Decency

While much of the national media (mainstream and otherwise) is chewing on the hypocrisy that ended New York Governor Eliot Spitzer's once-promising political career, I think that there is a more important lesson to be learned.

As Attorney General of the state of New York, Spitzer was a high profile enforcer of decency against corporate America. Having styled himself as a demanding reformer, he came to the state house in New York prepared to reform Albany's political system. It's a system badly in need of reform and Spitzer, a Democrat elected with a huge mandate (he won 70% of the vote in 2006), was determined to lead the change.

But he seemed to regard his electoral mandate as a license for arrogance. He deliberately alienated many of the members of the New York state legislature (on both sides of the aisle) and made no effort to build alliances with his fellow Democrats. That alienation was patently clear in the last 48 hours as the resounding silence of Spitzer's fellow Democrats was heard loud and clear: they would not put themselves on the line to defend Spitzer, a governor whom they found to be both autocratic and mean-spirited.

And who can blame them? Elected officials want to like and respect the people with whom they work; they want to work together to accomplish the goals of the organization. That's the case for all of us, I expect. In politics, a business predicated on the notion of doing better for the community, it is essential for elected officials to like and respect one another, no matter how much they disagree ideologically. From that foundation, political change can be accomplished (for example, President George H.W. Bush's 1989 budget deal, a bipartisan act of fiscal responsibility that helped usher in the prosperity of the 1990s ). Without it, there is animosity and partisanship that does not serve the public good. We may have a government, but it doesn't govern us well. I'm not saying that elected officials should not disagree. They do and they should. But they must disagree respectfully.

So in the end, sad as these circumstances must be for his family, it's a good thing for New York that Eliot Spitzer will no longer be the governor of the state. I may have liked his political views, but I did not like his style. The business of governing requires cooperation and compromise. Political officials who are liked and respected can do a lot for the people. And we should demand that level of decency in all of the people we elect.

Rice Krispie Treats

Today's Spring Break fun: Rice Krispie treats.

JT helped with the cooking.

And, he can confirm that they are tasty.

New and Improved Sin

Greed. Lust. Envy. Gluttony. Sloth. Anger. Pride.

The Seven Deadly sins. Serious business, these sins. According to the Catholic Church, commission of these sins will land your soul in mortal peril. That's hell, y'all, and I hear word that it's a rough neighborhood.

I note this because the Catholic Church is thinking of updating the Seven Deadly Sins. I heard a story about this on BBC World News and I must admit that it got me thinking. For one thing, the standard of the Seven Deadly Sins is pretty damned high. I think of myself as a fairly decent – dare I say, moral – person and I'm pretty sure that I commit one of these deadly sins on a weekly basis. Get your mind out of the gutter.........I'm speaking of anger, pride, and envy. I'd guess that most of us go down one of the seven deadly paths pretty regularly. So it strikes me that the update isn't necessarily a function of success as in, "Good news, folks. We've conquered the Seven Deadly Sins and it's time to up the ante." In other words, no one is making the argument that, having overcome the Seven Deadly Sins, we now require a new standard for good behavior. Thus the all-new, updated, Seven Deadly Sins.

But modern life demands progress and so......The new Seven Deadly sins are distinctly modern. In no particular order, they are:
- pollution
- obscene wealth
- drug abuse
- genetic modification
- experimentation on humans
- causing poverty
- causing social injustice

What is most striking about the updated Seven Deadly Sins is that they are thoroughly modern; sins not available in the 7th century world of the Seven Deadly v. 1. And whereas the original Seven Deadly Sins were largely about individual behavior, the updated sins are about community or group behavior. Because, unless I miss my mark, it's nearly impossible to cause poverty on your very own. Chances are good that no single one of us can be blamed for pollution, though we all likely contribute.

All day long as I thought about sin (and I wasn't alone.......what's the deal with Elliot Spitzer?), I wondered if the original 7 deadlies wouldn't be able to accommodate the new and improved sins. Isn't the sin of obscene wealth a function of greed, gluttony, and pride? At the same time, where does the good old-fashioned sin of lust fit in with the new list? Is lust no longer sinful?

Though I understand the impulse to update, I think that I'm just not persuaded that we need an all-new Seven Deadly sins. In fact, I think that the notion of sin may very well be the problem. So in my home we just use the Golden Rule: Treat others as you would like to be treated. It's timeless, covers the individual and the community, and I think that it does the trick quite nicely.

Toss-Up

At the moment, I have two pressing problems. Problem number one is the water in my basement, the outcome of recent torrential rains. There's not much water in the basement (say compared to last April's 3 feet), but enough to require use of the 12 gallon shop-vac every couple of hours. The rain has stopped and the sun is shining so the ground is drying, meaning the water can stay in the ground rather than my basement. It's a manageable situation, really.

Problem number two is the disgusting smell of wet cardboard. Like problem number one, this one will go away once the water departs. I am also in the process of removing all cardboard from places that might get wet, on-going project at Sassafras House......and one not particularly enjoyable for my resident inmate.

What I would most like is a basement that never gets wet. Near as I can tell, this will require either a move to high ground or thousands of dollars worth of home improvement. Neither seem likely at the moment.

So I'll settle for less of the funky smell.

Old-Fashioned Fun

Well before it was cool and people wrote best-selling books about it, I was a pretty old-fashioned mama. Old-fashioned in the sense that I believe that kids should play outside, running around powered by their imaginations and a few sticks. I have largely avoided the over-scheduling of my son's childhood and I am proud of that fact.

It was in this spirit of good old-fashioned fun that JT and I headed off to the Ringling Brothers Circus this afternoon. Though it was in a modern arena and there was plenty of the modern crap that such arenas feature, the circus remains an amazing assortment of performances that are wondrous when seen from the eyes of an 8 year old. The acrobats and the tightrope climber; the tigers and the trained elephants ; the silly clowns blowing bubbles.....all of it was perfect for an 8 year old, bringing a steady vocabulary of oohs and ahhs.
The cotton candy probably helped.

Science Fair

It's Science Fair Day in the lower school and this morning JT set up his project. There are plenty of actual scientists in the parent population at our school, so many of the projects will be impressive. While Kid X splits the atom and Kid Y is running his double-blind experiment to cure heart disease, here at Sassafras House we debated what to do.

I'm a social scientist (read: not an actual scientist) and so the assignment is not exactly my strong suit. The chance that I can clone our cats in my ample weekend hours seemed slim. So we went for the sympathy card: We studied broken bones.

We got some books and learned how bones heal and then we got copies of JT's before and after x-rays. We included some pictures of his various casts. JT is pleased with his project and it turned into a very nice remembrance of his broken leg.

Now I'll just sit back and wait for MIT to phone with the scholarship offer.

Brave Boy on a Bike

We've had a taste of spring this week and on the way home from school today JT suggested that we go bike riding. Six months ago he broke his leg while riding his bicycle, so I was thrilled to hear him make the proposal. I eagerly accepted the offer.

As it turns out, my bike had a flat tire that was beyond my repair abilities, so I promised to walk beside him as he rode. He confessed, "I'm a little scared," but then he faced that fear and rode right on down the sidewalk. I couldn't be prouder.

Real Life Conversations with JT: College Edition

The backstory: for all of February, JT worked on his book report about Booker T. Washington. He enjoyed reading the book but he did not find the detail work of the report as engaging. Sunday night, he was finishing up the project by illustrating the front cover; drawing a picture of Booker T. Washington when the following conversation ensued.

JT: Why do I have to color a picture for my cover?

Mama: Because that's what the instructions say you should do. Plus, you like coloring.

JT: Yes, I do, when I get to choose what I make in my picture.

Mama: Well, this won't hurt you.

JT: Maybe. But it will it help prepare me for college?

When he finds out that college involves completing schoolwork – much of it without the help of your mama – that may be a deal-breaker.

What Not to Do: Customer Service

I was out shopping this past weekend and I stopped into this store to try on some bras. Now it must be said that trying on bras is one of my least favorite shopping chores. The customer service at Store X didn't make it any better.

I was headed to the dressing room with a couple of bras in my hand when the sales woman swooped down on me, removed the bras from my hand and showed me just how they should be carried (don't collapse the cups! disaster will no doubt ensue!). I felt like an adolescent being chastised by a teacher. I said nothing and went to try on the bra. And all I can say is that the bra could have made me as firm and perky as a teenage girl and still I wouldn't have bought the damn thing from the store.

March 1st: My Tree

I was up early on Saturday morning; in time to see the sun rise. When I'd gone to bed on Friday night, snow was falling and I had expected a silent cold morning. But at sunrise, as I stood in my living room looking out at the tree in my backyard with a cup of hot coffee in my hands, I could hear birds chirping. Overnight, the snow had begun to melt. My big tree is yet still but, like me, he can hear that spring is just around the corner.