DEBT & DEMOCRACY

If you're like me, you feel despondent now, listening to the seemingly-endless Republican obstinacy aimed at destroying Obama's presidency. But consider: all this recrimination and defamation is playing out in public, verbally. As President Obama says, "It's politics." The point is, if it weren't verbal, it'd be physical. In other words, no society of humans can exist without conflict, of every sort. Interests, ambitions, fears, and needs all collide constantly. The best thing we can do is to create an order in which all these disputes are settled in public, by talking. Which we've done. The alternative to talking is stuff like you hear from Pakistan, or Zimbabwe, or China--or even Norway. So dealing with weeks or months of verbal assault, even from all the reactionaries presently in Congress--not to mention on Fox--is WAY better than the alternatives. Therefore be of good cheer. I'm trying too.

PS: I took the photo from Turn 10 while biking up Alpe d'Huez a couple of years ago, an experience I relived during the Tour de France last week...