SamSaid!

BASHERS

     The Back-Biting Bush Bashers are at it again  –  with a vengeance. There are lots of problems in the US and elsewhere, and they are all George's fault, i.e., Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, India, Israel, Palestine, Yemen, North Korea, France, the UN, AIDS, Medicare, Tax cuts, deficits, clean air, the environment, the IRS, Social Security, the economy, abortion, and perhaps 10-20 more too numerous to list. All George's fault.

     Lively debate and criticism are the lubricants of politics and the battleground between the “ins” and “outs”. Certainly, President Bush is not immune to question and criticism. But the current bad-mouthing goes beyond the customarily harsh rhetoric between the “R”s and the “D”s. Perhaps the best case in point is the Beltway's Boorish Balloon, otherwise known as Teddy Kennedy. In his latest diatribe, he accuses the President and his staff of fraudulenlty creating the War against Iraq. In a way, I am surprised at Mr. Kennedy  — not for what he said and the terms he used, but because he was able move his considerable heft off his broadening backside to be interviewed. But I guess I should never underestimate his urge to get in front of a camera with a mike.

     The current verbal sewage coming from the Democrats, including the 10 would-be Presidential dwarfs, goes beyond politics, issues and differences. Rather, they are highly personalized attacks on Mr. Bush, whose personal conduct and principles stand so much in contrast to his predecessor who by all measures was a liar and moral degenerate. Even the courts said so. While there may be those who are well eqippped to direct criticisms at George and his administration, the Boorish Balloon of the Senate is not one of them. George may have his limits and shortcomings, but he does not have blood on his hands. Maybe someone should remind Big Teddy of the parable about living in a greenhouse and throwing rocks. In re Chappaquiddick, he would probably say that it wasn't his fault that she couldn't swim. That's about his speed. 

VACATION

     I have just returned from a 10 vacation  …….vacation, that is, if driving 2100 miles in ten days qualifies as a vacation. In my case, it did. Driving vacations generally involve a lot of sight seeing, and this one was no different. But this one was special for the things I did NOT see rather than the touristy sights one might expect. For example, I did NOT see long lines of automobiles or traffic congestion, and I did NOT see throngs of people pushing and shoving each other in an effort to be “first'. Instead, I saw the wide open spaces. Perhaps the highlight of the trip was contentedly dozing in the passenger seat while my wife drove at 80 mph – in cruise control- for an hour or two at a time. There were stretches of highway where an oncoming car was sort of an event. Great way to travel!

     The “wide open spaces” has become a cliche of sorts, but it is doubtful that a lot of Americans really know what the term means. City dwellers and easterners probably think “open spaces” means room to pass on the interstate. Not so with US 95 and US 26 in Nevada, Oregon and Idaho. No clouds, full sun, no cars and vistas on all directions. Even the sagebrush looked pretty good  ..  and the roads are in surprisingly good condition.

    Then reality set in. As we got closer and closer to the Bay Area, civilization reared its ugly head again. Here we were at 75 mph in multi lane traffic watching out for the lane-changing hotshots and trying to maintain a safe distance on both sides. In looking at the drivers of these speeding vehicles, I was reminded of the assortment of humans one normally sees while strolling thru a big mall. Not very reassuring. It is a sobering thought that just 5 feet away on either side there are dimwits who could convert me into roadkill in a matter of seconds.

     We are at home, and all is well. But I keep thinking about those stretches where we owned the entire highway  –  both directions. That's worth vacation time to me. You can keep Manhattan, the Loop or LA.