Defining Moments...

Bayonet Charge - common among infantry in WW1, 1914 - 18.

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I was 70+ years old before being interested enough in the Rolling Stones to even listen to one of their songs. It was from the Jumping Jack Flash album(late 50s/60s?), lyrics by Jagger and Richards. Begins:

I was born in a cross-fire hurricane

And I howled at my ma in the driving rain

An original recording, the sound was thin which led me to Aretha Franklin's version on a fun video and which I'd recommend for a fuller treatment by truly talented entertainers.

But the memorable line of song for me was:

I was crowned with a spike right thru my head

Why? Answer: sheer shock memory of mom answering my aged ten question for how dad had a disfigured face? Her back to me she said, "Bayonet. First World War."

Aged 15, I asked him, "Dad, will there be another war?"

"Not if I can help it, son. The one I served in was bad enough. At the end we found out it was Kaiser Bill's biggest blunder ever.. Y'know..that guy couldn't talk to foreigners.. anyone outside his circle. Ran off to Holland when he knew they'd lost. I don't know how we got into it; what I do know in my bones is that if he'd been taken out at the beginning there'd have been no Hitler, concentration camps, bombing cities, mass killings..

Crossfire Hurricane was the code-name of an FBI operation in 2016/17. It was alluded to by a Public Interest Law professor at GWU for a report about the FBI, including recommendations as to its operational processes. Mention I suspected to 'backdrop' FBI processing today vis a vis their warranted search at Mar a Lago. Then, well, mischievousness to spur students is another possibility..

Several contributions on this topic shall be forthcoming over next fortnight, and then I'll embark on my original purpose for this blog..