I Think I'm Turning Japanese, I Think I'm Turning Japanese, I Really Think So...

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First of all, this post is not about a song by the 1980's one hit wonder group The Vapors which loosely references masturbation in prison. Yes that really is what the song is about. I know this to be true because one Sunday I watched "Behind The Music" on VH1 and the individual who wrote the song confirmed this... anyway moving on.

Okay I know that some of my friends have accused me of being perhaps a bit callous in some of my remarks concerning the recent Japanese earthquakes and related tsunamis. And yes I will be the first one to stipulate that I may not know how to properly spell tsunami. I could look it up but that would take too much time and even if I am off by a couple of letters you all know the waves of which I speak.

A good friend of mine suggested that my use of poor Godzilla as a scapegoat might have been in poor taste. I'm not sure whether I agree with her or not. I mean it may not be politically correct but when I weigh it against all of the other things that myself or others could have said I think that it is pretty harmless. I made no racial or ethnic slurs and I didn't even go so far as to interchange all of the "L's" and "R's" as I might have done in my more immature days. So I am going to maintain my contention that while it might have been juvenile it was not mean spirited or overtly offensive or harmful.

When I think about the situation in a more serious manner, as those of us who are at middle age are somewhat obliged to do, I think about the disparity of thoughts and priorities that must be present on the islands of Japan juxtaposed with those of my friends, neighbors and colleagues. The people of Northeastern Japan are facing what will probably be the most life altering experience of their generation. That is of course assuming that they survived the initial quake and wave.

As I write these very words, somewhere someone is sitting in a pile of rubble clinging to their last moments of life and I would be willing to bet money that they are thinking, "How can the rest of the world go on as if nothing has happened and I am lying here with a bridge support crushing my legs which lost all feeling more hours ago than I can remember?"

But the sad fact is that the world does keep turning, even if it is at a skewed axis that was shifted approximately 10 centimeters by the quake. I think everyone has probably encountered a moment when they feel angry that everyone else's lives are proceeding normally while theirs has been turned upside down. So if you multiply that by ten to fifteen million people or however many people were affected in Japan you can't help but think that there are some pretty upset people out there.

I can't imagine what they might be thinking. My personal theory is that they are all still in shock and expect things to return to normal in a few days. I also think that in the cities nearest the epicenter that what they once thought of as normal will never return and their lives will be bifurcated into two parts, pre-quake and post-quake.

When you stop to think about the numerous facets of the destruction there are so many aspects to consider. Certainly, there's the loss of life, but there are also other things to consider like the damage to infrastructure as well as the financial obstacles which must be overcome. Not only do they have to rebuild entire cities from the ground up but they have to do it with diminished resources. Electricity is no longer something that can be taken for granted in NE Japan, especially as it appears that many, if not all, of the nuclear reactors are possibly permanently out of commission.

From what I understand Tokyo was damaged but for the most part is still substantially operating as normal with the exception of food and water shortages. The important thing, as I understand it, is that Tokyo has the majority of the infrastructure intact so that they can still operate ports and runways and can act as a distribution center for relief efforts.

In any event I still think about the how different the mood must be on the other side of the planet. Here I am hacking out this blog and knowing that upon its completion I can walk back over to the refrigerator and get a nice cold glass of "Ghetto Juice," aka Hawaiian Punch, while in Japan some person is literally dying from dehydration at the exact same moment.

I think it's been just about three days since the quake and if Doc Robbins on CSI is correct that's about as long as the average person can live without taking in some form of hydration. That being said I will feel a little guilty about the Hawaiian Punch I will be drinking here in a few minutes after I post this blog.

I will be thinking about all of the helpless people, particularly those at the two extremes of the spectrum, the very young and the very old who are most susceptible the brutal conditions in which they have been placed either by quake or by wave. So be thankful for every moment that you draw breath because you never really know what is going to happen next. Five minutes before the quake hit those people had no idea at all that they would be dead in a few moments, or even worse lingering for hours before finally succumbing.

But in reality, the fact is that there is absolutely nothing you can do for these people. We are worlds away both literally and figuratively. All of the money you will be asked to donate will be for naught because by the time you send in your donation most of the people who will die from these events will already have done so.

If sending in a contribution to The Red Cross or UNICEF or the World Health Organization makes you feel better then by all means go ahead and do so but the truth is that money can't fix these problems. People die and they always will. The world has played host to major calamities in the past and it will continue to do so. I remember that as a kid I read about a flood in China that killed almost a million people and I thought to myself that things like that could not happen with today's technologies and notification systems.

Well I was wrong (I know... hard to believe) because the Christmas Tsunami a few years ago killed about 250,000 people. Not quite a million but close enough for me to realize that nature just has a way of showing people who is boss and as long as we inhabit the Earth it will always be like that.

So be sad for those who suffered and are continuing to do so, be happy for those who were destined to die and did so instantly, and if you need a more positive note think about all of those who were in the region and survived. But above all be thankful that you weren't in one of the three categories listed above. And if this post should somehow be read by someone in Japan who survived these events: Hats off to you and tell us your story!

Death comes to all of us at some point. So if some of us muse about Godzilla being to blame for all of these tragedies it's mostly because we know that someday we too will look over the city skyline and see that big green lizard coming to take us out. And just like those in the quake, there won't be a single thing we can do about it.

Jessica Holstein For Oklahoma City Council Ward 6

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Well it’s been about a year and a half and 109 posts but for the first time I am breaking one of the cardinal rules I set forth when I began this site and that was that I would never wade into the religious or political areas. I have to admit that I am a little surprised that it has taken me this long to breach one of those two forbidden topics. But I figured that if one of my favorite and wisest pundits, Will Rogers, could tackle the political circus I would give it a go myself.

Today the citizenry of Oklahoma City will go to the ballot box and elect their civic leaders. Some may be new candidates, and some may be returning incumbents. But either way, the folks will get the candidate of their choice. I don’t live in Oklahoma City. And if I did reside in OKC, I’m not certain in which ward I might dwell. But I do know this: if I was a resident of Ward 6 I would cast my vote for Jessica Holstein.

I’ve known this girl for a few years now. I met Jessica when she was working her way through school as a waitress at one of the local eateries. She was always quick with a smile and was usually a pretty hard worker. I remember once when my Mom was sick I told Jess that I needed a to-go order to drop off for my Mom. Jessica took the extra time to write a personal note wishing my Mom well and dropped it in the bag. That’s just the kind of person she is.

I know it will come as no shock to Jessica when I say that she and I usually don’t agree when it comes to philosophy and political views. I’m a little further to the right than she could ever imagine and over the past few years that has contributed to some interesting and often protracted debate about social stances and legislative agendas but we never lost the underlying respect that we have for one another.

I don’t think Jess will mind me saying that she is in for an uphill battle. To my knowledge she has no war chest to fund her fight against a strong incumbent and she has no real experience in the campaign ring. But then again, everyone has to start somewhere. And who knows, right now might be the time for a fresh face to claim an unexpected victory. Right now it seems that change is sweeping the political world faster than the news can convey it. While I certainly don’t think the events in the Middle East and the OKC City Council election are too analogous, I do think that a subtle sense of change is wafting through the air on many levels.

Beyond the statutory age and residency requirements, there’s nothing that says what a politician has to be. The only molds for what a politician should or should not be are those preconceived notions that we ourselves conjure up. There’s nothing that says a politician has to be young or old or rich or poor. There’s not even anything that says they have to be wise or interesting. There’s nothing that says that the under 30 crowd can’t have someone who represents their ideas and values take a seat at the table. In reality, all it says is that they have to convince more people to vote for them than the other guy, or gal.

Do I think that Jess would be a great civic leader? I’m not certain. But what I do know is that she doesn’t seem to be running on the same worn out platform of job growth and economic recovery. I’ve noticed that all of the politicians tout the aspects of job growth and economic recovery but none of them ever seem to do much about bringing it to fruition.

I’ve read a couple of pieces about Jess’s campaign in the local media and the best that I can tell is that she is running on a platform that has the most likelihood of being realistic and that is the platform of oversight and culpability. I know that these are two of the things that a Councilwoman can actually accomplish. Do we really think that her opponents can deliver on the campaign promises they are leveling? Besides wanting to promote accountability and oversight, I know that another of her tenets is representing the disenfranchised and the down trodden. I know that she wants more than anything to be the voice for those who otherwise might not have one.

I think it’s safe to say that Jess wants to work from the constituency level up, not from the corporate level down. Back when MAPS 3 was up for election Jess and I had our differences of opinion and as hard as I tried to convince her that the additional tax revenue generated from the economic growth in Bricktown and the inner city would result in better services in the long run, she just couldn’t get past the idea of those in the lower socio-economic strata being left out of the equation. It took me a while to realize that this was because of her deep seeded compassion about the essential needs of others. Jessica is the quintessential “people person.” Her compassionate and humanist nature would not let her see the dollars and sense of the situation, but instead only the human factors.

Do I think Jess has the makings of a grand administrator? I’m not certain. Do I think that Jess is a visionary with alternate ideas that may eventually prove more effective than the traditional means of conducting city government? Possibly. But what I do know for certain is that Jess wants to fight not for the moneyed elite of those businessmen in her ward, but for the single moms and working poor who just can’t catch a break.

Like I said, Jess and I are on different sides of the fence when it comes both to political philosophy and actual practicum. But I also know that if those individuals who share her thoughts, concerns and values are looking for a candidate that will represent them and deliver their concerns they need look no further than Jessica Holstein.

Even though my undergraduate degree is in Political Science, I don’t consider myself to be a practicing pundit, or generally even an interested party, but I certainly wish Jess the best in the elections that will be taking place in just a few hours. If you happen to be a resident of Oklahoma City’s 6th Ward please go out and cast the vote that I’m not granted in this election and vote for Jessica Holstein. She’s not the wealthiest or most experienced candidate in this fight but I’d be willing to bet she might be the most tenacious.

Jess I wish you the best. I will be working tonight during the election returns so let me know. Either way I have to say that I am pretty proud of you and while I must admit it will come as a total shock if you pull out a victory, it does not come as any surprise at all that you had the courage and conviction to file for candidacy and weather the media storms that you’ve encountered. Keep your chin up and don’t let them see you flinch. By the way… LBJ is a pretty good moniker for a politician. Give them Hell Little One!