I was staying away from the news for awhile because it was just too darn depressing. Without a newspaper home for my column there has been no need for me to keep up with the local news and that was about the only reason I picked up the poor-excuse-for what-we-have-for a daily around here anyway. Having realized the fourth anniversary of the Iraqi War was at hand, I got caught up in the news allover again and I really wished I hadn't. It is not a pretty picture by any means.
Locally, a very dear man died and left the community (especially in Waukegan, IL) with a big hole in their collective heart. Hank Clark was a retired high school counselor at my old alma mater, a local historian, actor, and all-around nice guy. You knew it by just running into him on the street and seeing him in action at whatever project he was involved in only confirmed the obvious. He will be sorely missed.
A young man at the beginning of his adult life passed away also. Andrew Abbott was just 19 years old when he died two weeks ago very suddenly. When you hear about young people dying, all sorts of fears come up in a parent's mind. We just can't understand the whats and whys for such a tragic thing to happen to a family. All a parent can do is hug their children and pray they remain healthy and safe. Each day is gift.
Are you tired of the presidential race already? The games are already afoot and we still have over a year to go. Kudos to John Edwards for being honest with the American public on his wife's health issues. It appears it really was a joint decision to stay in the race and that takes a lot of courage, but I applaud them for going ahead. They have weathered some major blows in their marriage and I think they will deal with this one together too. Now, the media should take the focus off them and concentrate on the what the candidates are bringing to the table to put us back on track and not personal matters.
Boo and hiss to the White House for not being willing to share the facts with Congress and the people of this great country on the whole US Attorney firings while under oath at a public hearing on Capitol Hill. What do they have to hide? It is all about spin control and keeping us in the dark. If it wasn't politically motivated, why all the secrecy?
Another hiss-President Bush and his inability to understand that the American people want this war to end. Setting a date for our troops to start coming home and forcing the Iraqis to start fending for themselves sounds like a great idea to me. I heard Condi Rice saying in the news that leaving now would jeopardize a chance for the US to have a stable ally in Iraq. Is she nuts? No matter how many troops we send over there, the people of Iraq will not thank us or help us. Too many people have died on each side to come out of this with anything but more hatred.
More bad news-The big AirBus being paraded around last week. Do we need an airplane that big? It seems the airlines are in some heavy financial trouble and what the airports have to do to make room for this monstrousity is no small undertaking either. I say figure out how to make some more leg room on the planes we have and concentrate on some customer service while they are at it. Until next time...
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