Driving home from the dog park, L.A. radio station "Indie 103" announced it is going off the air, and will begin "broadcasting" over the Internet exclusively because the station didn't want to "play the corporate radio game." The station went off the air with "Anarchy in the U.K.," an apropos, if not archaic anthem. The announcement claimed it didn't want to play "Brittney or Puffy -- music that was neither new nor cutting edge." I'll agree, "Anarchy in the U.K." was, at one time, both, but today is as "neither" as the other music the station condemns. But as an old guy, still, give me the Pistols. They still kick the ass of anything coming out today. On the one hand, I see Indie's passing as a milestone that marks the path into my long goodnight; on the other hand, I am refreshed to feel the same teen-angst anger-at-the-man-for-killing-all-that-is-true-and-beautiful that I felt during late adolescence.
At the dog park, I met a beautiful, young Polish woman named Magdalena, with her four-month-old husky puppy, Leia. At some point the conversation turned to "Poles and other Europeans' view of Americans, particularly over the past eight years, and how this may have changed with the election of Barak Obama." She said that people in her country love America, but hate Bush. I offered that Americans who live closer to the coasts encounter people of other cultures more frequently and travel abroad more often, while Americans in the interior of the country don't. That, I suggested, means that more people on the coasts accept the good that other cultures have to share, and through travel may learn that, but for the luck of the stars, they could have been born anywhere else in the world, such as Somalia or Afghanistan. Too many American, I said, feel entitled to the greatness of America and immune to fault, not because they do anything to keep this country great, but just because they believe it is providentially so. And if the people of Poland or any other country think that this is a great country, it's because we were lucky enough to have a collection of geniuses found the place and establish the Constitution that governs it, and great enough to live up to the vision it set forth. It's because of the U.S. Constitution that we have a great country -- and to the extent we truly uphold and defend it, we are great; to the extent we ignore it, or brutalize it, we fail. These guys, I said, have trampled it. Have treated it like dirt. They've used it to support their lies and ignored it when it stood in their way.
"Not to get all philosophical here in the dog park, but here you have this group, this Republican Party, that has aligned itself with religious zealots who claim to have all this faith in a being that they cannot see, yet they feel that they cannot extend that same faith to their fellow human being," I said. (In God they trust, but if YOU step out of line, brother, off to Gitmo you go! That may be a slight exaggeration, but it does reflect the ideology.) She seemed intrigued by that comment; clearly she hadn't heard anyone say that before, neither have I, but it does seem accurate. We talked more about Polish food (my grandmother was Polish) and motocross (that's how she and her husband met, in Milan; they were both involved in the motocross industry). Then we had to go. Workmen were putting down new white lines along the road that passes by the dog-park, and we had to move our cars.
Later, my mind came back to our conversation, and I thought: that's the thing about this new administration, the Obama administration, historically sweeping into office next Tuesday. It offers us hope that America will once again strive to live up to its original vision. It will embrace faith in whatever God you imagine, but mostly in our capacity to live God-like lives. And charity. What about charity? Once again, may we offer charity to those who require it, in the U.S., in the countries upon the backs of which multinational corporations grow in might, and to the planet herself; her whimper having grown under Bush into a desperate scream.
I did not say this, but I'll say it now that my advanced age permits me the liberty of waxing wise: Let us fly the Gadsden flag with its "Don't Tread on Me" slogan on the lips of every brave American. But in our hearts, let us carry the call of the truly great: not for how I may beat you, but how I may bear you."
Third thought: Kylie is truly an awesome little being. She is kind and generous, and cute as all heck. And her mother is as captivating as she is. Jae is a marvelous mom, and if I ever figure out how she puts up with me, I'll have to start a whole new blog just to sell the system!
Final thought: Today is the three year anniversary of my father's funeral. I'll add more to this tonight. For now: G'night, Dad. Go, Iggles!
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