TWO GENTLEMEN FROM ILLINOIS: Springfield v. The Space Needle

Space Needle from Capitol Hill

Seattle, Washington

Photo by MS(R)M

Well, first, I want to thank those of you who responded to my invitation for a forum on hard times. I’m waiting now to see how much of that input is getting out there through the popular media and I’m very encouraged by what I see in these regards.

I’m also pleased with what President-Elect Obama has done so far. He’s keeping it simple and non-partisan. He’s choosing the best people for the job. I’m also enjoying his relationship with the media. He’s got a sense of humor and doesn’t mind making jokes at his own expense. It reminds me of what Grandpa Seamus used to say about paying attention to the wolf who shows its throat. I hasten to add that I see nothing predatory about Barack Obama. I admire his strength and a self-confidence. I also appreciate that he doesn’t talk up or down to me.

He seems, as well, to understand ~ perhaps better than any of us ~ that a several score percentage point victory in this election does not mean he has the mandate of the entire nation. I sense he knows full well that there are people waiting for him to falter, stumble and fall on his butt. I don’t believe that keeps him up late at night, though. He’s got too much to do to worry about failing. He’s also got a dynamite significant other and a real nice family. He’s probably been vetted more thoroughly than any president-elect since the McCarthy era and I appreciate not having to worry about surprises up the road. The man’s honest.

Apparently that’s not true of the Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich and as bad as I feel about that, having friends back there, I don’t imagine I’m nearly as outraged, embarrassed, ashamed and generally extremely PO’d as they are. What got me was the sheer arrogance of the man. Chicago may yet be the Land of Daly but the capital of Illinois is Springfield, the Land of Lincoln. The fact that he joins a short list of crooked state chief executives probably doesn’t make the average Illinoian feel real good either. It’s been suggested that those who live in the Land of Lincoln have become cynical and ‘grease’ whatever palm which requires it. I, for one, don’t buy it. Not for a country heartbeat.

It’s also ironic, considering where I live. We’ve got several Port of Seattle employees up on fraud charges now and several executives have resigned. It didn’t go on very long and when it was discovered, it was acted on swiftly. One of our elected officials said today on the news, with reference to the Illinois governor scandal, "We don’t let that kind of thing happen in Seattle."

Well, no, but we’ve had Rodney King Verdict marches, the WTO riots, anti-war protests and marches, gay pride demonstrations and parades, et al ad human rights. For all our reputation as being Birkenstocks-and-wool-socks-in-winter-laid back, we’re just as reactive as anywhere else in the country.

We’re a community of busybodies and we pay attention, collectively, to everything that goes on. That’s also why it takes us longer to get things done. EVERYBODY not only has an opinion, it seems like everybody’s got a mouth to go with it. Nice part about that is, though, once we decide, it’s pretty much then just a matter of getting it done.

We’re also extremely patriotic. It generally rains on the Fourth of July but that has never compromised the fireworks. Primordial humans may have invented fire. Seattleites some while back learned the value of waterproof matches.
Until next time, then eh? And thanks for the ear.

Rusty