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Featured Essays The Fountain Suffering and Bliss: The Fountain and Putting in Work on the Road to Awe A look back on Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain‚ and films that demand a little extra on the part of their audiences. By Nathan Tavares | Published on February 20‚ 2024 icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed For a film that flows through different eras‚ it’s pretty perfect that The Fountain unlocks in me a specific kind of time travel. I can close my eyes and warp back to December 2006 when I’m on winter break from college‚ a couple weeks past the November release date of the movie‚ and I’m sitting in a now-abandoned movie theater where I once worked as a morning janitor. My sneakers stick to the dried puddles of soda on the floor. It’s my third time watching the think-y sci-fi love story written and directed by Darren Aronofsky‚ and starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz on a nonlinear‚ millennia-spanning odyssey in search of eternal life. This time around‚ I’ve roped my twin sister into watching with me. Trying to watch‚ anyway.  A few rows behind us‚ a group of high school kids is not making it easy.  “I have no idea what’s going on‚” one of them groans. Loudly. My sister and I glance at each other‚ annoyed. We’ve asked them a couple of times—and high schoolers are scary‚ thank you very much—to keep it down because we are rule-following narcs. Their Mystery Science Theater 3000-like real-time takedowns have already inspired an older couple‚ the only other audience members at this matinee‚ to throw in the towel and leave.  Meanwhile on screen‚ Hugh Jackman is a Spanish conquistador cutting through the jungle. And a doctor in a research lab when he should be with his dying wife. And also a bald-headed astronaut talking to a tree.   Soon enough‚ a ghostly wail soars up over Clint Mansell’s string-heavy‚ rippling score. “I hate this moooovie.”  Yeah‚ I got the frustration. Then and now‚ after I don’t know how many watches and ugly-cries on my part later. At its simplest—and there’s no easy one-liner to encompass this 93-minute poem of a film—The Fountain is about one man’s quest to conquer death and save the woman he loves‚ set in three eras: 1500‚ 2000‚ and 2500. Maybe. The film overflows with everything from Mayan religion to the Book of Genesis. From Tai Chi to time-shifts. From the science of cancer research to the fantasy of a spaceship that’s a floating garden in a bubble rocketing towards a dying star. All leading up to perhaps the most batshit—and I say this with complete admiration—movie climax I can think of. In short‚ the film breaks my heart and puts it together again‚ every time.  It’s worth mentioning the long road Aronofsky‚ who wrote the screenplay and hatched the initial story with Ari Handel‚ trudged down just to release The Fountain. True to form for most cult movies‚ the film absolutely bombed at the box office‚ bringing in $16.5 million‚ compared to its budget of $35 million. A miracle that the $35-million flick even saw the light of day after Warner Bros. pulled the plug on a previous $70 million version that had been in pre-production in Australia in 2002‚ with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett attached. Aronofsky flew to Australia to fire his crew of 300 in person. So when that big-budget version of The Fountain dried up‚ Aronofsky teamed up with artist Kent Williams to release a graphic novel “director’s cut” version of the story in November 2005 from Vertigo.  “All I can do now is hope you enjoyed it as much as we all have enjoyed the suffering and bliss of making it‚” Aronofsky writes in the graphic novel’s afterword.  Which might as well be a map‚ like the one the conquistador follows‚ for viewers of the film. The bliss—that moment of awe when everything clicks together—is there. But you’re going to have to work for it.  Much like Cloud Atlas‚ the 2012 scifi odyssey directed by the Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer and based on David Mitchell’s excellent 2004 novel of the same name—The Fountain flips-off any sense of linearity. The film explores three narrative branches. In Spain during the Inquisition‚ Queen Isabel (played by Rachel Weisz‚ and clearly based on the historic Queen Isabella) sends conquistador Tomas Creo (Jackman) on a holy quest. Somewhere in the jungles of Central America is a sacred tree‚ the Tree of Life plucked from the Book of Genesis‚ which grants immortality to whoever drinks its sap. Tomas must find the tree and return to free Spain and the queen from a bloody coup. Then‚ she tells him‚ “Together we will live forever.”   The next branch jumps forward 500 years to a vaguely American setting. Izzi Creo (Weisz‚ again) is dying of brain cancer and the end is near‚ she knows. While others would crumble—her cancer researcher husband Dr. Tommy Creo (Jackman‚ again) certainly is—Izzi finds strength and solace in art. She’s writing a novel called The Fountain about (you guessed it) a Spanish queen and a conquistador. While gazing at a Mayan exhibit at a natural history museum‚ she finds comfort in the Mayan creation story of the First Father who sacrificed himself to make the world. “Death as an act of creation‚” she characterizes the act‚ clearly moved. Tommy’s not so sure. Because “death is a disease‚” as he snarls later. And he’s so close to a cure for Izzi’s cancer‚ thanks to a promising compound from a Guatemalan tree. But of course he doesn’t find the cure in time. And instead of spending Izzi’s dwindling days with her‚ he throws himself at his work.   Another 500-year leap sees a lone (Jack)man—named Tom in the screenplay and the film’s closing credits—traveling through deep space in one of the most memorable spaceships on film: A bubble containing a garden with an ancient tree. The tree seemingly sustains him and he talks to it like a lover. But the tree is dying and the only hope for bringing it back to life is nestled in the heart of a dying star. Each thread‚ however fantastical‚ is anchored by solid performances from Jackman and Weisz. Jackman dances between fervor and faith as conquistador Tomas and Tommy Creo‚ charging a Mayan army head-on and railing against the death of his wife with the same defiance. Which is why his breakdown after Izzi’s death—Jackman heaving with sobs—and the gentle air of spaceman Tom stand out. Meanwhile Weisz glows in every frame: Her commanding poise as Queen Isabel. Her warm grace as Izzi‚ who exudes an enviable‚ gentle acceptance of life’s circumstances that I feel for about three minutes after practicing yoga before the surrounding world pummels me down again.   These threads are all twisted together‚ of course. Confusion overflows‚ with nonlinear sequences‚ odd cuts‚ and trippy moments that see characters in the wrong time periods. A spaceman in a university office. A dying woman in a hospital bed in a spaceship garden. A Spanish queen against a gold nebula. If this was a novel‚ many might bail a third of the way through. But take a cue from Izzi‚ smiling gently at Tommy‚ and asking‚ “Stay with me.” Even if it feels like you can’t get your head above the water at first‚ when that wave of realization hits at the end‚ the journey is worth it.    If all I watched and read were existentialist meditations‚ I don’t know how I’d get out of bed in the morning. I love a thriller. I love beach reads and commercial fiction and I’ve lined up for midnight showings of tons of big‚ ear-rattling blockbusters. Something about swing-for-the-fences sci-fi stories with emotional cores—one that offer a dialogue for those who are game instead of a passive watch—bowl me over every time‚ though. It’s that “holy shit” moment when the threads start coming together. Whether that cohesion comes after a few watches (or‚ hey‚ not leaving a theater when people behind you are being obnoxious)‚ or sticking through a stretch of challenging prose‚ like the far-future sections of the Cloud Atlas novel. The confusion‚ the head-twisting floats away‚ if you want to put in the work. And by the time the credits roll‚ or you gobble up the last line of the book‚ you have to sit and breathe for a second as the whole journey washes over you.  Stay with me‚ Izzi asks Tommy in the film. Finish it.  Like Aronofsky in his graphic novel afterword‚ a moment like that is something I wish for the readers of my upcoming book‚ Welcome to Forever—itself a trippy nonlinear love story between two men in a world that offers a kind of immortality. A book that‚ I realized on my last re-watch‚ I never could’ve written unless The Fountain rearranged my head and my heart first.   It’s tempting to try arrange and separate the narrative threads of The Fountain—and indeed a fan-made version of the film recut into “chronological” order floated around the internet for a while. But that’s almost heresy‚ to crib a line from the film’s ruthless Head Inquisitor as he hunts down Queen Isabel. Even the trailer sets up the white lie that the movie actually skips through time. That it’s about reincarnated souls‚ and lives that span centuries‚ and magic trees. When the truth—made more moving because of the abstraction and the work to sift through it—is much smaller. And harder to swallow. Tommy’s wife is dying. And there’s just nothing he can do. Forget Mayan temples and space-treks. The only journey is Tommy’s one of acceptance. And the same confusion that hits the audience—what’s going on? what does any of this mean?—mirrors Tommy’s as he flails against his grief. And tries not to drown.     The Fountain loves a symbol. Trees. Rings. Tree-rings and seeds and bursting stars and flowers bursting into creation. By the end‚ though‚ the symbol of a fountain pen washes away all the past and future fantasy with ink.  “It’s all done except the last chapter‚” Izzi tells Tommy after giving him a fountain pen and a crystal jar of ink. A scene burned into my head‚ even with the exploding stars‚ and the blood sacrifices. “I want you to help me.”  “How?” he asks.  “Finish it.”  “I don’t know how it ends.”  “You will.”  Stay with me‚ Izzi asks Tommy again and again. Finish it‚ her words yanking him from his far-future fiction. Like‚ stay with this feeling‚ with this drowning‚ crushing grief. And feel it. And let it go.  I’m ready. I’m not scared.    The story of Tomas the conquistador is Izzi’s fiction. And Tommy wrote his own: Tom on his lonely journey through the darkness into the light. From grief to something close to grace as he realizes how precious life is because of its impermanence. Fitting that Tommy‚ a man of science‚ would look to science fiction as he tries to finish Izzi’s novel. To cast himself as someone who cured and conquered death‚ even if a little too late‚ and now he’s so close to resurrecting his love.  But if that imagined future is the truth? For a story filled with promises of paradise‚ a man alone for 500 years with nothing but his grief seems like the worst kind of hell.  Too much suffering. Too light on the awe.  Maybe there is a kind time travel in The Fountain after all‚ though‚ hinted by the final frames. A more mundane kind of magic that Tommy could never really prove‚ as much as he’s learned to feel it in his heart. Something he hopefully learned not long after laying Izzi to rest‚ or while she was still by his side. An echo of a scene of the two of them at dawn‚ tangled in each other’s arms in bed.  “Is everything all right?” Izzi asks.  A beat. Tommy nuzzles into her back. “Yes‚” he says. “Everything’s all right.”   Because‚ she told him earlier‚ I am with you. Look. I’ll always be with you.[end-mark] The post Suffering and Bliss: <;i>;The Fountain<;/i>; and Putting in Work on the Road to Awe appeared first on Reactor.

Book Recommendations Front Lines and Frontiers Nine Stories From a Master: Night of the Cooters by Howard Waldrop From aliens to centaurs‚ Western movies to French history‚ Waldrop spins unforgettable tales. By Alan Brown | Published on February 20‚ 2024 icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed In this bi-weekly series reviewing classic science fiction and fantasy books‚ Alan Brown looks at the front lines and frontiers of the field; books about soldiers and spacers‚ scientists and engineers‚ explorers and adventurers. Stories full of what Shakespeare used to refer to as “alarums and excursions”: battles‚ chases‚ clashes‚ and the stuff of excitement. The recent passing of Howard Waldrop has brought renewed attention to his work‚ which although it has long been respected‚ has not always received the attention I think it deserves (a fact I suspect had something to do with his preference for shorter works rather than novels). I recently read one of his later collections‚ Night of the Cooters‚ and enjoyed it immensely. There is truly something for everyone in this collection. Waldrop loved to reshape old stories and themes‚ whether they be drawn from history‚ myth‚ movies‚ music‚ fiction or even pulp adventures‚ and make them uniquely his own. A few weeks ago‚ I was rooting around in my basement‚ on the hunt for books to review. Because I had recently heard the news of his death‚ a collection by Howard Waldrop‚ Night of the Cooters‚ suddenly caught my eye. It was a beautifully bound and illustrated book from Ken Keller’s Ursus Imprints‚ published in conjunction with Mark V. Ziesing‚ and signed by the author. As my brother had been a friend of Mark’s from when he ran a bookstore in Willimantic‚ CT‚ and sometimes gave Ziesing books as gifts‚ I thought he must have given it to me; but when I opened the book‚ I realized that I had never read it. At that point I realized how it had probably come into my possession: I’m pretty sure it was one of my father’s books‚ from the collection that my brothers and I had divided between us after his passing. I had brought home boxes of books from my father‚ so many that I haven’t had time to read them all‚ and this was one of those that went overlooked in the intervening years. So it turns out I had in my possession a treasure—not only something passed down in my family‚ but a collection of Howard Waldrop stories that were new to me. About the Author Howard Waldrop (1946-2024) was an American writer of fantasy‚ science fiction‚ and alternate history‚ whose output primarily consisted of shorter works. You can read his Reactor obituary here. He lived most of his life in Texas‚ and his career spanned the years from 1977 to 2023. He was nominated for a number of Nebula and Hugo awards‚ and garnered a Nebula for his story “The Ugly Chickens.” Waldrop also received a World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement. I reviewed another of his short story collections‚ Strange Monsters of the Recent Past‚ here. Good Stories and Good Writing There are some people who assume that good writing must be paired with weighty and serious topics. Fortunately for readers‚ that philosophy was never adopted by Howard Waldrop. He was always noted for his command of the language‚ not because it was polished and skillful‚ but because of how effectively he used it to serve the stories he was telling. Moreover‚ he was remarkably eclectic in the topics and subject matter of his stories. They ranged from speculation on the alternate paths history might have followed‚ to slapstick situations‚ to ancient myth‚ and sometimes to the lurid adventures of comic book heroes. In addition to the care and attention he gave to his writing‚ Waldrop possessed wide-ranging knowledge on a number of subjects and was meticulous in his research‚ no matter how frivolous the story might seem. In the collection I’m reviewing today‚ I can see this attention not only to the various fictional works he touches upon‚ but to the particulars of WWII aviation‚ ancient mythology and literature‚ figures drawn from history‚ and even the history of bicycles. Waldrop had the ability to take a trope that might have been done to death‚ or even a literary cliché‚ and not only make it his own‚ but make that trope feel new and different. In his hands‚ the type of stories beloved by many science fiction fans suddenly felt fresh and vital—and garnered respect from beyond the science fiction community‚ as well. While many writers are drawn to longer formats‚ and particularly the novel‚ as the best way to make their point and convince readers to empathize with the characters‚ Waldrop could write a short story that got directly to the heart of the matter with wonderful efficiency. There are plenty of good writers still among us‚ but there will never be another Howard Waldrop. Night of the Cooters The book begins with an affectionate introduction by Waldrop’s friend and fellow science fiction author Chad Oliver. I should note that it takes some of the same type of surrealistic turns that you find in Waldrop’s stories‚ so I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information it contains. The first story in the collection‚ “Night of the Cooters‚” is rooted in American Western films‚ but Waldrop wraps the Martian invasion from H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds into the tale for an entertaining cross-genre mash-up. Many folks of my generation spent Saturday afternoons watching old movies on TV‚ so a story that draws on those tropes and characters is basically right in my wheelhouse. In his introduction‚ Waldrop explicitly states that the main character is based on actor Slim Pickens‚ which means that every time the character speaks‚ I hear that distinctive reedy‚ slightly exasperated voice in my head. The result is an entertaining romp where Waldrop’s affection for his adopted state of Texas shines through‚ and the slapdash response of the locals turns out to be a lot more effective than the human defenses in other locations. No need to be protected by bacteria and viruses when you have good old Texas know-how to draw on‚ no siree Bob! The next story‚ “French Scenes‚” didn’t connect as well with me; Waldrop draws on the world of art films for this tale‚ and not only am I not a fan of those films‚ but the only foreign language films I have watched with interest had rampaging kaiju in them. He adds into the story the science fictional premise of computer technology that allows a filmmaker to produce a film almost entirely single-handedly‚ using electronic manipulation of images drawn from the past. That premise was futuristic when the story was written in the 1980s‚ but almost feels possible today. The solo nature of the technology‚ though‚ also allows a director to descend into obsession‚ and a creative state not far from madness. “The Passing of the Western” is an odd tale about the taming of the American continent‚ but offers an alternate version of events where learning to control the weather turns the arid land into the breadbasket of the world. But the story isn’t just about the adventures of the weather scientists‚ it’s about movies based on their adventures—furthermore‚ it’s not just about those movies‚ but is written in a quasi-epistolary style in the form of critical articles in movie magazines. As Waldrop points out in his introduction‚ epistolary tales have long been out of style (with occasional exceptions)‚ and the form of this story drove his friend George R. R. Martin to distraction. But for me‚ the style worked very well‚ and made this quirky alternate history feel very real‚ despite its strangeness. Speaking of older literary devices‚ one technique that was once extremely popular is the telling a story from the perspective of a fictional author. The next story in this collection‚ “The Adventures of the Grinder’s Whistle‚” was written for an anthology of such stories. I initially didn’t pay too much attention to the title or fictional author when I started reading‚ but with the first mention of Professor Challenger‚ I looked back‚ and saw that the fictional author was Edward Malone—the narrator of the adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Professor Challenger‚ some of my favorite stories of all time (you can find my reviews of those tales here and here). Waldrop puts young Ned into a tale featuring another of Doyle’s fictional creations‚ Sherlock Holmes. The revelation that Malone could have been one of the Baker Street Irregulars triggered a palpable feeling of joy in me‚ what I believe youngsters these days refer to as a “nerdgasm.” The story hints at the involvement of Jack the Ripper in the death of a young woman‚ but then veers into a whole different direction… Some context for the next story: Many readers will be aware George R. R. Martin‚ in addition to writing the Game of Thrones books‚ is also the creator of one of the longest running shared-world endeavors in science fiction‚ the world of the Wild Cards (now up to over 30 volumes strong)‚ in which an alien virus‚ introduced to the world just after World War II‚ creates a world where superpowered heroes and villains become commonplace. Martin asked his old friend Howard Waldrop to write the first tale in the series‚ and the result is “Thirty Minutes Over Broadway.” Waldrop drew on his love of comic books‚ and specifically the WWII-era hero Airboy‚ to create a similar character‚ Jetboy. Where Airboy was a bit more fanciful and had a bird-like aircraft‚ Jetboy’s plane is more rooted in reality‚ an early experimental jet that he uses to fight the Nazis. The Ursus hardcover edition contains blueprints in the endpapers that show the dimensions and capabilities of the jet‚ which somewhat resembles the real-world German Arado Ar 234 bomber that appeared late in WWII. Jetboy is portrayed as a real-world figure whose exploits have inspired more fanciful adventures in the comic books‚ and the juxtaposition of his real life with the portrayal in the comics gives the story some emotional depth. There are some jarringly unrelated scenes in the story that set up stories further on in the Wild Card series‚ but this story was still one of my favorites in the collection. Waldrop also includes “The Annotated Jetboy‚” a collection of footnotes that show the research he did in preparing the story. “Hoover’s Men” is an odd little short story that puts Herbert Hoover in charge of a new radio agency that also spurs the early development of television‚ and ends with a suggestion that Hitler’s career might have unfolded differently if he could have drawn on the visual power of that new media. “Do Ya‚ Do Ya‚ Wanna Dance” is a story that feels autobiographical‚ and only barely science fictional. It follows a member of the Class of 1969 in the days leading up to his 20th high school reunion‚ and contrasts the decades of the 1960s and 1980s with a mix of nostalgia and angst. The protagonist is not entirely happy with his life‚ and the event triggers some strong emotions. When a local band that once had a short professional career plays at the reunion‚ however‚ their playing evokes a scene of wild abandon that segues into surrealism. The story is powerful‚ moving‚ and enigmatic‚ and I’m sure the emotional reactions to its ending will vary from reader to reader. The main character of “Wild‚ Wild Horses” is an actual person from history‚ the 4th-century writer Vegetius‚ whose writings have survived‚ but about whose life almost nothing is known. The story has one of the last surviving creatures from the age of myth‚ a centaur named Chiron‚ who bribes Vegetius with long-lost manuscripts that he needs for his research‚ asking in return to be returned to his home. That home turns out to be a far-away land that exists on the other side of the wide ocean that stretches beyond the Pillars of Hercules. Their travels across the lands of the Mediterranean‚ how they hide Chiron’s true nature‚ and their journey across what we now know as the Atlantic Ocean all make for a compelling adventure. The final story of the volume‚ “Fin de Cyclé‚” was original to this collection. It is set in turn-of-the-century France (the turn of the last century‚ that is‚ from the 1800s into the 1900s). It is an alternate history that centers on the Dreyfus Affair‚ in which a Jewish army officer was falsely accused of passing military secrets to the Germans‚ resulting in his conviction and ultimately in a scandal that exposed the deep anti-Semitism that existed within French culture at that time. Waldrop also exaggerates the obsession with bicycles that led to the 1890s being referred to as Golden Age of Bicycles‚ and even includes a scene where bicycle-based human-powered aircraft take flight. His characters have passionate arguments on the merits of the “ordinary” bicycles‚ with their large front wheels‚ and the more compact “safety” bicycles that resemble those in common use today. The story is chock-full of real-world characters like the novelist Marcel Proust‚ post-impressionist painter Henri Rousseau‚ writer Alfred Jarry‚ and film director Georges Méliès‚ who band together to use the new media of film to defend and support Captain Dreyfus. Furthermore‚ the story brings to life a fictional character from the work of Proust‚ Norpois‚ who engages Jarry in a wildly improbable duel on the Eiffel Tower‚ where they are required to shoot only while mounted on their bicycles. By the end‚ I was having trouble separating truth from fiction‚ swept up in the almost-real world Waldrop had created. Final Thoughts Night of the Cooters is a wide-ranging collection with all sorts of stories‚ linked only by their high quality. The book was yet another reminder for me of just how good Howard Waldrop’s writing has always been. If you’ve never experienced his work‚ I’d strongly encourage you to seek it out. You won’t be disappointed. And if you’d like to comment on this collection‚ or his other work‚ I look forward to hearing from you.[end-mark] The post Nine Stories From a Master: <;i>;Night of the Cooters<;/i>; by Howard Waldrop appeared first on Reactor.

Democrats constantly crow about their faith in “the right to choose.” But that applies to little beyond abortion. Any woman who chooses to buy a gun or send her child to a charter school should expect “pro-choice” Democrats to stand in her way. Democrats crave control and uniformity‚ even when it comes to medical care for America’s veterans. Democrats want vets in the Veterans Affairs‚ not getting cured in the private sector. The Obama-Biden VA waitlist scandal found veterans dying before they could see their doctors. Donald Trump promised to fix that lethal mess. And he did. President Trump signed the Mission Act on June 6‚ 2018. It holds that if the VA cannot book a primary medical appointment “within 20 days of the date of the request” by a veteran‚ or 28 days for specialty care‚ then that vet may seek therapy outside the VA‚ and the VA will foot the bill. Trump opened an Office of Community Care to oversee the program‚ promoted it via a dedicated website (MissionAct.VA.gov) and focused on reducing the pile of old cases that awaited adjudication. That was just too much freedom and choice for President Joe Biden and his comrades. Soon after taking power‚ they started to lasso vets and haul them back into the VA corral. In October 2021‚ Team Biden padlocked the Office of Community Care and replaced it with a “new integrated access and care coordination model.” How appealing.  The pro-Mission Act website dropped off the VA’s front page. Those who could track down the link found it connected to a “Choose VA” page that sang the praises of government-sector veterans’ care. While these two steps backward were inconvenient‚ Biden’s reversal of Trump’s progress on improving the case backlog truly hurt veterans. The pertinent statistics are jarring. The VA’s relevant database is a bubbling‚ jet-filled hot tub for public policy geeks. Its Monday Morning Workload Reports indicate the level of paperwork facing VA benefits bureaucrats as they sit down at their desks and begin each week. According to these figures‚ the day after Trump began his presidency‚ the Jan. 21‚ 2017 report found the VA with a backlog of 91‚742 claims nationwide that had languished without conclusion for more than 125 days. By Jan. 18‚ 2020‚ two days before Trump’s third anniversary as president‚ the equivalent figure was 68‚911—down 24.9%. Three days after Biden took office‚ the Jan. 23‚ 2021‚ backlog was 211‚443‚ reflecting the devastating effects of COVID-19‚ for which Trump and Biden are blameless. (China’s Xi Jinping is as culpable as anyone.) The Jan. 20‚ 2024‚ data—exactly three years into Biden’s presidency—reflect a backlog of 406‚864 claims‚ up 92.4%. In short‚ Trump spent three years cutting the VA’s case backlog by one-quarter. Biden spent as much time nearly doubling it. Evidently‚ this is how Joe “Nice Guy” Biden proves to be the adult in the room who returned everything to normal. The VA also is ignoring the 20-day primary/28-day specialty care wait time before vets can seek community care. Rather than start the clock when the veteran makes the request‚ as the Mission Act requires‚ VA schedulers may begin each countdown whenever they want. That traps vets on the VA plantation and limits their access to private-sector options. Now‚ to abuse America’s beloved veterans even further‚ the VA spent $63.6 million in fiscal 2022 to process illegal-alien health claims‚ even as the medical paperwork of U.S. citizens gathered dust. ?“To see millions of taxpayer dollars taken from our veterans to instead incentivize and care for an invasion of illegal aliens is a giant slap in the face to America and to the military community‚” retired U.S. Marine Chad Robichaux told the New York Post’s Ryan King. The founder of the Mighty Oaks Foundation‚ a veteran-aid group‚ added: “Every time we think this administration has reached a grotesque low‚ they dig deeper.” The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the url or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Biden Traps Veterans on VA Plantation appeared first on The Daily Signal.

President Joe Biden’s great-great-grandfather received a pardon from President Abraham Lincoln in 1864‚ according to The Washington Post. Biden’s paternal great-great-grandfather‚ Moses Johnson Robinette‚ was convicted of stabbing a fellow Union Army employee‚ the Post reported. Robinette allegedly stabbed John J. Alexander‚ a civilian brigade wagon master‚ after he was confronted for allegedly making an inappropriate comment about a female cook in the mess shanty‚ and was later pardoned by Lincoln. The stabbing occurred on March 21‚ 1864‚ at a Union Army camp in Beverley Ford‚ Virginia‚ along the banks of the Rappahannock River‚ the Post reported. Robinette was serving as a veterinary surgeon in the U.S. Army Quartermaster’s Department‚ responsible for the care of military horses and mules that pulled artillery wagons‚ despite not having formal training as a physician or veterinarian. When Joe Biden was born‚ he was closer in time to the Lincoln assassination than he was to his second campaign for President. pic.twitter.com/VP2AGDJS5r— Joshua Reed Eakle (@JoshEakle) February 18‚ 2024 “[W]hatever I have done was done in self defence‚ that I had no malice towards Mr. Alexander before or since. He grabbed me and possibly might have injured me seriously had I not resorted to the means that I did‚” Robinette said during his military court-martial‚ the Post reported. Robinette was charged with attempted murder and violations of good order and military discipline‚ among others. The court-martial unanimously convicted Robinette on all charges except attempted murder‚ the Post reported. Three months later‚ he began his sentence of two years of hard labor on Dry Tortugas Island near Key West‚ Florida‚ a place described at the time as “America’s Siberia.” Shortly after his arrival‚ three Union Army officers wrote to request clemency from Lincoln for Robinette‚ the Post reported. They claimed that he was “defending himself and cutting with a Penknife a Teamster much his superior in strength and Size‚ all under the impulse of the excitement of the moment‚” while noting his loyalty to the Union cause. Robinette was “ardent‚ and Influential … in opposing Traitors and their schemes to destroy the Government‚” the three officers claimed. “Think of his motherless Daughters and sons at home! … [Praying for] your interposition in behalf of the unfortunate Father … and distressed family of loved Children‚ Union Daughters &; Union Sons.” Robinette’s cause was also endorsed by Republican Sen. Waitman T. Willey of West Virginia‚ who recommended to Lincoln that he be pardoned. “Pardon for unexecuted part of punishment. A. Lincoln. Sep. 1. 1864‚” Lincoln wrote following the receipt of a report from U.S. Army Judge Advocate General John Holt about the case. The Department of War later issued Special Order 296‚ which freed Robinette from prison after just over one month of incarceration. Robinette had previously run a hotel in Grafton‚ Virginia‚ by a station of the Baltimore &; Ohio Railroad‚ with the hotel being destroyed during the Civil War‚ the Post reported. He returned to Allegany County‚ Maryland‚ where his family had fled from Virginia‚ after being released from prison and died in 1903. Robinette’s granddaughter‚ Mary Elizabeth Robinette‚ was the mother of Joseph Robinette Biden Sr.‚ Biden’s father. Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Report: Abraham Lincoln Pardoned Biden’s Great-Great-Grandfather appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If a “pandemic treaty” fails to account for the dismal international response to COVID-19 and isn’t focused on preventing future pandemics‚ is it really a “pandemic treaty”? Yet that’s the current state of a draft “pandemic treaty” being negotiated under the auspices of the World Health Organization. The failures of the international health system’s response to COVID-19 are well-established. China failed to inform the international community of the outbreak of the new disease in a timely manner‚ as required by the World Health Organization’s International Health Regulations‚ a provision established because of Beijing’s cover-up of the 2002 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). China mischaracterized COVID-19‚ saying there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission—a deadly lie that the WHO parroted unquestioningly. The failures didn’t stop there. China didn’t expeditiously share genomic data on the new coronavirus and didn’t allow prompt access to research labs at the Wuhan Institute of Virology by an international expert team. China also shut down internal travel while allowing international travel‚ turning a local outbreak into a global pandemic. To date‚ the Chinese government has refused to allow an unfettered‚ independent international investigation into the origins of COVID-19‚ which even Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus‚ WHO’s director-general‚ has called for. A comprehensive‚ scientific investigation with total access is vital to prepare for and prevent the next pandemic. Without this basic level of cooperation and information‚ it is farcical to move forward with this Potemkin façade. All of this resulted in millions of deaths and trillions of dollars in economic harm that might have been prevented if China had acted responsibly. At a minimum‚ one would expect any new pandemic treaty to address China’s failures during COVID-19 to prevent a repetition in the future. But the WHO’s current draft treaty does no such thing. It fails to require timely access for expert teams to specify obligations by governments to provide full and timely disclosure of genomic data. Nor does it clarify other measures‚ such as trade and travel restrictions‚ that governments can reasonably take in response to a pandemic. So‚ what would this new treaty actually do? Well‚ it affirms: “Equity is at the centre of pandemic prevention‚ preparedness and response‚ both at the national level within states and at the international level between states.” That means that the drafters of the treaty prioritize redistribution and preferences—specifically “unhindered‚ fair‚ equitable and timely access to safe‚ effective‚ quality and affordable pandemic-related products and services.” If you’re not in the class of people that the notion of “equity” is meant to protect‚ you just may be out of luck during the next pandemic. The treaty also would establish a new‚ international bureaucracy to oversee the agreement‚ because‚ naturally‚ if you really want to solve a global problem‚ you need hundreds of international bureaucrats working on it. The treaty envisions an annual meeting of all treaty members—a “conference of parties” just like the United Nations’ climate change convention. In turn‚ this conference of parties may create “subsidiary bodies” and “expert advisory groups” to carry out the treaty’s functions‚ including an “Implementation and Compliance Committee.” So there will be lots of busywork. It’s unclear who’s going to pay for all of this convening and implementing‚ but you can be sure that the U.S. will be on the hook for more than its fair share if the Biden administration attempts to join it (as it surely would). The financial responsibilities created by the draft treaty are vague and open-ended; they would leave an undue level of discretion to whatever international bureaucracy is created to determine the amount of financial support required from countries that ratify the treaty. Empowering an international bureaucracy to oversee equitable distribution of pandemic-related products and services is Orwellian enough‚ but it gets worse. The draft also would require nations to battle “misinformation” and “disinformation” relating to pandemics. Specifically‚ parties to the treaty must “combat false‚ misleading‚ misinformation or disinformation‚ including through effective international collaboration.” Presumably‚ governments and the World Health Organization would decide what is misleading. But‚ of course‚ it was the WHO and individual governments—notably China’s—that were the most egregious purveyors of disinformation about COVID-19. Remember‚ the WHO communicated false information from Beijing that “preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission” of COVID-19. Some governments‚ including our own‚ purveyed misinformation or disinformation about the efficacy of masks in preventing the spread of the disease‚ the origins of the virus‚ and the economic‚ social‚ and educational costs of school closures. Quite simply‚ the World Health Organization and governments have been wrong (and downright dishonest) too often to give them authority to police misinformation and disinformation—especially when it infringes on the internationally accepted right to freedom of expression. In addition to all of this‚ the draft treaty would obligate members to “encourage” pharmaceutical companies under their authority to share proprietary technology with “developing” countries (such as China) and waive their intellectual property rights. Such requirements would do grave harm to the property rights of U.S. companies and disincentivize future research and development of vaccines and other medical innovations that could be critical in dealing with a future pandemic. All of this is a shame. The prevention of future pandemics should be an issue that galvanizes the world. The WHO and the nations negotiating the treaty‚ including the Biden administration (which participated in drafting it)‚ have an opportunity to craft a no-nonsense‚ focused agreement that gets to the heart of the failures of the COVID-19 response. The current draft treaty‚ however‚ falls far from the mark. It ignores the failures of the current international health system revealed by COVID-19: working largely behind closed doors‚ weakening intellectual property rights‚ and encouraging actions to address “misinformation” that certainly will be used to suppress free speech rights. The Biden administration should not sign and the Senate should not ratify this fatally flawed effort. Originally published by RealClear World Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post The Pandemic Treaty That Won’t Prevent a Pandemic appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The moral confusion of our time is not new. Almost 3‚000 years ago‚ the Prophet Isaiah lamented‚ “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil‚ who put darkness for light and light for darkness‚ who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” But at the start of the 20th century‚ a new form of moral confusion was introduced. While there were always those who called good evil and evil good‚ shortly after Einstein discovered relativity in the natural order‚ Western civilization applied relativity to the moral order. As the now-deceased historian Paul Johnson wrote in “Modern Times”: “At the beginning of the 1920s the belief began to circulate‚ for the first time at a popular level‚ that there were no longer any absolutes: of time and space‚ of good and evil [emphasis added] of knowledge‚ above all of value.” Until then‚ though often poorly applied or simply ignored‚ there was the belief in the West that moral truths exist. Then‚ as Johnson writes‚ “Mistakenly but perhaps inevitably‚ relativity became confused with relativism.” Everything became relative: You have your values‚ I have mine; what I think (or more accurately‚ what I feel) is good is good‚ and what I think/feel is bad is bad. This is even true with regard to truth: As the increasingly popular saying goes‚ I have “my truth” and you have “your truth.” Instead of good and evil‚ we now have a set of other “moral” categories: rich and poor‚ white and black‚ colonizers and colonized‚ strong and weak‚ oppressors and oppressed. Those in the latter groups—the poor‚ people of color‚ the colonized‚ the weak and the oppressed (real or alleged)—are‚ by definition‚ good‚ while those in the former categories are‚ by definition‚ bad. To cite one widely held example‚ blacks cannot be racist. I was taught that nonsense in graduate school in the 1970s‚ and it has become a truism among the well-educated. That explains the widespread sympathy for the Palestinians and antipathy toward Israel. In a morality-based world‚ Israel would be universally supported. But we don’t live in such a world; we live in the world of substitute-categories‚ and Israel falls into every one of the “bad” categories. Israel is perceived as rich‚ strong‚ white‚ a colonizer and an oppressor. That is morally backward. Israel is a modern liberal democracy. It has a robust free press‚ vibrant opposition and an independent judiciary. Two million Israelis—a fifth of the country’s population—are Arabs‚ who‚ in the words of the Council on Foreign Relations‚ “have the same legal rights as Jewish Israelis have.” They have their own political parties‚ with 10 seats in Israel’s parliament. Arabic‚ as any tourist to Israel sees‚ is alongside Hebrew‚ Israel’s official language. There have even been Arab supreme court justices. In fact‚ Arabs in Israel are‚ even now‚ considerably more pro-Israel than The New York Times‚ most Democrats and‚ of course‚ the United Nations. Reuters‚ which leans left‚ reported in November that “The Gaza war has dramatically increased the sense of solidarity with Israel among its 21% Arab minority.” And The Economist reported in mid-January‚ “Even as war rages in Gaza‚ Israel’s Arabs are feeling more Israeli … . Two-thirds of Israeli Palestinians say they identified with their state‚ up from half before the war.” Israel treats a vast number of Palestinians in its hospitals. During 2005 alone‚ approximately 123‚000 Palestinians were treated at just one institution‚ Hadassah Hospital‚ in Jerusalem. Israel treated more than 4‚000 victims of the Syrian civil war in civilian hospitals at Israeli government expense. Two weeks ago‚ the chair of Urban Warfare Studies at West Point‚ John Spencer‚ wrote in Newsweek that‚ during Israel’s war on Hamas‚ the country “has implemented more measures to prevent civilian casualties than any other military in history.” “[A]s someone who has served two tours in Iraq and studied urban warfare for over a decade‚ Israel has taken precautionary measures even the United States did not do during its recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan‚” he wrote. Israel provided days and then weeks of warnings‚ as well as time for civilians to evacuate multiple cities in northern Gaza before starting the main air-ground attack of urban areas. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) employed their practice of calling and texting ahead of an airstrike as well as roof-knocking‚ where they drop small munitions on the roof of a building notifying everyone to evacuate the building before a strike. “No military has ever implemented any of these practices in war before‚” Spencer concluded. In contrast to decent‚ humane‚ democratic and moral Israel‚ Hamas—which is supported by the majority of Palestinians—is the moral equivalent of the Nazis. It routinely tortures Palestinian opponents of its tyrannical regime and is dedicated to the annihilation of Israel and its Jews. It takes pride in burning Jewish families alive and the sexual torture‚ rape and mutilation of Jewish women. Regarding Hamas’ cruelty‚ Amnesty International reported in 2015 the case of Atta Najjar‚ a former police officer under the Palestinian Authority: [Najjar] was serving a 15-year prison term imposed by a military court after he was arrested in 2009 and subsequently convicted of ‘collaborating’ with Israel. On 22 August 2014‚ he was taken out from the prison and executed. There were marks of torture and bullet shots on his body. His arms and legs were broken … his body was as if you’d put it in a bag and smashed it. … His body was riddled with about 30 bullets. He had slaughter marks around his neck‚ marks of knives. … And from behind the head‚ there was no brain. Empty … It was difficult for us to carry him. … He was heavy‚ like when you put meat in a bag; no bones. His bones were smashed. They broke him in the prison‚’ said his brother‚ who retrieved the body from al-Shifa hospital morgue on 22 August 2014. But Israel’s decency and Hamas‘ cruelty mean nothing to much of the world‚ especially the Left‚ the universities and the media. Because who is good and who is evil doesn’t matter. Only who’s rich and who’s poor‚ who’s white and who’s black‚ who’s strong and who’s weak‚ who colonizes and who’s colonized‚ and who oppresses and who is oppressed. COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post It Takes a Morally Confused World to Be Anti-Israel appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Read the original post "Best Ever Einkorn Waffles" on A Modern Homestead. These homemade einkorn waffles are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Perfect for Sunday brunch‚ or a quick weekday breakfast. Get all the details for freezing these waffles‚ or just enjoy them fresh! I've always loved waffles of any kind. In fact‚ I have a very large drawer in my kitchen dedicated... Read More The post "Best Ever Einkorn Waffles" appeared first on A Modern Homestead.