President Obama's Slippery Slide

President Barack Obama went to Louisiana yesterday for a few hours to see what was happening on the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico following the accidental destruction of an offshore oil well on April 29, 2010.  As the worst environmental disaster in United States of America history, the Deepwater Horizon well, located 5,000 feet below sea level, is spilling between 5,000 and 70,000 barrels of crude a day, along with a mixture of methane.  The low estimate is British Petroleum's (BP) estimate and, according to National Public Radio (2010) on May 14, 2010, the 70,000 number is from researcher Steve Wereley, an associate professor at Purdue University. 

As the president walked the beaches of Louisiana for a short period yesterday with Bobby Jindal, governor of Louisiana, and other State officials, hundreds of workers were cleaning up the oil-stained beach. The illusion was grand.  BP had hired 300-400 workers for the day to create a picture for President Obama and the nation.  The worst part, of course, is that the company expected us to buy it, just like we do their oil.  They didn't count on our natural, American curiosity.  We question what we see.

The real challenge for us as a nation is that we are watching our president in action.  This is his 9/11.  A disaster is happening and he is in the White House instead of amongst the people.  His ivory tower is growing more tarnished every day he is not creating the images that we need to see of him cleaning birds and raking oil from the beach.  At least, that is what we are beginning to believe.

The truth is President Obama is right where he should be.  He's showing us that he's doing what is necessary, but he's slow. Very slow.  In most major actions that are trying to be accomplished, he is moving at a snail's pace.  One must ask the question, "Why?"

Perhaps we are so offput by this tempo because for the first time in a long time, we have someone leading our country who is thoughtfully reviewing every option.  He is providing his staff an opportunity to create goals that are attainable and methodologies by which we can manifest real changes.  If this is true, then the changes are surely going to last and are going to benefit us.

He is also a team builder, it seems.  He is allowing people to sink or swim based on their own merits.  The swimming lessons are taking time.  In the case of the BP oil spill, though, the environment can't afford that time.

It is past the time when President Obama should stop negotiating and developing and should start commanding.  Even on the BP (2010) Webpage, BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward stated, "The honest truth is that this is a complex accident, caused by an unprecedented combination of failures."

At this point, the citizens of our country should now hear President Obama clearly state that:

• BP Oil must work with other industry experts to resolve this issue immediately, even to the extent of using experimental means to shut off the unbridled spillage;  
• Fishermen who are now out of work in the Gulf must be immediately hired to begin cleaning the sea; 
• Complete transparency must be provided by both the governmental agencies and the various companies suspected to be at fault;
• The American people must know that a response, such as the one that we provided to Haiti following their devastaing earthquake, is being provided to the people in the Gulf states, particularly because we are facing an horrific hurricane season this year;
• Those responsible for this disaster, including the Federal agencies who did not monitor and permit these companies appropriately, will be fully responsible for this unprecedented event.

 The truth is, we have become so image conscious, we cannot allow the leader of our country the freedom to choose how he spends his time.  We want him to do what makes us comfortable, sometimes over what is most efficacious.  Of course we want answers.  That's to be expected.  Shouldn't we, though, understand that this is a dynamically difficult problem and that our president is spending dawn to dusk working on this problem, along with everything else that he is currently facing. 

One last thought:

We are able to view this spill from the heavens, yet, we seem unable to do much about it here on the surface of our planet.  How is that possible?  It is reminiscent of those people who serve lunches to the poor while not making sure their own children have lunches at home.  It may be time to use whatever resources we have for research in other areas and direct them toward ensuring we have a healthier planet.
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References: 

NPR. (2010). NPR - podcasts. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126809525

BP. (2010). BP - press. Retrieved from http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7062374

New York Daily News.com (2010) [Alg Screen-grab oil-spill] Retrieved from  
http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2010/05/28/alg_screen-grab_oil-spill.jpg

The London Telegraph (2010) [Barack Obama Oil 1646675]  Retrieved from http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01646/barack-obama-oil_1646675c.jpg

Treehugger.com (2010) [Skytruth BP Oil Spill Satellite Photo 01] Retrieved from http://www.treehugger.com/skytruth-bp-oil-spill-satellite-photo01.jpg

Joe's Smile

One thing I will say about my wonderful cousin, Joe, is that he had the most amazing smile of anyone I've ever met.  That is saying something considering I've met a lot of people in my lifetime. 

Joe died today at the age of 50.  He had cancer, the same kind from which my mother died.  Pancreatic cancer is a bitch.  It's that simple.  His condition was complicated, but I'm not ready to discuss that yet.  As a writer, I suspect I should be willing to talk about anything, but as a human being, I haven't begun to grieve yet.

I have a photo on my counter of my brother, four of my cousins, and me at the beach in Capitola, California, during the summer of 1964.  We used to go there nearly every summer.  Our parents, and friends of theirs with children, would rent seaside cottages and we would have the best time.

On this particular day, we decided to bury our legs in the sand.  I don't remember the actual day, but if our faces were indicators, we had a great time.  I was on the far left.  To the right, there were Tom, and John, Joe's brothers, my brother, David kneeling in the back, Joe, and his sister, Caroline.  To me, it's a precious picture because now three of us in the photo are gone.  John died in a car accident at 16 in 1974.  David died in 2006, four months after my mother died.  Joe joined them today.  Tom, Caroline, and I are the ones who remain from that moment so long ago. 

I spent quite a bit of time in Santa Clara, along with all of Joe's brothers and sister, in-laws, nephews, nieces, and his children, taking care of this wonderful soul.  It would be very easy to make Joe a saint in my heart.  He was no more a saint than any of us; although, I will say this:  Joe's smile was not of this world.  Even at 50, he had the smile of a joyful, awestruck child.  He was thrilled by everything.  He lived in a state of grace that I have rarely seen.

When we were younger, Joe and David were joined at the hip when we were all together.  As we grew older, David moved to Washington and Joe and I grew closer.  Out of all my cousins, he, his sister, Margaret, and his brother, Tom, are the ones with whom I am closest.  They are more like my brothers and sister, especially because my own brother is gone now. 

The telling part about Joe is that most people who knew him felt the same way.  He had that innate ability to make everyone feel as though they were the most important person in the world to him.  I'm certain I know why.  He understood gratitude.  He never took anything for granted when it came to giving or receiving love.  He cherished every moment with those he loved.  We talked about that often. 

Between his children, Jackie and David, his amazing surviving siblings, Robert, Margaret, Elizabeth, Thomas, Caroline, and Mary, his brave parents, Joaquin and Caroline, and everyone else who has surrounded him with his best interests at heart, Joe had a lot for which to be grateful... and he was.  He said so all the time. 

The day I left the hospital in Santa Clara for the last time, Joe and I embraced, kissed one another good-bye, and I said that I would see him again soon.  He looked at me with a look that is indelibly scorched into my heart.  He knew we would never see each other again in this lifetime.  I knew it too, but he smiled at me in such a way as to say, it was the way it was supposed to be.

I will miss this beautiful, laughter-filled, spirit-sharing man. My commitment to Joe is to redouble my efforts to validate and appreciate those who are generous enough to love me.  The good news is that I have been very lucky in that way.  I am surrounded by many people who share their love in small and large ways every day.  As Joe would say, "I may not have a lot of money in the bank, but, Jimmy, I'm the richest man in the world.  I have love." 

My faith tells me that Joe was greeted by Johnny, David, Mom, Aunt Mary and Aunt Bea, Nana Rayo, and everyone who went before him.  I believe he is in the light of God and is perfectly happy now, without cancer, without pain, and without worry.  I am happy for him.  I believe, too, that when my time comes to move forward, he will be part of the cadre to greet me. 

I suspect that if there are clouds through which I must traverse on the way to my celestial home, it will be Joe's smile that will guide my path. 

Thank you, Joe, for your friendship and fraternity.  I am grateful for your faith, fearlessness, and strength.  I will love you forever and you will never be far from my memory.  Thank you, too, for adding to my emotional coffers because you have helped to make me the rich man I am today.

God bless you, Cousin.  I know he blessed us with you for half a century.  For that, I will always be grateful.  Godspeed on your journey home.

Love,

Your cousin, Jim

An Evening Off

When one works seven days a week on one's various projects, one gets tired.  It's simple math, really.  Excessive energy expenditure+Too little time+Inadequate intake of food and water+Advancing age=Exhaustion.  See?

Tonight, I have a night off of work.  Of course, as is always the case, I have personal plans, but they will be a great way to blow off some steam.  Tonight, I plan to watch television with friends, piss and moan if Lee DeWyze wins American Idol, or dance around with glee if Crystal Bowersox is selected number one. I'll be able to check in with my friends if we go over to their house for this event. It's all about fun.

The truth is, though, I feel a little guilty for not working.  How is that possible?  Guilt?  First of all, that's not like me at all.  I have few regrets about my life.  I know that all my experiences have brought me to the place I find myself today, so why regret any of the choices I've made.  I've decided to learn something from those choice that have been more challenging. 

On a larger spectrum, I have to ask a question.  With so many people out of work and seemingly having more time to relax, I wonder what the balance is between those who are working and those who are not?  Although I have mere twinges of resentment for those who have ample time to chill out, to use the common vernacular, are there a growing number of people who look at those without work as slackers?

I suspect it's not as cut and dried as all that.  I suspect the pressures on those who are not working are significant and it may be that they are suffering with being out of work in a way those of us who are working will never understand.

Being faced with losing a home or lease, having one's car repossessed, not being able to feed one's family, or possibly having the electricity turned off must feel like an unbearable weight to those who are home watching television.

Those who are faced with these grim situations, even though they may spend adequate time seeking work, may feel compelled to escape the realities of their lives by jumping into the pool of electronic stories on the tube.  Once there, they may become nearly paralyzed by the freedom from worry they experience while delving into Judge Judy, Lost, or the Housewives of New York.

As reported by Hoare and Machin in an article in the Australian Journal of Career Development (2009), a foundational study by Austrian psychologist Marie Jahoda recognized that not only did unemployment affect a person's ability to earn an income, it also affected that individual's, "sense of collective purpose, opportunities for contact with others outside of their immediate family, a sense of social status, enforced activity, and a structure to their time. Jahoda found that unemployment reduced or deprived people of those five psychosocial benefits, causing them to experience significant distress."

There are coping benefits attached to leisurely pasttimes that include physical activities, visiting with friends, and other interactive choices for relaxation.  The challenge arises when one has a more pessimistic general view of life and become paralyzed by their fears.  Often, it is then that individuals become glued to their televisions.

Hoare and Machin (2009), in this same article, suggest that a positive outlook amplifies one's ability to select stress-relieving activities that can be more productive rather than becoming increasingly isolated and stagnant in one's activities. 

While intervention techniques tend to work with those adequately motivated to seek work, it may fall on those around the unemployed to support him or her in renewing a focus on finding work, reintegrating into the community, and finding a more positive attitude toward life, even in the face of such daunting difficulties.

So, tonight as I sit in front of the television, trying to quiet my mind from the week's acitivities, I will likely offer a silent prayer of gratitude for having the opportunity to work and not suffering from the stress of worrying about our income in the same way others must.  I will also send out a message to the Universe to request jobs for those who are ready to work.

Oh! And, "Go, Crystal Bowersox!" 

Reference:

Hoare, P., & Machin, M. (2009). SOME IMPLICATIONS OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPERIENCE OF UNEMPLOYMENT. Australian Journal of Career Development, 18(3), 57-61. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.

P.S.  Crystal came in second.  I suspect she will have an amazing career nonetheless.  :-)
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