The Diana Debate: Behind the Scenes at TQ

Ed and I rarely disagree about anything (except what temperature the house should be), so our friends would have been shocked to overhear our pre-show meeting about this week's episode, TQ5: Ew-logy (listen to the episode now). Of all things to fight over, we argued over Princess Diana!

To be fair, I was the most heated. After all, I am a self-proclaimed princess expert who has studied royalty for more than 30 years, so I feel that my opinions are very well-qualified. But, here's the problem: I don't think Diana was a saint. I don't think she "saved" the royal family. I don't think she was a better parent than Prince Charles. (Read my Princess Palace post, Diana and Me.)

Don't get me wrong. I greatly respect her work, her beauty and her legacy. But, I also admire the work of Prince Charles and the rest of the royal family, which started long before anyone ever heard of Lady Diana Spencer.

On the other hand, I have very limited respect for Diana's brother, Charles Earl Spencer, who delivered Diana's eulogy at Westminster Abbey. So, as we discussed which parts of his eulogy for her to include on the podcast, there were parts I absolutely refused to read. Ed was befuddled. Like many people, he thinks Diana was a tragic victim of a cold royal family. "She was so young," he said in her defense. Yes, she was 19 when she became engaged, but her own family helped push her into it. Where were they when it fell apart? And, she didn't stay "so young"--she was 34 when she gave that scathing interview to Martin Bashir, which upset her own children so much.

Diana's burial place: The island in the lake at
Althorp Estate, which is held by Earl Spencer.

I guess I feel like those who would sanctify Diana the way Republicans feel about liberals or Democrats feel about Tea Party-ers. So, Ed caught the edge of 20 years of my frustration on this topic, which was greatly enflamed by many of the things Earl Spencer said that summer day in 1997. As I told Ed, it was like he told The Queen "eff you" in the very church where she was married and where she was crowned. For the Earl to pledge to Prince William and Prince Harry that Diana's "blood family" would ensure that they were raised as Diana wanted was pure hypocrisy. Not only had Diana regularly been on the outs with various members of her family, the earl himself was living thousands of miles away at the time in South Africa. When he moved back to England, he left his own children there and started another family with wife #2. From there, he had a brawl with a friend, probably had an affair, divorced wife #2, got engaged, broke that engagement, and married wife #3, who gave him his seventh child earlier this year. All of which certainly makes him a fitter role model for his princely nephews than the royals. (Insert sarcasm sign.)

Nastiest Insults: In Memory of Larry Hagman

One of television's nastiest antagonists is undoubtedly J.R. Ewing of "Dallas," played brilliantly by veteran actor (and actual good guy) Larry Hagman, who passed away on November 23, 2012.  The writers drafted incredible insults for the pompous Texas oilman, and Hagman delivered them with the perfect blend of snark, animosity and just-plain rudeness.

In this week's episode (listen now), we tribute to Hagman and his evil alter ego. Here are some bonus examples of the world according to J.R.  Try these at your next party and you won't be invited again!

"Why don't you book tickets on the Titanic?"
"I'm amazed you're not a better loser after all the experience you've had."
"Ray was always uncomfortable dining with the family. After all, we do use knives and forks."
"I expect to find you in my bed tonight. I might be late Wait up for me."
"I'm kinda tired of half-breeds and moochers and strangers hanging out around here."
"The only thing you ever learned is that vodka doesn't smell on your breath."
"He's just about the best liar I ever met, with the exception of myself of course."
"What's a family for if it can't take care of its losers?"
"Weren't you here a couple of months ago? You're not gonna make habit out of this are you?"

For our favorite J.R. quotes, listen to the episode.

Great Emancipator? Yes, but ...

Yesterday marked the 150th anniversary of th Gettysburg Address, which inspired us to induct Abraham Lincoln into our new The Quotables Hall of Fame. Listen to the new episode.

Lincoln is definitely one of the most well-known and most revered American presidents. He may be as close to sainthood as a politician can get. He is remembered as a man of principles, a man ahead of his time, a defender of equality. This iconographic status is based on a true story. Nevertheless, history has taken some liberties with the full story.

Was Lincoln opposed to slavery? Absolutely. Did he free the slaves? Yes. Was he in favor of racial equality? Absolutely not. He made that point clear repeatedly, especially during his famous debates with Stephen Douglas. If he had lived to lead the nation through Reconstruction perhaps he would have softened these views but we can never know that now.

As for his principles, he was like any politician and most successful leaders: willing to bend them when he had a greater goal in sight. The new Spielberg film "Lincoln" illustrates this very well.

Was he ahead of his time? No. Millions of people in his era and before him opposed slavery. If they had not, the nation would not  have been divided. However, he was an extraordinary leader, the right man at the right moment of history. And for that, we salute him.

What's Your Favorite Movie Line?

We are preparing for an upcoming episode about the influence of movies. So, we were wondering what are your favorite movie lines. Use the comment link below or send them to us on Twitter at @palaceprincess or @savagetechman. Feel free to just type in the line OR to tell us why it is special to you. You might even be invited to appear on the show...  To listen to this week's episode, Remembrance, click here.

Remembrance

In this week's episode, we welcome guest Patricia Watts of A Petite Princess blog and honor Veterans Day. listen now: Listen now.

The Most Vulgar Campaign Slogan Ever

With everyone still a little hungover from Campaign 2012, it seems like an appropriate cure is a bit of the "hair of the dog that bit you." In other words, more campaign slogans. That's the topic of Votable Quotables on this week's episode of The Quotables. Download the podcast now.

Franklin Pierce: Even in the 19th century,
it was all about the hair.

Our research for the episode turned up one of the most vulgar campaign slogans I have ever heard: "We Polked you in '44; we shall Pierce you in '52." Clearly my reaction to this slogan from 1852 has been colored by modern sensibilities. I have, perhaps, watched too many PG-13 movies and listened to too much rap music. Nevertheless, I cannot imagine that pre-Facebook people particularly enjoyed being poked much less being pierced. Neither activity seems very polite, either.

On top of that, Pierce was something of a nonentity. He had not been expected to gain his party's nomination, was not a national political figure, was a Northerner with Southern sympathies in the era before the Civil War, and he had not held elected office in some time. But, he was a war veteran and since no one really knew what he thought about anything, he was a "safe" candidate when the convention deadlocked. (You see, back then, the country did not endure endless months of primary battles and the candidates were actually selected at the convention.)

Fortunately for the poking, piercing candidate, his opponent was Winfield Scott, an anti-Slavery Southerner whose running mate came to be known as "Old Fuss and Feathers"--not exactly a nickname to inspire confidence. To make things even more interesting, the two parties had virtually identical platforms. So, what really made the difference? Turns out, Mr. Pierce was a genuinely nice person. People just liked him.

And, I guess, they didn't mind being Pierced.

What's your favorite campaign slogan?

The Collective Wisdom of Assassins

In our first episode/post, we explored the history of the word "assassin." That got me thinking about what some of the most famous assassins have had to say for themselves. Here are selections that may or may not help explain what was in their minds. Download the episode.

Charles Guiteau

"The President's tragic death was a sad necessity."
Charles J. Guiteau, who delayed his assassination attempt on President James Garfield until the First Lady had recovered from an illness. It took Garfield 11 weeks to die from the infection caused by the gunshot wound.

"I killed the President because he was the enemy of the good people, the good working people."
Leon Czolgosz shot President William McKinley in a public receiving line at the Pan-American Exposition. Again, the president died of infection, not the gunshots, but it only took McKinley eight days.

"Before I fired the shots I actually wished him well and bowed to him in reverence."
Nathuram Godse killed Gandhi because he opposed Gandhi's teaching of extreme nonviolence. Nevertheless, Gandhi's sons attempted to have Godse's life spared in order to honor their father's beliefs. They were unsuccessful.

Lee Harvey Oswald being shot
by Jack Ruby as Oswald is
being moved by police, 1963

"Revolutions require work, revolutions require sacrifice, revolutions, and our own included, require a certain amount of rationing, a certain amount of calluses, a certain amount of sacrifice."
Lee Harvey Oswald, assassin of President John Kennedy, is one of the most famous assassins in history, but many conspiracy theorists question whether he was an assassin at all. (P.S. He was.)

"Maybe something can be saved, something can be done."
Jack Ruby, who killed Lee Harvey Oswald, is also a favorite topic of conspiracy theorists. In killing Oswald, was he covering up a much larger plot? (P.S. No.)

"They can gas me, but I am famous. I have achieved in one day what it took Robert Kennedy all his life to do."
Sirhan Sirhan assassinated presidential candidate Robert Kennedy in 1968, but he still lives today in a California prison where he is eligible for parole hearings every five years. This is my favorite assassin's quote because it is the most true: a moment of infamy can (unfortunately) propel the unknown into the world spotlight and keep them there for decades to come.

"I am the son of peasants and I know what is happening in the villages. That is why I wanted to take revenge, and I regret nothing."
Gavrilo Princip may have known about his neighborhood, but he likely had no idea that killing Archduke Franz Ferdinand would ignite the First World War. He may have had no regrets but the 37 million people who died might have urged him to make a different choice.

"I don't think I'm a celebrity. A chimpanzee could have done what I did."
Mark David Chapman murderd John Lennon in 1980 and has spent the rest of his life in prison, where he receives treatment for mental illness.

Aftermath of the Reagan
assassination attempt

“Guns are neat little things, aren't they? They can kill extraordinary people with very little effort.”
John Hinckley Jr. was spared prison following his attempt on President Ronald Reagan's life. When he was sentenced instead to a mental health facility, public outrage helped inspire the Insanity Defense Reform Act of 1984.

Get Out the Vote

Good morning, my fellow Americans! Today is the day to exercise your rights at the polls. Even in close years, like 2000, it is amazing that we can enact this "peaceful revolution" every four years.

Download the podcast now.

This week on The Quotables podcast, in a new segment called Votable Quotables, we take a look at how presidential campaigns over the years have used slogans to build themselves up, tear the other guy down or otherwise persuade the voters to support them. Also, in Ed-ymology, we explore the political term "gerrymander." And, if you think you know what Ed will say about this one, believe me, you don't.