A Fun and Pretty Project

If you're wondering why Obama changed his mind and decided not to allow the new torture photos to go public, don't blame (or thank) him--it was my idea. The fact is that you normal people are more delicate than you think, and it takes a major effort to protect you from the raw and unpleasant facts of life. Many of the photos I take, for example, are too disturbing to be published (I could show you a picture of termite damage that would scar you for life). So instead I try to sugar coat things as much as possible so that you don't have bad dreams.

Like this picture of my sun room windows. They are nice, aren't they? I'm fixing them, and it is a nice project. I've replaced the rotten sill. See the pretty new board? And see where I am replacing the two window panes? They will be pretty when I'm done. And so on...

Obama's actual argument is more practical on the surface--he says that the torture photos would probably make people in other countries hate us more, and this could complicate our withdrawal from Iraq and the ongoing effort in Afghanistan, and both statements are reasonable. However many people feel that complete transparency, now, is the best approach, conceptually (to get this all behind us) and for the long term (since the photos will eventually be made public). Transparency is the ultimate disinfectant, but it is not for cowards, like me, so I advised Obama to sit on the pictures for a while.

So, do you think you can handle the truth? OK, then, he is an actual picture of the utter horror of my window project. The picture is blurry, but I don't care--I don't want your damaged psyche on my conscious by seeing the actual nasty rustiness in focus. Look at the rust and the pointy glass. Look at it!!! LOOK AT IT!!! See it taunting me with its roots deep into the metal. And there's my sad little brass brush that couldn't scrape a blister off my butt if I rubbed it all day. And it's 90 something freaking degrees outside and my back is baking in the sun, smelling like roasted chicken on a grill, while I'm cramped down, trying to get in the shade and not cut myself on the broken glass. You want more? More pictures? I didn't think so.