I just looked at the calendar which I will throw away in a little more than a week and was surprised to learn that today is the first day of winter.  Next week are Christmas and Kwanzaa and the final end of 2007 and its last opportunity to celebrate in old fashioned ways ends up in New Year’s Eve.  Of course the first day of 2008 is a let-down.  The new baby will start crawling soon and sooner will be on its way to be whatever 2008 will make of itself or become what we either want it to be or will accept what politicians or the richest one or two percent will bet their money on.  Most of us will just be glad all the holiday hoopla is over and the official start of the campaign season for claiming the White House will take the stage and begin its dance that will either gladden or disgust us.  Winter in Florida, however, is much preferable than the ice, snow and digit figures of temperature in the northern states. We can’t do much about the weather: bundle up and try to keep warm.

Ending one year and beginning another is a grand opportunity to prognosticate good things after all the bad things which happened in 2007.  We are particularly interested in ending an impossible war and ushering out a badly flawed and disgraced President.  But, among the wannabees who populate stories in newspapers and the screens of our televisions, which one will edge out the others?  I do not think there will be a landslide for any of the worthies who are spending the wealth of small nations to get elected.  We are too divided as a nation and have no idea about what kind of world we really want after all the choices of goodies have been prettied up and printed in those same papers (taking up most of the space where news should have been) and the same for the overwhelming details of candidates lives and activities instead of the peace and relaxation that are promised with the click of a button on the remote. Heaven on earth is still far away.

Let me look at the record of 2007 for a bit.  It was a pretty lousy year as years go.  Mr. Bush, in his obduracy, was responsible for most of the bad.  He wanted his record to show he was a great warrior – greater than his Poppy and has failed equally as much although he continues a war that was not necessary at all and lied all the time about needing it.  All the Kings men and women did a fairly good job to make it look palatable but you can only fool most of the fools who backed him some of the time. Whatever was the kind of world they wanted it to be?

Religious wars, lurking under the surface of daily affairs, are back almost full time.  The interesting thing is that the bombers are turning on themselves or related groups instead of trying to take US down.  It has been a lot like a cage of rats too tightly packed who rampage against each other instead of finding a way out.

Finding a way out to a better place is going to be difficult for we all can’t agree on what that place should be and where it can be found.  Meanwhile, we kill each other.