Tonight, the only thing that’s more shocking than the abject failure to respond to desperate need in a timely manner is the amazing way the government is being excoriated by the media. Reporter after reporter on the scene in the disaster areas is taking the government to task and holding on like pit bulls. Seems like just yesterday we were all wondering why the media seemed asleep at the wheel over Iraq and scandals like the Downing Street Memo.

As I’ve said before, I’ve always wanted to like my president. I’m an American. And even now, I think he must be a likeable guy, as I see him embracing victims in Biloxi. So this failure of proactive leadership is not the kind of scandal I want to see stick to him. But since the others – like the fraudulent pretext for the war in Iraq – have not stuck, I’ll take the justice I can get. Or a better word might be comeuppance.

Wow. I just watched the mayor of San Antonio, Phil Hardberger, interviewed on CNN.  How refreshing it is to see a public servant who is eloquent, circumspect and compassionate.  Not to mention pragmatic.  I like that guy.  But then I’ve liked most people I’ve met from Texas.  They’re good people.

The rescue of the suffering in New Orleans is just another great example of the failure of the Bush administration.  Ships in route, troops on order to deploy, activated, but not there.  Where are they?  They’re not there, helping the people, and it’s been days. Are they marching from Alaska? The city is insane, there are dead in the streets in America.  This will be part of Bush’s legacy.

You are gone and I
walk in a country I have never
seen before. I never thought
it could hurt so much
or be so beautiful.

I am so sorry for what’s happened in this storm. It’s just terrible. I’m watching CNN, and they’re using highway ramps as boat ramps, bringing to safety in little boats. No way to know how many are still out there, or how many are dead. God help them. And their pets.

What did I do today? I chewed out a possibly retarded, non-English-speaking man for very deliberately leaf-blowering dirt all over my just washed pickup truck. I had a chance to take a deep breath and practice a little tolerance and kindness, and I didn’t. I went off on him. I’d just picked up Tasha’s ashes at the vet’s, and I was in no particular mood to be fudged around with by life. Or whatever cynically comical force sends such people out into the universe with leaf blowers.

What am I thinking about? Taking the doggie – themed poetry magnets off my fridge.

What else? Dinner’s almost ready.

What else? I’m going to church in the morning. Hope I don’t get zapped into a pile of Kingsford BBQ briquets when I get to the door.

First of all, my state of mind.  I’m doing alright I suppose.  Except that it’s floor time.  It’s been my habit in the last few years to get up from the computer or TV in the evening, lay down on the floor next to Tasha and pet her.  I do this a few times in the course of each evening.  Tonight, I keep starting to push away from the desk, only to remember that there’s no particular reason to do so.

Happy spent last night with me, and today I took her to the park and to the groomer’s for her bath. I went swimming. Then I went to the local car wash and got the Classic treatment for my pickup.  Which means they clean the dash board, dress the tires, clean the insides of the windows, etc.  I couldn’t do those things.  Nose prints, see?  Nose prints all over the dash board, windows…. I wasn’t going to clean them myself.  So a recent immigrant gentleman got six bucks an hour plus tip, and vacuumed the dog hair from the carpets and seats for good measure.

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?

It was a brilliant, warm summer day here in paradise. The kind of day that makes the Santa Barbara area a resort destination. The tourists were out in force, moving up and down the sidewalks in little gaggles, looking for that angle of light and time that makes reality go all Magic Kingdom.  I’ve seen it a million times.  Their eyes are a little glazed over, and they seem not to understand that the traffic is real people, with someplace to go. See, they’re expecting to stumble into a candy store or an antique shop that will transport them into a dream to be remembered at their office or school, after Labor Day. I always hope they find it, though I think you can’t beat the real deal.  It’s a cool town to visit on vacation. It’s just that, having lived here my whole life, there’s no pixie dust in the air.

Hey, I just had a cool idea!  We need characters – people in big costumes, walking around getting their picture taken with The Visitors.  What would the characters be?  We can’t use Mickey Mouse or Goofy.  And this town is famous for nothing but avocados and a good beach.  A giant fuzzy avocado with big white cartoon hands and shiny black shoes?  Hmmm.