By Jonathan Miller, on Sun Jun 19, 2011 at 9:00 AM ET
Today, we dedicate ourselves to the individuals who hold the most important position a man could have — father.
Over the course of this day, you will hear from recovering politicians, friends of RP, and our RP Nation reader community. Some of the stories will make you laugh; others, might tug at your heart strings. But I’m confident you are in for a treat.
So buckle up, and tune in every 30 minutes or so to hear another poignant story about some great men. We’ll be adding news stories until 6:00 PM EDT.
One of the RP’s favorite comedies (and one on many people’s lists) about sex, love and relationships is, of course, The 40-Year-Old Virgin. But while for many of us the film is hilarious, the subject matter does elicit sadness and shame for (some) others. An interesting article this week from Psychology Today. Are There Really 40-Year-Old Virgins?
RP readers may have heard yesterday about a recent study of social networking that indicates that, rather than making people isolated introverts, interacting on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., may actually make people far more engaged in their own relationships, more trusting of others and more likely to have a support group they can turn to. Here’s the full report released yesterday. Social Networking Sites and Our Lives – Pew Research Center
Finally, for all you dads out there on this Father’s Day weekend, ever notice how traditionally a much bigger deal is made for the other half of the parenting unit on their special day? Here’s an interesting little piece on fathers and sons and why you’ll still have a low-key day on Sunday. From one father to all of the others out there that have felt the joys and pains of being a parent, enjoy your day this Father’s Day. Father’s Day Shortchanged? Humble History, Fewer Gifts
By Jonathan Miller, on Mon Jun 13, 2011 at 12:00 PM ET
A few weeks ago, I experimented with opening up the site to our readers for their Memorial Day tributes to beloved veterans.
It proved to be one of my very favorite days in the long, storied history of The Recovering Politician.
Well, there’s one job that a man can hold that’s even more important than military service. And we celebrate those men every third Sunday in June.
It turns out that Fathers’ Day coincides this year with what would have been my own father’s 73rd birthday.
So to celebrate both milestones, this Sunday, we will open up the site to your tributes and remembrances to your fathers. Whether you’ll be spending the day with dear old dad, or his memory will comfort you through the weekend, we want to hear your stories about your father.
We also want to see pictures. (No, not those kinds of pictures, Washington insiders!). Send us a photo of your dad. Better yet, a photo of you with your dad. Best yet, a photo of you and your dad when you were a kid.
The deadline for submissions of a short essay (100-1000 words) on your father and accompanying picture is this Friday, June 17 at 10:00 PM EDT. Send them to Staff@TheRecoveringPolitician.com.
Let’s make Fathers’ Day an even more rewarding day at The Recovering Politician. Share your stories and honor your father even more. Thanks.
This Sunday, June 12th, is the 44th anniversary of Loving v. Virginia, the United States Supreme Court’s decision that struck down laws forbidding interracial marriage. Unbelievably, that’s forty-four more years that gay men and women have been legally denied the basic human right of marrying the person they love. Just before her death four year years ago, Mildred Loving released a statement in support of the rights of our gay friends, family, neighbors and colleagues to marry the person whom they choose. Where do you stand? [American Foundation for Equal Rights]
In a hint that modernity is at least creeping along in the US cultural landscape, a Catholic bishop in San Joaquin, California, has informed the clergy there that they may “perform blessings of same-gender civil marriages, domestic partnerships and relationships which are lifelong committed relationships characterized by fidelity, monogamy, mutual affection and respect [and] careful, honest communication.” However positive this step is, perhaps the good bishop should lower his expectations of the whole relationship thing a bit? Geez! Remember: progress, not perfection. [The Guardian]
A recent infographic released by Online Dating University (We Will Teach You How to Get Laid) looks at how Facebook affects you and your relationships. Are one of the 31% of FB users that changed their relationship status to “single” over the last year? Interesting just how intertwined many of our lives have become with Facebook and what a boon it is to sociologists and researchers! [The Atlantic]
Finally, absolutely barmy to see Paul, Yoko, Sean, Dani and Olivia together to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Cirque de Soleil’s The Beatles Love. Check out the photos [here. Las Vegas Sun]
By Jonathan Miller, on Wed Jun 8, 2011 at 12:30 PM ET
Today marks the 43rd anniversary of one of the most touching eulogies in American history: Senator Ted Kennedy’s poignant speech at the funeral of his fallen older brother, Robert F. Kennedy.
I shared my thoughts upon the anniversary of RFK’s eulogy to Martin Luther King a few months earlier — which I believe is the greatest speech of my lifetime.
But today, I will let the late Senator Edward Kennedy’s words speak for themselves:
By Jonathan Miller, on Mon Jun 6, 2011 at 8:30 AM ET
Yesterday, June 5, marked the 43rd anniversary of the tragic assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy.
His daughter, our very own contributing RP, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, spent the weekend paying tribute to the virtue of public service. In a speech before the The Women’s Network, Townsend shared her thoughts on the meaning of her father’s legacy:
In 1968, as you all remember, my father was running for president. David Frost asked Ronald Reagan and my father a question. I’m going to ask you that same question and give you thirty seconds of silence to think about how you’d answer that question, okay? The question is, “What is the purpose of life?” Think about how you would have answered it, okay?
Both Ronald Reagan and my father came up with good answers, and answers that rooted in the American tradition. Ronald Reagan said “The first thing is you have to reproduce yourself. Of course my mother [of ten] did a really good job on that one. And then he said what we really need in this country is individual freedom. We’re based on a belief in the Judeo-Christian belief of individual salvation and so what we need is individual freedom within the extent of the law. That was his answer. That makes a certain amount of sense. We talk about freedoms, we’re clelebrating Franklin Roosevelt’s four freedoms.
But I think Ronald Reagan missed something. My father said the first thing you do, you need enough food, clothing and shelter. If you don’t have that, that’s not a worthwhile life. But after you do that, you have to help others. You may have no shoes, but there’s always somebody else who has no feet. Our responsibility is to help others.
What had happened in 1968 when my father lost the election is we moved away from a sense that we’re all in this together, we’re part of a larger community, and we have to help one another. [We moved to] A belief only in ourselves, individualism. That started to dominate our economic system, which wasn’t there before. Milton Friedman, Allen Greenspan, who only thought: “What can we do for me?” Ayn Rand. And that has been a destructive economic system. We hear the rhetoric: “We want to cut taxes to create wealth”. Well, wealth for whom? Wealth for the top two percent of Americans. Wealth for the rest of Americans has not gone up in thirty years. What we’ve done is focused on wealth and not on worth. It means our country is weaker of this bad ideology which we have to change, and that’s what Democrats need to do.
Coincidentally (?) , Townsend entered the patheon of the American intellectual zeitgeist yesterday as well. She was featured as a clue in the New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle:
106 Down: “Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, to J.F.K.” Five letters.
Yesterday on the RP, we highlighted a recent study that concludes that bilingualism may significantly inhibit or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. As an added benefit, speaking another language may help (and even alter!) your sex life. According to Dr. Yvonne Fulbright, speaking even a few lines of a foreign language when you faire l’amour could potentially give you “multiple personalities” in the boudoir and, thus, “keep things fresh and exciting in Swedish, German, Spanish, Italian . . .” Je t’aime, je t’aime mon petit chou!! Sultry Sex Talk to Seduce Any Lover
Speaking of Swedish, apparently Swedish erotica can significantly decrease in a relationship when one or both partners partake in a long commute to work. A Swedish researcher found that a couple is 40% more likely to separate if a job calls for a long commute. Lesson for lovers: stay close to home! US News and World Report
And if you’re gay, and your home is one of these cities, you can stay close to home and feel comfortable in and welcomed by your community. Check out six “surprising” places it’s great to be gay. (And your correspondent’s hometown is one of them.) AlterNet
Finally, check out this interesting article from Canada about the “sexual economy.” Apparently, marriage is the highest price that one can “pay” for sex, and fewer women are demanding that price these days. Increasing co-habitation is the result. You know, there’s an economic theory for everything. Tell us what you think! Ottawa Citizen
My husband’s father passed away in late March at the age of 87. I wrote this piece the next day. It originally appeared on my blog MavenMama on Bluegrassmoms.com.
Everyday approximately 1,100 World War II veterans die. I was floored when my husband shared this statistic with me, until I realized how many served in that war – 16.1 million.
Tonight, my father-in-law joined the ranks of these comrades in arms and passed quietly away. At eight-seven, he had lived long and hardily all the way to the end. Just an hour before he collapsed he was sitting in his favorite recliner watching his much loved hockey team on the television in the assisted living apartment he shares with his wife of sixty-four years.
As my husband and I sat alternately weeping and laughing he wondered aloud if we are ever really ready for the passing of a parent. Even when our parents have had more than their fair share of life, and are ready to journey to their Heavenly Father, it is still a blow, a sad surprise. Even when the best and worst case scenarios of “ways to pass” have been discussed and played out in long distance phone calls and in quiet conversations, and the best case scenario does indeed come to fruition one is not prepared.
And with the passing of Frank, and other veterans like him, who protected us and liberated millions more in allied countries, it is the end of an era. An era of brave men who served their country and then returned to marry their sweethearts, go to college on the GI Bill, buy their first home, and raise a family in a middle-class-town.
Yes, he served his family and his country well and it is indeed the end of an era.
By Kristen Hamilton, RP Staff, on Mon May 30, 2011 at 4:00 PM ET
At a very young age, my grandfather, Charles Hamilton, fought in the Korean War.
My grandfather never said much about the war, but he did tell the family about the time his comrade accidentally shot him in the foot after which he would always chuckle. I doubt that my grandfather knew that he was my hero, but he was. Even though he is no longer with us, his legacy continues to live on.
