I have a couple observations about the State of the Union hullabaloo.
First -- I realize I´m not alone in this -- I wish our leaders would
apply some serious innovative thinking to this ritual, to find a way to
make it less predictable, less shallow and more meaningful. There have
to be ways to strip away the empty theater and the grandstanding that
the event is mired in. This annual homily has evolved into a colossal
media event while almost never producing anything that resembles real
news.
And second -- and yes, I know this point contradicts the first one
(no it doesn´t) (yes it does) -- President Bush´s mucho-ballyhooed "America
is addicted to oil" sound bite could end up being
something actually worth ballyhooing. Especially in the [insert your own
optimistic or pessimistic adjective here] event that substantial action
follows the words.
If not ... well, that sure was one hell of a thunderclap, wasn´t it?
Imagine if during one of his State of the Union addresses Reagan had
said "America is addicted to vintage lightweight Hollywood comedies
starring chimpanzees." Or if Carter had said "America is addicted to
peanuts." Or if Clinton had said ... uh, never mind.
Next up we have
the latest in what is fast evolving into a series of
trash-crisis stories from Hawaii (the state). This episode involves
an almost-full and soon-to-close landfill on the Big Island, also known
as Hawaii (the island) and Hawaii (the county). Officials appear to be
nowhere near consensus on any of the three alternative plans put forward
thus far, and time is running out fast for residents of Hawaii (the
powderkeg).
Today´s Inbox Not-For-The-Squeamish® Award goes to
this feature from the Los Angeles Times, which describes
in microscopic detail the laboratory methods used to keep Californians
safe from bacteria-contaminated beach water.
Obviously one way to achieve that goal is to close beaches, but
that´s like treating cancer with a band-aid. At some point it becomes
necessary to dig down to the no-pun-intended bottom of what´s causing
the problem. And to ensure that the public´s remedial tax dollars are
deployed wisely, that often requires sussing out which species´
pun-intended bottoms are producing the, uh, you know ... the bacteria.
It´s captivating reading, in a gripping, mildly queasy sort of way.
