#31 Sunday Sundries

Worst of the Week

• The War, of course, but here's a bit of its absurdity demonstrated in very personal way, as follows: At a memorial service in a NC town for on young soldier lost in last week's suicide attack that killed nine, in what was considered a "safe" outpost in Iraq, friends and family were gathered in "shock and disbelief," according to the reporter. A tall, blonde-headed, boy-next-door-looking guy, obviously adored by all, he had planned to teach HS and coach wrestling after his army service. One of the mourners--not related, but knew him-- said this on camera: "Of all the other people over there and everything, why did it have to be HIM that got killed?" What?! He was a VOLUNTEER SOLDIER in the middle of a WAR, forgoodnessakes. There's an epiphany here. The speaker (and she said it for all in attendance) didn't appear to be a complete idiot; on the contrary, she was expressing a sentiment, sad to say, common to most Americans regarding Bush's war. It's been just too damnably distant and ABSTRACT. It's been manipulated that way. Now here was this poor girl--I don't blame her overmuch--confronted with the stark fact of unique, particular, and individuated DEATH. The true consequences of this idiotic war almost became clear to her. I throw up my hands.

• Bush's smirk. Does he still think by his smug, giggly grinning that everybody out there is with him on all of this? Just give me 15 seconds alone....

Whatever of the Week

• Bizarre Story Dept. Another kind of memorial was held at a town in NC honoring COLORED Confederate Veterans of the American Civil War! All colors in attendance. One African-American man said that he was "proud of their sacrifice." I don't know what to think.

• Cognitive Dysfunction Dept. At yet another memorial service, for a tragically slain (probably by cheating husband), Cary NC jogger and young mother of two little girls. Pastor: "...you all know it's unfair, I know it's unfair, but most importantly GOD knows it's unfair." Get outta here. The good pastor was on to something there, but he didn't quite know what.

• Silly Exactly-the-opposite-meaning Solecism Dept. News report on shut-down of nearby county's EMS service because of complaints about slow response, poor performance on site, and (TV graphic) "wreckless driving."
  

Best of the Week

• Obama's overseas trip. Not so much that it can add to his foreign policy "cred" (as most pundits infer), but also simply to get out and about and show his American multi-racial face to the world. We've got a lot of face-saving and image-repairing to do out there, after eight years of looking at the Smirking Cowboy. Seriously, they need to be reminded/reassured that our system of government is not (like many of theirs) a one-man show. We are not Bush/Cheney, and are only partially responsible for eight years of lunacy. McCain should go too. The Clintons. Gore. Anybody. Carter anytime. Let them see some of the true-blue private and semi-private citizens of good will who are trying their best to restore the better angels of the American character here and abroad.

• Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson back together again, again. I've seen their honeymoon video tape. Made for each other.

***********