The local PBS affiliate is having a pledge drive. Fox has reruns of The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Family Guy, and American Dad. NBC has a Saturday Night Live prime-time clip show, and ABC is running some basketball game.

That's because America is focused on the Tony Awards. Broadway's big night is here, hosted by The View's Whoopi Goldberg.

Isn't that worthy of live blogging?

8:03 p.m.: A production number from Disney's The Lion King (coming soon to Washington for the first time, at the Kennedy Center) opens the show. This season marked the show's tenth year on Broadway.

8:04 p.m.: Whoopi takes the stage in a crab costume from Disney's The Little Mermaid. The opening credits begin.

8:06 p.m.: Whoopi says, "Welcome to the 62nd Annual Tony Awards." She announces that there will be excerpts from shows that are not nominated (e.g., Young Frankenstein). She introduces the first presenter, Laurence Fishburne, and takes an unnecessary dig at Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas (eliciting some boos from the audience). (She implies that Thomas is not "black.")

8:08 p.m.: Fishburne presents the award for best featured actress in a play. The winner is Rondi Reed for August: Osage County.

8:11 p.m.: John Waters takes the stage. "Yes, I'm back. Can you believe it?" He's introducing a musical number from Cry-Baby, which is based on his film of the same name. He wonders if "there are actually prisoners watching the Tony show tonight. Talk about a new minority!"

8:15 p.m.: Musical number from the first nominated musical, Cry-Baby, ends.

8:20 p.m.: A spotlight on Jersey Boys, winner of best musical in 2006.

8:21 p.m.: Backstage with Whoopi, pointing out that viewers can go to CBS.com to see the "Thank You Cam."

8:22 p.m.: Laura Linney presents the award for best featured actor in a play. The winner is Jim Norton for The Seafarer. It is his first Tony. He shouts: "I love New York!"

8:25 p.m.: Adam Duritz of Counting Crows announces the number from Passing Strange, set in an Amsterdam coffee house.

8:36 p.m.: Two-time Tony winner John Lithgow presents the Tony for best direction of a musical. The winner is Bartlett Sher for the first Broadway revival of South Pacific.

8:39 p.m.: Jack Klugman, who was in the original cast of Gypsy, for which he was nominated for a Tony, introduces a number from the latest revival of that show. Patti Lupone sings "Everything's Coming Up Roses," perhaps the most frightening song every sung by a mother to her daughter. (After seeing this, I really want to see Lupone's "Rose's Turn.")

8:45 p.m.: A number from 1988's Phantom of the Opera, with Whoopi as Christine.

8:51 p.m.: We return from a commercial break to the announcement of the special Tonys given earlier this evening to Robert Russell Bennett (posthumously) and the Chicago Shakespeare Company, as well as to best choreographer, best book of a musical, best orchestrations, best revival of a play (Boeing-Boeing).

8:52 p.m.: Big Brother's Julie Chen looks back at "the year in plays."

8:54 p.m.: Tony winner Duncan Sheik mentions how Stew won the best book of a musical award for Passing Strange, and presents the award for best score. The award goes to Lin-Manuel Miranda for In the Heights, the early favorite musical with 13 nominations. Miranda's acceptance speech is delivered as a rap. He says, "Mr. Sondheim, look, I made a hat/ where there never was a hat/and a Latin hat at that."

8:57 p.m.: Harry Connick, Jr., introduces a medley from South Pacific, which begins with the Seabee chorus singing "There Is Nothing Like a Dame." Then Paulo Szot sings "Some Enchanted Evening," followed by Kelli O'Hara and the female chorus with "A Wonderful Guy."

9:07 p.m.: A "Broadway Spotlight" on Legally Blonde; Whoopi flies in like (and as) Mary Poppins.

9:08 p.m.: Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth presents the award for featured actress in a musical. The winner is Laura Benanti for her role as Louise in Gypsy. She expresses surprise at seeing Arthur Laurents standing. "Stephen Sondheim," she says, "I just worship you. There are no other words." She describes her mother as "the anti-Mama Rose."

9:11 p.m.: Barry Bostwick, who was in the original Broadway cast of Grease, introduces a number from the revival of that show. The cast sings the title song, "Grease," which comes from the movie soundtrack, not the OCR. (Frankie Valli sang it -- words and music by Barry Gibb -- over the film's credits.) The medley also includes the finale, "We Go Together." So the cast gets to sing both the first and last numbers of the current revival.

9:21 p.m.: A Broadway Spotlight with the cast of the longest-running revival musical, Chicago.

9:22 p.m.: Brooke Shields takes the stage to present the Tony Award for best performance by featured actor in a musical. The winner is veteran Boyd Gaines, for Gypsy; this is his fourth Tony award after five nominations. "I am honored to be in this great American classic," he says, thanking the creators, Stephen Sondheim, the late Jule Styne, and his director, Arthur Laurents.

9:25 p.m.: Oscar winner Marisa Tomei, now on Broadway in Top Girls, offers a taste of the new musicals "that have eight nominations among them," starting with The Little Mermaid. Faith Prince sings a number from A Catered Affair. Megan Mullaly sings to Shuler Hensley in a number from The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein. (This segment seems an attempt by the award show's producers to spotlight tourist-friendly musicals that failed to get nominated in the "best" category.)

9:30 p.m.: I notice that the Internet Broadway Data Base (ibdb.com) is unusually slow in loading tonight.

9:35 p.m.: A Broadway Spotlight on George Wendt and the cast of Hair Spray. Then we get a look behind the scenes at the American Theatre Wing, featuring young actors from current musicals.

9:36 p.m.: Whoopi returns. She introduces a scene from the first nominee for best play, August: Osage County, by Tracy Letts, followed by a scene from Tom Stoppard's Rock 'n' Roll, and one from Conor MacPherson's The Seafarer. Finally, she introduces a scene from Patrick Barlow's The 39 Steps.

9:42 p.m.: Gabriel Byrne presents the award for best director of a play. The winner is Anna D. Shapiro for August: Osage County. She has a tattoo on her upper right arm, not something you expect to see on a Tony-winning director. She pays tribute to the Steppenwolf Theatre Company of Chicago and her parents. She also thanks her six nieces and nephews, "who don't care about any of this; they really don't. They just wanted tickets to Little Mermaid. And I got them."

9:46 p.m.: A scene from Spamalot with Whoopi as the Lady of the Lake; commercial break follows.

9:52 p.m.: A Broadway Spotlight on Mamma Mia!, which comes to Washington's National Theatre later this month.

9:53 p.m.: Mary-Louise Parker takes the stage to present the award for best performance by a leading actor in a play. Despite her flat reading off the teleprompter, the winner is Mark Rylance for Boeing-Boeing. (In announcing nominee Patrick Stewart, she properly says "the Scottish Play" rather than Macbeth; to do otherwise inside a theatre, even inside Radio City Music Hall, would be to invite disaster.) Rylance wins for his Broadway debut and gives a dry, droll acceptance speech.

9:56 p.m.: Emmy winner Alec Baldwin presents the award for best performance by a leading actress in a play. The winner is Deanna Dunagan for August: Osage County.

9:58 p.m.: IBDB is slower than it has ever been.

10:00 p.m.: Whoopi introduces Lin-Manuel Miranda, who begins a number from In the Heights, joined by the rest of the cast. (Good timing; you don't want viewers to switch channels at the top of the hour.) John Kander has said he greatly admires Miranda's music for In the Heights; I'm not sure I could sit through two hours of rap-like recitative.

10:05 p.m.: CBS runs a commercial for Mamma Mia!, the film version of the long-running London- and Broadway musical. That movie opens mere days after the show arrives at the National Theatre in D.C.

10:09 p.m.: The design awards, presented earlier this evening, are rapidly announced to the TV audience. Do they really think that anyone watching the Tonys doesn't really care about these important awards?

10:10 p.m.: A non-nude Daniel Radcliffe and Equus co-star Richard Griffiths (also non-nude) present the award for best new play. The winner is, "as if by magic," August: Osage County. Playwright Tracy Letts accepts the award along with a large crowd of producers, cast, and backers. Letts says "I don't know all these people. I assume they are associated with the play." He adds: "This beats the hell out of auditioning for JAG." He thanks the producers for doing a remarkable thing: "They decided to produce an American play on Broadway with theatre actors!"

10:14 p.m.: Looking like he just stepped out of a production of Fiddler on the Roof as Tevye, Tony winner Mandy Patinkin accepts a special Tony award for lifetime achievement for Stephen Sondheim. Because the recipient could not be present, Patinkin reads a message from Sondheim, who thanks his collaborators. Sondheim says, "I would also share this award with Hal Prince, but he has one already."

10:16 p.m.: Patinkin goes on to mention the original production of Sunday in the Park with George, and introduces scenes from the new Roundabout Theatre Company revival. Jenna Russell and Daniel Evans sing "Move On." (I last saw Evans in his Olivier-winning turn as Charley in the Donmar Warehouse production of Merrily We Roll Along.) Am I alone in this observation, or does Evans look like Andrew Sullivan before Andrew grew a beard?

10:21 p.m.: A scene from last year's winner for best musical, Spring Awakening, with Whoopi and the cast; commercial break.

10:26 p.m.: A Broadway Spotlight on Avenue Q.

10:27 p.m.: Glenn Close presents the award for best revival of a musical. The nominees are Grease, Gypsy, South Pacific, and Sunday in the Park with George. The award goes to South Pacific. Producer Andre Bishop accepts the award. He thanks the daughters of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, and Ted Chapin of the R&H Organization.

10:30 p.m.: Lily Tomlin takes the stage to the strains of "Put on a Happy Face." She introduces a scene from best-musical nominee Xanadu. She said she saw it the other night and "I L-M-A-O." She is obviously having problems reading the teleprompter. Tony nominee Kerry Butler, Tony Roberts, Cheyenne Jackson, and the cast sing "Don't Walk Away." Who would have thought that Xanadu, a campy 1980 movie with Gene Kelly and Olivia Newton-John could one day become a Tony-nominated, hit Broadway musical?

10:40 p.m.: A classic Tony moment: Madonna complains about a short microphone and says, "I'm being punished for not coming to rehearsal today."

10:41 p.m.: Whoopi presents the original company of Rent, beginning with Anthony Rapp, who in turn introduces the current cast in a production number, "La Vie Boheme." He then brings in the original cast to join him. Of course, they mention how Jonathan Larson died of an aortic aneurysm on the day of the first public preview of the show. Of course, they sing "Seasons of Love."

10:46 p.m.: It's Liza! Her lisp is more audible than ever as she presents the award for best performance by a leading actor in a musical. The Tony Award goes to Brazilian baritone Paulo Szot for South Pacific.

10:49 p.m.: Tony winner (for Curtains) David Hyde-Pierce thanks Rob Ashford for "giving me the greatest dance on Broadway ... unfinished business from last year." He presents the award for leading actress in a musical. The winner is Patti Lupone for Gypsy. This is her second Tony; her first came in 1980 for Evita. She sends out her love to her husband, Matt, and their son, Joshua. She thanks everyone who has helped her in the past 35 years. She calls Arthur Laurents "an inspiration to all of us in the theatre." She even thanks the ghosts of the St. James Theater (and there must be many, considering what's played there before). She yells at the orchestra, which is trying to play her off, "Shut up! It's been 29 years!" She talks over "There's No Business Like Show Business" before finally saying good night.

10:53 p.m.: Whoopi joins the cast of the 2006 revival of A Chorus Line in "One." Mario Lopez is at the front of the line. I knew he was in the cast; I hadn't realized he was playing Zach. (That's the closest thing to a non-dancing role in the show; Michael Douglas played it in that dreadful Richard Attenborough movie version.)

10:54 p.m.: IBDB is still slow. Very slow.

10:57 p.m.: Whoopi returns to the microphone to present the award for best new musical. "Seconds from now," she says, "this stage will be filled with producers." The big winner of the night is In the Heights. Producer Jill Furman accepts the award with a throng of producers and cast members.

11:00 p.m.: Whoopi calls this "the greatest night of an actor's life." She encourages the audience to "come to New York to see a Broadway show." The closing credits begin. CBS runs a commercial for "the summer's guilty pleasure," Swingtown.