Rolling on the River

[Daveparts]

Shhh, listen, do you hear that rumble far off in the distance? Thunder perhaps? Clearly audible yet undecernable, our ship of state moves down the river of current events that ties them all together.

The river leads us to the vaunted surge policy in Iraq and the only thing that has surged thus far are the numbers of dead and wounded. The soldiers hear the roar because it comes from where they stay, where they live and die. Now even members of the Presidents own party have begun to hear the roar. But the President hears only what he wants to hear and that speaks volumes as to how this came to be our chosen course, just one more dent in the hull below the water line.

The President’s G-8 beer blast accomplished an environmental triumph of a sort. The United States and China agreed in principle to talk about reducing green house gas emissions by 50% in the next fifty years. No concrete agreements to do anything, just a promise, to talk about it, sometime. Meanwhile NASA reports conclude that not only is global warming a reality but it is worse than previously thought and that its pace is accelerating. The European Union has enacted strict environmental controls but in the US greenhouse gas emissions have managed to increase 1% per year despite Americas industrial dismantling.

Meanwhile down below decks in the chartroom nattering Nancy and Walter Mittey Reid pour over the navigational charts to plot their course. Their course, not the course for the ship of state, for just as Bush perseveres in his Iraq policy continuing in his failed attempt to prove he’s smarter than everyone else in the room. Nancy and Harry attempt to prove their intellectual prowess as well, by shouting at the President while making backroom deals that allow him to continue on his course full steam ahead. Like pool sharks they attempt tricky bank shots to wow the crowd but are unable to win even a single game.

How far we’ve come down the river in such a short time, the monuments we once used as landmarks and navigational aides have completely disappeared from our sight. The Vice President now claims that he is not part of the executive branch of government and in actuality he is right, dictatorial is not a recognized branch of a free government. The bureau of prisons however is under the legislative branch of government and how easy is would be to reclassify Mr. Cheney’s status. But those who could fear the swift currents and eddies they fear hitting a sandbar or a snag in his removal that might disturb their pleasant boat ride. To nervous Nancy and feckless Harry they worry, it might bother their corporate donors upstairs in the first class lounge.

They were given their positions of leadership because the electorate was demanding a change and as they see it, mission accomplished. The electorate has been given a change, now Nancy the would be Nero and Harry doing nothing is still doing something Reid are in positions of authority and that’s change enough for them.

The mortgage debt crises deepens, over twenty mortgage companies have folded in the last eighteen months. Realtors are predicting a 40% cut in their sales forces, large swaths of the American Realty landscape have become virtual Death Valleys and Congress just lets old man river roll. Even as the ship takes on water over hedge funds, unregulated as they are it appears the boys in the pinstripe suits and pin type heads have been playing fast and loose with the investors money yet again. Wrapping bad debt with good debt and calling it pretty good debt. On the waters of Wall Street it’s called bundling on the docks of reality its called fraud.

Bear Sterns has been caught with the anchor chain around their ankles and are now scrambling to extricate themselves. Bailing franticly pouring out hundreds of millions of dollars not to save the ship but to save themselves. Trying desperately to keep the floating crap game alive just one more day. Millions of Americans will lose their homes this year, thrown off the ship of state to sink or swim in the swirling currents on the river of financial freewheeling. The President is silent just listening to the old river roll. Harry and Nancy and the rest of the deck hands in Congress just swab the decks and whistle busying themselves by polishing the brass. Their job as they see it is to protect the ship not it’s passengers.

The roar in the distance is growing louder and it covers up the sounds of the levies straining to hold back the Middle East floodwaters. But those who live beneath the damn know well who is to blame; they curse our ship of state whenever it comes in sight. The President like a riverboat gambler keeps upping the ante, hedging his bets with parleys and gambits if you can’t win one war start another and if you can’t win two try for three. Harry and Nancy shout and denounce such reckless gambling outside the casino but only whisper reverently once inside its doors.

The current is flowing quicker now, the events grow closer together and the orders from the bridge become irrelevant before the deck hands can even respond.The bidecade amnesty bill must be enacted now! All sides proclaim, as the politicians duck their heads as the waves of public scorn crash over the bow. Damn the torpedo’s and public opinion full speed ahead! But the war in Iraq, the most despised foreign policy debacle in American history must be negotiated, a solution to be worked out over time besides what’s your hurry it’s only blood?

As the river begins to shoal the rocks become more obvious, the Presidents approval level is sinking so fast it is now below the birth rate making him despised and distrusted by those not even born yet. The President in his defense points his finger at Congress arguing it is acceptable to be stupid provided there is someone stupider in the room but never considering a change in course.

Why change course? He argues, the view from up here in the wheelhouse is great, the country is moving and picking up speed. Our losses in Iraq though tragic are acceptable but how many of his children’s deaths would it take to make that number unacceptable? Arguing that our losses are less than in previous debacles he is arguing that in fact two wrongs do make a right!

He plans to carve out his legacy as a great riverboat Captain and can’t be bothered with rising waters below decks or silly roars. He is right everyone else is wrong, the pilot is wrong the helmsman is wrong the linesmen are all wrong. The crowd yelling from shore shouts, “You’re going the wrong way!” The President arrogantly answers, “How do they know where we going? Full speed ahead!” Harry and Nancy rub their hands with glee, “Just wait till the public finds out we were right and the President was wrong!

The roar has become oppressive now and the ship will no longer answer the helm. In front of us is only mist and that incessant roar. The river has disappeared from view now leaving only the mist; I wonder what’s coming next?