9.19.2005
Live, Sleep, And Test
T minus 12 days until LSAT. Live, sleep, breathe, draw diagrams of arguments. Contrapositive! Extremes = bad.
Most other things have gone to the wayside -- gym, this blog (clearly) ... but I'm getting excited thinking I'll do something new, maybe move to a new place. I like uncertainty; I thrive on not knowing what's next. Otherwise, life would be like living a book when you've already read the last page.
On a related note, Congress it seems will never go home. NEVER.
This entry is muddled, I know. Too much going on for linear thought.
In DC, there has been a fair amount of recent media coverage on the contrast between the compassion felt for Katrina victims and the lack thereof felt for this city's poor. Some argue that media feed into people's desire for what's safe, but I think that's to simple.
People feel like they can help Katrina victims. The everyday homeless are largely uncounted, amorphous as a population. And I never know what's actually helpful. A person should have a place to sleep, medical care, food. These needs are obscured in a culture that wants to take for granted the most basic things.
Wants to, but can't. Tries to, but can't.
I really want to see Katrina as a catalyst, but I'm cautious; it seems to me that most people who can afford to be complacent (those not immediately affected) can't take much before they retreat to their comfort zones. I think that's why the war in Iraq was allowed to happen; people believed it would make them safer -- that by invading Iraq we would move the frontlines of the so-called War on Terror to another continent, to the kind of place that we imagine is fit for warfare.
Most other things have gone to the wayside -- gym, this blog (clearly) ... but I'm getting excited thinking I'll do something new, maybe move to a new place. I like uncertainty; I thrive on not knowing what's next. Otherwise, life would be like living a book when you've already read the last page.
On a related note, Congress it seems will never go home. NEVER.
This entry is muddled, I know. Too much going on for linear thought.
In DC, there has been a fair amount of recent media coverage on the contrast between the compassion felt for Katrina victims and the lack thereof felt for this city's poor. Some argue that media feed into people's desire for what's safe, but I think that's to simple.
People feel like they can help Katrina victims. The everyday homeless are largely uncounted, amorphous as a population. And I never know what's actually helpful. A person should have a place to sleep, medical care, food. These needs are obscured in a culture that wants to take for granted the most basic things.
Wants to, but can't. Tries to, but can't.
I really want to see Katrina as a catalyst, but I'm cautious; it seems to me that most people who can afford to be complacent (those not immediately affected) can't take much before they retreat to their comfort zones. I think that's why the war in Iraq was allowed to happen; people believed it would make them safer -- that by invading Iraq we would move the frontlines of the so-called War on Terror to another continent, to the kind of place that we imagine is fit for warfare.
9.14.2005
On Religion, Disaster and Admitting You're Wrong
Fall in D.C. is no Autumn in New York, but it'll do.
More on that later, though.
My lone reader makes a good point on her blog about the market-driven nature of journalism. Lamenting about the so-called liberal bias of the media, conservative pundits tend to abandon one of most revered principles -- THE FREE MARKET. Cut down on demand (don't read media outlets you find offensive, etc.), supply will follow suit. It's not brain science; it's economics.
So, an already craptastic work week -- I feel like I'm living in "Office Space" lately -- and tons of LSAT prep have made me a pretty lazy blogger. But don't worry, they've also given me pimples too. When in doubt, blame bad skin on stress.
Here's a rundown on some things from the last several days:
1. An ABC News/Washington post poll released Tuesday finds that more Americans (62 percent) disapprove of Presiden't Bush's handling of the War in Iraq than of his handling of Hurricane Katrina (54 percent).
If that's so, where is the outcry?
Well, Americans disapprove of how the administration has handled the war, but they don't believe the U.S. should pull out. (Must find polling to show that) Neither do I, for that matter. Iraq could be unstable for decades. Nevermind that it's bad policy to blow a place to pieces then leave.
That said, humility can go a long way: Who wants to help somebody clean up a mess they won't even admit exists? Not that I'm counting on Bush putting his tail between his legs anytime soon and proclaiming a loud "my bad," but I can dream, can't I?
On a similar note, Americans in an Aug. 5 survey rated the war the nations's one priority, by a 41 percent plurality, compared to 24 percent two months earlier. That begs the question of the chicken and the egg: Are more Americans disapproving of administration's actions in Iraq because they are more aware of the war, or are people more aware and therefore more disapproving?
(ABC/WP poll conducted 9/8-11/05; surveyed 1,201 adults, margin of error +/-3%. Harris poll conducted 8/9-16/05; 1,217 adults, margin of error +/-3%.)
2. Yesterday, President Bush denied there was a racial component to the response to Hurricane Katrina. Quote Bush: "The storm didn't discriminate and neither will the recovery effort. ... The rescue efforts were comprehensive. The recovery will
be comprehensive."
Well, to ask whether a storm discriminated is, to paraphrase C.S. Lewis, like asking whether yellow is square or round.
But, Mr. Bush, the effects of the storm certainly had a racial component; the people affected were disproportionately black; that's not a coincidence. Way to sidestep the issue and avoid the question.
3. I went to mass Sunday evening, more because of Katrina than the anniversary of 9/11. Everyone wants to remember, remember, remember 9/11. I want to forget. I'm not use to going by myself, but it's probably the best way to go. What I like about church is really being able to hear my own thoughts. The priest, Fr. S., was amazing. I hadn't seen him before; he gave a very helpful sermon on being able to forgive God in times of pain and tragedy. He pointed out, using the C.S. Lewis reference I stole, that sometimes we don't understand enough to ask the right questions. In a book written after losing his wife, Lewis wrote:
"Can a mortal ask questions which God finds unanswerable? Quite easily, I should think. All nonsense questions are unanswerable. How many hours are in a mile? Is yellow square or round? Probably half the questions we ask -- half the great theological and metaphysical problems -- are like that."
- A Grief Observed
Yes, I'm Catholic. And I utterly hate the politicization of religion. Shouldn't one's spirituality be a relationship between a person and a higher power? To me, wearing one's religion on one's sleeve as a "holier than thou" statement is hypocritical and self-serving. And it's un-Christian too, if such a term really can exist.
4. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell told Barbara Walters Friday that he regrets the 2003 speech to the U.N. describing Iraq's alleged weapons program. Quote Powell "It was painful. It's painful now."
See, it goes like this: (1) Admit wrong. (2) Say loudly that you feel bad about it. (3) Insert tail between legs and hope somebody has some compassion.
More on that later, though.
My lone reader makes a good point on her blog about the market-driven nature of journalism. Lamenting about the so-called liberal bias of the media, conservative pundits tend to abandon one of most revered principles -- THE FREE MARKET. Cut down on demand (don't read media outlets you find offensive, etc.), supply will follow suit. It's not brain science; it's economics.
So, an already craptastic work week -- I feel like I'm living in "Office Space" lately -- and tons of LSAT prep have made me a pretty lazy blogger. But don't worry, they've also given me pimples too. When in doubt, blame bad skin on stress.
Here's a rundown on some things from the last several days:
1. An ABC News/Washington post poll released Tuesday finds that more Americans (62 percent) disapprove of Presiden't Bush's handling of the War in Iraq than of his handling of Hurricane Katrina (54 percent).
If that's so, where is the outcry?
Well, Americans disapprove of how the administration has handled the war, but they don't believe the U.S. should pull out. (Must find polling to show that) Neither do I, for that matter. Iraq could be unstable for decades. Nevermind that it's bad policy to blow a place to pieces then leave.
That said, humility can go a long way: Who wants to help somebody clean up a mess they won't even admit exists? Not that I'm counting on Bush putting his tail between his legs anytime soon and proclaiming a loud "my bad," but I can dream, can't I?
On a similar note, Americans in an Aug. 5 survey rated the war the nations's one priority, by a 41 percent plurality, compared to 24 percent two months earlier. That begs the question of the chicken and the egg: Are more Americans disapproving of administration's actions in Iraq because they are more aware of the war, or are people more aware and therefore more disapproving?
(ABC/WP poll conducted 9/8-11/05; surveyed 1,201 adults, margin of error +/-3%. Harris poll conducted 8/9-16/05; 1,217 adults, margin of error +/-3%.)
2. Yesterday, President Bush denied there was a racial component to the response to Hurricane Katrina. Quote Bush: "The storm didn't discriminate and neither will the recovery effort. ... The rescue efforts were comprehensive. The recovery will
be comprehensive."
Well, to ask whether a storm discriminated is, to paraphrase C.S. Lewis, like asking whether yellow is square or round.
But, Mr. Bush, the effects of the storm certainly had a racial component; the people affected were disproportionately black; that's not a coincidence. Way to sidestep the issue and avoid the question.
3. I went to mass Sunday evening, more because of Katrina than the anniversary of 9/11. Everyone wants to remember, remember, remember 9/11. I want to forget. I'm not use to going by myself, but it's probably the best way to go. What I like about church is really being able to hear my own thoughts. The priest, Fr. S., was amazing. I hadn't seen him before; he gave a very helpful sermon on being able to forgive God in times of pain and tragedy. He pointed out, using the C.S. Lewis reference I stole, that sometimes we don't understand enough to ask the right questions. In a book written after losing his wife, Lewis wrote:
"Can a mortal ask questions which God finds unanswerable? Quite easily, I should think. All nonsense questions are unanswerable. How many hours are in a mile? Is yellow square or round? Probably half the questions we ask -- half the great theological and metaphysical problems -- are like that."
- A Grief Observed
Yes, I'm Catholic. And I utterly hate the politicization of religion. Shouldn't one's spirituality be a relationship between a person and a higher power? To me, wearing one's religion on one's sleeve as a "holier than thou" statement is hypocritical and self-serving. And it's un-Christian too, if such a term really can exist.
4. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell told Barbara Walters Friday that he regrets the 2003 speech to the U.N. describing Iraq's alleged weapons program. Quote Powell "It was painful. It's painful now."
See, it goes like this: (1) Admit wrong. (2) Say loudly that you feel bad about it. (3) Insert tail between legs and hope somebody has some compassion.
9.05.2005
The District, Big Easy and Hard Lives
A sign of the times. I'm regretting starting this thing -- which I might delete pretty soon. This format requires a quick turnaround of thought, and frankly I need time to figure things out.
Perhaps it's the job, but I'm paying a lot of attention to how different media outlets handle the hurricane's aftermath. I've found myself stricken by the difference between the New York Times' and the Washington Post's coverage. The Post's Web site seems more focused on the hurricane, particularly how the disaster illustrates the chasm between economic classes in this country. People remained in New Orleans because they had no choice -- they had no money to leave, nowhere to go. That can't be emphasized enough.
For a few days, I would read the newspaper stories -- I'm a news junkie -- and start crying.
(As a side note, it was interesting to see that the Washington edition of the Times did not have Rehnquist's death; the story made the front page of the Post today, and the local editions of the Times -- that's late breaking news for you.)
As a journalist, it's frustrating not to be working when two big stories break. Katrina and Rehnquist's passing occured while my publication is dark. But, unfortunately for hundreds of thousands of people, the aftermath of this will take years.
On a personal note, I think A is doing his best to avoid thinking about the situation; his parents is living in Boston temporarily, staying in a hotel room and probably in a family-owned house on the Cape after that. S's and W's families in Mississippi are safe.
It's horrible, though, how this has been handled. The White House and the governor's office are wrestling for control, each crossing their fingers that they won't be blamed.
To say it's a fascinating time to work at the White House is an understatement, I'm sure. Imagine balancing the largest displacement of Americans since the Civil War with two open seats on the Supreme Court.
In any time of tragedy, people like to say, usually from a podium and while wearing a flag lapel pin, that the situation is above politics. That's nonsense. Times of tragedy are when the most monumental changes are made, and those who are effectively apolitical are not participating.
So, if Democrats can't or don't capitalize on Hurricane Katrina as the horrible illustration of the differences between the haves and have-nots that the situation is, then they are either fools or cowards. Those stark differences translate to the Supreme Court and to Congress' agenda. Democrats have a unique chance to show how their opponents' policies aid the wealthy at the expense of the lower and middle classes. I think I will lose all respect for them if they don't take the chance handed them.
