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Alright, I know this is going to come off like a Mr. Cranky-Pants, DDS, JD, BA , but I could not possibly care less about the wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William. Let me be clear; they seem like nice young people and I do wish them every happiness, as I do anyone who stands up and gets married.
However I have no interest in the wall to wall coverage that is going to erupt on Friday starting at 6am Eastern Time. I am not a British subject; I am a democrat from a country that has repudiated the idea of Monarchy, even a constitutional Monarchy. We fought two wars (Revolutionary and war of 1812) to make perfectly plain that we would not be subjects and I don’t need to be bombarded with the trappings of royalty even if it is only for one excruciatingly long day.
After all this is a wedding that is costing in the millions of dollars in a nation that is putting forward some of the sharpest austerity measures seen in their Queens lifetime. There is something more than a little obscene in spending this kind of money for a single wedding, even if it is for the eventual monarch of your country.
I am sure that there will be some who find this all a little much. After all shouldn’t we enjoy the pageantry and majesty of one of the last real royal families in the world? It doesn’t cost us anything, after all.Sorry but I have to be the curmudgeon on this issue.
There are important things going on in our country. The economy is not in good shape. The Republicans in the House and Senate are still playing the very dangerous hostage game with our debt ceiling and the full faith and credit of the United States. There are two or three wars going on (depending on if you count Libya or Iraq as a war at this point), the Syrian government is stationing tanks in multiple cities to quell unrest. And as I mentioned earlier today the President is going to nominate Leon Panetta to be Secretary of Defense and put Gen. David Petraeus in to the Director of CIA job.
These are the real issues and problems that we should be focused on and even if it only one day (though it will really start to ramp up tomorrow) it is one day where flash will take precedence over substance, and it is day we can ill afford.
For the love of Mike! They are not even our Prince and Princess! They are just two more wealthy people who are going to have a big wedding, nothing more or less. Prince William is a Windsor, so what? What about all the other folks who will be married on Friday? Should the world stop everything for their weddings too?
Yes, I do get that I am, perhaps, a bit over heated about this. Still when there are so many problems in the world, is there anything to be gained by spending an obsessive amount of time (including this post) thinking about the marriage of the dependents of the people who were the most ruthless and bloody oppressors in the “royal” class? Does the fact that their ancestors could swing a sword better than others make them special in any way?
All I have to say is a big fat “Whatever!” and roll my eyes in disgust. I think I’ll rent 1776, The Swamp Fox , and V for Vendetta and have myself an anti-Anglophile film fest on Friday!