Had another odd dream last night, which is prompting this.
There are a lot of voices out there. It's no wonder the media is sometimes called the "chattering class." Having said that, while there are a number of voices I read and listen to, there are a few voices I trust.
I lost one yesterday. As a fan of "Chowdah" - his fun, snarky writing and his occasional guest stint for Hugh, I'm going to miss him. Not as much as his family, and loved ones, of course, and my thoughts and prayers go out to them.
... but that's not really my odd thought this morning. No, last night, I dreamt I was having a discussion over dinner with Bill Whittle.
Now Bill is, in my humble opinion, no less than the single greatest essayist currently living and working in the United States. I've said it before and I'll say it again - the Silent America essays are... powerful, humbling, hopeful, inspiring. I'm particularly fond of his piece on Magic and magical thinking.
Mr. Whittle and I were at dinner, discussing recent events on the campaign trail - in particular, a certain Vice Presidential candidates rather dire predictions regarding an upcoming "test". And you know what? Joe Biden and I agree on this one. A test is coming.
But it's not necessarily a test of the new President.
Oh, sure, it will be perceived as such, and he'll either rise to the occasion or fail, and there'll be a lot said and written about it. But in a very real sense, the President can only do so much. And the test that I was talking about, the one that I see coming, isn't a test of our political will (although you could interpret it as that) or our military or financial power.
It'll be a test of the American People. One which we will either rise up to or fall and fail. I hope, when it comes, that we're as ready as we can be. I hope that we put our shoulder to that proverbial wheel and push, man, Push! I have the feeling that when it happens, whoever the President is will need our support. I'm optimistic. Whenever we've faced these sorts of challenges in the past, (and we have) we as a people have gotten up, gotten moving, and beat the tar out of it. But I am also reminded of the words of one of those dead white guys we don't seem to hear much about these days, unless he happens to be the source of an award winning HBO bio-miniseries. Luckily enough, this one is. Just for kicks, one of these days, go google the following string. "John Adams Constitution inadequate".
Anyway, the idea I was expounding over an imaginary dream dinner to someone whose work I genuinely admire was to step up. That test is out there, and it's coming. (one calls to mind, ever so briefly, a particular scene in Tombstone). It'll be painful, and tough. And, in a very real sense, good for us. In the song, "America the Beautiful"... aw heckfire. I'll just post that one.
O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!
You know how gold is refined, right?
There are a lot of voices out there. It's no wonder the media is sometimes called the "chattering class." Having said that, while there are a number of voices I read and listen to, there are a few voices I trust.
I lost one yesterday. As a fan of "Chowdah" - his fun, snarky writing and his occasional guest stint for Hugh, I'm going to miss him. Not as much as his family, and loved ones, of course, and my thoughts and prayers go out to them.
... but that's not really my odd thought this morning. No, last night, I dreamt I was having a discussion over dinner with Bill Whittle.
Now Bill is, in my humble opinion, no less than the single greatest essayist currently living and working in the United States. I've said it before and I'll say it again - the Silent America essays are... powerful, humbling, hopeful, inspiring. I'm particularly fond of his piece on Magic and magical thinking.
Mr. Whittle and I were at dinner, discussing recent events on the campaign trail - in particular, a certain Vice Presidential candidates rather dire predictions regarding an upcoming "test". And you know what? Joe Biden and I agree on this one. A test is coming.
But it's not necessarily a test of the new President.
Oh, sure, it will be perceived as such, and he'll either rise to the occasion or fail, and there'll be a lot said and written about it. But in a very real sense, the President can only do so much. And the test that I was talking about, the one that I see coming, isn't a test of our political will (although you could interpret it as that) or our military or financial power.
It'll be a test of the American People. One which we will either rise up to or fall and fail. I hope, when it comes, that we're as ready as we can be. I hope that we put our shoulder to that proverbial wheel and push, man, Push! I have the feeling that when it happens, whoever the President is will need our support. I'm optimistic. Whenever we've faced these sorts of challenges in the past, (and we have) we as a people have gotten up, gotten moving, and beat the tar out of it. But I am also reminded of the words of one of those dead white guys we don't seem to hear much about these days, unless he happens to be the source of an award winning HBO bio-miniseries. Luckily enough, this one is. Just for kicks, one of these days, go google the following string. "John Adams Constitution inadequate".
Anyway, the idea I was expounding over an imaginary dream dinner to someone whose work I genuinely admire was to step up. That test is out there, and it's coming. (one calls to mind, ever so briefly, a particular scene in Tombstone). It'll be painful, and tough. And, in a very real sense, good for us. In the song, "America the Beautiful"... aw heckfire. I'll just post that one.
O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!
You know how gold is refined, right?
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment