Friday, October 31, 2008

Halloween 2008 notes

El Día de los Muertos, 2008. Dada, Thursday, up on the roof, honoring the dead.

Joke of the Day: A headline on the computer this morning comes from the 'Queen of glittering generalities' herself: It reads, "Palin says Obama infomercial short on specifics." (This from someone who wouldn't know a specific if it snuck up behind her and slapped her up side the head.)
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Another Halloween in which we honor the dead by OD'ing our kids on high fructose corn-syrup laced goodies.

I think I prefer the Mexican version, El Día de los Muertos, where food is served up to the departed on little altars, the irony being, high fructose corn syrup - which poses no health dangers to the deceased - is mostly absent from their treats. It's the living whose health gets endangered with the HFCS junk.

Another nice thing about El Día de los Muertos is it can be celebrated for more than one day (from October 28 to November 4) which, if you think about it, seems better. In that they are now dead forever, dead for eternity, I think it's nice more than one chintzy day can be devoted to their memories.
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There's a story in this morning's paper about a man who committed suicide yesterday by jumping to his death onto the freeway from atop the "Spaghetti Bowl." That's the interchange between U.S. 54 and Interstate 10 here in the city. Personally, I think it's a shame how thousands of motorists were inconvenienced, delayed, as two lanes of the interstate rush hour traffic were closed down for a couple of hours, but then good high places in the city that don't overlook the streets and highways of commerce are hard to find, I suppose.

The victim was a 52 year old male. He left a note. While it's entire contents weren't revealed, we do know from a person at the scene it said in part, "Obama take care of my family." Not to mention he's going to miss this year's El Día de los Muertos celebrations. Or is he?
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Yesterday I watched the movie Body of War about "Tomas Young ... a gung-ho soldier (who) returned home paralyzed, struggling to deal with his phisical limitations and his changing feelings about the war."

This was an excellent flick I wish everyone could see, especially high school kids before signing a recruiter's military contract, not that it might change many minds of immortal adolescents. With a plot that was real-life, it left me with watery eyes a number of times.

I was extremely moved by this young man's story and the way he chose to manifest his post Iraq experience most positively despite his extreme limitations and struggles. And while injuries and fatalities in Iraq have declined in recent months, this movie will remain very pertinent, it appears, as our role in Afghanistan increases under whichever president we elect, just as its relevance for all future wars will be retained.
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Finally, I received the following e-mail from a relative in Oregon re early voting.
I voted early as well.  Maybe, I thought that if I voted early
the election would just end that much sooner, and this nightmare
could all be over. ... I went back and forth about if I were going
to vote for one of them or not, but in the end I just couldn't
bring myself to vote that way. I am just counting down the days
that this will be all over. Although I know that it won't be over,
it will just be the beginning of another 4 years.

I guess all I can do is just hope that it ends up being better than
the last 8 years, but that isn't really saying a whole lot. But,
even though I didn't vote for a popular candidate, I rest in knowing
that I voted for who I thought would have been the best, and that I
did not have any part in voting for what could be another ugly chapter
in our nation's history.
Wow. This is someone who, as a baby, I held in my lap and fed Cheezits to (against "Mom's" wishes). I guess there's something to be said for genetics maybe.

8 comments:

Mariamariacuchita said...

So sad for the man who felt there was no hope, and had given up, but could hope that Obama might take care of those he left behind. Tragic for them, it would seem.

My nieces and nephews have all voted early and are all supporting Obama as well. I am proud of them.

Still, doesn't it sometimes feel weird that time has passed and they are grown up enough to make such decisions??

D.K. Raed said...

Oh so YOU are the uncle who gave the neices/nephews junk food to get them hooked on a life of sugary/salty treats? LOL, those were my favorite uncles since my mom wouldn't even allow junk or chocolate in the house. One day I thought I found her stash of secret chocolate & ended up eating an X-LAX bar (looked like Hershey's to me)!

But it is no laughing matter that someone would feel his only option left was to quit this world and leave Obama to take care of his family. It is a sad testament to the times we are caught up in.

I have not heard of Body of War, but now that you mentioned it, I'll watch for it. We are planning to see W next week, if I can manage to sit still that long.

I early voted Monday at The Mall this week. The poll workers said they've never seen anything like it. 250K have voted so far in UT, 500K in NV. I think the Utahns are desperately working to cancel those NV votes!

Billie Greenwood said...

It's great having you back, Dada. That photo is priceless. Also, I love your comments on Days of the Dead. We've got Body of War Netflixed; I'll kick it to the top of the queue.

Fran said...

Welcome back to the blogosphere. I wish we could fast forward to Nov 4. I voted more than a week ago, so I just want to make the nasty political commercials stop. We have a grueling Senate election.

Have to wonder what the suicidal guy's issues were. Did he lose his job/house/ healthcare $$$ issues?

Dada said...

d.k., B.E.: Hope you do get to see this movie, deke. B.E., I think you will really, really enjoy this movie because it will make you: a.) very sad, b.) cry, c.) madder than a corrida bull with its tail set afire. (OK, bad analogy, sorry.)

And sorry dear friends, but in the roll call vote for Bush's Iraq war (in the movie), I have ABSOLUTELY no doubt Obama, who opposed it from Illinois, would have stood shoulder to shoulder with his peers who voted for it had he been a member of the U.S. senate at the time. (He has ever since!)

fran: Checked this morning's paper. No further details on the "why" of the suicide jumper, only the release of his identity.

D.K. Raed said...

so did the Liberty Dish make it through H'ween without getting egged? great pic!

and aaaah, El Dia del Los Muertos ... it was a big part of the San Diego/Tijuana celebrations! The cemetaries were jumping each night. It represents a death attitude I can live with (make it into skull candy & eat it).

Now, I have to say I think your Oregon relative handed her vote to McCain, but at least she did it knowingly with much agonizing forethought. And of course, the fact that she lives in a firmly blue state gives her the luxury of voting her conscience. I did the same thing in CA a few times. This time, living in a firmly red state, I might as well have not voted for prez at all, so what got me motivated was all the downticket offices, like our local commissioner and state senator. If we can get dems in those slots, we have a chance at protecting our wilderness areas, stopping a coal-fired plant 40-miles away & maybe even rethinking that Lake Powell water pipeline that sounds more & more like what CA did to Owens Valley and Mono Lake.

Dada said...

d.k. - "I think your Oregon relative handed her vote to McCain"...

deke: I respectfully disagree. I don't believe a vote for someone a person may deem *better* is a vote for the "worst" (Mc Cain).

I believe casting a vote for a third candidate is, as Bill Shakespeare reminded, being true to one's self, and such "integrity has no need of rules." (Camus)

Voting your conscience is not a luxury. It is a right, it is your obligation. I believe this is what said relative did.

That said. Good luck tomorrow. I hope Obama wins. (Just know, however, that whoever I voted for, my vote was not a vote for McCain.)

D.K. Raed said...

yes we will disagree respectfully, dada! I fully respect yours & everyone's right to vote for whomever you deem appropriate. In fact, I would fight for that right! That is what my conscience tells me to say, but sometimes it gets drowned out by reality.

On another blog, I read of a socialist who stated he is endorsing Brian Moore (the socialist candidate), but is voting for Obama.