He was flawed and he suffered for it, but not enough for a lot of people who hated his family and his politics. The fact he was privileged and fought for the little guy left the haters with their only ammunition being a tragic mistake that he asked forgiveness for.
It would be nice if we could all try to be a bit more human and celebrate the fact that he was on the right side of so many moral issues (Civil Rights, Sanctions against apartheid, banning arms to Pinochet, and denouncing Vietnam and Iraq wars). And not to mention the fact that he had been championing universal health care long before it was fashionable. He didn’t have to do any of this, he could of sailed around the Cape all day if he wanted to. He could have slunk back to a quiet private life and never dealt with his demons. He ran for President and lost, he returned to public life and fought the good fight. Thanks Senator Kennedy for all your hard work. Rest in Peace.
Its a big news day..postmortem on Sanford presser, Farrah Fawcett dies:(, political movement to comprise in Iran and just now Michael Jackson could be dead. AND a Yankee/Atlanta Braves game at 8:05..Jeeezzzz, its a busy night.
I am sitting next to my nine year old watching CNN/FOX/BBC coverage while explaining to him who Micheal Jackson is. Owen only knows him as a surgically altered man who is kind of “freaky” looking. CNN just showed some footage from the Jackson 5. He was ten years old and he could sing and dance and totally take up all the space in a room. The irony was that he was such a gentle soul, shy and so fragile. I would like to think he dealt with the fame the best he could and while in our eyes he was kind of “freaky” he eked out some happiness in his short life. I know he had some legal “problems” and I don’t know the truth, so I am not going to judge. I want to remember him like this:
It really is all about being a really shitty loser. These guys just cant believe it. It happens. God knows it has happen to me enough in my life time. I lived through Nixon, Reagan, (who at the time seemed reactionary, now seems almost moderate) Poppy Bush (who at least wasn’t an idealogue) and then W and you can read lots here how I felt about HIM. But in all my discouragement and disappointment I never thought about overthrowing the democratically elected government. (although a debatable fact in the last two presidential elections) I never called Bush a Nazi or a plant for radical Islam. I never bought into all the various conspiracy theories that abounded during W’s presidency. I just kept informed, put the pressure on my legislators and supported the candidates that would bring us back from the brink. I won. You lost. You have a choice. You can make the best of the situation that is not going to change until 2010. Or continue to say really stupid things about democrats being monarchists or fascists. Actually, why don’t you spend the next few years brushing up on world history and and use a dictionary for the words you don’t understand.
Sorry for being so condescending, but what else am I suppose to think when hear drivel like this:
Obviously. But apparently, it has made the Mexicans feel bad on the inside too. In the NYTimes today, an article explores the stigma that this swine flu has inflicted on the collective self confidence of the Mexican people.
Human beings need to evolve a little bit. I understand fear and how it can result in rash, unfortunate actions that are intended to self-defend. It would be nice that before herding healthy people into quaratine because they are Mexican, you take a minute and think. Maybe some fact based research, call me crazy.
Its like humans need to take that mental step that one does when they create a family. Decisions are made for the good of the partners and the kids..not parent centered or kid centered but family centered. Extrapolate that out and we need to make good community decisions, not individual centered ones. I guess that is a lot to ask of humans especially when there are people like this that the rest have to some how counter and negate.
Sorry for this link, the video loader wasn’t working.
What do we do? I have a hard time imaging a scenario where it would be OK to unilaterally go into another country and usurp governmental power. There are so many historical examples of it being a really bad idea.
There are 2 million people whose lives are in peril. They have lost their homes and there is no potable water or food. The rest of the world has offered to help. Relief efforts have been made difficult by the junta’s need to control everything. Some supplies and food have gotten into the country, but the military is distributing these donated goods and hampering the efforts of on-the-ground relief workers. A coordinated crisis management team is waiting for a very limited number of visas. People need water and food and will need food going forward as farming yields could mean famine. Officially, the junta is saying there are 43,000 people dead. The UN and Red Cross say over 100,000. This is a type of genocide that is unconscionable. These are people that have the unfortunate reality of living in a fascist state that has been successfully isolated from the rest of the world. These are innocents that have no political value to the junta dead, but because they are evil, (its the only explanation I can come up with) they are willing to let them die.
What is the right thing to do? What is a justifiable use of military force?
Below is a video that Moveon.org I know was distributing. I have read in other places that the Monks and the Red Cross are probably your best bets for making donations. On the off chance you know of Thailand-based NGO, that is suppose to be an effective way to get relief into Burma as well. I am sure the monk is praying for a peaceful solution regarding the military’s soulless response to this disaster.
I am feeling a lot less in exile these days. But my blog is still a mess of political and personal thoughts along with experiences of living in Argentina. While I can't promise, I will try to balance talk about my kids with something more universally relevant. And sorry if salty talk is offensive but I was a derivatives trader in another life and it cant be helped.
