Politicians from both of America's major political parties need a healthy dose of integrity and courage to handle the issue of Peace straightforwardly, and then indeed "move forward" (to quote a famous ... uh ...uh ...American) to a solution to Medical Care for our people.

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My ex-compatriot Democrats advise me that I am "unrealistic" to expect a million citizens to go to the Mall in DC and to stay (weeks? months?) and to suffer the discomforts of encampment and possible risks of police or military thuggery -- to end the slaughter in Iraq. And all the while I wonder what could be holding them back. (Please spare me the list!) And now with Michael Moore's film "Sicko," the issue of universal healthcare for Americans is unearthed for substantially the first time since it was entombed by the American Medical Association, big pharma and Wall Street after Harry Truman took a bold shot at it about sixty years ago. Since then, as you are no doubt aware, it has become the solution to medical care by every Western industrialized nation, with possibly the sole exception of South Africa. The Republicans respond to the resurrection of this issue by flailing their arms and screaming out that it's "Socialized Medicine." Day-em, you might allow, that bad? We need to understand that in their hierarchy of evils, SM does not stand for Sado-Masochism, but the much worse thing, somewhere up on their list along with vile acts involving one's mother or suggesting we should respect the Bill of Rights. Democrats don't ordinarily respond in the same frenetic fashion, but rather quietly confide that it is unrealistic (ugh, that word again) to win office with such an initiative burdening one's platform. So it's not about doing the right thing; it's about winning. And what does one do after winning? Well, if Madam Speaker Pelosi's behavior is any indication -- anything one wishes (impeachment is off the table, more funding for the Iraq disgrace, etc.) but with a realistic (day-em!) approach to winning again and perhaps bigger in 2008. Now, don't get the idea that all Democrats are political cowards. Dennis Kucinich is not, but he is, however, the smallest of the presidential wannabees and bears the largest cajones, a combination which tolls the death knell for his aspirations. We need not worry that the Republicans would defeat his candidacy because the Democrats will deny us that choice by not permitting his candidacy. Unrealistic, don't you know! I would really like to offer some encouragement that one of our tired old gelding political parties will morph the cajones to consider discarding slaughter, national security paranoia, torture, flag worship, "faith-based" constitutional infringement, enrichment of big pharma and insurance interests, and reactionary posturing as the routes to achieve its partisan ambitions and greed portion, and finally to provide some degree of decent governance, but that would be unrealistic (argh!) But as a concession to my peacenik friends and old Democrat compadres, and as an indication that although "unrealistic" I am not completely unreasonable, not completely devoid of hope after six years of the Bush disgrace, five years of slaughter and the trashing of our Constitution, not completely disillusioned after the Democrats gifting Bush his war powers in 2002 and betraying our expectations in return for our votes in 2006 -- I will agree to go to their rally in DC to support universal healthcare for all Americans and to protest continuing the Iraq War, just prior to the elections in 2016. .......................Rafe Pilgrim

Authors Bio:
Rafe Pilgrim, after "a life largely wasted on hard honest work," found himself a jungle of turkey oak, scrub pine and giant palmettos up a dirt road running east of Crystal River, Florida, which neither school busses nor the U.S. Postal Service dare to assay. Sharing a house of his own design with Spanky the cat, Darla a pit bull, and a foundling of mysterious breed named Alfalfa -- all collectively known as Our Gang -- he spends his time "productively: writing poetry, working for peace, and gazing at the sky."


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Central High School of Philadelphia, University of Maryland, Syracuse University, University of Maine, Ursinus College, Air Force Intelligence (Washington D.C., Germany), Ford Motor Company, Philco-Ford Corporation, Eighth Day Gallery, Phi Kappa Phi, Romey Everdell Award for Journalism,(1988), Hole in one (1998), and struggling to find America ever since 2000.