Missed opportunity

Senator John McCain ought to make a speech--or end a speech with something like the following:

"I am running for President of the United States of America. I wnat to be your president. I think that I am the best person running in this race. But if you are going to vote for me because you will not vote for an African American, I do not want your vote. I want your vote but I do not want it if it is cast in opposition to my opponent's race. There is no place in my tent for those that would not allow for an African American president.

If you are thinking of voting for me because I am not black, I don't want your damn vote. I mean that sincerely."

Not only will McCain not make that speech, he failed to take the opportunity already presented to him: when a supporter asked him if '..he could beat the bitch", he failed to admonish his supporter not to use that sort of language and maybe deliver the kind of gentle lecture on good manners that a great politician may have put forth.

McCain had a golden opportunity to tell his supporter that, while he disagreed with Senator Hilary Clinton on nearly every issue, there was no reason to use derogatory and gutteral language when speaking of her. That he had a begrudging respect for her. That he had even worked with her of issues of import and substance and that everyone deserves some level of respect unless proven undeserving.

He could have gone further and spoken of the idea that politics is not a personal fight but one of words and ideas. He could have spoken of some kindness that Clinton had done and he could have spoken of her as a worthy opponent to be heldin high regard and so on.

Instead, he chortled and lost the opportunity to right many wrongs. And he demonstrated that he will never insist on not garnering the votes of those that will not vote for an African American.

Three glorious examples of what is wrong

In the past week, three things happened, each totally unconnected to each other, that illustrate part of the problem.

First, three hikers were found dead in the mountains where they had gone winter camping and killed by an avalanche.

Second, a car plunged off of a suburban freway on-ramp.

And third, someone had driven off of a busy highway (though not a freeway) and hit a guardrail, leaving a large piece of metal astride the sidewalk, effectively blocking any but the youngest and nimble pedestrian.

Here's the important part of the story: the government's response to these incidents.

The bodies of the three dead men were left up there on the mountains, awaiting better weather when a helicopter could get them out safely.

The car that ran off the on-ramp in the suburbs was immediately pulled out of the ditch. This required the shutdown of the on-ramp, the police were tied up for hours, and it caused an unholy mess in the morning commute.

The guardrail is still blocking the sidewalk, five days later.

Now, I agree that the mountaineer's bodies ought to be left up there. They have already been there several months. Certainly, even their living loved ones would not have anyone jeopardize their lives to bring down the bodies even one day earlier than safe.

But couldn't the car that went off the ramp be brought up in the middle of the night? When there is no one around. When the cops aren't busy? When there is a better chance of doing the operation safely? The car could have been covered with a tarp and retrieved at 4:00 AM when the traffic would be thin-to-non-existant?

And the guardrail blocking the sidewalk? It speaks for itself. The City cares nothing for pedestrians. If there were a guardrail sticking as much as an inch onto the roadway, the city would be on it. If a guardrail was blocking nearly anything other than a sidewalk, it would be taken care of immediately--blocking a business entrance, a parking space, even hoisted in such a way to block a billboard, it would be removed, right away.

The City has lost its way, sadly.

Three glorious examples of what is wrong