Vacation
We've needed a popular voice about the dead and dying in Gaza. Jon Stewart, it turns out, is it. But he was on vacation until last night. Obama followed Stewart's lead, decrying the violence in a more centrist fashion, today.
These Americans think vacation is a constant. Unfortunately, statistics alone cannot convey just how unrealistic a concept Vacation, with a capital “V”, is for the average worker: with it's boat drinks, golf games, and beach blankets.
While average people do their damnedest just to survive, and seem to be the only ones who actually WORK for a living, when they're able to, a separate class in charge of how many of us get laid off, whether we'll be tricked into loans we can't afford, and whether we'll hear about all that corruption on the evening news, goes on vacation. Nothing against vacationing: hard working people deserve a break. But the people who are left to keep this country afloat don't have that luxury. And in my opinion, our caretakers don't deserve one until measurable steps to see that the less fortunate can enjoy the same have been taken.
Monkey-see, monkey-do. We're following the leader, and so on. Our current “leader”, W, speaking of vacation, is neither. Obama, not wanting to “confuse” the world about U.S. Israel policy, has stayed out of it. Unfortunately, people have died and are dying as a consequence.
I'm just a layperson, but when Katrina hit the day before my Manhattan vacation, I could barely leave my hotel room, let alone go shop for shoes with Condi (she was in Manhattan when we were, apparently oblivious to the genocide in New Orleans).
Obama, you need to recognize the gravity of your own election. We've been telling you, overwhelmingly, to disregard the “man” currently in power. We need you and we need you now. Your vacation is over, now do your damned job.