Thoughts Since I Cannot Speak

In bed for 4 days now with fever, strep throat and penicillin, the only thing left for me to do is to read and think.

The first thought that hit me while reading the accumulated Washington Post: why should the federal government bail out the auto industry? Apart from the humanistic reasons of trying to keep workers their jobs, that is. I say, let the oil industry bail them out: oil and car industries have gone hand in hand over the last few decades and especially in the last 8 years to ensure that no so much money was dedicated to "greening" the U.S. car industry: if a car becomes fuel efficient, then the oil industry loses money, right?

If the car industry bail out is a must to save the economy, then let's accompany it with a few pre-requisites. Not only with quotas of fuel-efficient cars to be built from now on till forever, but also with money for research on global warming consequences and moreover, on green solutions that would guarantee US independence from foreign oil, and from oil altogether. And not only that, but the Federal Government should become part owner of the bailed-out industry. This is not socialism, this is ensuring that the money used for the bail out does not fall into the wrong pockets: for who is truly bailing out anyone here, but the tax payer? You, me, and millions of others not so lucky pilgrims, whose lost-job packages will not include millions if our jobs do disappear.

Add a special tax on any car that run less than 20 miles a gallon in town... These are the cars that should be more expensive to buy (remember a few years back when anyone seemed to buy Hummers: the aid for farmers ended up benefiting the local yuppies who "needed" one for the day when their very long driveway would be under 3 feet of snow... The last time it happened in DC was in 2003!).

Add a special tax on homes over a certain number of square feet: McMansions are not only symbols of bad taste, they are also a waste of energy and can never be made fuel efficient.

The second thought that hit me (and hit me hard too!) was the potential "Return of the Clintons". Why would Hilary (and her inescapable husband) be a better Secretary of State than, say, John Kerry? Apart from the fact that the deal reeks of conflict of interest (Bill Clinton's job since his presidency involves dealing with many countries, some of them have their hands very dirty when it comes to human rights), why bring to the White House cabinet personalities who certainly do not incarnate "Change" or "Hope"?

Come on, Obama: do not shoot yourself in the foot before the inauguration!

Le Figaro

I am not the only one concerned by Rahm Emanuel 's position as Obama's Chief of Staff. This article forwarded to me by a friend, was published in the Figaro today and goes along the lines of my blog.

Rahm Emanuel apologized for the very anti-Arab comments made by his dad (who remains an Israeli citizen). The paternal comments were made on November 6: hopefully his apology is sincere and Rahm Emanuel will be able to cut the "symbolic umbilical cord" linking him to his dad. Lacan would say that he needs to get rid of the "Nom du père".

http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2008/11/14/01011-20081114FILWWW00520-rahm-emanuel-s-excuse-pour-son-pere.php

Happy But Concerned

Of course I am happy that Barack Obama is our new President. Of course I am proud too. But I am also concerned.

Of course choosing Rahm Emanuel as Chief of Staff is a smart move in as much as he is a dedicated Democrat and has a long resume to prove it. If Sarah Palin is a pitbull with lipstick, Rahm Emanuel can be as much a bully, and angry, and ferocious, a true warrior.

And that is where I am concerned.

To the risk of offending many, I cannot help asking myself whether he will truly and genuinely serve his country, -the United States-, to the best of his ability and God knows he is able!. What if he lets his extreme positions against the Arab countries, Irak, Iran and the Middle East in general take over his loyalty? Should he let himself be dominated by his family's connections to Israel and therefore oppose and influence negatively Barack Obama? Should not one so close to the Presidency have one's heart only set towards one goal?

The question can be asked differently: did Eisenhower let his feelings for his German family rule his heart over World War 2?

The question therefore becomes a philosophical one: can one share one's loyalty between two countries?

I guess that only John Lennon had the answer. Listen to 'Imagine No country, nothing to die for"

Tom Toles, The Washington Post, November 5 2008

In the steps of what he drew after Obama's Primary Victory in June 2008 and of what he drew after Rosa Park's death. Sober yet meaningful.

And check also this link:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/opinions/cartoonsandvideos/telnaes/telnaes11052008.html

It contains the most sober but best animated cartoon post Obama's Election.

A Meaningful Sentence

I read this sentence twice in the last 48 hours and I wish I knew who wrote it so that i could acknowledge the source.

In any case, it is too beautiful a sentence to not share it, so there it goes:

"Rosa sat so that Martin could walk; Martin walked so that Obama could run; Obama ran so that our children can fly."

Bless your heart, whoever wrote this Truth!

Yes We Can!

Yes We Will!

We will because Yes, We Can"!

The Blue Waves

Manassas Park. Obama's Last Rally, Monday, November 3, 2008.

The Sign As a Shout

Obama Rally in Manassas, Monday, November 3, 2008: the rally began with a moment of meditation for some, prayer for others, in remembrance of Obama's grandmother who had passed away the night before and who would not see her grandson elected President.

The Meaning of Obama's Last Rally: Reading Between The Lines

Manassas Park is a tiny dot on the US map, a tiny dot abutted to another city, also called Manassas. Manassas Park means nothing to someone living outside the US but “Manassas” means so much to the American collective psyche.

Its contemporary outlook of never-ending shopping malls, large highways and new mansionized neighborhoods tells a tale of American wealth, of the somewhat extravagant way of life of those who shop till they drop, of the last 40 years of monetarist policy’s slogan: “the bigger the better”.
Manassas Park lies northeast of Manassas “proper”. If taken back in time, the traveler would not be assaulted by the artificial neon lights of commercial adventures but stumble onto battlefields that saw two main military Southern victories of the Civil War (the Union called these battles the “Bull Run Battles”, from the name of the local rivulet).

When Barack Obama chose Virginia to wrap-up his presidential campaign and deliver his last pre-election speech, it was the deliberate, calculated and yet sensitive act of someone who not only knows but also understands History.

Although it seceded later than the 7 original Confederate States, Virginia was the State at the heart of the Confederacy, with Richmond its most permanent capital from 1861 to 1865 (Montgomery, Alabama was the first brief one and Danville, Virginia became its brief last one after the fall of Richmond). Virginia has known many battles during the Civil War; its soil has swallowed the blood of soldiers from both sides. Virginia is also the birthplace of many a “Founding Father”, whose estates have become pilgrimage destination trips to this day: Mount Vernon (George Washington’s); Monticello (Thomas Jefferson’s) and all the James River plantations (to name a few). The shadows of the American Revolution’s Great Men still haunt their grounds, their personal contradictions with regards to “all men are created equal” ( American Declaration of Independence, 1776), the burden they carried to their grave by lack of courage more than lack of conviction.

Put into such a perspective, Obama’s decision to hold his last speech in Manassas (even if only Manassas “Park”), Virginia, can be perceived as the race to win a traditionally Republican State leaning towards becoming a Swing State. But it is not only that. Beyond the fact that he himself is not the descendant of slaves, he chose a State in which the Confederate flag is still frequently and proudly displayed, at a location close to where the Northern armies (the Yankees, the abolitionists) lost two battles and thousands of brothers gave their life and their blood for opposite causes. Thus he reminded us of the absurdity of war, of civil war particularly, of the necessity of brotherhood beyond the barrier of color and history. Because he could have chosen any other “traditionally Republican leaning to becoming swing State” but he did not. He chose Virginia.

SATURDAY RANT

It is one of these beautiful autumn Saturdays, temperature around 67 F, the sun is shining and the colors of the Indian Summer are magnificently displaying their charms... 

 I am stuck again cleaning up after the renovation works, or rather moving the mess from the make-up storage room that the living room and the dining room had become to the newly renovated family room... where these boxes will probably await a "better" day: like a grey rainy weekend day, one that is so gloomy that I will only want to stay inside and hibernate like a bear... But then again because of S.A.D., I will be so depressed that the boxes will remain untouched and in an Oblomov kind of a way, I will procrastinate until the Spring and then again will want to go outside and forget about the boxes until the next rainy day. A vicious circle if there is any.

I am not even mentioning my bedroom, also the victim of a storage room metamorphosis, with piles and bags and boxes accumulated, furniture to move back to their proper allocated spot. 

I have dreams of empty spaces, plane surfaces with nothing on them, cupboards and closets with doors that hide away the accumulation of books, objects and past lives... Like a cat, I have nine lives and already lived a few...