Daiyanu, Daiyanu

Daiyanu

Many of our friends have written to me to ask why I’m not writing about political issues. (They have my e-mail so they can do that without having to go through the comment section—which I don’t read because I only want good news.) To tell the truth – and it’s not often lately, I think it’s because politics gives me gas. In fact, if I could put that gas into my car, I would never have to go to the pump. Additionally, I can’t start to write about almost any issue without becoming hysterical—and not in a funny way. (And we have determined that this blob will remain good humored if not fall down funny.) That being said, it’s almost impossible not to comment on the price of oil. But I’m going to try not to do that, even though I drove from New Jersey to Boston yesterday and I had to mortgage the house to get there—sorry David.

I had a very bad gas attack last week. I took my Metamucil but it didn’t help. What I really wanted was relief in the form of some senior democratic leader (have we found any yet?) standing up to say “Enough of this! On Passover we say “Daiyanu”. We sing it in a song about lice and frogs right before we have dinner. It’s a song about what the Egyptians did to the Israelites up to but not including any problems with Palestinian immigration. The bottom line is, how much do we have to suffer before we put an end to lies about everything from war to the economy. Every time I read a press release from the White House that talks about yet another outrageous administration lie, I say “Oye, this gives me such gas, “Daiyanu”. (I don’t really say Oye, I say Oye Vay is mere Marthena, but that’s another blob.) But my voice is small and often ignored. Why isn’t there some senior credible elected official who calls a press conference and says, “Every time the White House tells another tale I’m going to be there to call them on it.” Someone who says, “Over 2000 kids have died and over 15,000 have been seriously wounded in a war that is based on a lie and the White House is not allowed to start in the middle of the sentence. They are not allowed to excuse this fiasco by skipping right to “Saddam Hussein was a bad guy, Iraq is better off without him and if you think the war is bad then you don’t support the troops.” Someone who says “The White House will never investigate the price of oil, and oil company gauging. They are never going to do something about it.” Fox, chicken coop, does this ring a bell? The White House will investigate and George Bush’s friends, who are getting 400 million dollar bonuses, will give that money back to the people who now have to chose between food and filling their gas tanks. And if you believe that one you probably think the cable companies are in business to serve the public.

I want someone to convince me that the profits oil companies made have nothing to do with what we are paying at the pumps. Not going to happen. OK then convince me that Rick Santorum is the right person to head a senate ethics committee. Can’t do it well then convince me that it is now unpatriotic to care about civil liberties, the separation of church and state or human dignity. I hear it is also unpatriotic to question the real value of the pretend security at airports. And it is not politically acceptable to ask questions about immigration or no child left behind or internet surveillance or what we read in the library. (The Neilson ratings take care of what we watch on TV.)

Everyone knows democrats are elitists and republicans understand the way real people feel. Carl Rove has told me that enough times so that even I believe him. I have clouded memories of when the Wal-Mart (or any blue collar company) shopper as well as the employee was a democrat. Why did that change? When did that change? How did we get to a place where we think if something is repeated enough times it’s the truth. Forget the facts. Daiyanu.

So now you know why I have gas. Sure it gets worse when I actually have to fill up my gas tank. And even worse when I listen to the news. And I can hardly stand up when I hear the President talk about health care, or senior care, medicare, social security, or Iran or Iraq, or changes in White House personnel. Does anyone have a Tums or an election I can borrow? “Daiyanu.” We’re just sayin….