Why Few Things Surprise Me Anymore

Today’s confirmation of a woefully inept and unqualified Secretary of Education has left many people shaking their heads. Especially because it was revealed that DeVos had made significant financial contributions to the campaigns of many Senators who voted for her both in her confirmation hearing and then in the Senate floor vote. “How could this happen?” many people wondered. “How can this be legal?”

It is definitely a part of white privilege to be surprised by any of this, as people of color have long known that the system is rigged. And so have I, because I was once accused by a policeman of hitting him with my car. Even with my dad as a witness, I went to court and lost.

An Open Letter to a Cowardly Neighbor

You came, as all good cowards do, under the cover of darkness. Trespassing on our property, not far from where we slept, you removed the political sign we’d just put up a little more than 24 hours before. You removed our neighbor’s sign too–perhaps you craved a matched pair.

This morning, when I took the dog out for her morning pee, I noticed the sign was gone. You might be interested to know that I wasn’t one bit surprised. Neither was my neighbor; nor my husband when I texted him. You see? We all expected you, or someone like you, to remove it eventually: The only unknown in the equation was the exact day and time; not whether we had fools living in our neighborhood.

When the Tide Goes Out

If a rising tide lifts all boats, then the converse is also true.

And, watching the Republican debate last night, I couldn’t help but wonder at the refuse left behind when the tide of civility pulls away. Men in suits–adults all–left foundering in the mud, reaching down and throwing handfuls of muck at one another.

Is that really the best that they’ve got? Is this really the best we can do?

Distraction: The Unreliability of the News

Anybody who has ever tried their hand at magic knows that the most important part of the whole trick is how well you distract your audience. It’s the same with pickpocketry, if you should ever wish to fall back on that profession when you find yourself unsuccessful at conjuring coins out of thin air. Distraction, and its twin sibling Misdirection, are essential tools of any successful magician’s act. Done right, you’ll never even know you’ve been fooled.

Sound familiar?

Whatever Happened to Class?

I didn’t watch the Republican debates last night. Besides the fact that I’m a registered Democrat, there’s just too long to go until the actual Presidential election for me to risk my blood pressure this early. I also prefer to wait until the chaff gets shaken out of the wheat until I start forming an opinion.