Washington, D.C.

Well, I'm back. It was a long drive up there, and a long drive back but I always enjoy the trip. I promised I would report on what I found in the nation's capital and here it is: it's just like any other place...except with a tourist filling. Going places like DC, where there are so many historical monuments, markers, and buildings can be troubling for someone like me. You see, I have this problem where I think people should be at least minimally informed about their government, and when they aren't, it's hard for me to understand. And when your uninformed AND you're standing at the center of the nation's government, talking loudly enough for me to hear your misinformation, I have a problem with that.

The prime example from this trip was a nice family from a nice Southern state standing in front of the White House on Tuesday night. (The gates were closed when we got there, but a lot of people waited...this particular family did not) You hate to think "country goes to Washington", but that's what comes to mind. They were friendly and talkative, but in the course of conversation with the DC officer protecting the gate, the father was talking about how they had visited the House of Representatives earlier. He then proceeded to tell the DC officer that the House was voting on "war with Pakistan." He then tossed in a couple of procedural mistakes that apply to the Senate and not the House, and went about his merry way. Now. I have a problem. If the House of Representatives was voting on "war with Pakistan", do you think the first person we'd all hear it from would be a middle aged father from Arkansas? I doubt it. But that's the kind of half-truth/misunderstanding that paying attention would correct. The House may have taken war funding under consideration, but it would have been for Afghanistan. The procedures he was talking about were legislative procedures, but they happen in the Senate. Simple mistakes, but those who don't know any better may go out into the world thinking that this congress is starting a war with Pakistan because nobody pays attention anymore.

I guess I just expected too much. The trip to DC is always a nice one. I mean, let's be honest, that's like a big playground for me. But there's just always something. The first time it was the guard at the Supreme Court who couldn't name two justices, and now this man. I thought having an informed citizenry might start in DC; I mean, you're at the capital. How can information happening right in front of you get screwed up? But I guess I'm just a dreamer. As self-righteous as this story has been, it all had a happy ending: I got to see the President's motorcade; black suburbans, limos, police cars, flashing lights, sirens, motorcycles and all. And you can't tell me that doesn't make everything better.