Several days ago the
health care bill passed.
I am glad that it did.
It is certainly not a perfect
bill and there are aspects of
it, especially such shenanigans
as the ``Cornhusker
Kickback,’’ that rankle. But
anyone familiar with any
political process, be it village
or national politics, knows
that in order to get anything
done deals are made,
compromises are forged,
and lofty aspirations often
fall prey to more modest,
politically achievable results.
One of these days I hope we
do find the moral fortitude
as a nation to care enough
about one another to create
a system of universal health
care for all.
There is a strange and
troubling irony about our
national penchant for starting
wars in far away places
knowing full well that thousands
on both sides will die.
And that those who happen
to survive such inexcusable
barbarism will suffer in
innumerable ways for the
rest of their lives. What is
it that makes it so easy for
us to go to war, even begin
them under false pretenses,
and suggest that those of us
who oppose such idiocies
are somehow less patriotic
because we see no earthly,
or spiritual, justification for
such self-destructive escapades
in the first place. There
is just something downright
puzzling about the way in
which we set national priorities.
Frankly, I do not care a
whit which political party
anyone belongs to. I wish we
could do away with them.
Madison warned us about
factionalism a long time
ago and his fears have come
home to roost. People are
so dug into their factional
foxholes these days that civil
discussion is nigh impossible.
I need not review the
ugliness that certain partisans
have exhibited publicly
the past several weeks.
It is not surprising, really,
since anyone whose head
is not buried in the sand
knows that ugliness, most
often nurtured by fear and
ignorance, is alive and well
throughout this land. Unfortunately,
we share this pathology
with the rest of the
world. I wish I was optimistic
about its eradication. The
extent to which we live
in fear of terrorist attacks is a
testament to the heightened
levels of insanity that hatred
has evolved to.
The operative credo is
simple: to get your way, or
at least make your point, kill
as many innocent people
as you like. Then have the
audacity to attribute your
actions to your personal
deity.
The same mentality
seems to pervade politics. If
you do not agree with someone,
then do the honorable
thing: vilify him. If you do
not believe that government
should involve itself in health
care, then call those that do
communists, socialists or,
even worse, Hitlerites. If you
believe that government
does have a role, then castigating
all those who disagree
as cold-hearted, uncaring,
and greedy seems to suffice.
Even though I hold some
relatively liberal views, I also
think of myself as equally
conservative with respect to
certain issues. I guess what
matters is how you define
your terms. It used to be that
our legislators would debate
by day, often disagreeing
vehemently, but come
nightfall they would dine
together and often go on
family weekend trips together.
We have lost some
fine people from both sides
of the aisle because politics
has become more personal
than ever. Mean-spirited divisiveness
has replaced civil
dissent, a necessary cornerstone
of any democracy.
The abortion debate
brings out the worst in us.
If you believe that a woman
has the right to make her
own reproductive decisions,
including the termination of
a pregnancy, then you are
characterized as a ``baby
killer.’’ If, on the other hand,
you characterize yourself
as being ``pro-life,’’ a rather
ambiguous phrase at best,
the tendency is to claim the
moral high ground as yours
alone. The implication, then,
is that those who see things
differently are spiritually
bankrupt. Of course, any
rift rooted in theological
conflict is ideologically
irresolvable. And the beat
goes on.
My antidote to all this is
to take a very long walk.
Hawthorn Hill
April 1, 2010
Hawthorn Hill: Reflections
- Hawthorn Hill
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- Passing along advice of seeing the humor The best advice given to me many years ago when I started teaching had nothing to do with my discipline, English. Rather, a former mentor insisted on the necessity of having a sense of humor
- Swallow talk and bluebird vigilance I assume the swallows have returned to Capistrano. They have returned to Hawthorn Hill as well.
- 'Geezering: an act of doing stuff with another old guy It is a bright sunny day. I should be out back in our woodlot geezering with my neighbor John.
- Winter tree sparrow visitations have been rare on the hill Tree sparrows are lovely little birds, most conspicuous for their russet caps, white breasts and a distinctive charcoal smudge about mid-breast that makes one think that they are perpetual Ash Wednesday celebrants.
- Of Carolina wrens and crossbills We will remember this year for a number of reasons, among them first-time visitors to our bird feeders. Aside from reporting data to Cornell every five days as part of the Project Feeder Watch program, I keep on close watch over all the avian activity up here on the hill.
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Think before you speak, tweet
One of our dearest and most valued gifts is our ability to both think about and talk about ourselves. That is the gift of language. I have always felt that every living thing has some sort of language, but we are so lucky to be able to communicate through speech and writing.
- Of bikes, fishing rods and philosophy Every time I go to the garage, either to get something or start up the car, I am reminded of at least two activities that I thought I might get to at some point, even in earnest. Intentionality is something philosophers give some thought to. I suspect I would be an ideal case study.
- End of the season; time for a break By tomorrow afternoon we will have harvested the last of our vegetables. Two lonely stalks of kale, today snow capped and a bit bent over after being buffeted by the hurricane's winds last week, will take up primary residence in a kale soup whose makeup we have yet to determine.
- Election Day thoughts I have voted, and despite my strong feelings about who the winner should be, I intend to focus on other things the rest of the day. Let the talking heads spin themselves into rhetorical dizziness until the wee hours of the morning. The sun is shinning. There are some late fall chores to turn to. I look forward to an outside day preoccupied with sunny thoughts.
- Walking, across the pond One of the best reasons to travel is to get out of one's cultural skin for a while. It is also a great way to pick up some pretty useful ideas.
- More Hawthorn Hill Headlines
