Wasted

This week I have been having thoughts about one of the saddest and most infuriating things: people in power who choose not to do good with it.

I am sure that you can think of many such people, but one who really sticks in my craw is Sarah Palin.

Come on: she's pretty, charismatic, and seems to be able to gather a loyal following of people.

But.

What a waste that is on her.

She's gotten the things in her life and opportunities to do and have those things because she looks a certain way (sorry, folks, we all know deep down that is the case for some people) and has a charm about her.

I remember the very FIRST time I saw her talk. It was the day McCain announced her as his running mate and my thought was: Oh. Fuck.

True, her speech was short and well-rehearsed and written by a professional speech writer.

But now, I am just sad at the reality behind her glammer (and yes, I spelled it that way because of the lowness of that glammer).

She could have used her position of authority to save or improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, starting with the native Americans in the Yukon Delta who are facing another winter of starvation, freezing and no access and no money to buy basic things like diapers and baby food.

This is in our country, people.

And the person in charge who could have done the right thing for those people (even if it meant furthering herself politically) *chose not to*. She even quit before she was faced with another Alaskan winter with starving and dying constituents.

Then I think of folks like Bush, who had the chance to bring our nation together in a way seen only once in a generation. Instead, he chose anger, fear, and blind retaliation at an elusive enemy-- the pursuit of which has cost us to date 4,333 American lives. That's about 2 per day. Human beings who will never see their families again, who will never know that their sacrifice was all for a war built on lies. *So that people could profit*. See Xe and it's disgusting record on contracts or Blackwater (both former subsidiaries of Halliburton) if you have any doubt as to the scope of the war-profiteering that has lined the pockets of hundreds of corporate slugs like those we handed blank checks to last October.

Want health benefits? Join the military. Have they got a job for you.

I am not one prone to conspiracy or paranoia, but I cannot help but see some connections here.

Limit the options available for people to improve their lives and the lives of others. Add a population that needs jobs, jobs, jobs. Want some security, join the armed forces. They'll take care of you until you die in combat and your government denies press coverage of flag-draped coffins coming off of airplane transports. (I know this has changed, but our press seems preoccupied at the moment with lies about health care reform; pay no attention to the man behind the curtain).

So much waste.

Needless waste.

A White House and Congress all with a Democratic majority and they are looking to waste that, too.

And who gets dumped on? Take a wild guess...