The Perper-trator

This nation does a lot of things right, some of which are our core competencies. Now I live near the city of monuments and museums (DC) and we love to create icons to greatness. The US seems to be really good at putting people in prison and keeping them there, so why shouldn’t we celebrate this with….

a new museum.

I’m completely at a loss about why we need to advertise that we have the highest percentage of people in prison in the developed world. This is just the kind of indictment on our society that makes folks from other nations shake their heads and say “What happened to you guys?”.

Dateline: The Peoples Republic of Takoma Park, Md. July 4, 2008

It’s the annual Independence Day parade and I’m curbside with the fam. The usual South American dance groups salsa by. The fire trucks bright red flashed the lanes. Even the Precision Lawnmower Marching Team had it all together, altho it was a code orange day. Then came the vets. Warriors from bygone days. And this crowd, this radical, tie-dyed, vegetarian, crowd stood up and cheered. They mouthed “thank you” to the wheelchair riding, POW/MIA flag toting, guys from the great war in the jungle. And I’m amazed, ’cause….

..warriors ain’t heroes.

When did we start placing on a pedestal the folks that put on the uniforms of our military? When did the military transform from something to tolerate, into something to venerate? Why, oh why, do we continue to speak so highly of the military when they are just people that are doing the job they signed up to do? Jobs we pay for? Besides the last time you got a strike in bowling, when did someone get up and cheer for you? And how many families did you help wear black when you went to work. Nope….

..warriors ain’t heroes.

(more…)

…languish in poverty.

My favorite next door neighbor had a friend visit the other day and among the bumper stickers adorning the car’s read end was “Live simply so that other’s may simply live”. God, I wish the world was this, well…, simple. I suppose that when we all stop buying MP3 players, computers, clothes, fancy coffee, sports equipment, furniture, etc., then everyone else will be in much better shape. No problem that the meager jobs they work at will be gone. But what is more simple than poverty.