Our Ship of State sometimes appears to be the S. S. Naufragium., about to go under. And sometimes it appears merely to be akin to Bernini's Barcaccia, that sempiternal semi-submerged ship that, as an unwandering bark, amuses and heartens visitors by its stubborn refusal to sink:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/Barcaccia.JPG/800px-Barcaccia.JPG
In order to provide our listing ship of state with a consoling Latin stateliness, the American government might consider asking the French government if we might, for a while, borrow the motto of the City of Paris. No doubt some in France would object, but Sarkozy, per fare la bella figura (Carla Bruni has no doubt explained this concept to him), and to make the grand gesture, will in his rocambolesque fashion, in a Rochambeau-esque mood, accede to the request. The motto could be quickly packed up and mailed. It would be a lot less trouble than it took to pack up and send the Statue of Liberty to l'Amerique septentrionale. Send it by regular mail. When it comes, we will unpack it, and put it, without further ado, into service.
Perhaps you don't remember the motto of Paris. Here it is:
Fluctuat nec mergitur.
A good fit, don't you think?
Posted on 02/01/2008 10:11 PM by Hugh Fitzgerald
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