Washington DC 3
It is snowing as I write you this letter. The "winter wonderland of a White Christmas" is only coming in February here in Washington DC. A few days ago, there was heavy snow of two inches - small in comparison to 120 inches in other places of the USA, especially upstate New York and those towns around Lake Ontario. The snow has turned to ice but it is still white out there. There might be more snow tonight. So it is quite cold since it is the equivalent of living inside a freezer, although it can be quite lovely at night when the sky is clear and the stars are out. Of course, it is only nice if one is inside a warm room with adequate heating. There are a lot of homeless people here and other parts of the USA, so one's heart reaches out to them. Some congregations open their churches to the homeless at night so they don't have to sleep in the streets.
Two days from now is Ash Wednesday. How time flies! It seems as if Christmas/New Year were just a few weeks ago. Tuesday is Mardi Gras in New Orleans and other parts of the south. There was a storm that recently hit New Orleans; and to think that the city has not recovered from Katrina. But the papers say that the Mardi Gras this year will be bigger than last year although the one million visitors expected in the pre-Katrina period may not converge there anymore as the city remains quite neglected by the State.
There's no money for the homeless here, but billions of dollars ae still being appropriated and spent for the war in Iraq. This war remains a central issue for the American people. When it began on March 18, 2003, George W. Bush was a popular president and his policy on this war was very much supported by the majority of the American people. This is no longer true, of course, and the results of the last elections manifested the shift in most Americans' perception of this war.
Part of the reason is the more than 3,000 U.S. troops who have been killed there, and about 2,500 of them died in combat. Very little is said in mainstream media here about the number of Iraqis who have died in this war - especially the civilian men, women and children. The actual number of those who have died is impossible to know, but the United Nations said that more than 34,000 civilians died in 2006 alone.
A survey was recently undertaken and the results published in The Washington Post as to the Americans' view on Iraq. A total of 70% of the people are opposed to how Bush is handling Iraq and 65% are opposed to sending more troops there. Despite the growing unpopularity of this war, Bush still wants to send more troops. There are presently 133,000 US troops in Iraq; Bush wants to add 20,000 new troops there. And possibly, what Bush wants, Bush gets.
The Democrats and a few of the Republican congresspersons have opposed Bush's plan to send more troops. Last Friday, a sharply divided House of Representatives passed a resolution formally repudiating Bush's decision to send more troops to Iraq. A total of 246 approved this resolution compared to 182 who opposed it. Unfortunately, this is a nonbiding measure, that is, even if Congress is against the sending of more troops, the US President could still go ahead and send more troops. The only consolation is that the passing of this resolution carries symbolic significance; it is a rare wartime rebuke to Bush as commander-in-chief. The struggle, however, is not over as Congress has the power to approve the money for such operations. However, the Democrats are in a quandary as a move to disapprove the funds could put the troops in Iraq in more danger by cutting off needed supplies.
So, it will be interesting how the political turmoil here in Washington DC will play out in the next few weeks. But there is no question that the mood of most Americans on this war is a bit pessimistic. And part of the reason is that more and more Americans are convinced they are losing the war in Iraq. Media's coverage of the war - even among mainstream print and broadcast media that used to be gung-ho about this war - show that it is becoming less and less a winnable war for the Americans. The images of violence - especially in the internet - are just so gruesome. It is Vietnam all over again. Even the likes of the Fox News could no longer romanticize this war and convince its audience that the US troops are doing very well there.
Congress may be bitterly divided over the resolution vote and how they view the Iraq war, but popular culture is not. At the last Grammy awards, the most awarded group was the Dixie Chicks, winning five awards including the three most coveted: best record, best song and best album. The song is "Not Ready to Make Nice", a defiant song sung by lead singer Natalie Maines who in 2003 was quoted in London as saying that they were so ashamed of Bush being from their home state of Texas, a rebuke of Bush's war in Iraq. That comment of Ms. Maines had made Dixie Chicks like Jane Fonda during the Vietnam War. Their winning of the major Grammy awards could be construed as popular music's defense of their position not just in terms of the Iraq war but on freedom of expression.
(I did saw Jane Fonda from afar during the anti-Iraq war rally at the National Mall here in Washington DC a few Saturdays ago. Half a million people joined that rally, which was quite an experience. Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins and Sean Penn were also around.)
If you watched the Grammy awards you must have heard John Legend singing "Soldier's Song", another anti-war song.
If you've seen the Clint Eastwood films of 2007 - "Flags of our Fathers" and "Letters from Iwo Jima" both of which are up for Oscar awards - one knows this is Hollywood's attempt to convince people about the futility of the war. These films deal with WW II in the l940s in the Orient, but they might as well be the Iraq war of today. Even Guillermo del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth" in its own way also deal with the barbarity of war and of totalitarianism. (If you haven't seen these films, go see them). What Bush and his cronies did in the wake of 9/11 that has led to hundreds being abducted and tortured are certainly moves towards a totalitarian perspective.
Not that popular culture here in the USA - especially the tabloids and many of the TV stations - is a beckon of hope and ideals. Just in the last few weeks, most of the stories cover by this side of popular culture dealt with Lisa Nowak, the austronaut who was out to do something about her love rival and the death of A. Nicole Smith. If one thinks that in countries such as the Philippines, popular media could be so celebrity-centered, you better be here during the week of Nicole's death. Even CNN went out of its way to cover it for days! Of course, their ratings went sky high!
Anyway, as I've written earlier, part of the "privilege" of having a renewal program here in Washington DC is that one feels all the big events of the world are just playing out in the neighborhood. No wonder when one listens to the radio, it is common to hear a disc jockey identifying Washington as the most powerful city in the world. And rightly so in some aspects, as wars that take place out there - big and small - do take place owing to some of the interests that are being protected by the decision-makers in this part of the globe.
I'm glad I don't live here for it can also be a city to cause despair.
As I write this letter, I am counting the days of my remaining stay and I am so pleased to let you know that in less than a month I will be out of here. On March 17, I leave for Germany and from there to the Holy Land and then Rome. I still have 3 more months of my sabbatical year and I intend to take advantage of the remaining time for a continuing pilgrimage. I will be in the Holy Land during the Holy Week. I just hope and pray nothing will keep us from going there as the situation there, too, is not all that peaceful.
Meanwhile, I will go to the museums I have not been able to visit yet and maybe go once more to those I did. There is an interesting Jasper Johns exhibit at the National Art Gallery. Then say goodbye to the people here who have made my stay in and around Washington DC memorable. No, Bush, is not one of them. Then pack up.
Possibly, there might be cherry blossoms already in bloom by then across the mall.
It would be nice to see the blossoms before saying goodbye.
Two days from now is Ash Wednesday. How time flies! It seems as if Christmas/New Year were just a few weeks ago. Tuesday is Mardi Gras in New Orleans and other parts of the south. There was a storm that recently hit New Orleans; and to think that the city has not recovered from Katrina. But the papers say that the Mardi Gras this year will be bigger than last year although the one million visitors expected in the pre-Katrina period may not converge there anymore as the city remains quite neglected by the State.
There's no money for the homeless here, but billions of dollars ae still being appropriated and spent for the war in Iraq. This war remains a central issue for the American people. When it began on March 18, 2003, George W. Bush was a popular president and his policy on this war was very much supported by the majority of the American people. This is no longer true, of course, and the results of the last elections manifested the shift in most Americans' perception of this war.
Part of the reason is the more than 3,000 U.S. troops who have been killed there, and about 2,500 of them died in combat. Very little is said in mainstream media here about the number of Iraqis who have died in this war - especially the civilian men, women and children. The actual number of those who have died is impossible to know, but the United Nations said that more than 34,000 civilians died in 2006 alone.
A survey was recently undertaken and the results published in The Washington Post as to the Americans' view on Iraq. A total of 70% of the people are opposed to how Bush is handling Iraq and 65% are opposed to sending more troops there. Despite the growing unpopularity of this war, Bush still wants to send more troops. There are presently 133,000 US troops in Iraq; Bush wants to add 20,000 new troops there. And possibly, what Bush wants, Bush gets.
The Democrats and a few of the Republican congresspersons have opposed Bush's plan to send more troops. Last Friday, a sharply divided House of Representatives passed a resolution formally repudiating Bush's decision to send more troops to Iraq. A total of 246 approved this resolution compared to 182 who opposed it. Unfortunately, this is a nonbiding measure, that is, even if Congress is against the sending of more troops, the US President could still go ahead and send more troops. The only consolation is that the passing of this resolution carries symbolic significance; it is a rare wartime rebuke to Bush as commander-in-chief. The struggle, however, is not over as Congress has the power to approve the money for such operations. However, the Democrats are in a quandary as a move to disapprove the funds could put the troops in Iraq in more danger by cutting off needed supplies.
So, it will be interesting how the political turmoil here in Washington DC will play out in the next few weeks. But there is no question that the mood of most Americans on this war is a bit pessimistic. And part of the reason is that more and more Americans are convinced they are losing the war in Iraq. Media's coverage of the war - even among mainstream print and broadcast media that used to be gung-ho about this war - show that it is becoming less and less a winnable war for the Americans. The images of violence - especially in the internet - are just so gruesome. It is Vietnam all over again. Even the likes of the Fox News could no longer romanticize this war and convince its audience that the US troops are doing very well there.
Congress may be bitterly divided over the resolution vote and how they view the Iraq war, but popular culture is not. At the last Grammy awards, the most awarded group was the Dixie Chicks, winning five awards including the three most coveted: best record, best song and best album. The song is "Not Ready to Make Nice", a defiant song sung by lead singer Natalie Maines who in 2003 was quoted in London as saying that they were so ashamed of Bush being from their home state of Texas, a rebuke of Bush's war in Iraq. That comment of Ms. Maines had made Dixie Chicks like Jane Fonda during the Vietnam War. Their winning of the major Grammy awards could be construed as popular music's defense of their position not just in terms of the Iraq war but on freedom of expression.
(I did saw Jane Fonda from afar during the anti-Iraq war rally at the National Mall here in Washington DC a few Saturdays ago. Half a million people joined that rally, which was quite an experience. Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins and Sean Penn were also around.)
If you watched the Grammy awards you must have heard John Legend singing "Soldier's Song", another anti-war song.
If you've seen the Clint Eastwood films of 2007 - "Flags of our Fathers" and "Letters from Iwo Jima" both of which are up for Oscar awards - one knows this is Hollywood's attempt to convince people about the futility of the war. These films deal with WW II in the l940s in the Orient, but they might as well be the Iraq war of today. Even Guillermo del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth" in its own way also deal with the barbarity of war and of totalitarianism. (If you haven't seen these films, go see them). What Bush and his cronies did in the wake of 9/11 that has led to hundreds being abducted and tortured are certainly moves towards a totalitarian perspective.
Not that popular culture here in the USA - especially the tabloids and many of the TV stations - is a beckon of hope and ideals. Just in the last few weeks, most of the stories cover by this side of popular culture dealt with Lisa Nowak, the austronaut who was out to do something about her love rival and the death of A. Nicole Smith. If one thinks that in countries such as the Philippines, popular media could be so celebrity-centered, you better be here during the week of Nicole's death. Even CNN went out of its way to cover it for days! Of course, their ratings went sky high!
Anyway, as I've written earlier, part of the "privilege" of having a renewal program here in Washington DC is that one feels all the big events of the world are just playing out in the neighborhood. No wonder when one listens to the radio, it is common to hear a disc jockey identifying Washington as the most powerful city in the world. And rightly so in some aspects, as wars that take place out there - big and small - do take place owing to some of the interests that are being protected by the decision-makers in this part of the globe.
I'm glad I don't live here for it can also be a city to cause despair.
As I write this letter, I am counting the days of my remaining stay and I am so pleased to let you know that in less than a month I will be out of here. On March 17, I leave for Germany and from there to the Holy Land and then Rome. I still have 3 more months of my sabbatical year and I intend to take advantage of the remaining time for a continuing pilgrimage. I will be in the Holy Land during the Holy Week. I just hope and pray nothing will keep us from going there as the situation there, too, is not all that peaceful.
Meanwhile, I will go to the museums I have not been able to visit yet and maybe go once more to those I did. There is an interesting Jasper Johns exhibit at the National Art Gallery. Then say goodbye to the people here who have made my stay in and around Washington DC memorable. No, Bush, is not one of them. Then pack up.
Possibly, there might be cherry blossoms already in bloom by then across the mall.
It would be nice to see the blossoms before saying goodbye.
posted by kakay at 4:28 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home