Comment

DISASTER—While it’s pointless to compare disasters, it does seem natural to add them up so Chile’s tremendous earthquake and subsequent tsunami and our own Great Wind will now get counted along with Haiti’s sorrow, making it feel like a pretty tough month or so. We didn’t know what to say about Haiti and we don’t know what to say about Chile except that we know we couldn’t manage something like at all. No matter how ready any individual or country thinks it is, it’s clear that it will be years before either country approaches anything like the way it used to be. As some comic relief, we’ll tell you of our friend in California who said the local news reporters were on the beach near his home all night waiting for the tsunami to arrive and finally reported that it swept the beach with a four-inch high wave. We’re not sure how they knew that exact wave was the tsunami and we certainly didn’t know they came in bonsai versions.

PAKIRAQAFGHANIRAN—Our war in Afghanistan goes forward with some success with a particularly difficult region now under U.S. and Afghan control. The fighting ability of the Afghan forces seems to be in question still but they are taking a role and will have to even more if we are ever to leave the region. Iraq is about to hold its next election and corresponding violence is up as a result. Current President Nouri al Maliki is reportedly in political trouble and this voting will determine who is in charge of the country when the U.S. (Ooops! We mean the coalition forces.) “leave” next year. The Iraqis have been “Americanized” enough to want to throw the bums out just like here.

HEALTH INSURANCE REFORM—Well, it looks like the die is cast. After the seminar last week for Republicans and Democrats to try to work together and little coming out of it, the President has decided the time for action is here. He’s called for the House and Senate to move forward and pass the bill within a month. We won’t try to explain the process they will need to use and why it may or may not work in this instance but we will ask you to recall, whenever you hear Republicans whining about how unfair and undemocratic and deficit-busting it is, that this reconciliation process is exactly what they did to pass the Bush tax cuts, deficit be damned.

POST OFFICE—It looks like there’s maybe no mail on Saturday and more expensive stamps in our future. That’s all right with us. We have a soft spot still for the USPS, being a onetime stamp collector and postman wannabe. We weren’t crazy about the shorts in summer but every job has its downside and there weren’t many jobs with pith helmets as part of the uniform. Surprisingly, most people say they won’t miss Saturday delivery but when they do, they then also complain about how all they ever get is bills and junk mail. Well, when was the last time they wrote a letter to someone? Or sent a thank you note? Or even just a greeting card? You know, there won’t BE any other kind of mail unless you actually send some other kinds of mail.

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