So Long, Mr. Cow Chips

It’s a brand-new shiny, right out-of-the-box new year. This may be the year that we sheep are shown (shorn?) new horizons (shearing sheds?). We just might have a leader instead of a what-me-worry rich boy. As Ronald Reagan said in his diary “… George’s ne’er-do-well son …” You know, the guy the late great Molly Ivins referred to as “Shrub.” Yes, our soon-to-be-out-of-work Prez, Mr. George W. Bush. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the worst president in the history of the United States of America. And considering some of the turkeys we’ve had, that’s really saying something.

I’m loving the media right now, talking about Mr. Bush’s legacy. Legacy? Huh? Mr. Bush’s legacy is being a phony cardboard cutout. I suspect that he’s never had an original thought in his life. Don’t get me wrong here. I’m not saying he’s a dumb guy. Nope. He’s an uncomfortable speaker, socially inept, and he chooses friends poorly. Dumb, he’s not. He’s clever, opportunistic, wealthy, and devious. He’s been labeled as a conservative, a neo-con, but his record in the Oval Office has shown him as anything but a true conservative. This is why the far right will never forgive him. He was elected (well, sort of) on an ideological way-right platform and got into office and behaved like a centrist Republican. He made a few wealthy people a whole lot of money, but he did not carry out the far-right’s ideologue agenda. Roe vs. Wade is still intact. The Supreme Court is still balanced enough to create justice of a kind and may very well become more balanced under the Obama administration.

I fear a far-left Supreme Court as much as I fear a far-right Supreme Court. As an old hippie, I’d much rather see a far-out Supreme Court. (Like, wow …)

There’s a whole bunch of scary stuff looming, not the least of which is the inauguration itself. There is going to a crowd in Washington the likes of which may never before have been seen. It is a time of immense hope, a resurgence of American pride that has not happened in my lifetime. Our enemies (and thanks to Bush, Inc. we have countless more) are very well aware of this and would like nothing better than to destroy our hope, our rising as a unified people. I am creating positive thoughts and emotions around this event because that is the best and truest counteraction I can make against the violence and mayhem our enemies would love to perpetrate upon us.

Americans have proven, time and time again, that a united people can overcome anything. We have proven that enlightened, dedicated, and motivated leadership can bring not only America together, but the world as well. Are we on the cusp of another resurgence of community?

I have no idea. Who do you think I am, the Mayor?

Where we have been for the last several years is in the dark. We have lost our faith. We have allowed cynicism free rein and it shows in our inability to muster anything other than a dispirited nod to what should be. I think we all know what that should be, but we have become used to letting somebody else care, letting others carry the torch of enlightened philosophy, watching our lives go by as if we were watching some disjointed movie without connection to ourselves.

It’s not a dress rehearsal. This is our life. We have things to accomplish. We need to acknowledge our neighbors, both up the street and across the world. We’re all in this together. The days of isolation and self-centered unilateral policies are rapidly disappearing in the rear-view mirror. The world is going to change physically and demographically in the next several years. I can’t help but feel there are immense challenges ahead. I think we will be sorely tested. While it may get very uncomfortable, I’m convinced that the overall outcome will be positive. Balance happens and it’s up to us to deal with it. If we can manage chaos with clear hearts, humor, and a strong resolve, we’ll be okay. All we have to do is survive as a species. It’s up to all of us to keep the flame lit.

It’s an old cliché, but it works: Think globally and act locally. It seems simple and it is. That doesn’t make it easy, but it’s not too tough to understand.

Now that I’ve blathered on for too long (again), let me leave this with some advice for our departing President.

Go back to your ranch, hook your thumbs in your belt, chew a piece of dry-land wheat, and don’t move your lips. Stay out of Baseball. And one more thing: the notion of a library with your name on it just makes me laugh.