This morning’s (10/11 Los Angeles Times carries a story that Le Clezio, a French writer, has been awarded the Nobel prize and few have heard of him. It’s a good piece examining the possible insularity of the Nobel committee, an accusation they use against American writers, the last of whom was awarded the prize in 1993.

I would have posted it here but don’t want to clutter up the blog with newspaper articles and I am too lazy to excerpt it. However, if you google the Los Angeles Times and sign up (it’s free) you will get stories that are often involving and interesting.

As for the Nobel outfit, it does seem that whatever view they have of America, no doubt some of it with merit, they are also victim to the “Americans are cretins, let’s ignore them” mindset that allows for no evaluation, no real thought, and an elitism and self-aggrandizing posturing that I am tired of. I am also reminded that one-note criticism usually says more about the critic (low self-esteem, let’s bash the other guy). They view Europe as the center of all meaningful culture. In so doing they are also discriminating against fine authors from many other countries, whom they are also ignoring. Sweden, I once read (this may no longer be true) has the highest suicide rate in the world. Apparently they can’t stand themselves either, so let’s go easy.

Re. the presidential campaign:

The McCain campaign’s irresponsible characterizing of Obama as consorting with terrorists, getting foreign money (you know, from Muslims), being a Muslim, being an Arab, has borne more fruit among their lunatic fringe than McCain anticipated. McCain is apparently unaware that a good many rural conservatives are uninformed and will more than believe him, meaning some of them might act out. I believe attempts on Obama’s life are more than likely and such behavior is fed by the demagoguery coming out of the McCain campaign.

To his credit, McCain backtracked. He took the mike away from a woman at his last town hall meeting, who was telling him she was afraid of Obama because he was a muslim and an Arab. McCain told the woman Obama was a decent Christian American with whom he disagreed. She said “I don’t believe you.” The crown booed him for trying to defuse what they “knew” to be true.

Aside from all my other disagreements with McCain personally (particularly this year as opposed to who he used to be) I question his judgment at allowing this rhetoric to become his strategy to win, not only because it is immoral but because he is oblivious to the very real emotional forces that it unleashes among those who are unbalanced. We have had more than our share of assassinations and attempts on our political leaders. That McCain sails along without a rudder in these waters is frightening.

Meanwhile, if he doesn’t put a dog collar on Palin and get her back to the shelter, then whatever he says has no meaning. Her inflammatory speeches (in that whiny tone her supporters love and that grates on my ear) continue. She is toxic. He doesn’t get it. Maybe he will this week after that scary town hall meeting.

The news yesterday said Palin did indeed abuse her powers in the troopergate scandal. The Republicans are trying to paint this as a Democratic witch hunt even though 10 of the 14-member group that handed this down are Republicans. I don’t know if this will gain life or just get lost in the shuffle.

A couple of McCain-Palin signs are popping up on lawns, but we do have an Obama headquarters temporarily renting one of our low-end houses. So far, however, lawns are not cluttered. A neighbor’s 12-year-old (a boy I thoroughly disliked a couple of years ago when I caught him torturing a gecko) is turning into a human being, and not a minute too soon. He asked me, as I biked by. weren’t the signs illegal. I said no, the people just wanted others to know who they were voting for. Then I added that I disagreed with most people on the island anyway and he said,“I hear ya.” This kid, incidentally, is immensely talented. He got rave reviews when he appeared in a Fort Myers production as the young boy in “Gentleman’s Agreement.” His mother, at least temporarily, is keeping him off stage. Driving him back and forth to rehearsals is apparently too much for her. That is sad, because I believe this sideline was saving his life. When you're happy with yourself you don't feel like hurting animals and people.

And my personal minutiae:

This morning I noticed Cascade stuck in the dishwasher dispenser instead of dissolving during the wash cycle. I started cleaning it out (it hardens like a rock) and some of it jumped up into my right eye. I stuck my face under the faucet and then applied my otc tears (for dry eye). I think I am okay, but it was scary. The instructions on the box say “rinse eyes for 15 minutes”. This stuff dissolves things. Also I overslept and that means I will be walking in the heat if I walk at all. Our “fall” weather, cool for a few days, has taken a hike. I don’t want to seem ungrateful for warm weather all year ‘round but this has been one of the hottest summers here in recent history. Enough.

My sis and I talked on the phone last night while her husband was out. I haven’t been going there since the last screaming match with my b.i.l.,(a foam-at-the-mouth Republican). She said that in the past couple of years he has alienated a good many of their friends and she feels isolated, but she loves him and he is very good to her, taking care of her every need because she has phn and is in constant pain. Ed says doing this also gives him total control and keeps her from any effort to deal with her own needs. It’s a mixed blessing.

I thought coming down here to live would give me some quality time with my sis, something that we had not enjoyed since I left Chicago at 24 to live another life. But soon after, she got shingles and succumbed to all the debilitating factors this can cause. She rarely leaves her house – only for doctor’s appointments. She keeps promising to pull herself together and come over (Don cannot come with her because Ed will not allow it). So the dysfunctional saga continues.

xx, Teal