Here and There

Well, my son was Kermit the Frog for Halloween, no one egged my house, I didn't eat a lot of candy and the Raiders choked today as usual on the last play of the game. The Bush Administration is finally being seen by the majority of the nation and press as it has been, a straw man of lies, bravado and see-through ideology that has truly driven the capital "E" out of Empire for us. I really feel like England after the Second World War, realizing that the event, after thirty years of waking up to it, had occurred and the nation was truly no longer on top of the world. The United States will never, never have the reputation nor repect that it possessed or willed after World War II. The Bush Administration has finalized the process put into place thirty-some odd years ago with Nixon and Kissinger; that being the temperment of U.S. foreign policy and the deflation of our reputation and exceptionalism. Just this weekend President Bush clashed with a Senator of his own party not over tax cuts or the war but over the legality of torture. This week, news broke that the U.S. has been keeping secret torture chambers across Eastern Europe to extract information from al Qaeda operatives and goodness-knows-who-else. I bet John McCain ends up there next.
Sam Alito, the most-likely-next-Supreme Court-choice believes that a man truly rules a household, that machine guns are more important than the real interpretation of the 2nd Amendment and that the federal government should cowtow to solely the needs of the Executive Branch. Where in hell does someone with such arcane philosophy end up running an appeals court bench for fifteen years come from? I truly fear for the future of our country.
Mike Brown thought it was funny to make jokes about the lameness of his job when Katrina was decimating New Orleans. Republicans want to gut Alaska. Where have you gone, FDR? At least Bush's approval ratings keep plummeting. As we have marked the first anniversary of Bush's (re)election, maybe, just maybe, the majority of Americans will realize just how incredibly stupid they were for voting in a man that supports cronyism, stupidity, "intelligent design", torture, illegal wars, the burning of international goodwill towards our country and the idea that the government as well as Jesus both exist to serve all people, especially those who struggle to help themselves.
On Tuesday, I head off to see U2 again. This will be my fourth time overall and without the need of a baby sitter, so I ought to have a good time. The setlist and stage antics will probably be identical from last April, but the boys always put on one hell of a show this late in the game. Of the three times I've already seen them, two times have been in November and both times were epic concert-going memories before. I'm looking forward to some brilliant music. It will be my first time seing a Nobel nominee. It will also be undescribably sad to think of the fact that a rock musician leading a bunch of grown men performing a boy's job is the only person in our society who has the wherewithall and desire to try stamping out hunger, end the spread of AIDS, see to it that all of God's people go to bed without hitting a land mine and still wishing peace and goodwill toward all people be spread. Why isn't this the mission of a religious leader? Where's our president? Bono, I love you for your music, your impact on my personal life and your desire to truly be John the Baptist. I hope you wander the desert eating locusts and honey and just maybe one day people will see that you came to do good in the name of all that is good. Walk on...