Dumb and Dumber

I recently received one of those emails that make the top of my head come off. This one was a picture of President Obama holding Fareed Zakaria's book, "The Post-American World" with the following message:

"This will open your eyes. What does Obama read? Photo verified by Snopes. The name of the book Obama is reading is called The Post-American World, written by a fellow Muslim. Post-America - the world after America??? Please forward this picture to everyone you know, conservative or liberal to expose Obama's radical ideas and intent for this country!"

As anyone who's read the book knows (and it's pathetically obvious that the note's author hasn't), it's a best seller about the effect the rise of China and India is going to have on the United States and the rest of the world in the next decade or so. Insightful, informational, brilliant, and reassuring, all at the same time. I bought a copy and read it at least twice. My Dad read it and thinks it's an amazing book. I guess that makes us Muslims? We didn't just carry it around, we actually read it.

My guess is the note writer probably doesn't know that Hawaii's a state, that Obama is not now and never has been a Muslim, and that people with rich, full lives have friends that are not exactly like them. Am I really that brilliant or has the rest of America gotten amazingly more stupid? Just wondering.

What About Them?

We just returned from Chicago where we saw our very favorite Dr. Love for Cliff's annual check-up at Loyola. Everything looks good, but it was a very stressful three days of tests and doctors and appointments and hurrying up and waiting. His pulmonary numbers are stable, his kidneys are still working and we actually got to see a sleep doctor who came up with a plan to help control the insomnia with which he's been plagued for 15 years.

So, I listen to all the screaming and ranting and raving and lying and exaggerating and absolutely disgusting, disgraceful behavior (ummm, Joe Wilson) and I think, "We are so lucky. We have good insurance, we have an incredible doctor, we have a friend at the City benefits office, we have a very helpful case manager at BC/BS, I have several nurse friends and relatives who never BS me." And then I think, "What about the people who aren't so lucky, who didn't work for attorneys for 35 years and pick up some nasty lawyer tricks, who aren't so persistent and obnoxious that people give in just to make them go away, who don't understand every little bit and piece of the chronic condition with which they're dealing, who don't know the questions to ask or the services to expect/demand, who don't have the resources? What about them?" I'm waiting for President Obama to "go Chicago" on Congress, but will it really happen? Maybe part of the solution is simply learning to survive in the system we've got . . .

That's all. What about them?