From a Farther Room

Fun with Spoonbridge pictures.

This past weekend I attended an in-law family event, and had to bite my tongue while listening to some Neanderthal political “discourse” on illegal immigration, Darfur, and Iraq. As noted previously, I tend to avoid political discussions, because I find that in the current climate they have a nasty viciousness that belies rational discourse. And when I’m at family events, I’d much rather play Disney Uno or Dora Memory with the kids than talk to the adults, anyway.

But then I started to think that silence may be the worst possible response in this political climate. Isn’t history full of instances where nastiness was met with silence, and nastiness won? So I’ve decided to start another weekly feature here, one that takes a politically divisive or misunderstood issue, gives it some careful consideration, and suggests some resources that people who are thoughtful and concerned might investigate. I’m not making this a “political blog” by any stretch–the main focus will still be photography and fiction–but I think I’ve got an obligation to speak my mind if I want my boys to live in a world that’s better than what we seem to be making for them.

So tomorrow–a little something on Darfur.