Memory Lapses

Here we are, close to a week before the election, and the horses are on the home stretch. Abortion had the early lead after the summertime Supreme Court decision throwing out Roe v. Wade, which energized Democrats, especially women. The news was filled with horror stories about pre-teen girls being forced to flee their states to get an abortion, or mothers having to bear children in spite of possibly fatal consequences.

But that was then. Now it’s the “economy, stupid,” crime, and immigration -- issues which favor the Republicans. Abortion isn’t quite doing it anymore; the news has mostly moved on. Did abortion simply peak too soon? Too bad for the Democrats that the court ruling didn’t happen In September to accommodate short attention spans.

What about democracy itself – why isn’t that important? The problem with democracy is that you can’t eat it, put it in your gas tank, or heat your house with it. It’s like the operating system in your computer – it runs in the background, and all the apps you use depend on it, but you don’t have to think about it until it’s hacked or corrupted. The January 6th committee tried to keep it alive, but even this issue is secondary, or even tertiary now, or so it seems.

And then there are the polls. The sky is turning red, everybody better get used to it, they say. What are those who don’t like that to do about it? Throw up their hands and binge-watch The Crown?

In some ways, locking out the news is not a bad idea. All this horse-race reporting can uplift us or depress us. We can easily be manipulated, whether our own hue is of red or blue. But staying out of the game completely, because we think it’s over, is a lousy idea.

Voting is not something we do when the rest of our lives is sorted out. It can determine HOW the rest of our lives WILL be sorted out. And this year, it might even take a little courage, with others eyeballing us as we walk up to the ballot dropbox in some places. But if we look at some third-world countries, where voting really IS dangerous, some of them still manage much higher election turnouts than we do.

Yes, it may be more difficult to vote this time. But If we don’t exercise our right, it may be much harder the next -- and we will miss it when it’s gone.

 

 

Borderline Disorder

Borderline Disorder

The new tactic by which a few Republican governors are calling attention to the border crisis involves dumping immigrants in strategic places, like Martha’s Vineyard. A brilliant move from a publicity standpoint, but if the immigrants were lied to about where they were being taken, that makes those governors human traffickers, plain and simple.

That said, we’ve been hearing about the immigration mess for decades, and almost nothing has been done to solve it. There has to be a middle ground between putting up border walls and letting only a few acceptable people in and having open borders where everyone gets in. Successive Congresses and presidential administrations have failed to work this out. I don’t know what the solution is, but it’s probably going to be expensive. So is doing nothing.

When you think about immigration on a broader scale, though, the line between “us” and “them” is pretty thin. Many of our ancestors were immigrants. Most of us here now didn’t have to fight for our citizenship. All we had to do is be born here. We aren’t better or more patriotic for that, we’re just lucky.

If it were up to me, those fortunate enough to be born here would get the first 21 years “free,” so to speak, but then would have to pass the same test that is administered to new immigrants seeking citizenship now. They would lose certain benefits of citizenship until they passed it. As an alternative, they could put in a certain amount of community service or enlist in the military.

The United States of America isn’t just a geographical area with borders. It’s an idea. People from outside want to come here because of what it represents, or what they believe it does, which typically involves a better life. It seems to me that everyone who lives here, whether born here or not, should have to demonstrate some buy-in.

My own idea may be one for future consideration. But right now, instead of using immigration as a political weapon, both parties have to begin a meaningful discussion about how to untangle the current system - and “system” is a generous word for it. It’s going to require what for some is an ugly word: compromise. Do we want to keep talking about immigration the same way forever, or do we want to fix it?

 

 

 

 

Be Careful With Family Heirlooms

 Being partly of Irish descent, I may get in trouble with some if I come off too positive about the British monarchy. But it is fair to say that many of us Americans have been fascinated with it for a long time.

We can hardly be blamed. Those of us of a certain age grew up learning as much, or even more, of British history than our own. But with British history, there is simply more of it.

I was taught in school, for example, that the Battle of Hastings was fought in 1066 and that King John signed the Magna Carta in 1215. Then there was Henry VIII and his penchant for beheading wives. Let’s not forget that if it weren’t for mad King George, there might not have been a revolution here and a United States of America today.

There are still monarchies all over the world. Not all royal families enjoy the wealth and status of the British one, but it is that one that is in our historical line. And Elizabeth II was Queen for the entire lives of many of us. I was fond of her partly because I collected stamps as a little boy, and her head was on those in use at the time.

All of this said, there is no question that the British monarchy is an undemocratic anachronism that a sizeable number of people, even in the UK itself, consider unnecessary, unfairly privileged, and too expensive. But I think most of us could agree that if Britain had to have a monarch, Elizabeth was just about the best one possible. We are hearing much about her devotion to duty from a young age, her genuine interest in people, her breadth of historical knowledge, and her sense of humor. And, of course, she was a “crazy dog lady” too.

But what happens now? Will Charles III be the last British monarch? Maybe that position will fall to William after him. The end will come, but it will only happen when the Brits are truly ready for it. Abruptly throwing out the monarchy would be like discarding a treasured family heirloom too soon. The surprise comes when survivors discover how much they miss it when it’s gone.