Thursday, May 5, 2011

Banana bread, Bin Laden, and Obama



Bananas we
(by R.P.Edwards)

Five distraught bananas
Crying in the bowl
Past the hours for picking
Time had taken toll
“We’ll soon be in the garbage”
Each mournful member said
And then the Master chose them
And exclaimed, “Banana bread!”


It was a storied franchise, and a stunning victory.  The winning play; the goal-line crossing step was, like the upward bobbing point of the iceberg, the result of a great unseen and usually unheralded structure that strained in the pressured depths to allow the smallest part…to shine in the sun.  And, appropriately, at the post-game podium, the quarterback--the star of the game--gave the credit due to “all” those responsible for the win and…it took a while.
_____

Kudos to President Obama for making the right decision.  There, I said it.  Again, I have no animosity towards the chief executive and, given the choice of “A” or “B;” he chose the one that worked out…marvelously.  But, was Mr Obama responsible for the layer upon layer upon layer of this “tower” that, built and maintained by others, allowed the commander-in-chief to place the capstone? Of course not.  Nevertheless, it worked out well.  The murderous leader, Osama Bin Laden…is dead.  And the world is better for it. 

So, because of this shining victory, will the masses be swayed to reelect President Obama in 2012? Time will tell.  However, let us remember, “Presidents” are supposed to make right decisions and, as far as the economy, energy policy, moral issues (i.e. traditional marriage, abortion) and perhaps a few other “areas” I can’t think of at the moment; his record, in my opinion, tends to fall in the other column. 

During the writing of this blog I heard an interview of David Beamer, father of 9/11 hero, Todd Beamer (who led passengers of United flight 93 to counterattack terrorists, saying the now famous phrase “Let’s Roll”) by Martha MacCallum.  She asked the elder Beamer his thoughts concerning the recent events and also why he had declined the offer to meet with the President along with forty-nine other 9/11families.  Following is an excerpt :

“With the glorious news of Osama Bin Laden’s demise at our hands; that was wonderful. I feel some chagrin now, though, about how the rest of its being handled, and frankly it started May Day, twenty-eleven, when the president announced to all of us what had happened; the excessive use of the personal pronoun that he used in his remarks; I really felt that was the beginning of the commander-in-chief putting too much spotlight on himself; taking too much credit for what these remarkable Americans had done, and of course it’s only now been accelerated to a greater degree in the media. You know, it’s being hailed as one of the greatest war-time decisions; bold and gutsy. And quite frankly, under the facts and circumstances, I think it was anything but that…and to use this decision as to wipe the slate clean and say, “See what our President really does have massive leadership skills and experience and this proves the point.” It does not. …and by the way, what forty navy seals and the intelligence agency did in this wonderful and courageous event does not change what his demonstrated policies and practices have been.”

Obviously I omitted much, but I believe the context is accurate and I invite and encourage the reader to watch the whole interview (done this day, May 5, 2011) when it becomes available on YouTube or elsewhere.

One more thing: the “banana” poem began in our kitchen a few days ago.  Five overripe bananas…destined for the trash.  Armed with the knowledge that I have a teenage daughter who willingly takes on culinary challenges; I retrieved a cook book; looked up a banana bread recipe and, placing said formula and browning rejects in plain sight; well, let’s just say…the bread is delicious.  I’d like to think that President Obama; though many of his past decisions have been, let’s say “unsavory;” let’s hope that the recent “right” decision…leads to many more.

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