Monday, February 17, 2020

Parliament Square, Trafalgar Square and Fala

Happy Presidents Day.  The greatness of Abraham Lincoln is even recognized in London, as he holds down a section of Parliament Square opposite Disraeli

The British also recognize the greatness of the Father of Our Country.  A statue of George Washington is in Trafalgar Square, outside of their National Gallery, which also houses a Stuart Gilbert portrait of Washington.

FDR has a corner of the Tidal Basin all to himself, tucked away between the Jefferson Memorial and the MLK Memorial.  He shares its expanse with Fala, Eleanor, a barefoot person huddled around a radio set listening to one of his uplifting weekly addresses that is addressed to all Americans and not just his base, and Hooverville people lined up on a food line.

After those towering Great Presidents (one gave us our country, one saved our country and one saved the world), I'd say the slightly lesser pantheon of great presidents starts with Teddy Roosevelt, the Trust Buster who addressed to some degree the obscene wealth inequality that had crept into our capitalistic society during the Robber Baron era, and that has regrettably insinuated itself back into our current society even worse, especially after the democracy-wrecking Citizens United supreme court decision.  I think I'll go get a pizza for lunch on this holiday and ponder our fork-in-the road future, with portentous November coming up.

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