And day one of the three day weekend is waning to the sound of thunder as another summer storm wends its way up the Jones Valley. If I ever leave my adoptinve home of Birmingham, there are certain things I will miss and the suddenness and ferocity of summer thundershowers is one of them. They drop the temperature to the manageable 70s, at least termporarily, leave everything feeling clean and refreshed outside, and keep me from having to pay too much attention to the plants on my deck. Day two is taken up predominantly by social obligations and day three will be running around getting everything done that hasn’t been done already as I not only have to be ready for work on Monday, but also for first read through of The Tempest.
Twenty-one cast members and a half dozen staff are depending on me to lead them through the wilds of Shakespeare over the next eight weeks. I hope I’m ready. It’s the fourth year in a row I’ve done this so I should have a clue what I’m doing but each project is unique and poses different challenges. Last year, it was politics and major technical difficulties. This year it’s going to be integrating all of the elements in a way that make things at least somewhat magical on a a budget of $19.95. I have been assured that the lights will work this year and I have most of my usual team in place and at least they all know how I communicate and operate so we should all reach the finish line on August 6th at least vaguely together.
I have found the news over the last few days at least slightly more encouraging than in weeks past. While there’s all the usual destructive impulses from the administration against the institutions that built the post-war society, there are at least cracks in the facade. The saga of the reflecting pool remains a perfect metaphor for the second Trump term. Take something that has existed for years, fundamentally misunderstand and misinterpret what it is and how it works. Announce an unneeded fix at a low price. Proceed with a crony contract for a much higher figure. Crony contractor, chosen for politics over skill leaves things in worse shape. Announce a brilliant success while the wreckage is in plain view behind you.
The wreckage, of physical infrastructure, economic systems, world standing, health care, academia, immigrant communities etc. is now piling up so high that even the most fervent supporters of those currently in power are cutting their feet as they dance upon it. I saw a poll this past week showing that a majority (51%) of Americans can no longer afford their health care. The skyrocketing price of food, fuel and rent is decimating the lives of more of my firends than I care to count. Farmers are going bellyup. The Pentagon has spent hundreds of billions of dollars on a war with Iran which has gained the USA absolutely nothing as the memorandum of understanding signed with a flourish at Versailles (an ultimate troll by Macron) leaves Iran in basically the same place it was at the start of hositilites plus the ability to continue enriching uranium plus given access to previously frozen funds plus hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild infrastructure we destroyed. We can’t fight the screwworm infestation effectively as the programs designed to do that were shut down. Flu is sweeping through military installations due to the antivax attitudes of those in charge. I can’t think of a community that isn’t starting to wake up to the fact that they and theirs are being harmed by the policies of this administration.
The opening of the Obama Presidential Library in Chicago was a reminder of what we were and what we can be again. The focus was on the positive aspects of America, the way in which we can come together despite our differences and work towards common goals. The musical acts were a whos who of legendary performers of the last sixty years. Compare that to the official celebration of our 250th birthday in DC, handed off to more crony capitalists which sent most people with integrity fleeing the other direction when asked to participate. From what I last saw, we’re left with a Trump pep rally in a place where half the house has been demolished, the pool is full of algae, and there’s the remains of a cage fight on the front lawn. I do house calls in rural Alabama. I’m used to those neighborhoods but they aren’t usually beamed out over international network news.
The joy of international visitors to the World Cup getting outside of the usual international tourist destinations and discovering Bass Pro Shop and Wal-Mart and Waffle House breakfasts at 1 am is also very good news. It means that the media narrative ordained by the administration and carried out by their minions of the USA being a dangerous place full of violence and suspicious types is being demolished one lovely experience at a time. Bring on the Norwegians doing the row up escalators, the Scots drinking the bars of Boston dry and leaving traffic cones on the heads of the statues, the Algerians adopted and embraced by the people of Lawrence Kansas. That’s the America I live in and believe in.
Life, The Universe, and Everything 