Burnt Orange Report

Jolly Olde England

By Jim Dallas

Caught an interesting documentary last night on The History Channel (are there any other kind?) about the various threads of the King Arthur legend and their historical roots. I think it was narrated by Capt Jean-Luc Picard Patrick Stewart.

It's a bit sad though that there were some pretty important/obvious things about medieval Britain that I had never known before, e.g. the Battle of Badon Hill, and the role of british-descended Bretons (from Brittany) in aiding William I's Norman invasion ("revenge is a dish best served cold" ~ old Klingon proverb). Chalk that up to me not having a really good formal education in British history. For shame.

Not to suggest that we should be monocultural, but the history and customs of Britain are probably the single most important influence on American legal and political culture. So I try to pay attention.

Strangest applications of Anglo-trivia: the time I invoked William Pitt the Elder at a pro-choice rally ("The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the force of the Crown. It may be frail; its roof may shake; the wind may blow through it; the storms may enter, the rain may enter,—but the King of England cannot enter.") There's also a nice Burke quote at the exit of the Rainforest at Moody Gardens ("No one could make a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.")