It is so hard to be an American right now. We are thumbing our nose at the world.
And it is so easy not to think about it.
I really just want to do what I call the “college student thing:” order myself another beer or bury my nose in a textbook. Anything but think about what our administration is about to do.
Anything but think about what our administration has already done.
In fact, I almost wrote this about the resurgence of blonde the American ideal (seen any ads for the new TV show American Dreams?) and what that ideal does to real blondes and the real American beauties-those women with dark eyelashes and brains.
Or a different column thanks to organizations like Planned Parenthood and the Global Fund for Women which fight the good fight for us.
But I won’t. I am going to make myself face up to the reality of the world today.
Today, I live in a country where someone can be arrested on suspicion of thinking about doing something, and not be charged or allowed to see a lawyer for 30 days. And, in the case of Abdullah Al Muhajir, a suspect without enough evidence to be tried by a jury can be handed over to Department of Defense.
I live in a country with “enemy combatants.” I live in a country where the rights of the accused are nonexistent.
I now live in a place that is going to invade another country, one which poses no real threat, in violation of international law, even after Saddam had his will bent by American threats.
My home is a place in the midst of an economic downturn which could be more serious than anyone imagines. All the while, the government works to cut programs that help the poor and unemployed while increasing spending in military sectors.
If I let myself think about it, my home isn’t what I want it to be anymore. Before, there were problems, but I was optimistic things could be fixed. Now I’d just rather not see it.
Even when I am avoiding the thought of what has become of my home, reality comes back to haunt me.
It’s hard to do my college student thing at a bar when I hear David Bowie croon about the young Americans and I just want to crawl further under a rock.
I can’t hide. I’ve got to do the real “college student thing.” I have to make myself aware. I have to analyze the world. And I have to act, or at least write about our world, as it really is. Care to join me?
