Friday, March 21, 2008

It's Getting Ugly

More political news:

Obama is getting attacked.
Richardson came out and endorsed him.
Michigan and Florida won't hold re-votes.
McCain is quietly licking his chops.

Now: What will John Edwards do?

Thursday, March 20, 2008

The Race Speech

Everyone is praising Barack Obama's race speech including me. For the first time I felt like he might not be a phony after all.

At the 2004 convention Obama rhapsodized, "There is no black America or white America but the United States of America." He impressed me then and afterwards as a wishful thinker (although surprisingly powerful organizer) full of pretty words and slogans such as "turn the page." To me, that sounded like, "refuse to face" or "run away from." I just thought he was all talk and, as he has learned to deny, naive.

Now comes a speech from Obama that for once rings real. Would he have made this speech if not pushed to the wall by video clips of his reverend of 20 years bellowing, "God Damn America" and "the US of KKKA"? That is a subject for another day. For once Obama dropped his sloganizing and spoke clearly. From experience, we know he is correct.

For example, a gentle colleague of Denny's named Ted (as I'll call him) was African American, and he told Denny that Den could never understand black rage. Mild, multi-degreed Ted, in a rage? Yes, because he was continually accosted by prejudice and injustice: being pulled over by police because of driving while black or walking the streets of the city while black (and sad to say such fears based in fact). At my own job, a good friend who was a nurse told me in utter seriousness that the government definitely addicted black persons to heroin and crack. The patients thought this, that was no surprise, but Laura? Her sureness conveyed to me an entire population who believed these things utterly.

What would be the reaction if Hillary gave a speech about sexism where, face it, there isn't much to commend the oppressor's point of view? Probably everyone would boo and hiss and make fun of her hairdo.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Taxes Block

Inside my imagination is static, full of old used furniture with dust. A room that was furnished and later forgotten. Sitting in it causes a sneeze. Every now and then there's a sign of life, like a mouse, that quickly runs back inside the wall. Then I hear it back there running around; soon it will die and you know what that's like. There is just nothing doing here!

Outside, a few bulbs have popped up, surprising. People are out there tending their bits of green, and some have planted petunias. Birds fly in and out of bushes in the back yard. White breasted, black and white striped, totally red zooming through the air, or bottle necked morning doves: watching these beats waiting for an original thought to peep into a dusty room.

Or also beats working on income taxes, which is the plan for today. Guess I have "taxes block."

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Thought You Should Know

Hello, readers: thought you should know what this space looks like and also that I don't always fill it. Your ad here:

















Thinking of you all, Pru

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

The Pneumonia Channel

My back got better but then I came down with pneumonia. The weakness is astonishing. I look at people walking around, they appear miraculously strong and powerful. Can't do much, even blog. I did see a lot of news on my laptop, though.

I'm happy to say Hillary won some primaries last night. The Washington Post coverage of her Ohio victory could go into a journalism class about slanted story. The reporter framed it as a Tales from the Crypt, with Hillary oozing back up out of her coffin.

Obama went on his interviews looking pout-y. And so are some of his fans. Some of them blogged on the Opinionator that if Hillary gets nominated they'll stay home or vote for McCain.

McCain himself clinched his nomination and was being referred to as the little tortoise that could or some such.

In between come wafts of soft darkness; it would be so easy to just slip away.

That's it for tonight, stay tuned.