March 25,
2006
Back to
the blog, I have missed it. It was much
easier to get to it when we were in Rome seeing so much that we had never seen
before. Still I keep thinking that I
have lots still to say so when the muse strikes me, I will blog.
Because I
have never voted for a winning President since Jimmy Carter with the exception
of Clinton’s first term I feel that I have been politically alienated for a
long time. I have resisted talking
politics even of the most egregious events in Iraq or our lousy mano a mano
energy policy, even Dick Chaney has kept my speechless. But, I am stung to the core by this
administrations ineptitude and I am afraid it affects so much of American life
that I am now forced to vent my feelings.
How much
destruction if the environment does it take to get a 21st Century
energy policy. Can these guys read. What is required of a superpower before it
unilaterally goes to war in a place halfway around the world without a thought
of the consequences? Is our statecraft in such disarray that we can not consult
the United Nations. Our our spies so
inept that they can’t interpret the data or do we just use electronics to do
what real spies used to do? Did we learn
anything from Vietnam about guerrilla warfare now called the Fedayeen ? How many
hurricanes does it take to get Homeland Security and its stepchild FEMA to
learn what they are supposed to do? How much of our childrens' money do we have
to spend on Congress's pet projects before we understand that we are stealing
our own patrimony? How many rich guys
have to get richer before we fix our tax laws.
How many illegal immigrants have to come in before we work toward a
policy that is fair? Our President is immature and a terrible manager but his
zeal and righteousness seem to make him invulnerable. What will the Democrats do to squander this
overwhelming dislike that we are feeling
about the Republicans? They have shown
themselves capable of throwing away their advantages in the past.
Just a
short list for today. I am also unhappy
with our Olympic team (not a team but a bunch of individuals who never got the
team concept) How about that guy who
wouldn’t skate with his team or the kid showboating before the finish line in
the snowboarding. Or even our
fascination with Bode Miller, an obvious non team player. Or how about our inability to win the World
Baseball Cup because our players never got together until 3 days before the
event. Some of the better players either
chose or were not allowed to play for their country for fear of injury. What is that about, that could never have
happened in the America that I grew up in.
Call me old or call me unrealistic but I do understand what our flag
flies for and what millions gave up to make this place the envy of people all
over the world. For some reason I
thought we had pride and that it would overcome greed at some level. I must be wrong. As a nation, we need to rethink our
priorities, jettison our hubris, get over ourselves and show the rest of the
world that this formerly shinning democracy has some values that we will stand
behind that don’t have to do with our oil supply or SUV’s. Spend the money that
we use to enrich our already wealthy upper class and help our people who need
us as well as people all over the world
in need to meet our obligations to ourselves, our country and the
citizens of the world. I have more to say on these matters so I guess I will
keep on blogging.