All Over The Map

I'm having a hard time focusing, today. The disparate messages are coming in from all over and it's hard to know where to start.

I guess the biggest brouhaha this morning has to be the latest loony tunes adventures of Dubya, coming at us from all over the world. First he announces, and the gets crucified for, that his biggest sacrifice for the war in Iraq has been giving up GOLF!!!! Which he didn't. Keith Olbermann slaughtered him last night on Countdown (you can read the whole text on MSNBCTV today), then Michael Moore and about a zillion other bloggers picked it up today and ran with it. Some even have pictures of golf clubs. Cute.

Then, to make bad matters even more ludicrous, The Shrub of TX announced, in a speech to the Israelis, that talking to leaders of countries like Iran (gasp) would be like talking appeasement with the Nazis prior to WWII. He didn't mention Obama by name but might as well have. I swear this man's cerebral cortex literally comes unscrewed whenever his mouth opens. Amazing.

But not so amazing, perhaps, as the story I just read about the Pope consecrating several thousand vrgins in Vatican Square this morning? Marrying them to Christ? I thought being a nun was being condemned to a second-class womanhood, but this "honor" doesn't even grant you the right to wear the habit. First, "Who cares?", and second, "So what?" Won't stop a war, won't feed anybody, won't stop rape and won't pull anybody out the water in Myanmar or out from under the rubble in China. Maybe actually more amazing?

Oh, and in Stephen Colbert's new book, he asks, "Since the search for the historical Jesus hasn't worked out so well, don't you think the search for the historical Mary is jumping the gun, a little bit?" Or something like that. You get the point.

And Obama made almost new news yesterday by calling a female reporter in Detroit, "Sweetie". Does the Right Rev. Wright have a comment on that? I hope not.

If you read OPEdNews.com, Jayne Stahl has a very nice, short piece about the differnce between standing on principle and doing the principled thing. Her point is that if Hilary were to do the principled thing, for the betterment of the country, she would step down, now. Read it for yourself and decide.

There's a new voice in town, thelibertyvoice.com. Surprisingly out of COWlumbus, SLOWhio, as the editor, Sherry Clark describes it. They actually publish a real newspaper you can subscribe to. They are working hard to publish what they call "Fiercely Independent News". I'm on their side.

Just in case some of you think my brain has gone completely lop-sided for political mush and vitriol, I just got FOUR new poetry books. My favorite so far is called STROKE, by Sidney Wade (Amazon, paper, about six bucks). Wow! This woman makes up the most outrageous compound words I've ever seen, but your brain knows instantly what she is talking about.

And Barbara shoved an unlikely (for me)book in my hands the other day. My unscholarly review is here:

Hold Me Tight, Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love

By Dr. Sue Johnson

A Layman's Viewpoint

This is an imminently readable book for anyone who is in love, been in love or wants to be. If you are in love, but puzzled by it, this book will help you understand the puzzle. If you have been in love, and wondered what happened, you might find the "what", here. If you want to be, now you will know what to look for. And if you are in love, and everything is fine, you will learn how to keep it that way.

The insights traverse the conceptual aspects of love through the personal, interpersonal and societal levels, and melds the rational and emotional influences of loving relationships smoothly. Dr. Johnson writes clearly and avoids the linguistic sandtraps and overly clinical mumbo-jumbo that usually arises when the simple word 'love" is talked about too much at one time. The writing is for married couples, all manner of couples thinking about marriage or partnership, families and those larger groups in society who care for and tend to one another. The glossary at the back is perfect for those of us who do not "speak the language" of therapists. The practices and exercises are simple and direct. Dr. Johnson says that these may done without professional help but one cannot help but think that they would be more effective with some objective, trained guidance.

Go it alone or go with someone, but, in any case, GO, and read it.


Storms and tornadoes rolled through central TX last night. Missed me but kept Barbara awake and blew out a window in Nick's apartment. Since there was no rain here, I have to water the herb garden. And next week I have an afternoon of being on a mock jury. I still don't know if that will obligate me to mock the judicial process. But I guess, since I'm getting paid, it proves that crime (at some level) really does pay.

Life goes on in TX.