Just one of those random questions running through my head this morning as I have the luxury of sitting in my home sipping strong coffee in the warmth of my kitchen while there are those in great need of food and shelter who have nothing this morning because the politicians in the fortress of solitude in DC can’t get it together to stop being children in a playground. Anyway, racism, classism, and all those other -isms are too easily used to excuse the behavior of the men and women in Washington (and those who pay them in the various ways our system allows). If Obama were blonde haired and blue eyed and with the same ideals there’d still be a fight … because indeed there was one. Look at the Clinton Years.
Politicians aside with their blinders, fat pockets, or indeed “righteous ideals,” what bothers me most are the people who sit back and do nothing. And maybe that’s because there are too many distractions. I mean, on the morning news, immediately following one story of government shutdown, there was a story of a movie star’s fight with his girlfriend. Really? That’s the next important story?
One of my favorite letters in American history is Martin Luther King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail. It was not a letter written to Klansmen or segregationists or to all those others who outright hated; it was a letter written to those who expressed a desire for change but were waiting for the right moment or not wanting to make any waves or simply did not understand the gravity of the situation. I fear that people have lost sense of our interrelatedness, and thus do not understand the implications – the ripple effects – of the actions (and purposeful inactions) certain politicians are pushing. If you have a well-paying corporate job with great benefits, why engage in a dialogue about health insurance or food stamps? But as MLK wrote, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
I am proud to be an American, of its landscapes and its peoples and of course its opportunities. Or at least of those opportunities that I perceived as a child growing up in Virginia. And I was proud of its politics. Probably using a different set of text books than are being allowed in school today, I thought I learned in World History, Civilizations, Civics and Government courses that, my goodness, what a wonderful system of government with its checks and balances, and opportunities for dialogue and debate (and yes, negotiation and compromise). What a wonderful system. What has happened?
Anyway, no more caffeine for me today. Caffeine plus anger gives me a headache. Perhaps I will be able to take another walk by the Mystic River, the source of these images. I hope where ever you are, you find a peaceful moment too. Have a good Tuesday.
Words + Images 
What’s happening is shameful. Leaders need to lead, Leaders need to negotiate and leaders need to compromise – this isn’t a playground spat. Where are their heads?
What I wonder is that we are all OBLIGED to buy insurance on our cars and homes, and we do it without a complaint, yet human health is seen as unimportant in comparison. A more telling profile of a nations’ ethics could not be drawn.
Demagoguery has always been used to destabilize nations,and here we are face to face with extremely partisan opinions on the part of the Republican with damage to the millions who lack medical care. Those people do the jobs that Americans do not want to do, TRY PICKING STRAWBERRIES FOR 10-12 HOURS A DAY UNDER A HOT SUN AND SLEEP IN DECREPIT BARRACKS for meager wages..
We are the only industrialized nation in the world that does not have a fully comprehensive universal medical plan. I am really shocked that political competition is blinding elected representatives to the needs of the people. Thank you for writing this post.
Thank you for writing this comment! 😉
> Date: Tue, 1 Oct 2013 14:59:46 +0000 > To: cynthiastaples@hotmail.com >
An unjust law is a code that a numerical or power majority group compels a minority group to obey but does not make binding on itself. — Martin Luther King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail.
Cynthia, thank you for sharing your thoughts. I read Dr. King’s Letter (I must confess that this is the first time I have read the entire letter) and I am moved by his intelligence, his obvious grasp and understanding of biblical history, philosophy, law, ethics and logic, and his obvious love for all people.
The principle that is represented by the above quote from the letter is what seems to be lacking. Unfortunately, those in D.C. do not have to abide by the law, and, there have been other exceptions. Quite apart from the merits or ills of universal health care, the way the law had been applied, or, the way exceptions have been granted, calls into question how any law is enforced or applied.
I agree: it would not matter if the President were Puerto Rican [ I am Puerto Rican 🙂 ] Ideas, world views, philosophical differences, economic theories have all turned into personal attacks, emotional rhetoric, and the loss of the primary role of a public servant: to serve the public. Compromise seeks another solution that can only be reached when the welfare of the public NEVER is placed behind political and personal views, advancement or gain, whatever those views may be.
By the way, the pictures are beautiful!
C.
And your thoughtful comments are always, always a treat. 😉
> Date: Tue, 1 Oct 2013 20:09:34 +0000 > To: cynthiastaples@hotmail.com >