Another trip to New York, this time courtesy of those nice folks in Eagan, where I was accomodated at a fine Hilton hotel abutting Ground Zero. From the 37th floor, the hole in the ground was filled with little ants, toy PATH trains, and Tonka trucks pointlessly moving earth around in anticipation of another monument to capitalism.
And that is the point. Current Occupant shamelessly used the events of September 11, 2001, to give himself a free ride for the next four years, telling lies, invoking false memories, and playing to the worst in the American psyche. We are better than this, and should not be goaded into war by toys and by boys like the Current Occupant who play with them. The number who want to play with him is diminishing, but he does have all the marbles, so there are some who will continue to play just to stay in the game, engaging in the military-industrial equivalent of tearing the wings off flies.
Joe College Grad visited briefly, after telling me he was not feeling well and was going to bed. I returned from a lovely evening with the client to find, like Goldilocks, that someone was sleeping in my bed, watching my TV, and eating from my minibar. He was feverish and should not have come, but it was great to see him. He's counting the days until his gig at PS107 ends. Getting through the University of Chicago in four years is nothing compared to the challenge of teaching in the NYC public schools.
It is easy to focus on the personal and local, ignoring the damage we have wrought throughout the world. But when I remember those middle class Iraquis who are living in squalor in Syria, and whose dreams for their own children are now unattainable, it doesn't bear thinking about. They don't have the luxury we do, of ignoring the disaster that is the Middle East, complaining about the price of gas, and scheming to get our kids into Duke. This is not a game to them, and it should not be to us.
And that is the point. Current Occupant shamelessly used the events of September 11, 2001, to give himself a free ride for the next four years, telling lies, invoking false memories, and playing to the worst in the American psyche. We are better than this, and should not be goaded into war by toys and by boys like the Current Occupant who play with them. The number who want to play with him is diminishing, but he does have all the marbles, so there are some who will continue to play just to stay in the game, engaging in the military-industrial equivalent of tearing the wings off flies.
Joe College Grad visited briefly, after telling me he was not feeling well and was going to bed. I returned from a lovely evening with the client to find, like Goldilocks, that someone was sleeping in my bed, watching my TV, and eating from my minibar. He was feverish and should not have come, but it was great to see him. He's counting the days until his gig at PS107 ends. Getting through the University of Chicago in four years is nothing compared to the challenge of teaching in the NYC public schools.
It is easy to focus on the personal and local, ignoring the damage we have wrought throughout the world. But when I remember those middle class Iraquis who are living in squalor in Syria, and whose dreams for their own children are now unattainable, it doesn't bear thinking about. They don't have the luxury we do, of ignoring the disaster that is the Middle East, complaining about the price of gas, and scheming to get our kids into Duke. This is not a game to them, and it should not be to us.
