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The View from Oz
When She Whose Name We Do Not Say departed Beliefnet blogspace, I expressed the hope we'd see a sweeter style from Swami. Alas, that has not been the case. And some message board posters have noticed this and given me bad marks.
Their line is that I am "shrill" and "partisan"--all I do is bash Republicans.
If Hillary Clinton runs for president, you will know that I am an all-purpose basher, but as to the current charges: Guilty, Your Honor.
I bash the Republicans in Washington for a simple reason: They are crooks. And incompetent. They endanger our lives and our children's.
These are not political judgments. They are statements of fact. And so my suggestion to the message board posters who seem not to know this is: Why do you bother to read me at all?
Let's deal with the "endanger lives" stuff.
For months now, I have been hearing that doctors in Europe have stockpiled Tamiflu for the families in the event that an Avian Flu epidemic strikes. I thought about this. And I thought about our undefended ports. And Katrina. And--but you get the picture.
So I asked my doctor for prescriptions for Tamiflu. He was not happy. That is, he understood why I was asking--a government that has offered no protection in a crisis for five years is not likely to turn competent now. But it troubled him that monied white people with good health plans would get these drugs and then, in an epidemic, there'd be an insufficient supply for the poor and minorities. I couldn't agree more. But we've got a little kid in the house--we owe it to her to defend ourselves.
I got that prescription. And got it filled. Tamiflu's in a drawer where we can easily find out.
And you? Do you have your prescription?
It might be a good idea if you did--because late last week, the government announced it really couldn't do much if Avian flu hit. This crisis will have to be handled by city and state health agencies.
And you guys accuse me of being shrill?
What eludes me is that everyone isn't screaming. I understand there is so much wrong that we don't know where to start. I get it that the White House serves up a fresh outrage every day, so reaction puts us at least a day behind. And I get that the White House doesn't listen to anyone who says anything it doesn't want to hear.
And I have said it here before: The most important thing you can do is Save Yourself. Make money and store up nuts for the winter. Work out regularly so you are strong and fit. Strengthen your relationships with friends and loved ones. Find a way, even in this darkness, to smile in the light.
I went to see Josh Ritter the other night. Great songs, great performance, fabulous night out. But what struck me most forcefully was how joyous he was. His music makes me happy--it's smart and accomplished, and the writing is of the highest level, and the band is killer--but that's not what I'm talking about. I mean that Josh was happy. I mean that he was grinning, start to finish. Even in the tough songs, he was ebullient, so full of the pleasure of making music that it really seemed he might jump out of his skin. And you can say he's young, and you can say he's a little corny, but after you say that, you have to also say--it works.
One of his songs is about our situation--helplessness. The singer is a guy whose girlfriend is in Iraq. And the refrain goes:
I got a girl in the war, and the only thing I know to do/Is turn up the music and pray that she makes it through.
Maybe that is the only thing. Maybe it's the smart thing. But let's not go there without acknowledging why the best we can do is shrug. Let's not forget that we we're in this fix because we have a President whose greatest skill is playing dress-up.
The bullhorn at Ground Zero. The flight suit on the Lincoln. The Heath Ledger gear at the ranch.
A little boy, totally over his head, who likes to role-play. The Wizard of Oz. A guy who, if he had your job, couldn't last a week.
Once upon a time, these would be called judgments. Now they are just the facts.
You think not? Really? Then post and share the Good News. Or just leave a conversation in which good people caught in a bad jam are still trying to do good things.
Their line is that I am "shrill" and "partisan"--all I do is bash Republicans.
If Hillary Clinton runs for president, you will know that I am an all-purpose basher, but as to the current charges: Guilty, Your Honor.
I bash the Republicans in Washington for a simple reason: They are crooks. And incompetent. They endanger our lives and our children's.
These are not political judgments. They are statements of fact. And so my suggestion to the message board posters who seem not to know this is: Why do you bother to read me at all?
Let's deal with the "endanger lives" stuff.
For months now, I have been hearing that doctors in Europe have stockpiled Tamiflu for the families in the event that an Avian Flu epidemic strikes. I thought about this. And I thought about our undefended ports. And Katrina. And--but you get the picture.
So I asked my doctor for prescriptions for Tamiflu. He was not happy. That is, he understood why I was asking--a government that has offered no protection in a crisis for five years is not likely to turn competent now. But it troubled him that monied white people with good health plans would get these drugs and then, in an epidemic, there'd be an insufficient supply for the poor and minorities. I couldn't agree more. But we've got a little kid in the house--we owe it to her to defend ourselves.
I got that prescription. And got it filled. Tamiflu's in a drawer where we can easily find out.
And you? Do you have your prescription?
It might be a good idea if you did--because late last week, the government announced it really couldn't do much if Avian flu hit. This crisis will have to be handled by city and state health agencies.
And you guys accuse me of being shrill?
What eludes me is that everyone isn't screaming. I understand there is so much wrong that we don't know where to start. I get it that the White House serves up a fresh outrage every day, so reaction puts us at least a day behind. And I get that the White House doesn't listen to anyone who says anything it doesn't want to hear.
And I have said it here before: The most important thing you can do is Save Yourself. Make money and store up nuts for the winter. Work out regularly so you are strong and fit. Strengthen your relationships with friends and loved ones. Find a way, even in this darkness, to smile in the light.
I went to see Josh Ritter the other night. Great songs, great performance, fabulous night out. But what struck me most forcefully was how joyous he was. His music makes me happy--it's smart and accomplished, and the writing is of the highest level, and the band is killer--but that's not what I'm talking about. I mean that Josh was happy. I mean that he was grinning, start to finish. Even in the tough songs, he was ebullient, so full of the pleasure of making music that it really seemed he might jump out of his skin. And you can say he's young, and you can say he's a little corny, but after you say that, you have to also say--it works.
One of his songs is about our situation--helplessness. The singer is a guy whose girlfriend is in Iraq. And the refrain goes:
I got a girl in the war, and the only thing I know to do/Is turn up the music and pray that she makes it through.
Maybe that is the only thing. Maybe it's the smart thing. But let's not go there without acknowledging why the best we can do is shrug. Let's not forget that we we're in this fix because we have a President whose greatest skill is playing dress-up.
The bullhorn at Ground Zero. The flight suit on the Lincoln. The Heath Ledger gear at the ranch.
A little boy, totally over his head, who likes to role-play. The Wizard of Oz. A guy who, if he had your job, couldn't last a week.
Once upon a time, these would be called judgments. Now they are just the facts.
You think not? Really? Then post and share the Good News. Or just leave a conversation in which good people caught in a bad jam are still trying to do good things.
