WINNEMUCCA — I intended to write about Haiti and how fortunate we are to live in a country with such a strong infrastructure.  Then I remembered in the US our bridges fall down for no reason whatsoever, except benign neglect, so I thought it best not to be so hoity-toity on the topic.

Instead, I’m addressing a question recently posed to Sarah Palin who was asked, “Who’s your favorite Founding Father?”  To which she replied, “All of them … because they were so diverse.”  Unfortunately she continued.  Palin went on to note she admired the Founding Fathers because they found a way to come together and compromise on the issues despite their differences.

This caused howls of laughter from students of history around the country.  “Diverse?” they snorted contemptuously, “Diverse as only a group of rich, white men can be.”   

Oh, sure, they had differences.  For example, some of them believed it way okay to own black people while others believed it was not okay.  They compromised on the issue like this:  the Southern Delegation said, “You will let us continue owning our black people or we will give you opportunity to fight a Revolution all by yourselves.”  The Northern Delegation replied, “Oh. Okay.”

This method of diplomacy continued until 1861 when the Southern Delegation said, “You will let us continue owning our black people or we will leave the Union.”  To which Abraham Lincoln famously retorted, “Wanna bet?”

Reader Response Requested:

Shortly before Christmas of 1979, I was faced with the sad duty of informing the world that Frosty the Snowman had died.

The holiday season started out quite beautifully for a four year old girl; I wanted a Barbie doll and Barbie clothes and everything else featured in the commercials that played between episodes of Superman and Wonder Woman cartoons that year and I floated through life with a small child’s confidence that every item I desired would mystically appear under the tree courtesy of Santa Claus.

I have a friend who I lost touch with over the past few weeks. I would love nothing more than to hear from this friend again. And then there is that “friend” who makes me wish I had never opened my inbox.

The friend I hope to hear from again soon is the bluntest individual I have ever met; bluntness mixed with open disdain for most of the people at their workplace, a general dislike of their current hometown, and a sarcastic sense of humor. I miss hearing it all.

 The person I hope I never hear from again, I’ll call “Sally.”  When you meet Sally, she is quite charming and outwardly warm and loving toward all. She comes across as open, trusting, warm, and very social; all of those things you’re “supposed” to be if you want to make and keep friends.  We began talking because I shared my information packet with her during our first week of graduate school when she forgot hers and she seemed so thankful for the rescue, she rewarded me with her undying “friendship.”

If I have done nothing else for my child, now 9-years-old, she has been exposed to excellent movies.  As a matter of fact, the other day I made her stop some silly activity (I think it was her homework) to watch Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window.  I asked her what she thought, and she responded emphatically, “I loved it.” How could she not?  Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly and rear-window ethics.

Her current favorite movie is Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and she knows most of the dialogue by heart.  I believe this is evidence of my good parenting.

Our favorite movies, I think, tell a lot about us.