What to say....

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Michael suggested in a comment to yesterday’s post that my pleas had fallen on a God whose ears, like Odysseyus’ oarsmens’, was stuffed with wax.

Well, like Bono’s God - who doesn’t need Jimmy Swaggart to get money for Him - my God really doesn’t give a flying flip at a celestial donut about politics. I suffer no ire at the Almighty on this one.

So here we are, facing the reality of a second Bush term in office, what am I to think, to do?

Well every president walks into a world full of contingencies and issues that were not directly of his making. To that individual I extend a certain amount a leeway, a trust, a benefit of the doubt.

While I think the decisions about Iraq were the wrong choices at the wrong time, as this “new” president takes the helm, it is, as I said in the previous paragraph, but one of the contengencies and issues afoot in the world.

To someone with the charge of keeping the people safe in this swirl of uncertainty, I extend the best wishes and hope that previous experience will sharpen the acumen with which decisions are made.

To this individual, thus, I extend the best wishes and hope that they make great decisions to promote the growth and safety of the country.

But what does this mean for me? Where is Steven G. Harms, leftist-ish liberal, now?

And what of the Left as a whole? Are we to take this election result as ushering it some sort of new phase in American political life?

Furthermore, 11 states banned gay marriage outright, clearly asserting an identification with the moral scheme underlying Bush Republicanism.

So, what gives? Am I, and apparently most of the members of my states’ views now become some sort of unfashionable relic, white shoes after the GOP Labor Day?

I wish I had all the answers, but I see this election as the one where a fundamental fork in the road was reached.

The United States has (note not have!) decided to become an Empire, not a Republic. We should now concern ourselves with charting ourselves directly against Rome or the British Imperium and learning from their mistakes.

Imperium de novo

I’m trying to stay positive in light of the fact that we shall see challenge to Rowe v. Wade and several lasting far-right appointments to the Federal Judiciary. There are opportunities for growth - perhaps the Democrats can reforge their core values and ask: What do we stand for?