This year has certainly gotten off to an interesting, if not spectacular, start. I did as much as I
could to avoid Bush's inaugural speech last Thursday, knowing it would just make me sick to my stomach to listen to. Trouble
is, now I get to wallow in the backlash, as presented to me by talk radio and the op-ed pages. Some have likened Bush's speech to
a Christian jihad, a call to remake the world into America's image, whether it wants it or not (shivering even the timbers
of conservative punditand speechwriter
Peggy Noonan on January 24th). Like it or not, Mr. Bush, we Americans have been responsible for propping up more than one torture-loving
dictatorship over the years since WWII---Pinochet, Shah Pavlevi and, yes, Saddam Hussein all pop to mind. So if we intend
to rush out into the world and force "freedom" down their throats, we certainly ought to make sure it's up to snuff here
in our own backyard. Not to mention creating "democracies"---just
what does that word mean to you, Mr. Bush? If it
doesn't refer to doing everything possible to see to it that elections are free and fair, apparently undoable here in the
States---then
what?
On the home front: my life as a substitute teacher is now underway.
As of this writing, I have subbed three times, all three middle schools, and all three in predominantly poorer LA neighborhoods.
Boy, what an eye-opener. Seeing some of the facilities in which these kids are asked to learn makes me wonder if
it is possible at all. The classroom in Watts was essentially a warehouse, and a run-down one at that. In classic prepubescent
form, the students treated the sub (me) less than stellarly, but I honestly cannot imagine what it must be like to have to
teach in that environment on a day-to-day basis. it breaks my heart, knowing that many of those kids will get short shrift,
and not of their own making.
In the meantime, I'm doing my level best to find a fulltime teaching gig. I had an interview in Alhambra
last Wednesday that seemed to go well (the smaller districts are far more preferable than the behemoth LAUSD), but I've not
yet heard of any decision. Please, both of you who are reading this, please send me a drop of good
karma when you can, okay?
Ahh yes, another year is upon us...time to reflect on the highs and lows of that bygone year 2004, one best left behind,
but still one with its merits. Both deserve a rear-view mirror glance.
The Bad:
-My dad's passing (a year ago yesterday, January 5)
-My ex-wife's baldface attempt to rob us blind, and its subsequent effect of financially wrecking pretty much the entire
second half of 2004
-Missing more movies than when Bridgette was an infant, due to financial considerations
-The passing of both Ray Charles and Johnny Cash
-The (omigod!) presidential election
-My school screwing up and "losing" my paperwork, essentially keeping me from teaching for over four months
-The horrible tsunami in Southeast Asia, that, although it didn't affect me personally, really affected all
of us, somehow.
The Good:
-My college graduation (summa cum laude!) and subsequent celebrations
-Getting involved with the Coday/Blair music group
-The death of Ronald Reagan
-Going up to Sequim, WA in July for Deb's 20th high school reunion
-Going back up to WA in September to be Unkie Dawg's and the Girly Girl's best man
-A reasonably enjoyable trip to Portland for Xmas (although it woulda been more fun with more money)
-Actually getting full custody of Bridgette!
So, I think it's reasonably fair to say that, all in all, 2004 was a mediocre year with some pretty cool high
points. I certainly hope '05's got something else to offer, at least on a personal level.
Nationally, of course, things majorly "suck balls," as Bridgette might put it. (Where does she learn stuff like
this? Not me! Damn this public school system!). In any case, tonight's marvelous debacle was in watching CSPAN and
the confirmation of the results of the electoral college from last November's election. God forbid: California Senator
Barbara Boxer had the temerity---the utter gall ---the sheer audacity--- to suggest that there
may have been irregularities in the voting systems in Ohio. Whyever should she think that? Could it be because hundreds of
voters stood for hours in underequipped precincts? Could it be because more votes were cast for Bush than there were actual
voters? Nahh. If one listens to AM talk radio, that fine democratic bastion of intelligent even-handed commentary,
one would learn that Boxer or anyone that might suggest that something wasn't what it
shoulda been is labelled a loony, a crackpot, or a conspiracy theorist.
Sen. Boxer:
Our democracy is the centerpiece of who we
are as a nation. And it is the fondest hope of all Americans that we can help bring democracy to every corner of the world.
As we try to do that, and as we are shedding the blood of our military to
this end, we must realize that we lose so much credibility when our own electoral system needs so much improvement.
Yep, sounds like a loony to me!
AHEM! What if, just what if, there actually was something wrong??? At what point
do FACTS actually get to count? They are messy things, aren't they? Anyway, I was dead proud of the Boxer Rebellion, and shamed
and sickened by the laughing derision she suffered at the hands of those in the "liberal" media. Right-wing nutjobs have
the bully pulpit now, and they are abusing it big time.
