i am not a political blogger per se- i mean i certainly have blogged political issues for years but mostly, i try to blog around where i am at at any given time. at present, i am tapped out. i suspect many of us feel that way after living through the last 8 years. frankly, i don't know that any of us ever really recovered from 9/11/01. no, i am not pulling a giuliani- whether it be foreign terrorists- or domestic as i believe, the attacks damaged the american psyche. having said that, i have seen the american spirit be 'misunderestimated' by the neocons time and again- and i won't be sorry to see them out of positions of power come january. gone but not forgotten.
but as life intrudes on politics- i find myself overwhelmed by it. the crushing worry and loss is really taking its toll on me spiritually- and as supportive as my friends are- it's much to handle. i won't go into blow by blow- but finances and personal loss in the family recently- leaves a hole. being the sole support system for my family has emotionally wiped me out. sigh.
and then, i started thinking about all of the families in iraq and gaza and afghanistan and lebanon- displaced and homeless in many cases with loved ones missing or dead or wounded- and i thought how lucky i am to have such things in my life to worry about. apples and oranges i am sure- but human beings are all the same underneath. we all feel the same types of emotions- we all love our families (or hate them), we bleed red, and our hearts break or swell with joy. we are all people and we all share the same planet. and as hopeless and helpless as many american situations are- we have created so much more for those folks.
i haven't written too much about the atrocities in gaza. mainly due to feeling the same white hot anger at the israeli government that i have felt towards the bushco cabal. i had to pick a battle and i chose to deal with the issues i felt i could have the most (little to none) control over the outcome. i guess i don't really care that the israelis believe that israel was given to them by god. i guess i don't care that they demand the right to exist as a jewish state. you see, they lost their credibility the moment that they stopped fighting terrorists and started wholesale genocide against the palestinians. there was a time when hamas and the palestinians committed terrorist acts against civilians in israel- and they were roundly condemned for that.
but that time is over. now, the israeli government- against the wishes of many israelis- have rounded the palestinians up and put them behind walls so that access is limited to them. that way, you see, folks in the outside world can't see the forced starvation and horrible living conditions the arabic folks are living through. only the names of the 'palestinian areas' in israel are different- but forcing people to starve and go without basic necessities of life such as medical help and water/sanitation, etc. and walling them in- well, sounds an awful lot like a detention facility for thousands. forcing these people to only travel in certain areas with identification and under the careful guns of the army- sounds familiar also. yes- i am comparing it to the forced roundups of jews in europe during world war 2. the single biggest reason that so many jews returned to palestine to start with. within a generation- everything that they had lost and learned-- had been lost again. they learned nothing.
so, while i continue to try and quiet the sadness and soothe my psyche- i have the luxury of food to eat, water to drink and wash with, garbage pickup, emergency rooms, bandaids, antibiotics, getting in my car and going where i want with no repercussions- or just staying home in my quiet neighborhood in my quiet home with those who love me and good friends. and i continue to marvel at the ugliness that can be human nature.
