Excentric

I had a chat with someone from the Associated Press office in Tucson recently. I told him I took offense to yet another report about the October tragedy at Angel Valley as taking place in Sedona - not near Sedona, or around Sedona, or close to Cottonwood, or near John McCain's compound - but IN Sedona. His explanation was that Sedona was the closest city. I informed him he was wrong, in fact, Cottonwood with its recent annexation into the Cornville area made it the closest city. And, if they were using the name Sedona for sensational reference, they should have stated that it was just over the banks of Senator John McCain's houses. He argued the point, though I'm not sure on what premise, and finally just said it was close enough. Close enough. That's what has created a huge credibility problem with the media, corporations and the government. Close enough. Saddam didn't actually possess weapons of mass destruction, but he was close enough to having them that 4,000 plus men and women from the United States and scores others from around the globe had to give their lives. Close enough.

I looked up the website of Angel Valley. In fact, they state in their opening sentence that they are IN Sedona. So, I called them. The woman owning the compound referred to a spot further in the description that it was close to Sedona. I reminded her that the first sentence says IN Sedona. She agreed it may be a little misleading, especially when I told her that reportes were quoting her and saying she was IN Sedona. If she wasn't actually IN Sedona, how was I to know that the quotes that were attributed to her were acurate or just close enough?

When lending institutions deny people the right to refinance their homes or at least renegotiate their payments or restructure their loans, one has to wonder whatever makes them think they have earned the amount of money they reward their owners and upper managers. I don't begrudge anyone for making huge amounts of money. Indeed, some stinkingly wealthy people have done some good in the world with their money. But, to deny struggling, decent Americans the opportunity to maintain some sense of dignity by retaining their most prized possession while stuffing your pockets is obscene and so is any politician that isn't doing everything possible to see those ways are changed. Close enough. The bankers didn't actually set up new lending practices to help struggling Americans, but for many politicians it was close enough.

When our government officials say the proposed health care bill will kill grandma, or take away your medicare or cause your premiums to rise; they know they aren't reading from the actual proposal, but it's close enough to use to scare the bejesus out of Joe the plumber. Palin couldn't really see Russia from her house, but it was close enough. When they say this initiative is going to create1 million jobs - even though the facts show it will only create 985,00, we accept that asclose enough. But whne you are one of the 15,000 who are left unemployed is close enough good enough? When our leaders allow polluters to clean up most of their mill tailings because it brought temporary work to their area, but the pollutants went unseen into an aquifer and the company mining the land thinks it got close enough to the stipulated regulations, is close enough good enough?

Imagine sending missiles into an area an being just a little off target. It hits the house next to the intended target, an innocent family is killed. The bad guys live to kill again. Is close enough good enough? What about when someone is sentenced to death because of an eye witness that picked out someone that looked like the person who actually committed the crime. Now imagine DNA evidence shows the condemend to be innocent. Now imagine it was discovered too late. Now imagine the accused was your brother, or father, or son. Is close enough good enough?

In sports, they have institued replay. Not because the refs were crooked, well not all of them, but because with the kind of money the winning palyers, managers and owners can amass, close enough wasn't good enough. I realize we can't replay every move we make, but we are given an opportuinty with every breath to get better than close enough. We can actually report that the sad event where people lost their lives in October happened at a place outside Sedona, and, as its neighbors, people IN Sedona grieve for their loss and pray for their families and loved ones left behind. IN Sedona, people have the ability to show compassion, love and understanding where needed, not because they exist within the majestic walls of the crimson cliffs, but because, like all other human beings, we possess an innate desire to extend a hand, lend a shoulder or offer an embrace. I imagine the same holds true for Cottonwood residents, who just showed they could be civil about a very unpopular issue - the mago statue.

The leader of Dahn Yoga and creator of the concept of the man-made monolith had many opportunites to admit that though his intentions were grand and sincere, he may have missed the target, and his goal having fallen short, chosen to address the citizens of Cottonwood and proposed to relocate mago, saving face and increasing his credibility. He just didn't get close enough to the people he affected.

That's all for now . . .