The Pilgrim's Back...

and tired.

We had a great vacation in (mostly) sunny Florida. Much different than the generally overcast and cold Michigan. We saw beautiful plants, birds and animals, and some incredibly large alligators.

And, the Pilgrim generally avoided the news. Some oberservations...

• No missing the passing of Pres. Ford, however. I appreciated the coverage of Ford's death by the media, at least the little I saw. President Ford took over during very trying times and did, as was widely noted by media and politicians, keep a steady hand as he faced those trying times. To his credit, he seems to have kept his ego small- which is rare in politics and crucial to handling great challenges.
• The Saddam execution has deepened the difficulties the US faces in the region. No apologies for Saddam- he was an evil tyrant. That said, his execution was not the dispassionate dispensation of justice that people at first pretended. It looks to all the world now as if the US military turned custody of Saddam to a sectarian lynch mob.
• The FBI reports that their own people have seen abuse at Gitmo (Washington Post article here). Do human rights no longer matter in the U.S.? Of course they do, but only if it is our people being abused, right? So Americans are disturbed when they see images of Americans held hostage, but fail to recognize than our government's actions put those hostages in danger.
• President Bush- through his press secretary Tony Snow (giving rise to the use of the phrase "Snow Job")- continues to try and convince Americans that he knows 'better than anyone' what is going on and needs to be done in Iraq, as he plans a 'surge' of around 30,000-40,000 new troops. Some Democrats seem to have gotten the message from the midterm elections no better than the President, and are willing to go along.
• And the death toll continues to climb in Iraq, with reports of more than 16,000 Iraqi deaths in 2006 (with at least 13 more killed today), and with the total number of US soldiers killed exceeding 3,000.

We would do well to remember the words of George Bernard Shaw: "Democracy is a device that insures we shall be governed no better than we deserve."

We must endeavor to diserve better.

GP