New Suit

Interesting time to live through. Or at least to live in, we never know whether we are going to live through, do we. China turning back the clock, warning their people about subversive ideas and ways of the west. When we lived in Japan, 1963-66, electronic entertainment was limited (i.e., TV was in Japanese), so we had Armed Forces Radio. Or, evenings we could listen to Radio Peking telling us what Chairman Mao was doing, or what Premier Chou En-Lai had announced today, or where Vice Premier Chen Yi would be speaking tomorrow, and denouncing some running dog of capitalism for subversive ideas. Nowadays the Chinese people, at least in pictures, look as happy on the streets, and as colorful, as any crowd of Americans, and their roads are filled with Mercedes and Buicks. Economic interdependence, which is self-interest spread out, is good for peace. They’ll be serious when the Mao suit again becomes politically correct and obligatory.

And Egypt, eh, bloody chaos and the military arrests the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood. Choose your brutality, military or religious. Religious despots rule with vicious hatred and intolerant cruelty, military tyrants with no nonsense order. Egypt had a chance after their Arab Spring and blew it with their first, impatient democratic election. If the symbol of Free Egypt is not social and economic progress but a sick and enfeebled Mubarak in jail, the problem is fairly evident.    

This morning the Secret Gospel of Mark got sidetracked by my glancing at world news first. On other minds: first day of school, many tears will be shed in pre-K crying rooms. Above pre-K, many heels will be clicked.

T