![\"Surrender_of_Cornwallis_at_Yorktown_by_John_Trumbull_1787-032715\"](\"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Surrender_of_Cornwallis_at_Yorktown_by_John_Trumbull_1787-032715.jpg\")
\n(Surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown. Painting by John Trumbel, 1789.)<\/p>\n
\n(Surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown. Painting by John Trumbel, 1789.)<\/p>\n
I was talking to my best pal this morning. I said it appeared the world had gone mad, and was marveling at the developments in the deliberate crash of the Germanwings jet. Apparently Interpol detectives found a series of notes- ripped up- that would have resulted in his losing his flight status. They are still looking to see if he went off his medications. It is pretty clear he should never have been let anywhere near a commercial jet- even as a passenger.<\/p>\n
In the interest of accuracy, yesterday\u2019s edition of The Daily reported the actual speed at impact as 700mph. Obviously that is wrong and I should have caught it in the intensive pre-publication review process. It was 700kph, or 434.959835 Miles Per Hour. Still sufficient to obliterate everything. The staff of The Daily regrets the error.<\/p>\n
And another pal who has been cabin crew for 38 years for a prominent airline noted that there has been an FAA rule requiring two people in the cockpit at all times since 9\/11. The Canadians just imposed a similar requirement, and I expect the Europeans will do the same thing shortly.<\/p>\n
Anyway, my best pal suggested that this was the act of one man and that the world had not gone mad. It is just being its normal goofy self. I take the point- but the number of things that seem inverted these days- a de facto alliance with Iran, for example, the demonization of the only democratic state in the Middle East. Politics in the United States, airline pilots as mass murderers, all of it seems turned inside out and upside down.<\/p>\n
It made me think of the tune that Lord Cornwallis allegedly had his band strike up as he surrendered to George Washington and the French forces of Viscount de Noailles and Count de Rochambeau at Yorktown: \u201cThe World Turned Upside Down.\u201d<\/p>\n
I think I understand what he was getting at. The expeditionary force of the world\u2019s greatest military power had been forced to surrender to a rag-tag Continental Army, supported by the French Navy and the Grand Battery of artillery on the Virginia coast.<\/p>\n
Now, the song they played- or may not have played, historians disagree- was not about what the Colonies asserted to be their God-given rights.<\/p>\n
It was about the rights of Englishmen, and specifically in the context of religious fanatics. The tune was originally published in a broadside in the 1640s as a protest against the actions of Parliament related to the celebration of Christmas.<\/p>\n
![\"Oliver](\"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Oliver-Cromwell-032715.jpg\")
\n(Oliver Cromwell , painting attributed to Anthony Van Dyck).<\/p>\n
Things were upside down in those days. The Roundheads of Oliver Cromwell were fiercely Puritan in their views, and the Battle of Naseby mentioned in the song is the last and most important battle of the First Civil War (1642-45). It was a decisive victory for the Parliamentarians (Puritans) under Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell over the Royalists (Party on, Garth!) under King Charles I.<\/p>\n
Fierce isn\u2019t quite the right word, since Cromwell and his pals wound up executing the Monarch, earning the nick-name \u201cRegicides.\u201d Prior to his death, the King liked to have a good time. His pals had long hair. Cromwell was opposed to it. He thought they might be having a good time.<\/p>\n
Imagine a more bloodthirsty Mayor Bloomberg waging war on large sodas with real weapons, or the EPA checking out your backyard grill or the length of your shower with SWAT Teams.<\/p>\n
Anyway, Cromwell\u2019s parliamentarians believed Christmas should be a solemn occasion, and outlawed traditional English celebrations of feasting, burning the Yule log and making merry.<\/p>\n
What was is it H.L. Menken said? I think the Sage of Baltimore had it right when he defined a \u201cPuritan\u201d as someone having \u201cthe haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here is the tune. It sums up just about what is going on these days. There is nothing new under the sun:<\/p>\n
Listen to me and you shall hear, news hath not been this thousand year:
\nSince Herod, Caesar, and many more, you never heard the like before.
\nHoly-dayes are despis’d, new fashions are devis’d.
\nOld Christmas is kicked out of Town<\/p>\n
Yet let’s be content, and the times lament, you see the world turn’d upside down.
\nThe wise men did rejoice to see our Savior Christs Nativity:
\nThe Angels did good tidings bring, the Sheepheards did rejoice and sing.
\nLet all honest men, take example by them.<\/p>\n
Why should we from good Laws be bound?
\nYet let’s be content, and the times lament, you see the world turn’d upside down.
\nCommand is given, we must obey, and quite forget old Christmas day:
\nKill a thousand men, or a Town regain, we will give thanks and praise amain.<\/p>\n
The wine pot shall clinke, we will feast and drinke.
\nAnd then strange motions will abound.
\nYet let’s be content, and the times lament, you see the world turn’d upside down.
\nOur Lords and Knights, and Gentry too, doe mean old fashions to forgoe:<\/p>\n
They set a porter at the gate, that none must enter in thereat.
\nThey count it a sin, when poor people come in.
\nHospitality it selfe is drown’d.
\nYet let’s be content, and the times lament, you see the world turn’d upside down.<\/p>\n
The serving men doe sit and whine, and thinke it long ere dinner time:
\nThe Butler’s still out of the way, or else my Lady keeps the key,
\nThe poor old cook, in the larder doth look,
\nWhere is no goodnesse to be found,<\/p>\n
Yet let’s be content, and the times lament, you see the world turn’d upside down.
\nTo conclude, I’le tell you news that’s right, Christmas was kil’d at Naseby fight:
\nCharity was slain at that same time, Jack Tell troth too, a friend of mine,
\nLikewise then did die, roast beef and shred\u2019d pie,<\/p>\n
Pig, Goose and Capon no quarter found.
\nYet let’s be content, and the times lament, you see the world turn’d upside down.<\/p>\n
![\"Battle-of-Naseby_980-032715\"](\"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Battle-of-Naseby_980-032715.jpg\")
\n(The Battle at Naseby Field).<\/p>\n
Copyright 2015 Vic Socotra
\nwww.vicsocotra.com
\ntwitter: @jayare303<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(Surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown. Painting by John Trumbel, 1789.) I was talking to my best pal this morning. I said it appeared the world had gone mad, and was marveling at the developments in the deliberate crash of the Germanwings jet. Apparently Interpol detectives found a series of notes- ripped up- that would […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily-socotra"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10130"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10130\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10136,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10130\/revisions\/10136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}