December 19, 2009
Heavy Snow
Washington is so quiet when it snows.
In honor of our weather today, a poem by Ko Un:
Heavy SnowOn days of heavy snow
even the animals
quietly withdraw into their homes
despite their gnawing hunger.
I stay home too.Since there’s heavy snow
our country has no need of religion.Gosh! How creepy our country’s religions are.
Posted by Drew at 08:52 PM
December 02, 2009
John Brown's Body
I have a theory that John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry is the central turning point for all of American history. There’s nothing implicit in our country—race, power, religion, violence, democracy and its limits—that isn’t contained in his raid or his execution. The tensions inherent in the Constitution, the Civil War, the reforms of the New Deal, and the election of Barack Obama are all inextricably tied to the essential problems of our national identity, and nowhere did those problems burn as brightly as they did in West Virginia 150 years ago.
I’m impressed and grateful that the New York Times saw fit to give the anniversary of his death so much space today. It isn’t often that the sesquicentennial of anything gets much mainstream media attention. But I don’t find either of the pieces particularly convincing.
First off, I don’t see much reason to give Brown a pardon—it wouldn’t accomplish anything. It can’t change the impact of his actions, and more importantly I don’t think any nod from an elected official can change our relationship to his life and what it represents. Brown’s existence, in many ways, was pitted against and above the government of the United States. His opposition was thoroughly moral, and a pardon would be too trite a response to the indictment Brown presented of the government’s support of a fiercely immoral a system of chattel slavery.
But it’s equally facile to lump Brown in with “Terrorists” and banish him to the fringes of the national story. Most obviously, it’s insulting to equate murdering thousands of innocent victims as commentary on ones hatred of America with waging a war to free hundreds of thousands of African Americans from involuntary servitude. The war to free the slaves was just. The war to destroy the “great Satan” of America is not. That is not a close question. It’s a shallow understanding of what tactics imply. Yes, Brown wanted to win through intimidation and fear of non-combatants, but so did the Sons of Liberty. That doesn’t make the Founding Fathers equivalent to Al Qaeda.
What makes John Brown important is that his story is bigger than an op-ed. He could see justice that wasn't limited by law or even by death, and the power of that vision spills over into any story that you can tell about this country. It's no coincidence that the song commemorating his death led Union troops into battle and became The Battle Hymn of the Republic. Brown didn't sing "As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free," but he might as well have. His mission was as holy as American missions could be, and the passage of time oughtn't minimize that.
Ultimately, the question isn't what we should think about John Brown: it's what John Brown would think of us.
Posted by Drew at 11:08 PM
December 01, 2009
Rick Warren Loses Sight of the Issue
In my heart of hearts, I don’t think Rick Warren is a bad guy. He seems to mean well even if he’s ham-handed and wrong most of the time.
So I was surprised that he didn’t have an opinion on a law in Uganda that would make homosexual acts punishable by death. I mean seriously. I can’t imagine that Warren really thinks it’s ok to murder the gays, but how lost do you have to be in the wilds of moral relativism to say that executing people for private, consensual acts is a political question?
But somehow it’s even more disappointing that his response to criticism is to claim “Globally last yr 146,000 Christians were put to death because of their faith. No one, except Christians, said anything.” Pathetic.
If Christianity means anything, you’d think it would mean putting aside the notion that one only has to meet the bare minimum of moral righteousness. Christians being killed for their faith is outrageous. Gays being killed for their sexuality is outrageous. I don’t think it’s too much to ask for general consensus that both are unacceptable.
I’m a generous person, so I’ll chalk up Warren’s comments to momentary stupidity and longer-term arrogance. But if he doesn’t fess up soon and apologize, he’s lost any claim to moral credibility.
Posted by Drew at 10:35 PM
November 17, 2009
Saying Goodbye
When she was young, our dog, Frisby, was routinely struck by a condition known in our house as "puppy crazies." Sometimes prompted by some over-enthusiastic play, or sometimes for no discernible reason at all, she'd lose all control of her canine emotions and scramble madly in circles, howling, barking, sniffing and gasping for breath.
Inevitably, she'd exhaust herself, and within a few minutes would pass out, most likely on the old brown chair in our family room. The chair existed under the name "Frisby's Chair," not only because it was the only furniture in the room she was allowed on, but because she owned it with such confidence that it could occasionally take great effort to convince her the a person, even my mother, could be allowed sufficient room to sit comfortably with her.
In a larger dog, puppy crazies (which lasted significantly beyond any chronologically appropriate use of the term "puppy") might have been destructive, or even frightening. But Frisby was a small dog, and she rarely crashed into things, so unless she was outside the range of her electric fence, the crazies could be enjoyed, laughingly, by all.
And they were enjoyable. That was obvious. They were pure, unadulterated ecstasy. Nowhere, she was obviously aware, had a dog ever run so fast, or so free, or with so much excessive, obscene joy.
Frisby wasn't the best behaved dog. (If anything, she ranked near the bottom.) She wasn't the fanciest and she wasn't the easiest (She was once caught on the dining room table happily licking a Thanksgiving turkey. Another time she was interrupted mauling a signed, limited edition copy of Isaac Asimov's "Foundation Trilogy." In both instances she remained unrepentant.) If she were to rank high in anything, it would probably be in volume. She possessed a perfect beagle voice, a bark and a howl combined into a melodious, expressive yelp that could convey volumes, often at significant length.
But Frisby was a part of our family. We loved her. And her love was overwhelming in return.
Welcoming those arriving home from a long trip, or even a short one, she could react with affection and enthusiasm beyond measure. She would whine and bay so intensely that it seemed to cause her physical pain. She was just. so. happy. to. see. you.
Puttering around the house, it was difficult not to talk to her like a human. She was so attentive and engaged that she felt like a person who had been inexplicably but not unpleasantly lodged in the body of a dog.
So it was hard to hear that she died yesterday. She was thirteen years old (elderly in dog years) but until the last few months, she seemed fundamentally a puppy at heart. Even when she got a little stiff, and started packing on the pounds near the end, she couldn't shake her essential, youthful happiness. How could she? It was part of her.
I think that the moments of her puppy crazies were the moments when she was most fully herself. Manic. Overwhelmed. Full to exploding with the joy of it all. And such a pleasure to know. So rewarding and so maddening.
So Godspeed, Frisby, wherever you are. You noisy, willful, joyful, loving, generous friend. You'll be missed.
Posted by Drew at 09:12 PM
September 16, 2009
Mad Men
I wish my life was more like Mad Men. Except without the racism. And sexism. And adultery.
So what I mean is that I want a new suit and a bottle of scotch in my office.
Posted by Drew at 06:49 AM
August 14, 2009
Learning from the Town Halls
As you may have heard, Obama is literally Hitler.
To be clear, this comparison is odious and offensive and awful in ways too numerous to count, but it's also useful--precisely because it's odious and offensive and awful.
That kind of vitriol can be a good reminder of how quickly heated rhetoric can turn into poisonous rhetoric. For those of us who work in politics, especially those of us who work in the language of politics, it's prudent to stop every once in a while to make sure that you're still on the same planet as everyone else and that you're making claims that are fundamentally humane.
If you're comparing Obama to Hitler, you're not. If you're comparing Bush to Hitler, you're not. If you're screaming about death panels you're not. If you're saying that McCain is nuts you're . . . probably not? If you're saying Sarah Palin is a fool you . . . are? Aren't? Want to be?
It's a tricky line to walk, especially when the stakes are high and feelings are strong. There but for a habit of self awareness go we.
Posted by Drew at 03:44 PM
August 12, 2009
Revisiting Books
In seventh grade we were assigned to choose a mystery novel, then present a report on it to the class. Since I was, even then, a snob, I chose Smilla's Sense of Snow, which Time Magazine had called the Best Book of 1993.
Unfortunately, I only made it through 150 pages before giving up and reading an Agatha Christie novel, which was probably more suited to my reading level (and which had a much more likable protagonist.)
A few weeks ago, I picked up another copy of my original choice and decided to give it another go. This led to the interesting sensation of total familiarity with all the exposition I had read 15 years ago, but very little of the action. So when I read about Smilla's childhood in Greenland, it fit comfortably with all my old impressions of her life; but when she set sail on a mysterious voyage to the north Atlantic, I suddenly found myself having to make a similar transition alongside her: away from the familiar and towards the unknown. Her perspective was almost totally aligned with mine, and the adventure she undertakes contrasts with her daily life as sharply for me as it does for her.
I'm not sure how exactly one could replicate this experience short of reading the first hundred pages of a mystery, then setting it aside for a decade or so. Perhaps it's akin to reading about Harry Potter's time at Hogwarts over a seven year period and facing the same intoxicating sense of urgency that Harry feels to see how the whole thing will turn out. In either case, it's quite a pleasant feeling, and I recommend it heartily if you can find a way to make it work.
Posted by Drew at 04:04 PM
August 10, 2009
Why has Randall Munroe been following me around?
Posted by Drew at 05:21 PM
July 23, 2009
Fun with the Second Law of Thermodynamics
I find it’s a lot easier to pick up things around the house when I think of it not as “cleaning” but as “fighting entropy.”
“Let’s pull this room a little further from equilibrium,” I often find myself thinking.
I now mentally refer to both the dishwasher and the washing machine as “entropy machines.” By increasing the entropy of the system with water and soap, then reducing it by separating the soapy water from the objects to be cleansed, then doing the same with clear water, I use physics to wash my dishes and clothes!
Somehow, I find it comforting to know that my challenge to keep the house clean is nothing less than a battle with the laws of nature.
Of course, my house is usually a mess, so you might not want to adopt these principles in your own home.
Posted by Drew at 11:18 PM
May 20, 2009
Socialism!
Nick sent me this YouTube commercial. It is so, so true.
Of course, as a liberal whose political views have been described as "just to the left of Marx"* I remain focused on planning my trip to socialist wonderland, Newfoundland and Labrador**!
* - I have indeed been described that way, but it isn't, in fact, true.
** - Totally true. I have been planning my trip to Atlantic Canada ever since I read The Shipping News.
Posted by Drew at 06:02 PM