Chasing the Train

The train chasing dogs

The biblical alliance between the republicans and the self-righteous single-minded right-wing evangelicals have finally reached the promised land, they control the White House, congress, Supreme Court, churches, local and national governments offices , major local and national media talk shows. For years they have been trying to interfere in our public and private life, from our boardroom to our bedroom, deciding on how may hours we should work and whom we should love. Through the years Republicans keep barking about how the government is the problem, and then they run for offices to prove it. They get into office, can't do anything about, then they get confused and they mess things up: from voodoo Reaganomics and Star Wars fantasies to the current so-called "war on terrorism" crusade. Where I came from, that reminds me of the train chasing dogs. Allow me to explain. As a youngster taking the "diesel"- a slow country train- between my school and the city was a dreaded daily experience; the three-mile trip took forever, stopping in every village of more than five people. The diesel was crowed with hundreds of farmers carrying anything they could fit in basket to sell in the market, from fresh produce to live animals. On the road country dogs would start chasing the train to the delight and excitement of the farmers. They kept barking vigorously and running after the slow train, and once they reached the tail of the train they didn't know what to do. After realizing that they couldn't bite or change the course of the train, they get confused, they stopped running but kept on barking as the train disappeared in the fog of the big city.
The Republicans now control most of the local and national government apparatus. The question is: are they going to stop barking and try to get us somewhere, out of the Iraqi quagmire, out of the economic inequality and confusion, out of the world's contempt and distrust? Or will they simply keep on barking futilely? The answer remains to be seen, but I hope they can figure it out very soon, as it seems that this is the last evening train.

Ahmed Tharwat/ Producer and host of the Arab American TV program
Belahdan
Airs Sundays on Public TV Ch17
www.belahdan.com
12/15/04