Rahm Emanuel

President-elect Obama has chosen for his chief of staff Mr. Rahm Emanuel.  This is an interesting choice.  Mr. Emanuel is a native of Chicago and is the fourth ranking member of the House of Representatives.  His selection by Obama was expected by those in the know. However, it stands in stark contrast to some of the remarks that I read prior to the election as to Mr. Obama and his possible thinking about Israel. Many of the statements coming out of the Jewish community were anti-Obama.  Many believed him to be a secret Muslim, or at least favoring the Muslim viewpoint of Israel.  Of course he would be pro-Arab in any negotiations with the Arab world, and anti-Israel and anti-Semetic.  This can now be seen for what it was, hate mongering.  

Mr. Emanuel is not just a figurehead.  He will be Chief of Staff.  And he is very pro-Israel.  His father was a member of Irgun.  Mr. Emauel is by all accounts a practicing Jew and respected member of his synagogue.

So, here is the hope that being a Jew, Muslim, born again Christian, or whatever, is put aside and we can get down to bringing America back to a position of respect around the world.

The Randomness of Life

Just the other day I heard about this incident.  A hearse was driving a casket to the cemetary with the wife of the deceased sitting in the front seat next to the driver.  According to police reports, the hearse was struck in the rear, causing the unsecured casket to lurch forward.  The wife was struck in the head by the casket and was killed.  

This got me to thinking about one of my favorite pieces of literature, Samuel Beckett's stage work Waiting for Godot.  Beckett also directed a brilliant presentation of the play which I have viewed many times.  Both the written work and the staged presentation offer the reader/viewer an opportunity to decipher the meaning in many ways.  For me, the work represents the randomness of life.  We try to connect the incidents of every moment to bring meaning to the whole.  I suppose the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, or so we all would like to think.  Each moment is so random that to think of the parts as a whole with no connection to anything other than that moment is enough to make one crazy.  Surely we are all a bit of Estragon and Vladamir, the two main characters in the play.  They are connected to nothing, own nothing, and can only relate to what is right in front of them.  Their only purpose seems to be to wait for Godot.  Everything else is random.  But we do not really know who or what Godot is, but only that he is coming and has been there before.  Isn't that what every day is like?  

Imagine this woman disconsolate over the death of her husband.  Imagine the mourners waiting the arrival of the casket and the bereaved wife.  What meaning can one possibly attach to this event in order to understand it, other than randomness?  Perhaps, like Vladamir and Estragon, they simply sat down and waited for Godot.

Two Bees

Two bees met in a field. 

One said to the other, 'How are things going?'

'Really bad,' said the second bee. 'The weather has been cold, wet and damp, and there aren't any flowers, so I can't make honey.

'No problem,' said the first bee, 'Just fly down five blocks and turn left. Keep going until you see all the cars. There's a Bar Mitzvah going on and there are all kinds of fresh flowers and fresh fruit.'

'Thanks for the tip,' said the second bee, and flew away.

A few hours later the two bees ran into each other again.  The first bee asked, 'How'd it go?'

'Great!' said the second bee. 'It was everything you said it would be. There was plenty of fruit and, oh, such huge floral arrangements on every table.

'Uh, what's that thing on your head?' asked the first bee.

'That's my yarmulke,' said the second bee.  

'I didn't want them to think I was a wasp.

Fresh Air

The thought that went through my mind last night was how President-elect Obama came across during his press conference.  He was PRESIDENTIAL!  No guffaws, no malapropisms, no stumbles or bumbles.  He exudes confidence and intelligence, something we have sorely been lacking for eight years now, longer if you include the Republican attempt to impeach Clinton.  This comes at a time that we need to buckle down and get America back on track.  I don't belive that any miracle will happen.  He needs time and support.  I do think his leadership will be a welcome breath of fresh air, and that he will be a role model for many Americans.  And perhaps once again the rest of the world will look at America not as an aggressor, but as a land of opportunity.  

One state Two states

One state 

Two states

Red states

Blue states

Barack Obama

Road a llama

To the White House door

He heard a loud snore

Then he knocked twice

And heard some mice

Then he heard someone say

Go away! Go away!

Obama thought 

"How will I get in?"

"Hey Bushie it's me!

Sarah Palin!

Sarah Palin Sarah Palin

Did we win?  Did we win?

Can I stay Can I stay

Laura and I can we play?

Bushie please open

Cause McCain and I were hopin

To breakfast on green eggs

and ham

But I hate green eggs and 

ham-uh almost

As much as I hate

Barack Obam-uh

But Bushie Bushie

We did win win win

Just by the hair

On Sarah's chin chin chin

But I watched the TV

And what did I see

Lots too much blue

Nobody voted for you!

No Bushie I think

You had too much to drink

You had a bad dream

So that's what it seems

OK come on in

I'm so happy we did win

The TV was wrong 

The neo-cons are strong!!!

Come in come in

McCain and Palin

Here's ham and a green egg

But one question I beg

Sarah what did you do

To your hair

A second look at you

And I would swear

Oh no!  It's Obama

And his llama

Laura put down that cup

Go pack up

So Bush rode that llama

Right through Alabama

All the way home

To Texas he did roam

And here comes Michelle

She sure looks swell

Oh what happened to Palin

I'm not sure but I'll-aska

The Big Lies

The Big Lies will not go away.  I have heard from friends and neighbors whoi belive the election of Barack Obama spells doom for America.  I still hear that he is a terrorist in disguise.  I hear that he is part of a scheme to take over the world.  I hear that his friends blew up the Pentagon. I read signs that say he kills babies.  If you tell a big enough lie there are many people who will not only believe it, but stick with the lie even when it is proven to be a lie.

I am reminded of Donald Rumsfeld saying, "The lack of evidence does not prove the absence of evidence, it only proves that evidence is not evident."  Back when the powers that be decided to go after Al Quida, Powell and the rest of the insiders planned to bomb Afghanistan by air. Rumsfeld stated that Iraq should be the target.  He was asked why we should bomb Iraq.  His answer was that Iraq had better targets.  Huh?  A friend of mine dropped his car keys.  I asked if I could help him find the keys near where he was looking.  He said, "Oh, I dropped them in the bushes over there but I'm looking here because the light is better."  

Bravo

How many of us ever believed that an African-American would be President within our lifetime?  If nothing else, the election of Barack Obama shows the world that America is the land of opportunity. Mr. Obama represents much more than the sume of his parts, it is the culmination of a long struggle for justice for all minorities in this country.  And that is a sruggle that many of us are familiar with, whether it is the color of your skin, the church you attend, or even the size of your waist.  Bravo America!