Triangle (wo)Man

Here it is, October again. As the 6yo said, "I have my shoes. I have my costume. All I need now is Halloween!"

Aside from October being the month of Samhain and all the festivities and remembrances that involves, it's National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month. I see this dedication as a way for those affected to remember those little lives and futures lost, and also to raise the awareness of the blessedly ignorant (BI) on how to react to such tragedies.

It has been my experience, both as one of the BI, and then as one of the grieving, that the BI say things to make themselves feel better, not to make the grieving feel better. Like, "Oh, you're still young, you can have more." Yah, right, well, can I have THIS one instead? Or, "It was God's will." Yah, maybe YOUR God, the sick, twisted diety he may be whom I'm having one HELL of a time believing has any good intentions if you insist it's His will. How about, "It was for the best." For whose best? Yours? Sure, maybe the genetics were bad, but that doesn't make it hurt any less. I've known too many friends who have had to make extremely difficult decisions about what to do after a test shows severe genetic and phenotypic abnormalities, who have made the decision to terminate *because* they love their child so much, to ever pretend that difficult genetics makes the loss any less difficult itself.

Then there's perhaps the worst offense at all. Ignoring the loss. Even worse, ignoring the loss and pain on national television in a debate when your opponent chokes up in front of millions of voters.



Oh, there are many reasons to despise Palin. Endorsing witch hunting. Forcing her daughter into an insane marriage. Making rape victims pay for their own rape kits. Trying to ban books. Using political power for coersion. Using lies to make points. Making women look inept and unable to hold political office. But this, folks, her complete and total lack of empathy after an emotional, human moment as a father struggles (and succeeds) to continue after sharing such a desperate moment in his life, this makes her a bitch.

What's that blue thing doing here?

Some of you may have heard there's a slight problem with our economy. Don't panic, John McCain has insisted that the fundamentals of our economy are sound and strong . Don't let his little pirouette about postponing a debate because of the economy deter you from your confidence.

Thank-you, Margaret Bourke-White, for capturing this idealism best in a photo seventy years ago that still speaks truth today.



Scan courtesy of Masters of Photography.