Remember, remember

[andygates]

Over on a forum, someone has just asked what people plan to do for November 5th.  Resisting the urge to quote V For Vendetta at them, I can't help but wonder... the Gunpowder Plot was an attempt at one hell of a terrorist strike.  Big bomb, lots of VIPs, destruction of a landmark - classic stuff. 

1 - Will people be marking 9/11 in the same utterly disconnected way, with sparklers and baked goods and bonfires with two big wooden "towers" in that are stuffed with fireworks?

2 - I wonder how much of the cool British phlegmatic approach to wild-eyed nutters who makey boom is, in fact, because we have an annual mad-nutter-who-nearly-makey-boom holiday, at which we try our damndest to go "oooh!" and "aaah!" and, in my case, to blow off at least one eyebrow. 

This is your mandatory make-light-of-ter'sm thread, because although I want to comment on Bush's jaw-dropping citation of Vietnam as justification for his cocking around, I simply don't have the words yet.

Comments

[simoneck.livejournal.com]

I thought that was what November 5th had become, but that initially it was a yearly ritual burning of a catholic effigy on top of a large pyre.
Over the years we added fireworks and changed it from a general catholic effigy to just being a effigy of Guy Fawkes. And now we don't even have the bonfire usually, just the fireworks.

Of course I could look this stuff up, but some ill informed comment seems more appropriate for this time of the morning.

[ravenbait.livejournal.com]

Fawkes was a Catholic. Not sure what you mean by "originally", as the Gunpowder PLot took place in 1605.

Full words to "Remember, remember...":

Remember, remember the fifth of November,
Gunpowder, treason, and plot,
I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, 'twas his intent
To blow up the King and Parliament.
Three score barrels of powder below,
Poor old England to overthrow;
By God's providence he was catch'd
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, make the bells ring.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!
Hip hip hoorah!

A penny loaf to feed the Pope.
A farthing o' cheese to choke him.
A pint of beer to rinse it down.
A faggot of sticks to burn him.
Burn him in a tub of tar.
Burn him like a blazing star.
Burn his body from his head.
Then we'll say ol' Pope is dead.
Hip hip hoorah!
Hip hip hoorah hoorah!

According to good old Wikipedia, the festival in Sussex is also about the burning at the stake of 17 Protestant martyrs, which may be where you get the idea that it was originally something else.

I'm with Munky on the British phlegamtism in the face of t'rists. We've had a variety of factions attempting to beat the crap, shoot, stab and explode each other all over this geographically small country for our entire history. We don't glom together in mutual support when threatened. It's far too likely to be someone from here. Oh no. We only glom together in mutual relief that we're not French. Or American.

So, you know, when people drive lit jeeps into Glasgow Airport and get a Glesgae kiss for their efforts, immediately followed by hero worship for the Smeatonator in typical iconoclastic style, it's not some Hollywood style "Mess with the Brits, will you, old boy? We'll see about that, what!" It's more a case that the daft eejit tocht he wiz William Wallace. And the papers aren't helping.

I think, over the centuries, we've developed far too much of a sense of humour about it it. Unless America is subjected to the same degree of constant low-level skirmishing and sniping that goes on here, I doubt they'll have the same ability to make the destruction of the World Trade Centre (I hate calling it 9/11 -- that's someone's birthday) an excuse for stovies, clootie dumpling and fireworks.

[andygates.livejournal.com]

Double-O-Smeato? Dear gods.

(Thanks for calling me up on the WTC/9-11 nomenclature: I was being lazy there.)

Stovies you say? Mmm, stovies...

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

It's frankie_ecap's birthday, which is not very nice for her but at least easy for the rest of us to remember.