This is getting old

In the last 8 1/2 months I have lost my wife of 42 plus years, a dear friend of over 20 years and now an 18 yo neighbor whom I watched grow into a marvelous young man. basta! enough already! Stop the world, I want to get off.

I'm not a sports fan; however, I noticed that Mr. Vick has just completed his 18 month sentence and is out on parole. More than that he has been picked up by the Eagles to resume his pro career. In his press conference today he appeared contrite and mouthed the correct words.. until he added "on some level". He indulged in the cruel and unusual treatment of dogs and obviously feels the punishment far exceeded the scope of the crime. All those in favor of revoking his parole? Aye!

Who are we.

I was glancing at obit's today, the better to know if one is still well, and an opening line caught my eye: "We celebrate the loss of a mensch. (mentsh)" Not a man of innumerable feats, or the world's greatest you fill in the blank, but a truly decent human being. And it struck me that over a life time of 70 or more years, how difficult it would be to consistently treat everyone and every situation with such selflessness that you would warrant the title of a truly decent human being. We should all be so fortunate!

I have to be the most oblivious person in the country. Either that or I'm the only one who can see things clearly, in this case Health Care Reform (HCR). The rabidly discussed, argued about, end of the world HCR died when the congressional break commenced. Stop yelling, whining and carrying on about the Nazification of America! It will be debated ad nausea this fall, but it will not be passed into law during the Presidents term. Will it be a catalsyt for changing how health care is presently delivered, I believe so. Can medicaid pick up the slack for all the uninsured - in a way it already does, albeit only for those sick enough to get to an emergency room. Preventive medicine? Good idea if you put the emphasis on pregnancy and lowering the infant mortality rate to the single digit range. Immunizations for kids is the second best option, after that, a healthy diet will do the rest.
Like it or not we have a tiered health delivery system, always have. Prior to WWII individuals made tough decisions about their health care on a regular basis - hospitals, let alone Medical Centers, were often few and far between. The veterans came home having experienced on demand health care in the service and wanted it for their families; hence the Hill-Burton Act and the proliferation of community hospitals.
To the point: the conservatives will deride this issue from their bully pulpits on AM radio until the mid-term elections in 2010 when it will become a strident cry for the preservation of the American way of life. Then, and only then, if they fail to displace the Democratic majority, can meaningful dialogue begin.

Night

I took my dog for a walk at 5 a.m. this morning and the waning gibbous moon was within a degree of being directly over head in a clear sky. It was like walking around in the landscape of a Dali painting - amazing clarity contrasting with deep shadows, a near monochrome surrounding challenging the minds ability to discern the familiar from the perceived. I love the early morning; quiet, calm, seasonal fog banks, and the occasional coyote heading home. And now the soliloquy from "Knights in White Satin" has popped into my head! Thank God it didn't happen during my walk. The mind is at once remarkable and absurd.

Ides of November

The leaves are changing, drying, and falling, adding to the detritus swirling around us as we pursue our individual hopes and dreams. And like the leaves buffeted by winds, we find ourselves caught up and carried along by the emotions of those around us; in some instances lending our energies to raise the intensity even higher. The past eighteen months culminated in an almost Orwellian display of emotions that was at once inspiring and totally draining; and has left me dreading the 2016 campaign, assuming the president-elect can shepherd us from the imminent depression and quagmire of foreign war before the 2012 cycle.

It has been almost two weeks since the election and the rhetoric of misinformation regarding gun and ammunition ownership, and a new national security force is still in full stride! Visible fear comes to the fore when you talk to the zealots who are preparing to not be caught unarmed when the knock comes on the door. With all the fervor being generated can it be long before the NRA applies for tax exemption as a religious order?!

An analogy has been drawn between the Mr. Obama and Mr. Lincoln; both elected under trying circumstances and both drawing on recent-past foes to establish inclusive cabinets. I fear the analogy may be too right in that both men will be remembered for how their elections created a nationwide schism that took years to heal.

And on the topic of separating things; a Bishop was in the news for telling his congregants that anyone who voted for Mr. Obama could/should not receive communion before going through a rite of penance since Mr. Obama is pro-abortion. In this age of face-to-face reconciliation, I doubt there will be many takers.