Another thing I thought I'd never live to see.

Jane Fonda has expressed her regret for a portion of her infamous tour of North Viet Nam during the war. Whether or not she ever sees the harm she did with other portions of that journey, does not really matter. Many people through zeal and fervent belief did things they shouldn't have in those days. Fonda's notoriety only made it easier to fall into those traps that line the paths of the best intentions.

We forgive you, Jane. Just as we forgave Joan Baez decades ago.

I only wish that Lyndon Johnson had lived to express his regret for at least some of his part in that awful conflict.

Very late to the party or why Star Wars: Attack of the Clones isn't so bad after all.

I freely admit that I am one of the last people in this galaxy near, near to home to see Star Wars, Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Partly it was because I did not like Episode I as much as I'd hoped and partly because Episode II got mixed reviews, at best.

Before I first watched the film, I watched Phantom Menace (PM) again to remind me of what had gone before. Then watching Episode II for the first time, I couldn't help thinking it was a hopeless mess. But, today I watched it again with someone who has never seen Episode I. I realized from that perspective Atack of the Clones (AoC) isn't a mess. It's actually a rather good motion picture; a worthy prequel of Episode IV the original Star Wars movie. The problem, my friends, is that godawful Episode I. May it be stricken from every monument and pylon, stricken from every book and tablet. (Oops! Five points for identifying that other movie I've watched recently.)

( Reasoning for anyone who cares. )