Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Thoughts from a foggy day on "The Rock"

And for those not "in the know" "The Rock" is Newfoundland where the real world is kept at bay. We like being forgotten. We were even forgotten by the Bushlet himself on the days after 9-11 when we took in all those hundreds of passengers from the planes left adrift and forlorn in the skies. We allowed them to land and housed the masses. The masses do not forget us, in fact they come back here to visit, year after year and in gratitude pay for a new gymnasium for the high school. Bushlet did not even deign to mention our kindnesses. We are grateful for this. We like being off the radar of the shakiest thumb in the west.

Which brings me to whatever is happening in Britain? Loads of lies and U.S. type cover-ups on the killing (8 bullets, people!) of an innocent. A Brazilian. What gives with the trigger happy coppers?

I just finished reading an article in an old New Yorker. Personalizing some of the army deaths - reactions of their families, their army buddies, even the morticians who prepped them for viewing. Which reminds me of the song "Willie McBride" which was written for a nineteen-year-old killed in the war to end all wars. WWI. At least he died for some tangible cause. Do the poor fallen soldiers know that they are dying for the rights of the rest of us to drive an even bigger SUV? Is anybody talking to the families of the women and children being massacred every day in Iraq? Are we personalizing these deaths?

And now I hear that Abu Grahib is more horrendous than what we saw in the photos. The videos are even worse. Torture and abuse of young boys and women. Seems Saddam himself did not sink to quite that level. And now the Rummy arm of the Bushlet deems them unsuitable for the rest of the world to view.

And 60% of the U.S. population in a poll think we are heading for WWIII . That might be the easier, softer way. For as I see it, we are running out of just about everything, oil, energy, food, weather. We had no icebergs in Newfoundland this late spring. First time ever. I flew over the North Pole two years ago and there wasn't much ice. But what do I know. A merely visual observation. But the Bushlet says global warming is not happening, no sirree bob. Hey George, where's the ice? Hiding in your pretzels is it?