I saw Marlene sing that song, which always ended her concerts, in her penultimate performance in the U.S. That time, she shouted out “Gone to graveyards every one!” I have never felt such a jolt of emotion in any live performance I have ever attended. A woman near me broke into tears. It was particular effective because of Dietrich’s personal history, and her work for the Allies, some of it covert, during World War II.
We will never see her like again.
Ethics Alarms 
For church, I like this one better for Memorial Day, but it works for Veteran’s Day too.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwASsrZx6mo
In the case of “Flowers,” the intrinsic reference to Flanders Field and WWI has always resonated with me. (My Dad, a dead veteran, is celebrated in my eyes on both Memorial Day and this one.) And the question is a rhetorical one. When will they ever learn? Never. Frustration and sadness are justified, but denial is not. It’s the anti-“Imagine.”
I saw some talking-heads criticizing Trump about his ‘threat’ to Elizabeth Cheney. They admitted that he wasn’t threatening to kill her, but criticized him for daring to question sending men to die in a pointless action when he himself didn’t serve. I thought, “He was Commander-in-Chief, he BETTER have thought about that.” It is one thing to criticize a Commander-in-Chief for spending the lives of soldiers in a conflict that you think is pointless. To criticize a Commander-in-Chief for NOT wanting to spend the lives of our soldiers in a pointless conflict is so bizarre, it make me wonder about the sanity of the people making the argument.
My sister made that same argument in response to my correction to her belief that he’d threatened Cheney. I told her that Trump’s service or lack of service was irrelevant to the issue of whether or not his words constituted a threat.
It’s the Talking Points, man. They try to flip the script. It’s the same thing they do when Trump and Republicans complain about some illegal immigrants committing violent crimes when they get here. Democrats and their media advocates counter that immigrants don’t commit more crimes nor are they likely to commit more crimes than citizens. Which is, of course, not the point and not the argument being presented.
And Abe smiles…..
They are in the “throw it at the wall and see if it sticks” phase. This is why the “Michael Clayton” scene is so apt. “You are so fucked.” It would be pitiful if they didn’t deserve it so, so much.
My eyes well up every time I hear that song.
Bing Videos
(Sorry. Terribly irreverent, but… I guess Mel has ruined Marelene for me.)
Marlene was reportedly very amused by “Lilly Von Schtupp” and “I’m tired.” She was known for her terrific sense of humor and being smart as hell. She and John Wayne had a thing for while: they both loved camping, chess and politics. I’ve always wanted to write a play about one of their camping trips….
“Mawion, do we have to huwwy so much to get to the camping gwound?”
“There’ll be no shilly-shallying, Miss Marlene.”
“You wascal, you.”