(P1) Poetical
(by Eddie C.)
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(P2) Political
Proud To Be Working Class & My Confession
I have a little confession to make. Coming from a working class background (my father was a New York City fireman and my mother an elementary school teacher) I, for quite awhile, attempted to put that all behind me. You see, my parents, stretching their budget considerably, sacrificed and sent me to Georgetown University.
I arrived wearing a lime green poncho shirt and was immediately schooled by my patrician classmates in how to dress (blue blazer, blue button-down Gant shirt, khakis, and brown Bass Weejun loafers). Once in awhile, I'd be invited to stay over at friends' houses ("mansions" to my way of thinking) in Scarsdale, Boston's North Shore, etc. Ultimately, I felt the need to reciprocate, and my friends came to stay over at our exceptionally modest house in Queens. I was very nervous about this, but they always loved the Italian food, openness, good humor and warmth of my folks. Still, for a long time, I felt that I had been "found out."
Later in life, I did vocational rehabilitation counseling with industrially disabled workers under California's Workers Compensation system. In this capacity, I developed a new affinity for the salt of the earth, blue collar workers. It brought me back to my roots and a respect for those who the patricians in our government, but for their platitudes, sadly neglect.
So, at this time, with Barack Obama and Joe Biden leading the way (and let's also hold their feet to the fire), let's join in proclaiming anew and with feeling, "All power to the people of this great nation!"
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Most Hypocritical List
I was going to refer to this quotation as "The Most Hypocritical Quotation of All Time" when I reigned myself in, "Whoa! There's a lot of competition out there!" How about us all compiling a "Top 10" list of hypocritical quotes. Here's my first nominee.
From David Bonior, former Michigan congressman, after the Edwards revelation:
"You can't lie in politics and expect to have people's confidence."
But, David, something like a mind-numbing fifty percent of the population still believe Cheney's big lie that Iraq was involved on Sept. 11!
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(P3) PhilosophicalNoise Drenched Lives
by William Edelen - August 3, 2008
The distinguished anthropologist Loren Eiseley wrote that, "Never in the entire history of our species, homo sapiens, has one generation been subjected to so much chaotic noise." He writes that , "We will not know the damage it is doing for years." (press this link to continue reading)
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Has anyone actually read Kucinish's bill? While it is an interesting idea in theory, it is totally unworkable from a practical standpoint. The governmental department turf wars alone would render the "Secretary of Peace" impotent.
4:35 PM
Dear Anonymous,
In the future, please add your name or nickname. That would add more moral force to the comment. My support of a Dept. of Peace is not so much based upon it's bureaucratic workings as upon the transformative nature of the words "Secretary of Peace." Regardless of how it works out, a Dept. of Peace gets people talking about Peace. What's a Dept of Defense? When was the last time troops were used to defend this country? Don't you think that focusing upon family serenity, gang neutralization, an Academy of Peace (paralleling the 4 "service" Academies), etc, might have a more positive effect? Tell me, Anonymous, why do you focus merely on the negative? So there would be "turf wars." I suspect the war turf might gain the advantage over the peace turf. But then, what do we have now? War turf and No Turf.