The Never Ending Story

So now Mr. Bush has decided that he will do whatever the generals in the field tell him to do. Why wasn't he listening in 2003 when they all said they needed more troops to keep the peace than to fight the war? Or when they have told him that every year since then? Now he is hiding behind the generals because his failed policies have no chance of succeeding.

What we really need is a political surge, on many fronts. There is no way that this struggle can be won completely by military means alone. We must talk to all sides, we must talk to other countries in the region. Everyone must have a stake in this or it will never succeed.

Mr. Bush played right into Osama's hands when he brought our troops over there. Bush helped not only to get the Arabs to hate us, but much of the rest of the world as well. When I think back to all the good will that was generated around the 9/11 tragedy, and to see now that most of the world hates us more than they have at any time in our 231 year history as a nation, it makes me sick at heart. It will take us a long time to get back to where we were before the Bush debacle.

The other thing that really angered me this week was when Team Bush announced that yes, we would reduce the number of troops by 30,000 by next spring. So what if it just happens to be the same number of troops we sent over last spring for the surge. Why does everyone act like this is some great change of course that is being announced? We will end up where we started, with some minute progress in a few key areas.

Then we get to General Betray-us. According the the right-wing, he could walk on water. But when even he was asked if the fight there is making us safer at home, he replied that he didn't know if it was. That is as close to straight-shooting as he got all week. It just worries me that our military men are now an arm of the political machine. We need an open and honest military that will not take sides in any political debate, but give us the facts on the ground. We also need political leaders who will listen to the advice of those who are fighting the battle, and not only when it suits them (see above).

What a mess Mr. Bush will be leaving to the next president, no matter what party they come from. That will be his legacy, even a hundred years from now.

The Party of Hypocrisy

How many times will we have to see a holier-than-thou Republican get caught with his pants down (or heading in that direction)? If they are not frequenting call girls, then they are writing lewd emails to pages, or hiring male prostitutes for a massage (and some drugs).

I have used public restrooms all my life, but I have never tapped my foot in the next stall, or even responded to a toe tapper. How anyone can cruise restrooms for sex, while someone in the next stall is taking a dump, is beyond me. I guess it is one of only a few outlets left for the closeted, usually married, gay man.

Of course, it all depends on how you define gay. Senator Craig may not really be gay, as I might define it. He may only want sex with men, but can't imagine any kind of romantic or emotional relationship with another man. What I like to call, half a gay man.

I hope it is a generational thing, happening to men who came of age before the gay liberation movement took hold. Or maybe it happens to someone who grew up in a backward state (for example Idaho) and never really felt the freedom that gay liberation can bring. I guess it just makes me sad to think that in 2007, there are so many men who can't live free and open lives. What damaged psyches and souls they must all have.

I don't think you can live this kind of life for long without it taking a toll on your mind and body. Living a dual life must result in raised stress levels, perhaps resulting in depression or at least some form of neurosis. Fighting something that basic to your very being may even lead to suicide.

How long will we have to wait before all gay teenagers will feel totally safe in every part of the country? I hear more and more stories about kids coming out at 12 and 15, but that usually only happens in larger metropolitan areas. Oh for the day when we are all treated as equals in this country. The rest of the world in another matter.

I know I am talking pie-in-the-sky, but I truly hoped this would all happen in my lifetime. I know we have made great progress in the last 40 years, but we still have so far to go. Sometimes I get discouraged, but then I try to lean toward the glass being half full. That seems to happen on most days.

Senator Craig grew up in a different era and in a less than progressive state. He bought all that was sold to him, and did not follow his own path. He followed the path that was expected of him. The path of least resistance. Could we have expected anything more from a man from his time and place?

So, let us all hope for a better day, and a better time, where we are not judged by something so intractable as our sexuality, but by what we do while we are here on this earth.