Frozen

There are so many obvious topics out there for blog posts but, other than commenting on The Smussyolay, I haven’t tackled any of them because I frankly don't know exactly how I feel about them.

I usually discover what lies beneath my initial reaction to something when I write about it so it's probably a good idea to weigh in, more for me than for you, but I'm stymied.

Here are the things I can't wrap my head around:

The War in Iraq. I'm not happy we are there yet I don't see a way to gracefully get out. We've started something I fear we cannot end with any nobility. Die Every Day vs. Cut And Run. We've lost the hearts and minds of most Iraqis and probably most people in the world. I think I can tell you what ideals America used to stand for; I don't know what we stand for now. I'm lost too.

Virginia Tech. I love "breaking news" but I hate wild, completely reckless speculation presented as news. I was getting an I/M test on my new car (used SUV so perhaps I'm responsible for us being in Iraq, but I digress) first thing in the morning of the shooting and saw the coverage in the Jiffy Lube waiting room (there is no local branch of Greasers Automotive so I couldn't go there instead). I was riveted. Yet it was mostly speculation between tiny pieces of actual fact and it ventured into these far-ranging political discussions. As for the facts which emerged since: I cannot think of any reasonable legislation which would have prevented this terrible event from happening. I'll write more about that later.

Hurricane Katrina. What? Wasn't that years ago? Yes, and I still have a hard time believing just how shabbily we treat our own citizens. There were unforgivable acts of commission and omission that took place in New Orleans prior to and during that tragedy. I don't believe there was any vast governmental conspiracy but I do believe there was vast governmental corruption and ineptitude and it cost people their lives. And it will happen again. And again. And again.

Within all of these topics there are rays of hope: acts of courage, bravery, compassion, generosity, and love. Yet I find myself overwhelmed by the bigger picture, the overall tragedy.

Sometimes it's hard to appreciate the warmth when your house is burning down.