What with this, that and the other thing, I have neglected my blog of late. I'm going to try to do better as Spring becomes Summer. I am reading the wonderful Lila by Marilynne Robinson. For those of you who have read this set of stories that were started with Gilead and Home, you know what I am talking about when I say, "Gee whiz, what writing." It's just lovely prose. Sometimes I just loose myself in the words.
Seems that my little world has changed since Steve and I returned from a trip back East. Steve had his last day of work on March 27 and we left for Cape Cod on April 1. We returned on April 16 and since then life has felt like it is screaming down a 12 lane highway at about 100 mph. Just stuff, you know, but lots of it. Then we both got sick for several days and here I am. I finally feel ready to reflect on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness a little bit.
Something very interesting happened while we were in Boston. I am kind of sure that this sort of thing happens with a certain amount of regularity in big cities. But for this Idaho hick, it was interesting and a bit disturbing. We were on the T, which is what the subway is called in Boston. First time for both of us. We were on our way to visit the JFK Museum and Library. Well, the doors close and right away this lady, standing in front of the door, starts yelling, "Please somebody give me $5.00". And then elaborates on why she wants the $5.00, something about her brother died in New York and she is trying to get there to go to his funeral. She just keeps yelling out her story and begging for the $5.00. Well, I look around me and everyone is just staring forward or looking a their phone. I am the only person even looking at the lady. I just sat there frozen between my compassion for this lady and my fear of being thought of as an idiot if I got up and gave her some money. I am ashamed to say it, but it is the truth. I get it. It isn't going to exactly engender sympathy in others to stand in a subway car and yell at people to give you money. But, man alive. She was somebody's daughter. And I just sat there frozen in my own ineptitude and fear. She did bitch us all out when she got off the car at the very next stop. She said, "Have a nice day, and I don't mean it!" or something like that. Guess we all had it coming. Not one of humanity's prouder moments I guess. She had some moxie, I'll give her that. I wonder how much she made that day. She could have used a consultation on more effective ways to panhandle, I suppose. But still. Would it have killed me or anyone else on that car to get up and hand her a few bucks? Talk about your existential dilemmas. And if anyone was filming this little encounter for some college paper or something, we all flunked whatever the test was, including the lady yeller. Anyway, one of those moments that makes life continually intriguing.
In the meantime we have Ferguson, Baltimore and God only knows what else. Oh yeah, nut cakes yelling about how Obama is going to invade Texas or some damn crazy thing. Steve and I just watched the movie "Selma" last night. I thought it was very well done. But I couldn't help thinking that we have gotten so short a way down the road to freedom and equality in this country. The violence and mayhem visited upon the people who walked across that bridge 50 years ago is still going on. Never stopped. As much as we would all like to believe that things are better, they are not. The pieces have just moved around on the game board. Some of our police forces around the country have themselves caught in a big mess, fueled by racism, fear, I don't know what all, that has led to a black citizens being shot dead. As a person who has benefited from institutionalized racism, one of the things I can do about it is write about it here and show up where I can. I intend to do that until I can't do it anymore.
I also just watched a PBS show on Kent State called "The end of the 60's". It made me realize that the the simpleton mindset that developed during the Nixon era of "the folks who dissent are not real Americans" has morphed into something much more insidious. It's this faction of the Republican Party that has become a cult of insurgents. What used to be considered kind of far out cuckoo thinking has now become mainstream Republican party conversation. Actual elected people are spouting utter nonsense like "Obama is going to invade Texas". Steve had a teacher in high school who was a famous John Bircher type, who at the time was correctly thought of as being cuckoo. Well now that cuckoo lady would be welcomed with open arms into the bosom of the Republican Party. I'm telling you, there is something festering in the Republican Party that allows this kind of insurgent mentality to emerge. I just read an article by one of my favorite journalists, Leonard Pitts. I have enclosed a link to his article because he says exactly what I mean. The link is to an earlier article and there was follow up article into today's Idaho Statesman. Thank you, Leonard Pitts for articulating so well what I have been thinking on for a long time.
Leonard Pitts Jr.: 20 years after Oklahoma bombing, hatred still out there
