Local Bloggers

Two words: about time.

That’s my opinion on the recent announcement by Defense Secretary Robert Gates that until Congress passes the law currently on the table to repeal the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, officials are looking for ways to make the policy easier for gays to get around, like failing to penalize enlisted folk who are “outed” by others out of spite or hatefulness. While it doesn’t change the fact that don’t ask don’t tell is an insult akin to a big scale version of saying “it’s ok to love carrots, just make a nasty face every time you eat them,” at least it shows that the military isn’t taking the stance that until Congress pulls don’t ask don’t tell out of their cold, dead hands they’re going to oppress gays. The military stands as an example to the rest of the country and the rest of the world, and by loosening and eventually dropping policies that oppress LGBT members, they’re getting with the times and sending a message that we still support life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Oh, I’m not suggesting that the differently attracted (or samely attracted, depending on how you want to look at it) are under the radar as far as oppression goes. Without downplaying the struggles we’re still facing with race in this country, gay is the new black. However, a repeal of don’t ask don’t tell offers LGBT people yet another place where they have a choice. Many LGBT people live lives where no one knows their sexual orientation, either because that person has decided the cons outweigh the pros of coming out or because they simply have no reason to discuss it and see it as no one’s business. Other people consider “gay” as much a part of who they are as “music lover” or “parent” or “doctor.” If you talk to them long enough, it will come out, because it’s part of them. By opening up the military to the openly gay, more people can pursue their chosen path with the knowledge that they have a choice on whether to be out or not. For those who are out in every other area of their lives, it’s more likely to become an issue now as well because of changing legal facts. As more states jump on board with gay marriage, being able to be out in the military becomes more critical, allowing those with same sex spouses and their children to fall under the blanket of the rights and benefits of being a military family. Gays, or even those who think they might be gay or bisexuals in committed same sex relationships, interested in joining the military also won’t have to be offput by the fact that joining means hiding an important part of their lives, opening up a section of the population to military service that may have been unwilling to make that sacrifice before. If we can take away one thing to allow a significant number of people who want to serve our country to do it, shouldn’t we?

The gay rights movement has been immensely successful in getting legal support even when the societal support wasn’t there. Now things are starting to happen, and that’s a beautiful thing for a multitude of reasons. Don’t ask don’t tell is a remnant of gay shame, and gay shame is dangerous and damaging. Gay shame leads to higher suicide rates among young people. Gay shame leads to hate crimes when people are outed without support. Gay shame creates families without real romantic love, then breaks them apart. Gay shame suggests to people who live, work, and love as hard as everyone else that they’re somehow not as good. Don’t ask don’t tell is enforced gay shame, and it has to go. When people can look out there and see that among their neighbors, friends, coworkers, and soldiers there are LGBT people, there will be real progress. One thing Obama cites as holding up the process is that he's trying to build more allies within the higher ranks of the military before pushing Congress to get rid of the policy. If all of those officials knew who in their lives was gay, they might have a harder time seeing LGBT people as an ideological issue rather than a person. Yes, some people, military or not, will prefer not to disclose their sexuality no matter how gay friendly the United States becomes. Some closets are quite comfortable. But as soon as the door locks behind you, no matter how nice it was before, suddenly you realize that it’s getting hard to breathe. Don’t ask don’t tell locked the closet door on thousands of our service men and women. It’s time to honor our soldiers and let them breathe.

Today is the first significant day in America’s road to finally extricate itself from the ill-begotten war in Iraq.  American troops in Iraq will pull out of the urban areas to bases in the countryside and will be allowed to conduct combat operations only at the request of the Iraqi government.  We may claim that we won or that the mission was accomplished, but the result of this war can only be stated as a total failure.  In time we will see whether or not the Iraqis have the courage and determination to make for themselves a nation based on peace and democracy. 

Let me make it clear that in calling the war an utter failure is not to suggest that American and other soldiers who fought in Iraq failed in their assigned task.  These men and women performed with great skill, courage, and honor.  It is not their work that I criticize, it is their civilian leadership that I find woefully wanting.

You measure the success of any activity by the degree to which it accomplished the goals established at the beginning of the action.  So, what was established as the goals for the invasion of a nation that had never done anything to threaten us?  Our first goal was to eliminate the weapons of mass destruction Saddam possessed.   Oh, I forgot … he did not have any weapons of mass destruction.  Then we decided we should break his connections with Jihadist factions.  But, wait a minute, he did not have any of those either.  So, we decided that we would bring democracy to Iraq, which would be a model for all the Middle East, and help create peace and stability in the region.  We will leave the Iraqis with a fragile democracy.  But what is the condition of that democracy?  Iraqis have not made progress in sharing oil revenues that is acceptable to all factions in Iraq.  Iraqis have not reached a settlement on disputed territories.  Iraqis have not reached an accord with the Kurds, who really want to an autonomous nation of their own and who have their own army.  All of this means that the sectarian (Sunni-Shia) violence that prevailed before the surge is likely to return, and if it does, the Iraqi democracy will come apart with disastrous effects for the entire Middle East.

This misbegotten war, which accomplished a total of zero of its original objectives, has cost America the lives of over 4,000 of its finest citizens and tens of thousands suffering life-changing wounds.  So, I wonder if we (as a nation) have learned anything from our errors.  Will the news media take a more skeptical look the next time our political leaders begin to push us toward a war?  Will the American people, in the future, be a little less willing to be sold on the reasons for a war, when they seem as shaky as the reasons we were given for this war?  Will the Obama administration (or other future leaders) be  willing to take on the real problems of the Middle East (Israel, the Palestinians, and our dependence of foreign oil) and work toward solutions that do promote peace rather than foment unrest?  We can hope but only time will give us an answer to these questions, but personally I am not optimistic.         

It is sad when anyone dies, especially when she or he dies at a relatively young age.  Having said that, is anyone a bit tired of hearing and seeing the non-stop media blitz about the death of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett?  I certainly am.   Admittedly they were celebrities, but they were merely a singer and an actress, who did what they did pretty well.  They did not change the world, they did not bring about world peace.  They were simply nice, and very rich, people who probably deserved to live a bit longer than they did.   

These guys lived a life of luxury with immediate access to anything they might want.  They had the very best in medical care, better than most of us could get, no matter how sick we might be.  It occurs to me that there are people in this nation, right this minute, dying of illnesses which might be cured if they had access to the kind of medical care Jackson and Fawcett had.  That’s sad, too. 

Fawcett and Jackson died young through no fault of their own and that is very sad, but I say enough is enough.  Time to get on with the living.   

Yesterday I met a horse, one I liked quite a bit. He’s an 11-year-old, 16-hand, bay thoroughbred gelding with a star and a couple of white socks. He raced when he was young, then did trails, a little dressage, a little jumping. For the last year, since his owner moved to New York City, he’s been doing essentially nothing but eating grass, learning some bad ground manners, and getting out of shape.

On the way home from seeing the horse, I talked at length with K., who had come along with me, and owns the barn where the horse would be staying. We both agreed the horse would be a project to tune up. He’s had all that experience, and apparently while being worked regularly he is willing, forgiving, and sane. But a year off means a lot gets lost and forgotten. Now, the horse needs work everywhere: his muscle tone, his feet, his attitude toward work, being handled, doing what is asked and expected of him. At first, as K. and I talked, this seemed overwhelming and daunting and frankly, beyond what I know how to do. Me? Re-train a horse? Do I really want to do that? Wouldn’t it be a lot easier to get a horse that knows things, one I can just get on and ride? Wouldn’t it?

Then K. said this: if you really want to learn about horses, and horse training, this horse is the perfect opportunity. K. is a terrific horsewoman, knowledgeable and very good at teaching — teaching everything: riding, horsemanship, ground manners, training the trainer, training the horse. I realized she was right. Opportunities like this don’t come along very often. Here’s a horse who is a diamond in the rough (I very much hope); here’s a trainer who is a horsewoman’s horsewoman. Here I am, looking for a challenge.

It also occurred to me that this new horse, which I now own and will bring home in a week, is part of the book I’m working on. Maybe the last chapter, maybe the middle. I don’t exactly know yet. The reason to have horses, for me, is about a lot more than simply riding; it is about what the horse teaches you. That’s what the book is about, on balance. So, I’m calling this new guy research, in the way I do research that is: experiential, intuitive, not exactly linear. And then, finally, there’s this: yesterday, the day I met the new horse, it was exactly seven months to the day that Buddy died. I don’t know if that’s important or significant, but there it is.

Now, and this is where you come in, the new horse needs a suitable name. Send suggestions…

Words are so cool. The difference between ‘flotsam’ and ‘jetsam’? Both are debris in the ocean; one is the stuff left floating after a wreck (flotsam); the other the stuff that is jettisoned from a ship in distress (jetsam).

In ordinary, not merely marine, usage, the phrase “flotsam and jetsam” means odds and ends, rubbish, junk.

The past couple of weeks, in an extraordinary effort to avoid writing, I have come across a great deal of flotsam and jetsam in my own home. Some is still floating around the house: a pair of wooden Canada geese I apparently thought it was important to own; lots of rocks and shells collected in various states and countries over the years; way too many shoes, including: a pair of green vinyl flats, blue leopard print stilletos, and a gorgeous pair of Frye boots that weigh about ten pounds; a basket of tennis balls hidden from Owen; a huge stuffed dog I found in the basement. I own this? Apparently I do.

And, some jetsam, much of it from another life, now jettisoned to Goodwill, the trash, new homes. To name what’s lost is to keep it around, in some sense. The jetsam shall go unnamed. It’s simply, and finally, gone.

President Obama is getting a fair amount of criticism from some Republicans senators on the manner in which he has responded to the current problems in Iran.  The most vocal of these Senators, John McCain and Lindsay Graham, seem to want  Obama to make a more forceful statement of support for the Iranian protestors. They seem to want something like the statements made by Sarkozy of France and Merkel of Germany, condemning the Iranian election in emphatic terms and encouraging the protestors. 

Obama has been observing the events in Iran but keeping cool.  He is correct, in my opinion, to deal with it in this manner.  As the President himself said today (I’m paraphrasing here I don’t have the exact quote) I am President of the United States and it is my job to oversee the security of the United States.  Senators, are not the President and have their own agendas.  So I will deal with Iran in the manner I think best for America. 

Here’s why Obama is correct and his Republican critics are wrong.  America has a history with Iran that other countries (e.g. Germany and France) do not have.  It is America that staged the coup in 1953 that brought the repressive Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, to power and subjected Iranians to almost 30 years of tyranny.  It is the United States that became the focus of the 1979 Iranian Revolution and America who was labeled “Great Satan, by Iranian leaders.  It is America that listed Iran among the axis of evil.   I am not arguing that any of these actions by the U.S. or Iran were the best behaviors.  Surely, both nations make serious blunders, but the history is what it is and that is the history with which Obama must deal. 

With this history any perceived involvement, even verbal involvement, into the internal politics of Iran can only make matters worse; worse for the protesters and worse for the future relationship we must (whether we like it or not) have with Iran.  As President Obama said, “It is up to the Iranians to determine who will lead them.”

Obviously, Obama intends to run his foreign policy as he ran his campaign.  He will be cool in a crisis.  His messages will be tightly controlled and deliberately considered.  There will be no “bring ‘em on” remarks, no audacious, but ill-thought-out comments.  His actions will be carefully considered.  That is how he ran his campaign and Republicans particularly should know how that worked.   

Plastics are everywhere!  They are a very helpful part of our everyday life and we use them without much consideration.  A majority of the plastics that we consume are in the form of one-time use, disposable items such as plastic bags, plastic bottles, food containers, packaging, etc.  While plastic is a great material with many uses, these disposable items are taking up a great amount of precious space in our landfills.   Once a landfill is full, it is covered and a new one is dug.  The quicker we fill them, the quicker new ones are built.  We all know that living things cannot thrive when living in their own waste.  Finding ways to reduce what we consume and throw away helps to prolong the life of these much needed sanitary landfills and keep them far away from our homes, jobs, and places of recreation.  Recycling plastic is one solution.  Even better is to reduce the amount of disposable plastics we consume in the first place.  This also saves those precious petroleum resources for other uses.    Many communities offer curbside or other recycling facilities.  Plastics that are most typically accepted through these services are labeled as 1s or 2s inside the triangle recycling symbol.  Check with your local provider to learn which of the 7 different plastics are accepted in your area.

Not only are plastics taking up space in our landfills, the chemicals of which they are made are also becoming a concern toward our health.  While we are not necessarily making a hearty meal out of our plastic water bottles quite yet, the chemical compounds that make up the variety of plastics found in items from food containers to cosmetics are making their way into our bodies.  There have been many scientific studies on the impacts these chemicals are having on the various systems of our bodies.  Many of the chemicals found in plastics are considered endocrine disruptors.  These are artificial chemicals that mimic human hormones and disrupt the natural balance of the body’s hormonal system.  Due to the fact that plastics are now very common place in everyday items, the levels found in humans are being found at higher concentrations and are having more of an impact.

Two of the more known chemicals found in plastics that are of concern are:

Bisphenol A – This substance is found in drink and food containers, lined tin cans, baby bottles, dental sealants, and plastic wraps.  Endocrine disruptor.  http://www.cdc.gov/exposurereport/pdf/factsheet_bisphenol.pdf

Pthalates – Man-made chemicals used to make plastics flexible.  Found in some cosmetics and hygiene products. (Also, known as dialkyl or alkyl aryl esters of 1, 2-benzenedicarboxylic acid.)  Studies have indicated an association between phthalate exposure and affects on the male reproductive system of children.  http://www.cdc.gov/exposurereport/pdf/factsheet_phthalates.pdf

Plastics to avoid in food packaging and containers:

#3:   Poly Vinyl Chloride or Vinyl – May contain phthalates
#6:   Styrene – A potentially toxic chemical found in Styrofoam and other similar brands.  May leach into food and beverages at temperatures above 80 degrees.
#7:  Catch-all category and includes polycarbonates which include BPA.  Look for items labeled “BPA free.”

What to do:

• Choose a re-usable water bottle.  Look for a water bottle that is labeled “BPA free.” Avoid plastic bottles that are labeled as plastics 3, 6, or 7.  These are the plastics that contain more of the harmful chemicals that may leach into your food or beverage.  There are now plastic bottles labeled as 7 that are labeled “BPA free” and are considered the safer alternative.

You may also use stainless steel bottles.  There are many options available and many are even fashionable!  Remember, water is necessary for your body to work properly and thrive.  Be sure that you are drinking wisely!  Save money and resources by drinking form the tap and using a reusable water bottle.

• Do not microwave food items in plastic containers or using plastic wrap.
• Opt for canned goods that are not lined.  Many of these linings contain BPA.
• Use glass food or a safe plastic for food storage containers.
• Hand-wash plastic food and drink containers.  Many dishwashers use high temperatures to sanitize dishes.  High temperatures cause some plastics to break down faster allowing chemicals to leach more readily into foods and beverages during future uses.

It is very important to lessen our use of disposable products and packaging to reduce the impact on our natural resources as well as the life of local landfills and to work for a high quality of life for our children and grandchildren.  Learning more about plastics and the items we use on a daily basis is also very important to our health and the health of future generations.

According to this table provided by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) http://www.cspinet.org/new/pdf/nahbpa.pdf, the seven types of plastics are:

More information:
www.chemicalbodyburden.org/cs_phthalate.htm
www.CDC.gov
www.healthybuilding.net
www.pollutioninpeople.org

This is a hard post to write because a lot of people who I care about and respect are very invested in and excited about the recent news that Richmond is one of the winners of the National Civic League's "All-America City" award.

First, I want to say that I do offer my genuine congratulations to the youth, their mentors and supporters who put together Richmond's application and saw it through to the win.  To achieve national recognition for our city is commendable, and I know that the passion, time and energy you put into this effort comes from a deep love of this community and its potential.  Richmond needs more people like you who care enough to act, and who do so with a bright future in mind.

Now on to the harder part:

My fellow blogger Jean Harper has written a critique of this effort that raises some very worthy questions about the value of spending our time trying to win this label.  Other people in other candidate cities are asking the same questions. The recurring theme: "why should we put all that time and money into competing for a title that is just a title, when we have real problems to solve back home?"

I think it's a good sign that these questioning conversations are happening, but I have a difficult time with some of Jean's more biting comments:

I would like to take the community leaders aside and say this: Look. Quit lying to our kids. Quit filling their heads with boosterish nonsense. Quit leading them on these exhausting exercises which result in virtually nothing.

I posted a response to her entry on her blog, but I thought I'd share it here too:

Thanks for putting out some challenging thoughts about this award news.

I've been cogitating on similar ideas for a while now, and while I share your concern that the return on investment for this effort might not be justifiable, I'm not sure I can follow you all the way to the point of calling it lying to the youth involved, or to saying that a community improvement effort that doesn't necessarily directly engage the homeless is one to eschew.

This comes from my general philosophy of community improvement, which I think fellow commenter Aaron touched on: "There is no one right way to make Richmond a better place."  That is, it just won't work to say that there's a single plan of action for helping this community solve all of its problems, and then execute it and hope for the best on the other side.

We do need to engage all of the disenfranchised populations you talked about, and re-think our education system and notions of meaningful employment.  But we also need the rallying and the parades and the vague award titles and the hype.  We need all of it, and we need anyone who has a bit of passion and energy for this place to manifest their care in whatever way they think they can bring the most to the rest of us.

Richmond has suffered recently, I think, at the hands of those who preach homogeneity and "one right way, there is no alternative" when it comes to community improvement and economic development.  So I just can't begrudge the successes of someone who is willing to say "well, what if we try something else?  What if we go a different direction and see what happens?"  I may have serious concerns about their particular choice of direction (as I do in this case), but until there are more people taking Richmond's future into their own hands, until there are so many "shovel-ready, high-impact" projects for people to plug into that we don't know where to start, I don't think we have the luxury of criticizing those who are making a go of it in their own way.

Even with limited resources, even knowing there are those with other clear and pressing daily needs that are not being met, I still think there's value in diversity of approach.  We don't know what might spark the kinds of revival and rejuvenation that really will make a big difference.

Thanks again for calling us all out on this, not allowing for unquestioned or unconditional glee when we know reality demands more of us.

If you are a fan of the “All-America” title which Richmond, Indiana, has apparently just won, you won’t like what I have to say about that here. You are fairly warned. Read on if you wish.

This past weekend, a group of eager “youth” traveled to the National Civic League (NCL) competition in Tampa, Florida, as designated finalists in the running for an “All-America” city title. Apparently, the kids impressed the judges with their enthusiasm, honesty, and charm. I admire those kids for being eager, brave, and doing their best to promote Richmond. Good job. And I mean that.

Call me cynical, however, but I fail to see what having an “All America” title will do for Richmond. The city won the award 22 years ago, too, the trusty Palladium-Item tells us. Uh huh. That’s nice. And in those 22 years, how have we done? I offer a few numbers, which I imagine if you are a local reader, you know well:54% graduation rate in the high school in 2006; 76% “estimated” for this year. 11.9% unemployment rate. That’s enough right there to say we are not a healthy place.

So now we’re an All-America city again? Here’s what the NCL says winning the award will do:

All-America City Award is America’s original and most prestigious community recognition award. Since 1949, the Award has honored communities of all sizes (cities, towns, counties, neighborhoods and regions) where community members, government, businesses and nonprofit organizations work together to address critical local issues. More than 500 communities have earned this distinguished title and many have earned it more than once.

If your community works collaboratively to overcome local challenges, it could become an All-America City. The application process alone represents a valuable opportunity to evaluate the way your community manages opportunities and challenges, which can make your community stronger. Communities that earn the All-America City title realize numerous benefits, including:

Local, state, and national recognition
Greater civic pride and greater civic collaboration
Economic stimulus

I see, in the near future, a parade (yes, there is one, Monday at 11 a.m.). I see letters to the editor filled with civic pride. I see community gatherings to plan strategically, brainstorm collaboratively, problem-solve creatively. I see t-shirts. Bumper stickers. A new coat of paint on the water tower. Maybe a community garden. A downtown festival. I see a lot of enthusiasm and energy invested in a smattering of projects across the city that enable the participants to feel good about themselves and the work they are doing to make Richmond a little better here and there.

And then?

That’s it. Nothing. This title, for all the work and investment and energy these kids and community “leaders” have put into it, it’s pure air. It changes nothing on a substantive, fundamental level.

Yet, our self-designated, and sometimes elected, community leaders will tell us, and tell our kids, that this title means we are something. That we will be something. That if we “work together” we can be — no, wait — we are terrific.

I would like to take the community leaders aside and say this: Look. Quit lying to our kids. Quit filling their heads with boosterish nonsense. Quit leading them on these exhausting exercises which result in virtually nothing.

I would also challenge those leaders to take on the hard stuff. Those are good, good kids they took to Tampa, Florida. That’s the easy job. What about the not so good kids? What about the 46% that didn’t graduate? Are you working with them? Are you going to one of the many many bars in Richmond on any given afternoon or evening and talking to the people who spend their time there? Your clothes will stink of smoke and you will get an earful. Can you handle that? Are you enlisting drug addicts and the homeless and dropouts and the illiterate and teenage mothers and the little kids who eat free and reduced lunches every day to be part of your strategic planning, your creative brainstorming, your leadership exercises?

Are you?

If you are not, then you are not what I ever want to call a leader.

I woke up thinking about creative nonfiction, the genre I supposedly tramp around in. I don’t particularly like the term. I would love to find, or invent, a better one. So, this morning, I noodled around, looking at the major journals in the genre: Creative Nonfiction, Fourth Genre, and RiverTeeth.

Creative Nonfiction.
I certainly don’t believe that Lee Gutkind has the final say on what “creative nonfiction” is. Gutkind, as creative nonfiction wannabes know, was long ago sardonically anointed as “Godfather of Creative Nonfiction.” Sadly, he has come to rather like this term; just watch him preen at the next AWP conference whenever anyone introduces him as such. Gutkind is editor of a literary magazine, Creative Nonfiction which publishes tidy essays composed of scenes and reflections, scenes and reflections. A fellow at VCCA referred to this type of writing as “boxcar” prose. I would agree.

On the CNF website, there is even a helpful little teal blue button labeled “What is Creative Nonfiction” Click on it and you can read Gutkind’s way, which includes, among other directives and definitions, this:

(more…)

This past week I had my first experience hosting some cross-country cyclists for a night.  Quinn, Ken and Andy are biking from Portland, OR to New York, NY and came through Indiana, riding into Richmond on US-40.  I recently became the sole human occupant of a house with great space for hosting guests, and so I figured the least I could do is sign up for some opportunities to help out folks who find themselves on interesting journeys through the area.

WarmShowers.org is a resource for facilitating just that for cyclists, and it's a great way to find or offer lodging.  You can provide as much or as little information about your location and "amenities" as you want, and you're under no obligation to host anyone at any particular time.  It's similar to other resources like CouchSurfing.org or even Mennonite Your Way.

I was a little nervous about how the first hosting experience would go - what would they expect of me, would they stay up late into the night drinking my beer and watching old Weird Al Yankovich movies, etc.  But these folks were very quiet and low-key, and as you might expect from people who have been on the road for two months, they mostly just wanted to rest and take it easy.  I enjoyed doing a bit of cooking and doting to help make their time that much more pleasant.

If you're a cyclist who might take a trip at some point, or if you have some space to spare for those passing through your area, consider checking out WarmShowers.org.

I was awakened this morning by my phone ringing, a ring that inserted itself into a dream I was having about a writing workshop. A writing workshop that I was in, along with a number of twenty-something writers, writers who embraced the joy of irony and smirk on the page, writers who inserted nastiness of various stripes — violence, avarice, solipsistic ennui, the manipulative and the manipulated — writers who set their stories in urban moral decay, writers who didn’t believe in anything but their Amazon rankings, the NY Times list, and whether their next book (the one they were pitching at cocktail parties) had a contract, or not.

In this workshop, along with me and the gaggle of youngsters, there were a few other wise middle-aged women writers. (Yes, I was a wise middle-aged woman writer in this dream. Just keep reading, stop chuckling.) We were in the minority, but fine writers all; as we listened to the youngsters hold forth about irony and biting humor, we became more and more silenced, our sense that the leader of the workshop, an aged hipster, was privileging and applauding the youthful point of view in all its unshaded bite and snarkiness. We exchanged looks, but no one spoke up.

Until, finally, I did. I think it was the moment the youngsters and the workshop leader had moved to a window overlooking astreet, and were chuckling sardonically about real people walking by on the sidewalk. It was as though they were second graders torturing the class gecko. They pointed, snickered, referenced someone’s cleverly written scene of meanness which apparently included real people on a sidewalk.

I could take it no longer. I stood up and said this: “I realize I am probably in the minority as I say this, but I want to make a case for another view of the world.” An impatient pause, a thin approximation of politeness. The gaggle turned away from the window. All eyes, youngsters and middle-aged alike, on me.

“I believe in love,” I said. “In affection. Kindness. Grief. Anger. All of it. I believe in stories that understand irony is merely a shallow pool, very much like the one Narcissus gazed into.”

At this point, the middle-aged crowd is nodding, smiling without irony. They get it. Life is filled with things that happen to us that irony can smirk at, but barely understands.

“Writing,” I went on, “must move beyond irony and clever humor and gratuitous violence to be of any worth at all.”

The youngsters are looking mirthless now, peeved and a tad peckish. I am gaining momentum, speak louder now. “Writing,” I declare, “Writing must be about love and about anger, both, and always hand in hand.”

And then the phone began ringing, and the scene of writers listening to me deliver the Jean Manifesto dissolved into dream dust.

Here’s another sign that our economy is reaching a turning point and beginning to recover.  American businesses are beginning to push back against government regulation.  Now when the economy was crashing down all around them, businessmen, with hats in hand, begged for government assistance.  They were terrified and they welcomed the efforts of big government to keep banks working and boost consumer spending.

Now, according to Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue, “American capitalism is at a crossroads.  It is time to remind all Americans,” he said, “that it was free enterprise … individual initiative, hard work, risk, innovation and profit that built this great country.”  Donohue when on to say that “…for the free enterprise system to thrive, we need low taxes, limited government and reasonable regulations.”

First, let me say that I don’t argue with Donohue’s point.  Free enterprise is the very basis of our economy and we must maintain that system.  However, I would like to remind Donohue of something he seems to have forgotten.  It is the lack of government regulation coupled with the greed of some in business that got us into this mess, in the first place. I would also remind him that businesses jumped gleefully into bed with big government when they needed help.  Now, Mr. Donohue, you’ll have to dance with the one that brought you. 

Finally, let me say again, that I know the importance of free enterprise to our economic system and we must jealously guard it.  However, as Donohue says, we do need “reasonable regulation.”  So, instead of sniping at the administration that saved them, businessmen should be working with the administration to work out what is reasonable regulation.      

Send in nominations for your “must read” books of the summer. I’ll compile a master list so all of us living in the Midwest can gather these books and then go off to the nearest beach — beach? — to lie on a towel on the hot sand and read.

Okay maybe not a beach. A bench, perhaps. Near a rippling cornfield. Sort of like being at a beach.

Whatever. Send your favorite books!