Lunch and Nuclear War

Scary news today. I’m not sure which is worse, the fact that Iran is now basically publicly declaring their desire for a unified Islamic state (by conquest, if necessary) or that they’ve called for the destruction of the Israeli state (and the U.S., for that matter). This does not bode well.

How do we go about calming the rhetoric of a jihadist government? How do we convince a significant segment of the Iranian populace that we bear them no ill will and wish only for peaceful coexistence? How do we bring peace to Israelis and Palestinians? How do we end the conflicts and prevent escalation of tensions? I think, in order to answer the hows, there are some whys that must first be addressed.

Why does the government/religious leadership of Iran bear such ill will to the Israelis and the U.S.? Why does the Iranian populace buy into the rhetoric? Why haven’t the Israelis and the Palestinians yet found a peaceful resolution to their problems?

In international politics, as in all human matters, there are rarely clear, definitive answers.

Definitive results, though… there’s huge potential for those. Death, destruction, chemical, biological, and nuclear war. Each of those is harshly, unforgivingly definitive.

Lost Dreams Found Here…

I made a trip to LA this last weekend. It was a magical weekend filled with cramped coach-class seats, tiny airline liquor bottles, and a beautiful SoCal haze that tinted the sky with a delicate shade of grey. Los Angeles is delightfully speckled with litter and potholes, and a smattering of dying palms for some extra color.

Cynicism aside, LA was enjoyable, as was Disneyland. Since I was old enough to know who Mickey Mouse is, I had wanted to visit the Magical Kindgom very much. I longed for vacations to Orlando and Anaheim, and longed for a chance to meet Aladdin and Ariel and all the rest. I envied my friends, coming home from Christmas and Spring vacations tanned and loaded up on Mouse gear.

I also knew that I would never go. I figured out pretty early that Mom and Dad didn’t quite have the same level of disposable income as the Bloomers or the Berwalds and so I eventually accepted that Disney would remain forever distant and unattainable. That’s not to say that I never had enjoyable vacations as a child. I very clearly remember very fun camping trips with the family to Gooseberry Falls and Tettegouche and Itasca. And a crush on a certain older boy named Charley who befriended me on vacation at Scenic Lake State Park (but that is another story for another day).

So when my dear friend Josh told me he had a friend with an extra free pass to Disneyland, I suddenly remembered my lost dream. This was my Golden Ticket. (Yes, I realize I’m mixing Dahl with Disney, but I was never too picky when blending my own metaphors.) So I seized the opportunity, and the enticement of seeing an old friend for the first time in a while certainly weighed in on the decision too. By the next day, I had booked my flight and by Friday I was sick with anticipation and nerves. (Let me tell you, not the best condition in which to fly, but I doubt it could have been helped.)

Gay Day at Disneyland was great. Throngs of scarlet-clad homos shrieking with delight and thrill at every turn. Thrills at the Tower of Terror and Indiana Jones rides. Delight at seeing the afternoon parade down Mainstreet USA, and a few tears of joy during Fantasmic and the fireworks. Altogether it ranks among the best experiences of my life thus far. And now I have a plush Nemo of my very own to remind me of all the fun.