Hey, maybe that war’s not such a good idea
The sky’s blue, the weather is shirtsleeve warm in January,
birds are singing and it’s just so gosh darned hard to get
righteously indignant about anything these days, and poking fun at
the stupid things public figures do from time to time is sort of
the whole point of Notebook, isn’t it?
Hey, maybe that war’s not such a good idea
The sky’s blue, the weather is shirtsleeve warm in January, birds are singing and it’s just so gosh darned hard to get righteously indignant about anything these days, and poking fun at the stupid things public figures do from time to time is sort of the whole point of Notebook, isn’t it?
To spread a little blame around, you all have not been doing your part. Nary an anonymous call or poison pen letter since before Christmas for crying out loud.
So it’s just too hard to get evil on politicians this week. Almost.
A press release arrived from Rep. Sam Farr, our congressman. Sam is a genuinely likeable guy, the kind of congressman who you want to call by his first name. While toeing the Democratic party line, he’s just as likely to invite you to drop by for a barbecue.
A couple of years ago, Sam and I took a lap around San Benito County, and we stopped for sandwiches at the Panoche Inn, a roadhouse that’s as famous for its remoteness as it is for its delicious sandwiches. Sam strode in, stepped over two large, sleeping dogs and held out his hand: “Hi, I’m your congressman,” he said. The expression on the barkeep’s face said “this man is a dangerous lunatic” more clearly than words ever could have.
But a few seconds later, it was established that this guy in a work shirt and blue jeans was, indeed, his congressman, and he really just wanted a soda and a turkey sandwich.
It’s hard not to like the guy, but a press release that came on Wednesday so eloquently invites ridicule that it’s impossible to resist.
You remember Wednesday. It was the day that Our Fearless Leader explained why sending more troops to Iraq (the “surge”) was sure to improve things. As the overwhelming majority of Americans, and an even larger slice of the world population, shake their heads in mute wonder over the ham-fisted mismanagement of a nation and world, Rep. Farr finally comes to the table.
Farr weighed in on Wednesday, calling for a withdrawal from Iraq.
“The longer this war drags on, the clearer it becomes that it is the wrong war at the wrong time for the wrong reasons,” he wrote. “Trying to make up for the fact that the Administration insisted on going into Iraq with too few troops more than three years ago by escalating our involvement now is not a ‘new strategy.’ Several times over the course of the war we have tried short-term troop surges but they have not stopped the sectarian violence from getting worse.”
Well, duh! Most of us figured out that “Iraq” was just Arabic for “Vietnam” a few years ago.
An honest politician
Still, it’s good to know Rep. Sam is on the same page as the rest of us.
And while we’re waxing warm and fuzzy about our elected representatives, here’s a toast to all the things that are going right in San Benito County.
Eugenia Sanchez became the newest member of the Hollister City Council after the Nov. 7 election, and this week she ventured where no politician has gone before.
Quizzed by a reporter about her stand on land use issues, she was bold enough to say, “I don’t know. I’ll have to look into it.”
Not knowing what one’s talking about has not often been viewed as an obstacle by politicians. Sanchez’ refreshing candor bodes well for a distinguished term in office.
As long as we’re being nice to people, here’s some news: there’s no news coming out of the county clerk’s office.
The new county clerk-auditor-recorder, Joe Paul Gonzalez, is the model of professionalism. He followed his brother Fernando onto the Hollister City Council years ago, and has devoted his life largely to public service since then.
After the round of election-day controversies that dogged all-around nice guy John Hodges in that post, we’re looking forward to a long period distinguished by its by-the-book adherence to dull public policy.
Notebook is compiled each week by Mark Paxton, with contributions from other staff members as noted. To contribute an item, e-mail Paxton at [email protected].
