Age of Aquarius?

In a recently-viewed season 3 episode (no spoilers here) of Lost, Hurley manages to start an old VW van, which bursts to life with an 8 track stereo rendition of Shambala.

It's amazing how these icons from the late 60's and early 70's (the VW van and the pop-psychedelic music) conjure up a feeling of youthful rebellion, casting off the socio-sexual straightjackets of previous generations to search for truth and happiness in various non-conformant ways.  

The era now seems quaintly innocent to our jaded eyes.

The scene in Lost reminded me of the closing sequence of The 40 year old Virgin, in which the cast re-enact Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In from the musical Hair.

Funnily enough, the wikipedia entry claims the Age of Aquarius actually started yesterday, on Valentine's day, February 14, 2009.  Who knew?

The Buck stops where?

U.S. President Harry Truman famously kept a plaque on his desk, proclaiming "The Buck Stops Here."  Somehow, I think that message of ultimate responsibility has decayed over the following decades.

Perhaps the decline started with John F. Kennedy.  Though he is known for his resolute decisions, both good and bad (see the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Bay of Pigs) and great inspiration (the Civil Rights Movement and the Space Race), his presidency also ushered in the era of unprecedented celebrity and image over substance.  Maybe it was just the 60's vibe.  Or his supposed dalliance with Marilyn Monroe (and others).  Or the fact that he never got the chance to finish what he started.

Next came Lyndon Johnson.  He soldiered through the Civil Rights amendments of the JFK administration, but also mired the country on the Vietnam war.  Was he simply a victim of the irresistible military-industrial complex?

Richard Nixon ended the war by declaring victory as the American army fled, and brokered diplomatic contact with Mao Tse Tung and China.  Then he resigned amidst the disgrace of the Watergate scandal.

Gerald Ford seems to be best remembered for his pardon of Nixon (a distasteful act that apparently enabled the country to move on) and the ongoing Chevy Chase parodies of his clumsiness.  

Jimmy Carter began a trend of Washington outsiders, a humble peanut farmer who was eaten up by circumstance (the hostage crisis in Iran), inaction and vicious politics.

Ronald Reagan became the great communicator who vanquished the Soviet Bear, but also cultivated a slightly wonky image of a leader who needed to take a regular nap in order to stay awake during his briefings.  Maybe he missed the brief on the Iran-Contra affair.  Or the concept of a balanced budget. 

George H. Bush rode in on the coattails of Reagan, and seems best known for his unfortunate promise "Read my Lips - No New Taxes" and picking Dan Quayle as vice-president.

Bill Clinton took over with a bushel of promise, but helped sabotage his own plans with less-than-perfect execution.  He mired himself in sexual scandals, invited the scorn of the Moral Majority and opened the door for a majority Republican congress.  Yet he also reversed the deficit spending of the previous Republican administrations and ended up with a budgetary surplus.

George W. Bush took the reins of power and used a horrific event, the 9-11 destruction of the twin towers, to propagate an ideological agenda divorced from reality.  Some impressions from an exit interview of his vice-president Dick Cheney will suffice:

"Saddam Hussein had a pre-existing relationship with Al'Quada" - what they had a Facebook friendship?

"The evidence of WMD in Iraq was there - it's not our fault it was wrong"  - He forgets to mention that the evidence was trumped up on his request.

"One has no choice but to fight evil with evil" - These people have such a negative, mean-spirited view of the world, one that reinforces beliefs that policies like rendition and torture could actually work.

"We didn't see it (the collapse of the financial industry) coming - who did?"  Enough said.  The buck didn't stop there.

A smidgen of unsolicited advice...

As I sit here waiting for the American congress and senate to GET WITH THE PROGRAM, and stop adding useless amendments to the Obama economic stimulus package, I thought I'd perhaps offer a little advice to those politicians stuck in the mud up to their ears (which seems to have shut down whatever brain functionality they may have once enjoyed).

To the democrats:  I realize that the "Buy American" provisions play well to the masses.  But please, think a little before you act.  Do you really think that destroying the world of international trade will make the American economy flourish?

To the republicans:  Please, stop going on about more tax cuts.  It's embarrassing.  The entire world knows that the U.S. is hopelessly in debt.  And your solution is to further remove your ability to pay for your own programs, to continue the failed policies that helped create the economic bubbles which precipitated the mess we're in. 

A special note to Senator McCain:  I heard you say the stimulus package is actually a spending package.  D'uh.  No doubt you proposed a stimulus package without spending that day you rushed to Washington and tried to duck the debate.  Probably you've heard that you lost all credibility.  And p.s. you lost the election big time. 

One more for the republicans:  Please stop genuflecting to Rush Limbaugh.  He's an entertainer without material, a comedian missing a sense of humour, a racist who panders to the lowest denominator.  He's not the leader of the party, is he?

One more for the democrats:  Stop using the free-online tax return software and try hiring a real tax accountant, especially if you have aspirations for the presidential cabinet.

 And in general:  A post-ideological world beckons - all you have to do is open your mind. 

The 24 Effect

CBC News had a segment on the 24 effect, which posited that Hollywood helped pave the way for the American public's acceptance of the Obama presidency.  This segment, by the way, was shamelessly (and without mention) ripped off from an article in the NY Times Sunday edition.

The theory goes that film and television roles such as Dennis Haysbert's turn as a charismatic and effective African-American president on the Fox network show, 24, made it just a little bit possible to imagine a black president.  It is a persuasive argument, though made ironic by the rumours that 24 was also used as a primer for torture techniques by Dick Cheney and his band of evil cohorts.  One wonders what Fox News makes of the supposition that its own network helped elect a Democrat.

Both the CBC segment and the NY Times article travel back to the 60's, highlighting the ground-breaking roles of Sidney Poitier in "The Heat of the Night" and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner".  Both also brought up the Bill Cosby vehicle, "The Huxtables", which portrayed a black man as an average (albeit upper-middle-class doctor with a gorgeous wife and precocious family) father-knows-best lives-in-the-suburbs American.  

The NY Times also had a picture of Richard Pryor which is less persuasive.  His brilliant, socially-skewering humour was somewhat overshadowed by the tragedies of his life.  It might have also mentioned Chris Rock's role as an American president, which was probably as influential as Bill Pullman's interpretation as the lantern-jawed, fighter-pilot leader-of-the-free-world.  Right.

Speaking of Independence Day, Will Smith merited a mention for creating a niche as the American hero icon who has African roots.   Yet, there was no mention of Denzel Washington who is the most accomplished actor of his generation.  Perhaps he should have portrayed Muhammad Ali instead of Malcolm X.  

And then there's James Earl Jones, who played the voice of Dick Cheney (sorry, Darth Vader) in one of the most popular film series of all time.  Perhaps that's not an illuminating example, either. 

Naked protests?

Headline news:  Montreal city hall floats a trial balloon concerning a proposed bylaw to ban wearing of masks during protests.  But they'll need to write the law carefully, to avoid it running up against the Charter of Rights.

So it may remain legal to attend a protest wearing a mask.  But don't do it naked.  You'll get arrested for sure. 

"Yes, We Can!" - but why?

"Yes, we can" - the spot on CBC radio uses Obama's voice and signature slogan to announce a contest to pick 49 Songs from North of the 49th Parallel.

What I can't figure out is why?  Ostensibly, it's supposed to help define Canada for the new president - but somehow I don't think it'll make it to his iPod, even to fill an empty moment or two during one of his 2-hour workouts. 

As a Canadian, I'm officially embarrassed and apologize in advance for this desperate misuse of Canadian content rules.  And for any April Wine song that makes the list.  Or Patio Lanterns.  Or, god forbid, Takin' Care of Business.

Elephants

A herd of elephants butcher a wide swath of the jungle when feeding; they're trample, they eat abundantly, they move on.

It bothered me when I read this.  I'd never thought of elephants as rude animals.  They seemed quite calm, almost graceful, despite their bulk.  They have prodigious memories.  They mourn their dead.  Yet they're not as innocuous as I imagined.

Why would nature allow such destructive creatures to evolve?  Nature of course doesn't care.  As long as the environment is bountiful enough to support their existence, the elephant herd survives.  

But their numbers are limited by their marauding appetites and the size of their jungle.  The elephant will be rendered extinct sooner or later.  Its habitat is being gradually eradicated by an equally rapacious marauder.  

However, the population of this usurper, the human being, shows no sign of abate - for the moment.