spring 2019

I've been away a while.
It's finally spring, which also took a while to return.
We had six months of winter up north, and finally, the flowers were allowed to come out.

This Memorial Day weekend, I headed to NYC to see my family.
With my mother, we did some shopping in Soho, and Eileen Fisher's used clothing room yielded this striped yellow and black dress, perfect for the sudden heat of the city.

With confidence, I headed to the Whitney Biennial where art work was very political but again, pleading to the converted. At least, that's what I think. While waiting to go in, early, before the museum opened to the general public, members were allowed in, anyway, I had nothing else to do so I inspected the list of big donors that greets visitors waiting on line, perhaps to inspire them to a. become a member so that they don't have to wait and b. give big if they feel so inclined. I was aghast at the sight of Mr. and Mrs. Mnuchin's names on the board. So maybe, some people go to the Whitney with their heart going one way and their money going the other way. Who knows.

The results of the European elections are also leaving me puzzled. I love the name of a French left-leaning party, "Pour l'Europe des Gens contre l'Europe de l'argent." It even rhymes! "For the Europe of people, against the Europe of money." (folks...dough?).  The nationalists win big in rural parts, Italy more than Spain. The Greens win big in cities and... Corsica?

Meanwhile, back home in good old "America," I am pissed at Alabama, and all the other states that are voting to restrict abortion. Restricting abortion just means hating women. Sometimes, yeah, women hating women. I think a lot about why so many people are so passionate about the little growth inside a woman's stomach. I understand that it's sad that that little growth might not be born and become a human being. But, I also see a lot of miserable humans out there, and I would rather focus on minimizing the misery, especially for the adults who will need to take care of these younger humans.

I am using the blog as a pulpit today. Why not?

So, readers, the two or three out there, here is the letter I wrote to the (female) (wtf $#%&((*??) governor of Alabama after she signed the most awful bill ever.

Dear Governor,

Your state of Alabama is in the news again.  I’m not so sure your state is in the news for good reasons, though. Alabama is never really in the news for good reasons. Has it ever been? You guys had a pretty awful civil rights situation on your hands, watched by millions on television, when your police clubbed innocent people walking across a bridge, asking for equal rights fifty years ago. Do you remember that?

It seems that now, fifty years later, you are more interested in the equal rights of fetuses than you have ever been in those of full-grown human beings. Thanks to you and your anti-abortion bill, Alabama is sending a very conflicting signal to the world. What is it exactly that you want? Not so much a guaranteed “pre-life” for all but rather, a great after life, maybe, judging by how much importance you attach to God in all your human, mortal decisions.

If God is watching you, he might be, she might be, they might be, they are scratching their heads and wondering why they ever gave humans the gift of reason. Reason, which gave us  science, medicine and democracy, was supposed to help us become better humans, wasn’t it? Instead, Alabama, you seem to have no interest in that gift of reason. You seem to be counting on the after-life for a better life for your constituents, since the present life is pretty awful judging by your ranking in the metrics of poverty, gender equality, education, and income distribution.

Alabama, what happened? Were you hoping that the whole civil rights moment was going to blow over and you could go back to plantation life, with men impregnating women whenever they wanted, and God forgiving all sins?

My sense is, watching from up north, the Yankee that I am, although, I am half-Southern, my daddy is from North Carolina, making it maybe okay to write things like “God has grown tired of you all (y’all).” Watch out Alabama because your state is no picnic, and, based on climate predictions and income predictions, which of course you don’t care about, it’s all in God’s hands, anyhow, based on human predictions, your state ain’t going nowhere good.

Thanks Alabama, for reviving the old patriarchy and all their crap, that many of us up north thought was finally dead and buried. We’re having to revisit all that goddamned painful history all over again, and I can guarantee, you don’t need science for this, it’s way more painful for women than it is for men. What does it matter, you ask? Who cares, you say, it’s all in God’s hands. We are doomed to live in pain. Yeah, sure, pain my ass. You governors and legislators just sit on your comfortable asses and sign away these laws, go home to a nice home cooked meal, and go to sleep in your nice big warm bed, and sleep away whatever damage you’ve created for the rest of your fellow, much less fortunate constituents.

God is not impressed. How do I know? Of course, I don’t know for sure. I’m one of those secular Yankees from up north. But I do know for sure that you have a conscience, and what’s left of it might wake you up one night and make you realize what dumb asses you’ve all been. There might still be time to repent, however. No one knows for sure, so, if you want to be on God’s good side, repeal that law immediately, and, instead, make sure that all women and children receive decent medical coverage. While you’re at it, could you remember to fund public school education?  God would probably like that too.

Very truly yours,

Annabelle Cone, New Hampshire, USA