What Did He Say?

 I remember seeing somewhere on Al Gore's Internet this question: "Did William Wallace really scream 'Freedom' just before he was pulled apart?" Hard to imagine that Scotland's favorite son/savior having the presence of mind while he was hung, disemboweled, drawn and quartered after having been dragged to his place of eventual execution to say something meaningful. But this is what screenwriter Randall Wallace would like us to believe he said: "Freedom!" Not "Arrrrgh!" or even "Wish I hadn't worn a kilt!" or any less powerful sentiments. We could all use a good writer to punch up our final scene.

Which is precisely why I have such admiration for Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. History has finally delivered on its promise to bring us someone memorable, staring down overwhelming odds. His training as a comedian turns out to be just the thing in the face of most of the Russian army rolling toward your hometown. When asked by American President Joe Biden if he needed to be extracted from his tenuous position, he replied "I need an ammunition. I don't need a ride." Not exactly a laugh line, but he is very clear that he is being seen by the world. And all the world is a stage, I am told.

Which makes it all the more confounding why we can't get our own politicians right here in the US of A to provide a little more in the way of cogent comment. Once again, we turn to the source of so much ridiculousness, Representative Lauren Boebert: “I pray for Ukraine, and I wish them the best. But we also have neighbors to the north who need freedom and need to be liberated, and we need that right here at home, as well.” Yes, that's right. the congressperson was suggesting that the plight of the American people and our "neighbors to the North" need more ammunition too. She was referencing the trucker's protest that was recently broken up in Ottawa, where a group of protesters blocked streets and highways for weeks, waving flags and shouting (you guessed it) "Freedom!" Not from an invading force, but from public health. In their ongoing struggle against reality, these truckers provide unintentional ironic counterpoint to that found in Ukraine. In Ukraine, men, women and children are taking up arms against an invading force. This is the kind of sticky dream for Boebert and her followers, who only wish that they had a reason for wielding all the firepower they chose to lug around on their Christmas cards. The difference is one is for showing off, and the other is for survival. 

The trouble with history is that there wasn't always a way to take down the final utterances of heroes. And the trouble we are having now is that those who are far less than heroic have access to way too much of our bandwidth. And now back to our regularly scheduled debacle.