SANDY/ATHENA AFTERMATH (AND POLITICS AS USUAL FROM THE RIGHT)

I don't remember them naming snowstorms before, but this one they're calling Athena. It woke me up to the beauty of a snow covered world, including the mounds of leaves and branches and parts of trees still on the curb and street in front of the old house my apartment is in.

I love the way snow makes everything look like a Christmas card or magical kingdom of winter. I know many who have to shovel it don't always feel that way, but I still do. And because the temperature is rising, the streets and sidewalks where they've been plowed and shoveled are already almost completely free of white and instead the asphalt on the street is that deep dark black that comes when it's wet and everything around it is so white.

Of course if I had to get up for a 9 to 5, or for many even earlier, I might not like it. And my heart goes out to all those still without power or who lost it because of Athena or, worse still, lost it because of Sandy, got it back, then lost it again from Athena! Sandy's wake continue to grow and resonate in hurtful ways throughout the Northeast.

As for politics as usual, here it is in our face again. Listening to NPR this morning the Republican leaders in the House are making it clear they think they have a mandate separate from the president's. Even though he ran on raising taxes slightly for the richest of the rich, and exit polls and other polls show most of us citizens agree with him, including many in that category themselves, Boner and his group of house leaders on the rightwing Republican side are still saying no tax raise for the richest of the rich but they are willing to work with the president if he's willing!

That's like saying in a gunfight, I'm willing to talk about it if you empty your gun of all bullets while I keep mine. This is a direct result of the gerrymandering damage done by Republicans winning control of statehouses and state legislatures where they got to redraw districts so that enough of them would look like geometric accidents but contain only or mainly staunch Republican voters so that party could control that district.

I guess the only answer for the future is to have a mass movement of like-minded reasonable people move into those districts until they overrun it with a people that are truly willing to compromise.

[PS: I got rid of the word-check screener for comments since many were complaining they couldn't get through that barrier to leave their thoughts. Sorry about that.]