Secrets of Home Renovation

One of the few fun days in the whole process of home renovation – the two others are the first day and the last day - is the day you go through your old stuff, trying to figure out what to put back in the drawer and what to put in the box with the picture of Hubert Humphrey. Not always an easy choice.

At the bottom of a stack of papers I came across two editorials I had saved from the front the L. A. Times, dated April 13th, 2003. Written less than a month after the invasion of Iraq, one of these editorials offered, in what turns out to be a very prescient argument, a number of powerful reasons why achieving democracy in Iraq was unlikely at best. Across the page the other op ed passionately argued the opposite – not only was it achievable, it was morally unavoidable.

Both pieces were well thought out, well written, and gave the impression that the authors certainly knew what they were talking about. But the really interesting information came at the bottom of the first page, where each author was identified.

The first piece was written by a man named Shlomo Avineri, described as a, “professor of political science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (who) has been involved in a numerous democracy-building projects in Eastern Europe since 1989.” Professor Avineri’s opinion was apparently based on experience, with an understandable bias in favor of Israel.

The second piece was penned by a man named Randy Sheunemann, described as the, “president of the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq.” I missed that detail when I read the articles originally. If you look up this committee – thank God for Google – you will find that it was created and funded by the Bush administration to act as a purveyor of their official, let’s-go-to-war rhetoric. Google didn’t show anything on Mr. Sheunemann other than his connection to this committee. And that’s the whole point.

This is truly bush league. Americans deserve the truth from their president, not an intentional plan of deception. The administration set up this phony committee to look like a group of impassioned, freedom-loving citizens, though in fact it was no more than a division of the White House P. R. department. We should all bear this in mind during the current discussions on how to get out of Iraq.

You gotta love home renovation. It’s good for the soul.

A foot on either side.


Bartley B

E D - A Stiff Warning

Do you have E D? Don’t be ashamed. It may seem like a private problem but it is a very public issue at this moment. With a high percentage of liberal Democrats in the baby boomer population, E D is more prevalent than you might think.

E D – electoral dysfunction – occurs when long-time members of a political party which has been out of office for many years, find themselves suddenly swept back into power. Confused, dazed, disoriented, half expecting the announcement of a re-count, they walk around in a fog for several weeks.

“I thought the fix was in,” they whisper to one another in hushed tones. “They did it in 2000, I thought they would do it again. I wanted to win, but I didn’t think we actually would!” Their energy is drained. People once active and politically aggressive, find that unexpected success, the antidote to adrenalin, has left them . . . limp.

Care must be taken not to make important decisions during this initial period. Buying a new car, making retirement plans, choosing a new majority leader – all these choices must wait till calm and sanity return. Contact the offices of your local Democratic Party for instructions. In emergencies, go online to move on.org.

Fortunately, E D is a temporary condition. By the time the Democrats take over the House and Senate in January, both E D and Republican rule will seem like no more than a bad dream. Happy times are here again.

A foot on either side.

Bartley B