Beautifully Written Words of Wisdom

James Lileks -- His Bleats and Screeds will be sorely missed.

[Keillor] “I think I still believe what I believe. Liberals hold that the test of a civilized society is how it deals with the weak, the sick, the powerless.”

No, sir, liberal hold that that test of a civilized society is means by which these things are dealt with. It takes a particularly self-satisfied form of self-righteousness to believe that only one side thinks it cares about these things. He quotes Blake and Jesus, then says:

[Keillor] “And so the test of the state is the state of the public schools and the treatment of the elderly, the ill, the demented, the incarcerated.”

Let’s look at each. The state of the public schools is not good, but you can’t say they’ve been under conservative dominion for 40 years. You might even suggest that the failure of schools in cities that have been run by Mr. Keillor’s ideological brethren suggests that the old approaches need to be rethought and replaced. The elderly: well, it was the Current Occupant Mr. Keillor detests so much who signed a new prescription drug benefit, expense be damned. Are we failing our elderly, then? No? Yes? How? The demented: it was not conservative policy to open up the asylums - although I’m sure it was probably enabled by conservatives for reasons that varied from a short-sighted desire to save money to the usual go-along-get-along approach that lacks the will to fight brave new Theories about managing social problems. Closing down the asylums, putting faith in community centers and drugs – this disaster came from people schooled in the latest academic theories of societal design, which tend not to be overly infested with snake-handling nihilists in golf pants. The incarcerated: well, no one wants inhumane prisons, but if you’re going to toss into the mix of Needy and Worthy the people who prey on others, you might spare a word or two for their victims. You could say that the state of the state depends on how it ensures the safety and well-being of the law-abiding citizen against the depredations of the criminal class.

In short: there are actually different ways to look at common problems, and each has merits, and each arises from a desire to do the right thing in the best way feasible. Imagine that! Another side! A whole big group of people out there who share common goals, but for some heretofore unrealized reason, have a different approach.

[Keillor] “And so the adoption of torture as American policy and loosing the darkness of the soup upon some poor manacle wretch at Guantanamo is no small matter. We are all wretches. But I will spare you the rest of the sermon.”

There’s always next week. He concludes:

[Keillor] “Let’s bring back community baths.”

Must we? Why? Because it helps him get around to the inevitable Obama moment:

[Keillor] . . .we would be more civil people. Cleaner, too. Before the first debate, put the geezer and the skinny guy in a stream room for 30 minutes and see if it doesn’t bring out something fine in them, something profound and memorable.”

Evidence to the contrary so far. He concludes - and there's nothing excised between the previous graf and this one:

[Keillor] “It’s a great country, no matter what the rich and the privileged say, and the truth, dear hearts, is marching on.”

Gawd. Every column now ends with on-marching truth. But what’s this thing about the rich and privileged saying it’s not a great country? I hear more distaste and dismay about America from one Senator than the other; I hear more disdain from cosseted movie stars than I hear from ordinary folk; I hear more grumpy, costive old burbling about the dark hole into which America has fallen from a rich and privileged Old Scout than I hear from, say, middle-class bloggers who get 40 hits a day but happen to love the actual country we have as opposed to the theoretical variant which Keillor believes is right around the corner. Next week: an attack, probably, on the smug, self-righteous rich and privileged, who think America’s just great. At least we know how that one will end: truth, marching, et cetera.

On a suprisingly positive note, in interviews during the Olympics, black basketball superstars Kobe Bryant and Lebron James and tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams said they were proud to represent their (and our) country. A far cry from the raised fist of the Mexico City games.

Maybe we are winning hearts and minds.