Bono's Op-Ed Article: Africa

The other day I took one of those stupid Facebook poll/quiz things. This one asked me to vote for the worst president out of a short list of five presidents. The five are not important, but I happened to pick Jimmy Carter as the worst, and, it just so happens that one of the other choices was our president just before Obama: George W. Bush. I immediately had a friend comment on the quiz and ask, "You really put Carter behind Bush #43, really?" My answer was, "Yes. I would. Talk to me in 25 years."

Today I read an op-ed article written by Bono and published in the New York Times on July 9, 2009. The title of the piece is "Africa" and you can read it by clicking on the title there.

I'm not one to give a lot of credibility to musicians' or actors' political opinions. I have been ignoring Bruce Springsteen and Barbra Striesand for years and they're two of my favorites. However, Bono isn't playing politics. Instead, he's trying to love well. As a result, I feel he is honest, no ax to grind.

One line in one paragraph of Bono's article about President Obama's visit to Ghana in particular drew my attention. Here is the paragraph: "The not-so-good news — that countries like Italy and France are not meeting their Africa commitments — makes the president’s visit all the more essential. The United States is one of the countries on track to keep its promises, and Mr. Obama has already said he’ll more than build on the impressive Bush legacy."

The sentence that I would actually love my friends that have a vitriolic opinion of our 43rd president, Bush to reread is this: "The United States is one of the countries on track to keep its promises, and Mr. Obama has already said he’ll more than build on the impressive Bush legacy." Did you catch that, "the impressive Bush legacy" part? What an honest guy to actually stick his neck out there among all the Bush haters to recognize that Bush's leadership with regard to Africa was important and admirable.

As for that Facebook poll I took, I can't recall ever reading somebody using the line "the impressive Carter legacy" to talk about something President Carter did while actually in office. Perhaps something he did as an ex-president, yes, but the poll wasn't asking about that. Who knows, maybe we won't have to wait a quarter of a century for history to present a realistic view of President George W. Bush.

My City of Ruins, my 9/11 post

There is no better way for me to remember the events of seven years ago than to post the above clip from Bruce Springsteen. I remember the day this aired. I remember weeping. This particular performance still gives me goosebumps. It would be about a year later that Springsteen released his masterpiece album called THE RISING on which this song appears. THE RISING came out on July 30, 2002, and I have commemorated every September 11th by listening to the album. I honestly could write a ten-thousand word essay on the album and what it means to me, how it helped me process the single most horrific event of my generation. It always makes me feel more connected to the human race every time I meet somebody who actually gets, I mean really gets, that album, how beautifully crafted it is, how the themes of love, loss, hope, and still loving, run all through it, how the image of ascension is so masterfully woven through it. Honestly, there is no way to articulate what I feel in my soul listening to it.

This morning, over breakfast, Max asked me where I was that morning seven years ago. Much to my surprise I couldn't get through the story without crying again. I feel so sorry when I think of all the sons, daughters, friends, moms, dads, heroes, children of God who lost their lives that day. Thinking of the rescue workers who risked or lost their lives that day makes me want to live better. As I write this I am filled with gratitude. I am thankful for the freedoms and privileges that I have in this greatest country ever to grace planet Earth. As I hung my American flag today I thought of the brave men and women in our military and I am so thankful for them and all those who came before them.

"Come on rise up!" indeed.

Not A Fun Post

Coming here for some small talk? Sorry. The picture above hit me hard. It's taken in Mukjar, Sudan, the Darfur region. It's a guy named Ibrahim standing over a grave where 25 of his friends were killed, many axed to death. Meanwhile, here I am in my comfortable house complaining that I have to wait nine months for a new episode of LOST to air.

200,000, maybe 400,00, humans have been killed in Darfur. Millions are homeless. The second picture below is a photo of a rather young displaced villager. Is that child even alive as I type this? Yet, I get feelings of indignation if I have to eat cereal one night for dinner, not over the Darfur clamity. Just yesterday I didn't even put that in my top ten things that are bothering me. Why?

When I studied history at Cal State Fullerton I shook my head in judgement when I read about how "we" just sat around as the Holocaust took place. Truth is, we're living through another moment like that now. Ethnic cleansing, genocide, violence, disease, starvation, they're all present. Even as you read this post, this catastrophic humanitarian crisis continues.

Learn more at sites like ENOUGH: The project to abolish genocide + mass atrocities, CARE, or the Save Darfur Coalition.

But, hey, aren't DVR's just the coolest thing ever?

New Seven Wonders of the World

I'm not sure why I'm into stuff like this, but I love voting in polls. Swiss author and filmmaker, Bernard Weber, launched a campaign to come up with the New Seven Wonders of the World and he's looking for votes. I just voted for the following seven:

1. Acropolis, Athens, Greece (400 B.C.)
2. Chichen Itza Pyramid, Yucatan, Mexico (800 A.D.)
3. Colosseum, Rome, Italy (80 A.D.)
4. Easter Islands Statues, Chile (10th-16th century)
5. Great Wall of China (220 B.C. through 1600 A.D.)
6. Pyramids of Giza, Egypt (2500 B.C.)
7. Stonehenge, Amesbury, U.K. (3000-1600 B.C.)

Maybe you want to counter my vote with something more patriotic like the Statue of Liberty or something more religious like the Christ Redeemer? I tried to write in Bruce Springsteen, but there was no spot for that! Here's where you can vote: New Seven Wonders. Let me know how you voted.