Dismal Days

I'm not a person who gives in to pessimism. When times get tough, I have my sense of humor to get me through the day. When things get tougher, and they cease to be funny, I have a steady supply of fine chocolate that keeps me feeling okay. If things get really bad, there are always prescription drugs that can make you feel as if living in Washington DC, right smack in the middle of a huge pile of shit, is normal, nothing to be concerned about, this is just how it works. The more coping mechanisms that you can find that are still legal, the better.

After the elections in 2004, my coping mechanisms failed to prevent a downward slide into pessimism. I worried that re-electing the Bush Bunch would give them a mandate to go ape shit, to wreak havoc anywhere they wanted. I couldn't write, I couldn't find anything that was even remotely funny, all I could do was go to work, eat chocolate, and watch the L Word. I became this rounded, plumper version of myself and imagined that the country that I lived in would soon become a theocracy of the worst sort. Religion isn't so horrible, but if I had to pick one, I would pick some really watered down version of Buddhism, or maybe some sort of Rasta spin off, where we could have rituals that involved the smoking of lovely herbs, and really good music. In 2004, none of these things seemed even remotely likely to happen, so I did what I had to do, and went the chocolate route.

I am now on one of those fad diets where I can only eat red meat, and broccoli.

My coping mechanisms have brought me back from the brink of despair, but so have the American people. Americans have fought the Anschluss of 2005 with admiration. We have managed to quash the Social Security Ambush, it's not quite over yet. There is still a chance that the Republicans will get some version of private accounts passed on the sly, just like they did the Medicare Bill. There is not serious talk about withdrawal from Iraq, but the discussion had been put on the table. Enough Americans realize that we are wasting money and precious young lives in Iraq, and the next leap that Americans must take is responsibility for the deaths of so many Iraqi civilians.

The press has behaved irresponsibly, ignoring important stories like the Downing Street Memos, and basically giving a pass to the Administration. But bloggers have stepped up to fill the void of information. Maybe we should just let the mainstream press continue to cover stories like the runaway bride, and Brad and Angelina, and leave the important issues to the bloggers.

The worst of these things that progressive fear has come to pass. It's not war, it's not the economy, it's two things. Another year has passed without any action on climate change. There is only a small window of opportunity for the world to reverse this trend of warming, and I believe that the window has all but closed. The time for change was ten years ago. We have done nothing in the last four years to stem the emission of greenhouse gases, and there seems to be nothing in the national conversation about it. I fear that the price we will pay for this negligence will be insanely more expensive in lives and assets than any war we have ever imagined.

The other issue that has me reaching for the Ghirdelli bars in the fridge, is the upcoming Supreme Court nominations. To my utmost dismay, I have read that Alberto Gonzales will be acceptable to most Democrats. How is it possible that a guy that endorses torture can become a judge on the highest court in America? His opinions have justified executions in Texas, torture in wartime, and made it possible for our once law abiding country to operate prisons that have no jurisdiction under any law. This is a guy that we want on the Supreme Court? Maybe he's better than some Christian judge who will make it harder for women to get abortions, and send all of us happy homosexuals to shock therapy, but honestly, America should send the message to the world that we cannot sanction torture. How can we endorse a guy who has enabled our leaders to bring shame on our nation?

We can't. Period.

The thing that we need to worry about now is our morality. To decide that a lesser evil is okay is the wrong choice. It is so wrong that any of our options will send us on a path to hell, because we don't have the moral conviction or political capital to fight what is wrong. I personally am willing to trade my civil rights for the right to hold my head up as an American and join the rest of the civilized world in signing on to the Kyoto Treaty, and abiding by the Geneva Convention.

These are dark days. But we cannot be so defeated that we allow a man who has made legal the deeds that bring shame on our nation.

Get strong guys. Don't compromise, don't sell your soul. Eat some chocolate. You'll feel better.

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