Inevitably when the conversation turns to Trump-related matters, the subject turns to sex. What’s good, what’s bad, how’s she rated, would you or not, who got who first or second, or last, or not at all. That’s Trump & his boys with their innocent locker talk. So edifying and uplifting to hear from the new temporary head of the country.

But this is a much better and juicier sex story than that same old bull.

Here is Chris Christie* having a rare, unguarded moment and unburdening his heart. Of course, he had his moment of confession over the public radio airwaves. If it’s good enough for Donald, then it’s good enough for him. Even though Boomer & Carton (local broadcast, took former slot of Don Imus) aren’t superstars like Howie the Stern on Sirius XM.

Here’s the scoop:

Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday disclosed that first lady Mary Pat Christie had refused to move with the governor to Washington D.C. should he take a job in the Trump cabinet, and that this informed the governor’s decision to turn down several cabinet-level slots.

“He didn’t offer me a job that I thought was exciting enough for me to leave the governorship, and my family,” said Christie. “Because Mary Pat made really clear she wasn’t coming to D.C.”

In December, Trump transition sources told NJ Advance Media that Christie was offered cabinet-level posts like secretary of Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs, as well as a slot as a top White House aide and U.S. ambassador to Italy, but declined them all.

The Christies have four children, two of whom are in high school and still living at home.

In declining to relocate from their home in Mendham, Mary Pat Christie is taking a similar stand as Trump’s wife, Melania, who in November decided to remain in New York City until their 10 year old son Barron finished out the school year.

However, earlier this week, citing anonymous sources, Politico reported that Christie was still being considered as a mid-term replacement for when Trump’s first-string cabinet picks either resign or are sacked.

Late on Monday, the Wall Street Journal confirmed as much in an interview with Trump, who said that “at some point, we’re going to do something with Chris.”

Christie also insisted that reports that his political career been demolished by Trump were false, and the result of media bias against him.

“Whenever you’ve been extraordinarily popular, the media want to make you extraordinarily unpopular, because that’s part of their gig,” the governor said.

Christie currently has a 18 percent approval rating, the second-lowest in modern New Jersey history.

O.K. That seems straightforward enough. We can skip all the baloney at the end about Christie being a media martyr who was “extraordinarily popular” brought down to 18% by losers and haters. This is the exceptionally large girthed mini-bully who screwed Jersey commuters with the GW Bridge payback scam for spite. What a grade-A vindictive putz.

But never mind, this story really isn’t about Christie, except as a tool. It’s really all about the lovely Mary Pat. Woman Power, updated for the 21st century.

A mini-note on Mary Pat.

In 1986, Christie married Mary Pat Foster, a fellow student at the University of Delaware. After marrying, they shared a studio apartment in Summit, New Jersey. Mary Pat Christie pursued a career in investment banking and eventually worked at the Wall Street firm Cantor Fitzgerald; she left the firm in 2001 following the September 11 attacks. Through April 2015 she was a managing director at the Wall Street investment firm Angelo, Gordon & Co.

Christie and Mary Pat have four children: two boys, Andrew (b. 1993) and Patrick (b. 2000), and two girls, Sarah (b. 1996) and Bridget (b. 2003). The family resides in Mendham Township.

And, one more note about Mary Pat:

Mary Pat Christie (née Foster; born September 15, 1963) is an American investment banker and, as the wife of Governor and former presidential candidate Chris Christie, is First Lady of New Jersey.

Christie was born to an Irish Catholic family in the Philadelphia suburb of Paoli, Pennsylvania, the ninth of 10 children. She was Class President of the University of Delaware Class of 1985 (her husband was President of the Class of 1984). Christie earned her MBA at Seton Hall University in New Jersey.

The Christies, both then recent graduates of the University of Delaware, were married in 1986. As newlyweds, they shared a studio apartment in Summit, New Jersey. She and her husband have four children – two boys: Andrew (b. 1993) and Patrick (b. 2000), and two girls: Sarah (b. 1996) and Bridget (b. 2003). The family resides in Mendham Township.

Governor Christie has cited his wife’s success as a bond trader as enabling him to have a relatively low-paid political career. When a colleague teased him about this, the Governor responded, “Listen, I just have three words for you: joint checking account. That money all lands in the same place, baby. It’s fine by me”.

Mary Pat insisted that the family not move to the New Jersey Governor’s Mansion in Princeton, New Jersey, so that the children would not have to change schools.

Recap of the Players’ Scene

Mary Pat is one of 10 children from an Irish-Catholic family. She got married at age 23 to Christie (for the only tine) while they were both in graduate school. They have four children, two of whom are still middle teenagers in high school. Mary Pat has some serious business chops, besides being a fierce mom. She has an MBA, was president of her University of Delaware Senior Class, and was making $500,000 a year as one managing director of a NY Hedge Fund until mid-2015, when Christie hit the road to campaign for President.

Christie might be Governor of New Jersey, but Mary Pat has brought home a ton of the bacon for nearly 30 years.

That’s the personal side. Now let’s introduce the sexual politics.

Christie ran for President in 2015-2016 and flamed out in February. He pivoted, rebooted, and endorsed Trump early, and was seriously in the running for the Vice-Presidential nomination thereafter. When Pence was anointed, Christie was repurposed and put in charge of the (then) long-shot Transition Committee planning and ramp-up effort, including the cabinet selection process. After the election, nearly immediately, Pence took over that job too, and Christie was sidelined.

Still as a loyal early supporter of Trump the big man was gunning for a plum cabinet post. He wanted Attorney-General, as befitting his talents, but Trump offered a menu of slightly less mouth watering alternate choices: including Secretary of Homeland Security and Director of Veterans Affairs. (both formal cabinet positions), as well as a gig as a senior White House aide or Ambassador to Italy. A veritable job cornucopia to choose from and snack on.

By December 15, the story line firmed that Christie really had wanted to be Attorney-General, and the other slots were nice, but not enough for him to agree. He would rather stay on as proud NJ Governor, and finish his second elected term in early 2018.

Today the other shoe falls thud-like. It turns out the cover story was so much tissue paper wrapped with a big red bow around it., as Christie revealed on the radio.

The Greek Playwright Aristophanes Gets Involved

In 9th grade English, my classmates and I took a several week virtual literary tour of the ancient Greek theater, both tragedies and comedies. One well thumbed classic we read for that class, familiar around the world, is “Lysisitrata” (411 BC) a comedy by the Greek master Old Comedy playwright Aristophanes (c. 446 BC – c. 386 BC)*

A satiric comic masterpiece of just 1.320 lines.

“Lysistrata” is a bawdy anti-war comedy by the ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes, first staged in 411 BCE. It is the comic account of one woman’s extraordinary mission to end the Peloponnesian War, as “Lysistrata”convinces the women of Greece to withhold sexual privileges from their husbands as a means of forcing the men to negotiate a peace. Some consider it his greatest work, and it is probably the most anthologized.

If you have not had the pleasure of ever reading the play, take the time. Or revisit it, if your last acquaintance was during school days. Aristophanes’ wit was so sharp and cutting, it is said that the immortal Greek thinker and philosopher, Plato himself, was fearful of his acid remarks. Now that’s some literary reputation. Not like this bumbling insult artists like the puny Twits of Trump creator.

Mary Pat tuned up the 21st century version of the old, old story and told Christie, ‘No.’ Nope, no way, no chance, ain’t gonna happen that you go to Washington for Trump. Me and the kids are staying right here in Jersey. I don’t’ care if he is the President and he’s calling you to come to give national service. You go, and we’re done, Pal.

Got to admit, that’s a pretty persuasive argument on its own merits in this case. I get why Christie, who surely knows on which side his bread is buttered, made the only sound choice open for him. Yet, he couldn’t help but whine about it just a little at the back door, by radio blabbing, but here you go.

May Pat made the family command decision, and didn’t back off and play nice and humble, like the good little woman, who will sacrifices for her man cause he really, really wants something.

That is not so surprising. What is however, surprising, is that she was really telling Trump to get stuffed. Here Trump, the most powerful an in America, was about to bestow an signal honor on her husband. One of the top 25 tier one jobs in the entire new Administration, and she wouldn’t relent or give in to him.

We know that Christie might be a little soft around the middle on these things (he is after all only the Governor of Jersey), but Trump always insists that he alone is the King Dog Alpha Male, with a brass set the size of Ohio. Trump gets what he wants. Mary Pat turned him away, with a seeming flick of the feminine wrist.. Worse, she didn’t even deign to deliver the news herself. She had Christie refuse the deal.

Trump, as recently as three days ago, told the Wall Street Journal he still wanted to do something important with Christie in the Administration fold. Trump doesn’t like to lose. The shocker for the Big Boy is that as President he can’t imagine an in-your-face turndown. And from some woman from Jersey, for crying out loud. That’s worse than a snub from outer Queens.

No future rosy commitments from Mary Pat. Handicapping the odds, her youngest will still be in high school until 2021 (already into Trump II territory, if he should last that long). What’s likely to change in her calculus?

So, what we have here is an educated articulate Republican woman, with impressive self-confidence and independent business skills, who considered her wishes for her family, and who just told the President of the United States to move on along. Take your deal elsewhere. And she doesn’t seem real regretful about her choice, either.

Just who’s wearing the pants here? Trump tells us he has only the best and the brightest, and he’s fully in control. He wants Christie, he choose Christie, and he can’t have Christie, because of some woman and child rearing issues. This whole thing is interfering with the smooth return to Trump’s MAGA, just the way he wants it. That is the country’s Job #1. Trump says so.

Modern Day “Lysistrata” Type Options

This is the essence of a new form of power sharing. And is isn’t just about straight sex power lines, either.

This single act of seditious interference with the prerogatives of the Great Leader, on its own, is bad enough. But it might become a trend. Seems Mary Pat is the January 2017 face of the Modern “Lysistrata” Resistance to Trump’s political charms.

Mary Pat is not however, the first to march elsewhere. Though it was papered over rather nicely bu Kellyanne and the Munchkins, the same practical set of events played out just a couple days after Trump was elected.

There was a ‘No’ rumble quake from within his very own house and Tower. Melania and her 10-year old son said we’re here, period. Not going to DC. School’s in session for the year. AI don’t care about any January semester break. A suitable fig leaf of modesty was quickly found. Since it was already nearly the middle of the year (all of 2 months into a 10 month school year), the household move could only take sensibly over the summer of 2017.

Melania herself has been deadly quiet on her future plans, neither confirming or denying her intentions. She also is clearly a Mama Bear when it comes to her Job #1, that is, caring for her son. Whatever Donald thinks he’s on about to the contrary.

No one will know for sure what will actually occur in June with Barron. Watch for the pro version of Trump’s smoke and mirror machine. There may be domestic negotiations in progress now. There may be a need for Barron to stay in New York for Summer camp with a special friend. There could be a newly urgent requirement for extra academic studies over the summer in New York to prepare for middle school.

A special extended trip to Europe for Barron to bond with his Slovenian grandparents, and perfect his language skills. Don’t be shocked if come September Melania and Barron are still full time residents of New York City and Trump Tower. Being President was Donald’s dream and ambition, not hers.

Furthermore, although the details of the Trump’s presumably iron-clad (third go-round) prenuptial agreement are not publicly available, after 10 years of marriage, and producing a son and male heir to prove Trump’s continued robust masculine vitality, Melania has surely passed all the financial hurdles and marital check boxes to keep her domicile intact wherever she wants it. Further, another marriage scandal for Trump resulting from trying to twist her arm to move to Washington might finally sink him. He can’t afford that kind of a risky bet. even if he wanted to take a shot and clear the decks, as he has twice before after about 15 years of combined relationship bliss and marriage.

She holds the aces. If Melania decides, on her own, to rain down a Modern Family “Lysistrata” on Donald’s ass, consider him smoked.

Those Ancient Greeks Were Some Smart Dudes

The old original “Lysistrata” Resistance was the straight-up withholding of traditional bump and grind relations. Today’s women are a whole lot smarter than that, and with more options to maneuver. Women, alone and together, have conventional, counter-insurgency, irregular, militia, heavy weapons, and nuclear forces options to bring to bear, when needed. Under differing circumstances, there could be the Financial “Lysistrata”, the Inheritance “Lysistrata”, the Public Scandal “Lysistrata”, the Political Humiliation “Lysistrata”, the No Eye Candy “Lysistrata”, and probably others, as well as the classic Locked-Up Goodies “Lysistrata”.

Trump has said publicly, more than once, that women can be dangerous. This excuse is a typical problem solving and pattern analysis result from beneath a testosterone fog. Men have mostly bulled their way through by physical, financial, or religious political intimidation over women for at least 2,500 years in Western civilizations, without overmuch practical flash back, until rather recently.

Mary Pat and Melania might just be the tip of a very sharp spear. What we have here is a relatively small dose of re-ballasting the ship to navigate the political family life waves. Heck, it even might become a trend among the wives some of the densest and most pig-heated rich white dudes. And rich Democrats and ordinary folks could get in on the act.

Pretty effective combo, done with a smile and a good “Lysistrata” story.

The Greek women used a crude form, but a heavily effective means to advance a worthy social goal. Today’s techniques are both surgical and more powerfully selective to promote a variety of worthwhile family and social agenda goals.

The old “Do it, because I said so,” rap is sounding kind of peaked.

It may sound like I’m being a little bit harsh on Christie, but I lived in Jersey myself before Christie was even born. I was raised in Jersey, breathed the air, and drank city tap water for almost two decades. I had my first wage paying and income tax contributing jobs in Jersey, more than 50 years ago, And I have my original Social Security Card with the Jersey designated state 3-diigit SSN Area Number to prove it.*

So, I have naturally earned the right to give Christie a hard time and toss some tough native Jersey pokes at this youngster man to man, even if he doesn’t like it. As for Trump, he’s got no sovereign immunity, and he get used to some ragging about his ancient and medieval attitudes, to order to make a larger social point. And he has richly earned in spades many times over, just since 2005, whatever grief piles on him on the “Lysistrata” ball field.

As for Mary Pat, I think she’s a bright woman star for doing right by her kids, however eagerly Trump is willing to offer them up to a political grinder for his personal benefit. More power to her. She should be hailed as an example to young women everywhere, to take the challenges they face head on, even if they hale from a traditional religious or ethnic family background.

America has no brain power or human talent to waste from among any of our citizens, whatever someone’s natural basal hormone levels might be, man or woman.

There is more to the Canon of Western Classics than archaic language, difficult writings, complex philosophy, nude marble busts, doggerel and dirty poems. The lessons of “Lysistrata” and the blessings of democracy are two such benefits for America.

Far more worthwhile than the phony purported Highest IQ Ever touted for Trump’s motley crew of Cabineteers.

From the Wikipedia entry for Governor Chris Christie:

  • Chris Christie
  • Born: Christopher James Christie
  • September 6, 1962 (age 54)
  • Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
  • Political party            Republican
  • Spouse(s): Mary Pat Foster (m. 1986)
  • Children: 4
  • Alma mater: University of Delaware
  • Seton Hall University

Christopher James “Chris” Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and attorney. He is a member of the Republican Party and has been the 55th Governor of New Jersey since January 2010. His term ends January 16, 2018.

Born in Newark, Christie volunteered for Thomas Kean’s gubernatorial campaign at age 15. After graduating in 1984 from the University of Delaware, he earned a J.D. at Seton Hall. He practiced law 1987–2002. He was elected county freeholder (legislator) for Morris County, serving 1995–1998. By 2002, he had campaigned for Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush; the latter appointed him U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, a position he held 2002–2008.

Christie won the 2009 Republican primary for Governor of New Jersey, defeating the incumbent in the general election. He was re-elected in 2013. After the start of his second term as governor, Christie’s standing was damaged by the Fort Lee lane closure scandal. Since then, he has ranked among the least popular governors in the United States; for example, a September 2016 poll found that he was the third least popular governor in the country, with an approval rating of 29%. By December 2016, this had slipped to just 19%.

He was seen as a potential candidate in the 2012 presidential election, but did not run. He was shortlisted for nominee Mitt Romney’s running mate, and keynoted the 2012 Republican National Convention. Christie chaired the Republican Governors Association for the 2014 election cycle. On June 30, 2015, he announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the 2016 presidential election. He suspended his candidacy on February 10, and soon after endorsed Donald Trump, who named him head of his transition planning team. He was again shortlisted for nominee but for Donald Trump’s running mate. Soon after the election Christie was replaced by Mike Pence, and three of his close associates were removed from the transition team.

Christie was born in Newark, New Jersey, to Sondra A. (née Grasso), a telephone receptionist, and Wilbur James “Bill” Christie, a certified public accountant. His mother was of Italian (Sicilian) ancestry, and father is of German, Scottish, and Irish descent. Christie’s family moved to Livingston, New Jersey, after the 1967 Newark riots, and Christie lived there until he graduated from Livingston High School in 1980. At Livingston High School, Christie served as class president and played catcher for the baseball team.

Christie’s father and mother were Republican and Democratic, respectively. He has credited, however, his Democratic-leaning mother for indirectly making him a Republican by encouraging him in 1977 to volunteer for the gubernatorial candidate who became his role model: Tom Kean. Christie had become interested in Kean after the politician, then a state legislator, spoke to Christie’s junior high school class.

Christie graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 1984 and Seton Hall University School of Law with a J.D. in 1987. He was admitted to the New Jersey State Bar Association and the Bar of the United States District Court, District of New Jersey, in December 1987. Later in life, he was awarded honorary doctorate degrees by Rutgers University and Monmouth University.

In 1986, Christie married Mary Pat Foster, a fellow student at the University of Delaware. After marrying, they shared a studio apartment in Summit, New Jersey. Mary Pat Christie pursued a career in investment banking and eventually worked at the Wall Street firm Cantor Fitzgerald; she left the firm in 2001 following the September 11 attacks. Through April 2015 she was a managing director at the Wall Street investment firm Angelo, Gordon & Co.

Christie and Mary Pat have four children: two boys, Andrew (b. 1993) and Patrick (b. 2000), and two girls, Sarah (b. 1996) and Bridget (b. 2003). The family resides in Mendham Township.

Christie’s hobbies have included coaching Little League, cheering for the New York Mets, and attending Bruce Springsteen concerts (141 of them). Christie’s other favorite sports teams are the New York Knicks, New York Rangers, and Dallas Cowboys.

Despite having criticized Donald Trump prior to leaving the race, he endorsed Trump on February 26, 2016. On May 9, 2016, Trump named Christie to head up a transition team in the event of a Trump presidency. He soon emerged as a major power with the Trump campaign.

On July 12, 2016, it was reported that Christie was on the shortlist to be Trump’s running mate in the general election, alongside former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and Governor of Indiana Mike Pence. On July 15, 2016, Trump officially announced Pence as his running mate. In September 2016, Christie acknowledged that the Fort Lee lane closure scandal, also known as Bridgegate, was a factor in his being denied the nomination. Trump had said earlier that Christie knew about the closures, which Christie denies. Following the Trump tape controversy, Christie called Trump’s comments “completely indefensible”, but also added “I don’t think it’s the only way you should make a judgment”.

After calls for his impeachment as Governor and felony convictions in U.S. federal court for high-ranking members of his staff in the Bridgegate scandal, Christie was dropped by Trump as leader of the transition team, in favor of Mike Pence. On the same day, Christie’s close associates Richard Bagger and Bill Palatucci were both removed by Trump from the transition team. Former Congressman Mike Rogers, a national security expert on the Trump transition team, was additionally another close associate of Chris Christie who was also removed a few days after Christie’s departure.

Christie is being considered for a role in the Trump administration, but has said he will serve out his term as governor, which ends in January 2018. On 11 of December it was reported that Christie turned down offers to become Secretary of Homeland Security and Secretary of Veterans Affairs, because he wanted to be Attorney General.

*From the Wikipedia entry for Aristophanes:

Aristophanes (c. 446 – c. 386 BC), son of Philippus, was a comic playwright of ancient Athens. Eleven of his forty plays survive virtually complete. These, together with fragments of some of his other plays, provide the only real examples of a genre of comic drama known as Old Comedy, and are used to define it.

Also known as the Father of Comedy and the Prince of Ancient Comedy, Aristophanes has been said to recreate the life of ancient Athens more convincingly than any other author. His powers of ridicule were feared and acknowledged by influential contemporaries; Plato singled out Aristophanes’ play The Clouds as slander that contributed to the trial and subsequent condemning to death of Socrates although other satirical playwrights had also caricatured the philosopher.

His second play, The Babylonians (now lost), was denounced by the demagogue Cleon as a slander against the Athenian polis. It is possible that the case was argued in court but details of the trial are not recorded and Aristophanes caricatured Cleon mercilessly in his subsequent plays, especially The Knights, the first of many plays that he directed himself. “In my opinion,” he says through the Chorus in that play, “the author-director of comedies has the hardest job of all.”

Most of these are traditionally referred to by abbreviations of their Latin titles; Latin remains a customary language of scholarship in classical studies.

  • The Acharnians, 425 BC
  • The Knights, 424 BC
  • The Clouds, original 423 BC, revised version from 419 BC – 416 BC
  • The Wasps, 422 BC
  • Peace, first version, 421 BC
  • The Birds, 414 BC
  • Lysistrata, 411 BC
  • The Women Celebrating the Thesmophoria, first version c.411 BC
  • The Frogs, 405 BC
  • The Assemblywomen, c. 392 BC
  • Wealth, second version, 388 BC

Three lines from the dramatic play The Babylonians by Aristophanes (426 BC)

People among us, and I don’t mean the polis,

Remember this — I don’t mean the polis –

But wicked little men of a counterfeit kind….

Yes, the playwright is speaking of polls and elections here. We can only imaging sort what wicked little counterfeit kind of men he meant to chastise, but I have an idea who their descendants might resemble. In any case, the author was trying to make the point that the polls (people) weren’t wrong, but the deceiving scoundrels who fooled them with wickedness. Now that is about as sharply contemporary a point as anyone could make in today’s American political scene.

Trump, take note. Aristophanes had your number, 2,500 years ago. About the same time as Archery was invented in Greece (Crete)

From the Wikipedia entry for “Lysistrata”:

Lysistrata (“Army Disbander”) is a comedy by Aristophanes. Originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC, it is a comic account of one woman’s extraordinary mission to end the Peloponnesian War. Lysistrata persuades the women of Greece to withhold sexual privileges from their husbands and lovers as a means of forcing the men to negotiate peace—a strategy, however, that inflames the battle between the sexes. The play is notable for being an early exposé of sexual relations in a male-dominated society. Additionally, its dramatic structure represents a shift from the conventions of Old Comedy, a trend typical of the author’s career. It was produced in the same year as the Thesmophoriazusae, another play with a focus on gender-based issues, just two years after Athens’ catastrophic defeat in the Sicilian Expedition.

Soon after the oath is finished, a cry of triumph is heard from the nearby Acropolis—the old women of Athens have seized control of it at Lysistrata’s instigation, since it holds the state treasury, without which the men cannot long continue to fund their war. Lampito goes off to spread the word of revolt, and the other women retreat behind the barred gates of the Acropolis to await the men’s response.

A Chorus of Old Men arrives, intent on burning down the gate of the Acropolis if the women don’t open up. Encumbered with heavy timbers, inconvenienced with smoke and burdened with old age, they are still making preparations to assault the gate when a Chorus of Old Women arrives, bearing pitchers of water. The Old Women complain about the difficulty they had getting the water, but they are ready for a fight in defense of their younger comrades. Threats are exchanged, water beats fire, and the Old Men are discomfited with a soaking.

The magistrate then arrives with some Scythian archers (the Athenian version of police constables). He reflects on the hysterical nature of women, their devotion to wine, promiscuous sex, and exotic cults (such as to Sabazius and Adonis), but above all he blames men for poor supervision of their womenfolk. He has come for silver from the state treasury to buy oars for the fleet and he instructs his Scythians to begin levering open the gate. However, they are quickly overwhelmed by groups of unruly women with such unruly names as seed-market-porridge-vegetable-sellers and garlic-innkeeping-bread-sellers.

Lysistrata restores order and she allows the magistrate to question her. She explains to him the frustrations women feel at a time of war when the men make stupid decisions that affect everyone, and their wives’ opinions are not listened to. She drapes her headdress over him, gives him a basket of wool and tells him that war will be a woman’s business from now on. She then explains the pity she feels for young, childless women, ageing at home while the men are away on endless campaigns. When the magistrate points out that men also age, she reminds him that men can marry at any age whereas a woman has only a short time before she is considered too old. She then dresses the magistrate like a corpse for laying out, with a wreath and a fillet, and advises him that he’s dead. Outraged at these indignities, he storms off to report the incident to his colleagues, while Lysistrata returns to the Acropolis.

The debate or agon is continued between the Chorus of Old Men and the Chorus of Old Women until Lysistrata returns to the stage with some news—her comrades are desperate for sex and they are beginning to desert on the silliest pretexts (for example, one woman says she has to go home to air her fabrics by spreading them on the bed). After rallying her comrades and restoring their discipline, Lysistrata again returns to the Acropolis to continue waiting for the men’s surrender.

In a small coincidence, I ran across this work by artist Chuck Sperry (Signed and Numbered limited edition of 150) exhibited in the show “Hellikon”, in New York City from November 19 to December 11,, 2016. This hugely propitious period is, of course, smack in the middle of Trump’s interregnum. It felt as if “Lysistrata” was exerting her magic to draw me nearer. I now freely share her power with you.

  • Chuck Sperry – “Lysistrata”
  • Artist: Chuck Sperry
  • Title: “Lysistrata”
  • Medium: 7 colors on cream paper (variants: blue opal / gold / wave foil)
  • Edition: 150 – Signed and Numbered (variants : edition of 15 each)
  • Dimensions: 21″ x 31.5″
  • This work is featured in “Helikon” – a solo show by Chuck Sperry. On view at SPOKE NYC from November 19th – December 11th, 2016.

At a distance it is easy enough to mix up two great Greek playwrights, the comedic writer Aristophanes (446 BC-386 BC) of “Lysistrata”fame, and Aeschylus, the immortal Greek tragedian This blog post centers upon the comic, but since we have entered the deep waters of the Western Canon hereabouts, we might as well make a short reminder trip to dust off memories of Aeschylus (535 BC-455 BC).

From the Wikipedia entry for Aeschylus, the Greek Tragedian:

Aeschylus (c. 525/524 – c. 456/455 BC) was an ancient Greek tragedian. He is often described as the father of tragedy. Critics’ and scholars’ knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier tragedies is largely based on inferences from his surviving plays. According to Aristotle, he expanded the number of characters in theater allowing conflict among them; characters previously had interacted only with the chorus

Only seven of his estimated seventy to ninety plays have survived, and there is a longstanding debate regarding his authorship of one of these plays, Prometheus Bound, which some believe his son Euphorion actually wrote. Fragments of some other plays have survived in quotes and more continue to be discovered on Egyptian papyrus, often giving us surprising insights into his work. He was probably the first dramatist to present plays as a trilogy; his Oresteia is the only ancient example of the form to have survived. At least one of his plays was influenced by the Persians’ second invasion of Greece (480–479 BC). This work, The Persians, is the only surviving classical Greek tragedy concerned with contemporary events (very few of that kind were ever written), and a useful source of information about its period. The significance of war in Ancient Greek culture was so great that Aeschylus’ epitaph commemorates his participation in the Greek victory at Marathon while making no mention of his success as a playwright. Despite this, Aeschylus’ work – particularly the Oresteia – is acclaimed by today’s literary academics.

Aeschylus was born in c. 525 BC in Eleusis, a small town about 27 kilometers northwest of Athens, which is nestled in the fertile valleys of western Attica, though the date is most likely based on counting back forty years from his first victory in the Great Dionysia. His family was wealthy and well established; his father, Euphorion, was a member of the Eupatridae, the ancient nobility of Attica, though this might be a fiction that the ancients invented to account for the grandeur of his plays.

As a youth, he worked at a vineyard until, according to the 2nd-century AD geographer Pausanias, the god Dionysus visited him in his sleep and commanded him to turn his attention to the nascent art of tragedy. As soon as he woke from the dream, the young Aeschylus began to write a tragedy, and his first performance took place in 499 BC, when he was only 26 years old. He would win his first victory at the City Dionysia in 484 BC.

In 510 BC, when Aeschylus was 15 years old, Cleomenes I expelled the sons of Peisistratus from Athens, and Cleisthenes came to power. Cleisthenes’ reforms included a system of registration that emphasized the importance of the deme over family tradition. In the last decade of the 6th century, Aeschylus and his family were living in the deme of Eleusis.

The Persian Wars would play a large role in the playwright’s life and career. In 490 BC, Aeschylus and his brother Cynegeirus fought to defend Athens against Darius I’s invading Persian army at the Battle of Marathon. The Athenians emerged triumphant, a victory celebrated across the city-states of Greece. Cynegeirus, however, died in the battle, receiving a mortal wound while trying to prevent a Persian ship retreating from the shore, for which his countrymen extolled him as a hero.

In 480, Aeschylus was called into military service again, this time against Xerxes I’s invading forces at the Battle of Salamis, and perhaps, too, at the Battle of Plataea in 479. Ion of Chios was a witness for Aeschylus’s war record and his contribution in Salamis. Salamis holds a prominent place in The Persians, his oldest surviving play, which was performed in 472 BC and won first prize at the Dionysia.

The two masters lived about 100 years apart, Aeschylus first: tragedy before comedy in ancient Greek biography

May All the Gods in Heaven truly grant that we have already somehow slipped past the tragedies of Trump and have then only to endure the comedy to come. Let our most earnest prayers be heard and answered, for the sake of your faithful supplicants and our posterity, we beseech you!

 *The History of the Social Security Number in America:

A Social Security Number (SSN) consists of nine digits, commonly written as three fields separated by hyphens: AAA-GG-SSSS. The first three-digit field is called the “area number”. The central, two-digit field is called the “group number”. The final, four-digit field is called the “serial number”.

The process of assigning numbers has been changed at least twice. Until 1965, only half the group numbers were used. Before 1972, numbers were assigned by field offices; since 1972, they have all been assigned by the central office. The order in which numbers were assigned was changed in the 1972 transition. There may have been other changes, but it’s difficult to get information on how things used to be done.

Area Numbers

The area numbers are assigned to geographical locations. They were originally assigned the same way that zip codes were later assigned (in particular, area numbers increase from east to west across the continental US as do the ZIP codes). Most area numbers were assigned according to state (or territorial) boundaries, although the series 700-729 was assigned to railroad workers regardless of location (this series of area numbers was discontinued in 1964 and is no longer used for new SSNs). Area numbers assigned prior to 1972 are an indication of the SSA office which originally issued the SSN. Since 1972 the area number in SSNs corresponds to the residence address given by the applicant on the application for the SSN.

In many regions the original range of area number assignments was eventually exhausted as population grew. The original area number assignments have been augmented as required. All of the original assignments were less than 585 (except for the 700-729 railroad worker series mentioned above). Area numbers of “000” have never been issued.

The group number is not related to geography but rather to the order in which SSNs are issued for a particular area. Before 1965, only half the group numbers were used: odd numbers were used below 10 and even numbers were used above 9. In 1965 the system was changed so assignments continued with the low even numbers and the high odd numbers. So, group numbers for each area number are assigned in the following order:

  • Odd numbers, 01 to 09
  • Even numbers, 10 to 98
  • Even numbers, 02 to 08
  • Odd numbers, 11 to 99
  • Group codes of “00” aren’t assigned

In each region, all possible area numbers are assigned with each group number before using the next group number. This means the group numbers can be used to find a chronological ordering of SSNs within a region. When new group numbers are assigned to a state, the old numbers are usually used up first.

SSA publishes a list every month of the highest group assigned for each SSN Area. For example, if the highest group assigned for area 999 is 72, then we know that the number 999-04-1234 is an invalid number because even Groups under 9 have not yet been assigned.

Serial Numbers

Serial numbers are assigned in chronological order within each area and group number as the applications are processed. Serial number “0000” is never used. Before 1965, when number assignment was transferred from field offices to the central office, serial numbers may have been assigned in a strange order. (Some sources claim that 2000 and 7000 series numbers were assigned out of order. That no longer seems to be the case.) Currently, the serial numbers are assigned in strictly increasing order with each area and group combination.

More on the SSN, straight from the horses’s mouth (ssa.gov):

The use of the Social Security number (SSN) has expanded significantly since its inception in 1936. Created merely to keep track of the earnings history of U.S. workers for Social Security entitlement and benefit computation purposes, it has come to be used as a nearly universal identifier. Assigned at birth, the SSN enables government agencies to identify individuals in their records and businesses to track an individual’s financial information. This article explores the history and meaning of the SSN and the Social Security card, as well as the Social Security Administration’s (SSA’s) SSN master file, generally known as the Numident. The article also traces the historical expansion of SSN use and the steps SSA has taken to enhance SSN integrity.

The Social Security number (SSN) was created in 1936 for the sole purpose of tracking the earnings histories of U.S. workers, for use in determining Social Security benefit entitlement and computing benefit levels. Since then, use of the SSN has expanded substantially. Today the SSN may be the most commonly used numbering system in the United States. As of December 2008, the Social Security Administration (SSA) had issued over 450 million original SSNs, and nearly every legal resident of the United States had one. The SSN’s very universality has led to its adoption throughout government and the private sector as a chief means of identifying and gathering information about an individual.

Today we take the 9-digit composition of the SSN as a given, but in 1935 and 1936 many other schemes were considered. In early November 1935, the Social Security Board adopted an identifier composed of 3 alphabetic characters representing geographic areas and 5 numeric characters. However, the Board made this decision without consulting other federal agencies. The U.S. Employment Service (USES), the Census Bureau, the Central Statistical Board, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics all used numeric symbols without alphabetic characters since most standard statistical machines used this scheme. With alphabetic symbols, these agencies, as well as many private companies, would have had to buy new machines. Only two companies manufactured tabulating machines using a combination of alphabetic and numeric characters, and the government had previously brought suit against them under the Sherman Antitrust Act for dividing market territory between them

The Board called a meeting of all interested agencies to discuss the numeration issues.2 In a November 1935 report, a subcommittee of this interdepartmental group proposed three alternatives:

a 9-digit number consisting of a 4-digit serial number, a 2-digit year of birth indicator, and a 3-digit number indicating the geographic area of registration;

an 8-digit number with a 5-digit serial number and a 3-digit geographic indicator; or

a 7-character version consisting of 4 digits and 3 alphabetic characters

On December 17, 1935, the Board approved the 9-digit option. The Board planned to use the year one attained age 65 as part of the SSN, thinking that once an individual attained age 65, the SSN would be reassigned to someone else. But at a meeting on January 23, 1936, the unemployment compensation delegates objected to the use of digits to signify age because they thought a number of workers would falsify their age. As a result, a new scheme adopted by the Board on February 14 consisted of a 3-digit area code, a 2-digit month of birth, and a 4-digit serial number.

Finally, on June 2, 1936, the Board decided to keep the 9-digit scheme, although using the fourth and fifth digits to represent the month of birth was abandoned. Instead, those two digits would be a “group number” that could be used to maximize the utility of mechanical equipment and to verify the accuracy of punch cards. This scheme would permit the prenumbering of registration forms and was capable of expansion to nearly 1 billion accounts. The numbering scheme would also facilitate storing the applications since the agency’s files were organized by region as well as alphabetically.

The 3-digit area number is assigned by geographic region. In 1936 the Social Security Board planned eventually to use area numbers to redistribute work to its 12 regional centers to serve workers in those areas. One or more area numbers were allocated to each state based on the anticipated number of SSN issuances in the state.3 Prior to 1972, the numbers were issued to local offices for assignment to individuals; it was thought this would capture information about the worker’s residence. So, until 1972, the area number represented the state in which the card was issued.

Generally, area numbers were assigned in ascending order beginning in the northeast and then moving westward. For the most part, people on the east coast have the lowest area numbers and those on the west coast have the highest area numbers. However, area numbers did not always reflect the worker’s residence. During the initial registration in 1936 and 1937, businesses with branches throughout the country had employees return their SS-5 Application for Account Number to their national headquarters, so these SSNs carried the area number where the headquarters were located. As a result, the area numbers assigned to big cities, such as New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Chicago, were used for workers in many other parts of the country. Also, a worker could apply in person for a card in any Social Security office, and the area number would reflect that office’s location, regardless of the worker’s residence.

Since 1972, when SSA began assigning SSNs and issuing cards centrally from Baltimore, MD, the area number has been assigned based on the ZIP code of the mailing address provided on the application for the original Social Security card. The applicant’s mailing address may not be the same as the place of residence.

SSA has many years’ worth of potential SSNs available for future assignment. However, because of population shifts, SSA now faces an imbalance in the geographic allocation of area numbers. Some states have a current allocation of SSNs that will last for many years, while others have a pending shortage. As a result, given present rates of assignment and existing geographic allocations, several states currently have fewer than 10 years’ worth of SSNs available for assignment.

In a July 3, 2007, Federal Register notice, SSA solicited public comment on a proposal to change the way SSNs are assigned. Under this proposal, SSA would randomly assign SSNs from the remaining pool of available numbers, and the first three digits would no longer have any geographic significance. SSA contends that doing so would ensure a reliable supply of SSNs for years to come, and would also reduce opportunities for identity theft and SSN fraud and misuse. SSA plans additional discussion with other government entities and the private sector before implementing any change.

Group Number

The group number (the fourth and fifth digits of the SSN) was initially determined by the procedure of issuing numbers in groups of 10,000 to post offices for assignment on behalf of the Social Security Board’s Bureau of Old-Age Benefits. The group numbers range from 01 to 99 (00 is not used), but for administrative reasons, they are not assigned consecutively. Within each area number allocated to a state, the sequence of group number assignments begins with the odd-numbered group numbers from 01 to 09, followed by even group numbers 10 through 98, then even numbers 02 through 08, and finally odd numbers 11 through 99.4

Serial Number

The last four digits of the SSN are the serial number. The serial number represents a straight numerical series of numbers from 0001–9999 within each group. Serial number 0000 is not assigned.

Even at the inception of the program, the Social Security Board understood that individuals would need to have a “token” that would provide a record of the number that had been assigned to them. This token would help employers accurately report an individual’s earnings under the program.

The Board first considered a small card similar to a credit union or trade union card, but some objected that it was too flimsy. Alternatively, a ¾ x 2⅞ inch metal card was proposed by a manufacturer of such cards. It was estimated that it would have taken 250 tons of metal for initial registration. The arguments in favor of the metal card were its permanence, accuracy (records could be imprinted from the embossed token), and economy (because of the imprinting capability). Still, in early June 1936, the Board decided to use a small paper card

In October 1936, the Social Security Board selected a design submitted by Frederick E. Happel, an artist and photo engraver from Albany, NY, for the original Social Security card, for which Happel was paid $60.5 The Board placed an initial order for 26 million cards. In late 1937, a second version was adopted, and a version just for replacement cards was adopted in 1938). Since 1976, the design of original and replacement Social Security cards has been the same. In all, over 50 designs have been used from 1936 to 2008. All versions remain valid since it would be cost-prohibitive to replace all cards previously issued.

Over time, as the use of the SSN expanded for other purposes, SSA recognized that changes were necessary to protect the integrity of the card. SSA has taken measures to prevent counterfeiting of the card, and a counterfeit-resistant version is now used for both original and replacement cards. Steps taken by SSA to improve the card are detailed later.

By 1958, the Flexoline (visible index) contained 160 million strips in 750 steel A-frame stands, and SSA was adding an average of 7 million new strips each year. In August 1958, SSA began converting the Flexoline index to microfilm and began capturing new SSN records on magnetic tape, using a special machine to then transcribe the code directly from magnetic tape into a readable microfilm record By 1964, the 200 million names in the National Employee Index were contained on 2,005 reels of magnetic tape that Bureau employees accessed by means of high-speed microfilm readers

In 1972, SSA created an electronic file, the Numerical Index File or Numident, to house the numerically-ordered master file of all assigned SSNs. In 1973, SSA began converting its legacy SS-5 records to the Numident electronic database, completing the conversion in 1979. There is one Numident record for each SSN ever assigned.

My very own unique SSN was issued before 1965, and carries a medium sized Group Number. From some general statistics available. I would estimate that my assigned number was somewhere around the 200 million mark of all those issued since 1936.As of 2009, about 450 million SSNs have been assigned, so that would make mine a member in the premium section, the first 40-45%, give or take. The older folks. I don’t know when Trump actually started to get a paycheck, or otherwise might have needed a SSN for some Trust fund transactions in his name made by his family, but it is not unlikely that our two individual SSN system assignment line order positions are within a few million of one other That is the closest we will ever brush paths financially, sorry to say. That said, I can flat out guarantee that the total asset values associated with our respective numbers contain nowhere near the same number of ending zeros, when rounded off to, say, four or five significant digits