0577 - LoveHate

“It’s a week before Christmas, and all through the Observatory, most things are a mess, whilst our progress is nugatory.” From time to time, attentive and faithful Readers send the OO practical gifts that may – or perhaps may not– embellish this column. This week, a charming Reader in Vero Beach, Florida sent a 2005 desk calendar with a strange and all but forgotten word on each page. We have already looked ahead, and find a few that are good to go. We can use “logolatry” [worship of words], as well as “opiniatrety” [unreasonable attachment to one’s own notions]. Practical stuff, right for daily use. Let’s start with “opiniatrety” and apply it to that rather strange White House ceremony where high medals were just awarded to three characters who may have deserved some government action, but just not medals.

A medal was awarded to one Tenet, the last head of the C.I.A., apparently in recognition of his agency’s total failure to discover that there were no WMDs in that four-letter Middle East country. Surely this was the worst performance of any career, so why award a medal to the guy in charge? Then a similar honor went to one Bremer, who is widely said to have ordered the disbandment of the army in the same ghastly pimple, thus allowing the place to crumble into an unholier mess. Is this sensible? Is there a suspicion of politics here? The worse you screw up, the better the medal, and maybe the dumb public will think you did a great job.

Last week we said that really, now, it is time to get rid of Rummy, who has nevertheless been retained, despite leading the list of disastrous decision-makers. As usual, we are ahead of the news, since this week we saw four prominent Republican Senators agree that it is time for Rummy to go. No doubt he will get a whopper of a medal. Or, we note that the Administration is planning a big Social Security make-over. We certainly look forward to seeing the great U.S. public trade stocks with their retirement money. Maybe Rummy could be sent to SocSec where he can invest the cash of the innocent. We, being notably non-innocent, won’t give him a cent. Yet, since Rummy is an opiniatrety star, and loves all his goofs, maybe he is well qualified to run a mutual fund?

Now, about today’s title. It was meant to introduce mellow musings about spending the Holidays on Anguilla. What you have to love is the effusion of good feeling: practically 100% of the citizenry is smiling and full of cheer. Centenarians are driving the roads at all hours, generally at speeds of under 15 m.p.h. Meanwhile, we suspect time is running out to spend some money set aside for the roads, because they are being worked on from East End to West End. [Geographical note: Anguilla has no North or South End (please – forget that pun!).] Even the Anguilla Water Department, on leave from its work in the Middle East, is crazed with the seasonal spirit, and has filled in a few of its ditches. And, today is the day that Wallblake Airport is scheduled to re-open with bigger runways. And who ever heard of a Public Works project that wasn’t finished spot on time?

Yet, with all the griping you have heard from us about Anguilla’s sometimes frustrating ways, the sun is shining today, there is no snow predicted, the island is safe, the new Governor and Madam Huckle are getting good reviews from all sides, and even in our stony hearts there is a noticeable warming. Our entire Staff sends your our best, and we hope you each are of the same kidney. [Look it up!]

Next time: Onward! [OO #578]

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