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Life has kept me inundantly busy lately, diminishing my usually strong impulses to write. I have reached the point where I'm almost indifferent with regards to the upcoming election. The opponent-bashing, in its various forms, has begun to make me physically uncomfortable, disgusted and even nauseous at times, so much so that I avoid the news, particularly the so-called "polls." People decades older than I to whom I've spoken have lamented they've never seen an election get this ugly. It truly distrubs me that those in power in our country could sink this low. Cheney scares the living fuck out of me. Not in the way he's purposely trying to scare all Americans into voting for Dubya, by drumming up images of terrorists who will no doubt strike only if Kerry is elected. I have no fear of terrorists. NONE. I wouldn't go so far as to say "Bring 'em on!" but there's nothing that could cause me to live in fear of something I have no control over. So I live my life. I hop on planes, I traverse bridges, I plan trans-Atlantic trips. Orange alert or not, I would move back to New York in a heartbeat, riding the subway like everyone else, living my life as if Osama and company are simply characters in some inane Jerry Bruckheimer movie.
Far from having anything to do with outside threats to the U.S., my fear of Cheney and his ilk exists because I am beginning to realize this great country is increasingly prone to spawning more diabolically self-serving pigs just like him. That type of fear can be easily assauged with the acquisition of a foreign visa and a subsequent move out of the country. I dearly love the U.S. It is my home and I love it. But I have no problem expatriating myself if the things I love about my country begin to unravel, disappear and implode at the hands of those chosen to lead it.
I pray for my friend Craig, a Marine enduring over 30 hours of travel to return to Fallujah six weeks ago for reasons mostly unclear to him and the rest of his unit. He describes the news there as "demoralizing." Word from over there is the U.S. soldiers are unwelcome, the situation is far from improving and, by Craig's estimation, U.S. soldiers will be stuck in that "craphole" for another 10 years. And for what? Someone please tell me for what?