LEAVE IT TO PEEVER

 

Eating crow

 

– Bumper sticker of the week: Yes we did

– Quote of the week: "One is left with the horrible feeling now that war settles nothing, that to win a war is as disastrous as to lose one." Agatha Christie

– Post election thoughts:

¥ It was one hell of a night. Sadness and despair in 2000 and 2004, elation, joy, and hope in 2008. It was great to see everyone so excited about an election, particularly the young people. A history making event. A taking back of America, not by revolution, but by vote. A nonviolent revolution.

¥ There were a lot of races, particularly local, that were uncontested. This is good for picking winners, but bad for democracy and government. Politicians need to be kept honest. They need to have a challenger. They need to be able to stand up to someone saying they can do better. Otherwise, we cross back into the status quo and settle for mediocrity. The upcoming MayorÕs race in Galesburg seems to be getting a lot of candidates. That's good. Sort of.

¥ Rush Limbaugh immediately went off the deep end, bless his little overweight heart. I hope he'll be alright?

¥ A lot of racism still lingers in the hearts of many. You would think this would burn out over time, an evolutionary adjustment to human stupidity, but it only seems to get worse. Watch out for hate groups rearing up their ugly heads once again. I hope I'm wrong, but fear is running rampant. Hatred prays on fear, and fear often resorts to blaming color and religion.

¥ Some form of universal health-care is on the way. I would say by mid-term. Obviously, there will be those that claim we cannot afford it. However, this argument is losing credibility. They seem to come up with enough money to run two wars, and give hundreds of billions to the rich and their failed businesses, so I am fairly confident that we will no longer buy the argument that universal health-care is too expensive. The attitude on all our other spending seems to be "So what?" So there.

¥ The evangelical right-wing Republicans are on the run, but you can expect them to regroup, like a cluster of cancer cells. The right-wing blames moderate Republicans for their recent defeat. I hope they run people like Chuck Hagel, Dick Lugar, and Colin Powell right into the Democratic Party. They can keep Palin and McCain. In fact, I am hoping they run Palin for President in 2012. We won't have to spend near as much money defeating Dark Age ideology for the second time.

¥ I hear a lot of people stating that they wish partisan politics would go away. They don't like all the haggling, yelling, bellyaching, tensions, arguing. Can't we just all get alone! That ain't going to happen. A plunging into the status quo is a death sentence for democracy. If we all think alike, we perish. Sure, spending most of your time in-between right and left is a good place to visit, but not a good place to live.

– Remember, when you say something, you can't take it back.

– They say our homes are increasing in value in Galesburg. I say the jokeÕs on us. They must be looking for a raise. I thought the city council said no?

– I'm going to start a business and let it fail. Apparently the new capitalist motto is: Fail and bail. It probably should be: Fail and jail.

– The middle of nowhere: Here we are, right smack dab in the middle of nowhere. Our town is deteriorating at an incredible pace, and for some odd reason, we can't seem to do anything about it. Tradition, the status quo, and an insatiable inability to admit our mistakes drive us ever so close to becoming a prairie once again, devoid of people, homes, businesses, government. Maybe the crows know something we don't. We use our high-faluting technology on them, and they just keep right on pooping on us. They know our weaknesses. The crow is said to have magical powers. It can see into the future. Frankly, I think they're getting ready to move back in. Full­time. They can see a town in despair, heading for desertion. They are ready to reclaim what is rightfully theirs. Our response is to destroy them, to chase them away, which they only laugh at. That's fairly typical of us. We think we can outsmart nature. We think we have all the answers. Perhaps it is time to try to understand what it is they are telling us: That the time is now. That it is us who need to solve our problems. That it is us who need to build back this community. All of us. Now.