washington d.c. (D-emocratic C-onstipation)

Sorry for the above sarcasm. Yet, no matter how sarcastic I try to remain about our political system, I am a complete patriot at heart and a geek to boot. Don't let that get around though.

I am currently in Washington D.C. And, for the first time. I am so excited that I cried while the plane was landing at Dulles. Partly because the fog was so thick I was unable to see the capitol, but mostly because I was flying into Washington D.C.

"People shape buildings, then buildings shape people." -Winston Churchill

I intend to see the Lincoln Memorial and then turn on it's steps to look out over the much photographed reflecting pool and the phallic Washington Monument. I'll stand on those same steps where so many historical figures have stood, addressing thousands to millions in hopes to change the course of history and make our country what we all wish it to be. I'll cry. No doubt.

I will go to the Mall and be overwhelmed at the options, the history available to me, and the limited time I have to take it in. I'll probably whine and feel sorry for myself at that point. However, I WILL go to the Smithsonian Museum because everyone SHOULD go to the Smithsonian.

We also want to stand on the grass and gaze upon the iconic likes of the White House and the Pentagon. I want to take our picture on the steps of the Capitol Building. I hope to see the President, and even though I have issues with the man himself my heart will most certainly swell with national pride -which still surprises me and renders me completely patriotic and weak in the knees- I will most likely cry again, and I'll feel very happy to be an American. I will wax nostalgic once more over the time I saw President Clinton dining with Harrison Ford at a small restaurant in Jackson Hole, Montana.

That beautiful evening, at the foot of the Teton Mountains, a couple handfuls of us gazed up in rapt awe from a small courtyard below the restaurant asking one another in whispers, "Do you see him yet?" Strange how such a figure can have an awe inspiring affect on a group of Americans from all over the country, of all ages, backgrounds and beliefs. We all felt as one. Talking to one another like good friends. Giggling over the fact that we couldn't -not one of us- take our eyes away from the spot where we knew we would see the President at any moment, once the meal was finished and the Presidential Couple would say their goodbyes to Harrison. Clinton's presence was indeed confirmed when the Secret Service came through our little crowd and without asking permission, rifled through our bags and pockets looking for weapons and whatever else the Secret Service looks for. We were all silenced. Strangely, I didn't feel a bit violated by the nearly intimate nature of the agent's searching of me. In fact, I felt truly glad. Glad to have him search me and everyone around me so that MY President would be protected and safe. So that my country wouldn't be plunged into a time of chaos and grief.

I will feel the same today, I'm sure, if I have the pleasure of being groped by a Secret Service Agent. By the way, they do wear nice suits and shoes that you would lead you to believe there's no way they could out run a very bad person with bad intentions. They are serious, completely unattached, unsmiling, focused, and not visibly amused when you say things like, "Wow, you really do wear those wire thingies in your ears." Not that I said that.

So, I'm excited to be here in the Capitol of our country, despite the fact that my national pride took a hit on our trip out here. My experience rendered me disconcerted, unpatriotic, and caused me to wonder if capitalism is what Lenin always believed it to be (basically, in the long term, not very beneficial to the general population). I am now fully convinced that the United States is going the direction of the Roman empire. There are serious customer service problems afoot when you sit in an airplane seat and your face is barely 12 inches from the seat in front of you, and you can't even cross your legs or put your seat back to relax (without shoving the persons laptop into their chest and spilling their $5 three ounce drink). It didn't used to be like that. Really! Serious decline of cultural priorities are at play.

That's not all! My bank is owned by Nazi's. I'm sorry, but I remember a time when my money was my money and not theirs to do with what they please. HELLO! When I put my money in a bank, if I am remembering this accurately, they actually hold the money for safekeeping and give it to you any time you request that you would like to use it. Such as when you travel long distances and need lots of cash just in case unpredictable things occur (which they often do when you are away). Only NOW the state of our economy has basically caused our financial institutions to forget what their original purpose is. To safeguard our money (they do that still, kind of) so that we can access it when needed (that's the part they forgot).

Anyway, I'm now caught up in my nostalgic feelings of national pride. My broad sweeping disappointment in the state of our Capitalistic system, and in Northwest airlines and Washington Mutual in particular, are shelved for the moment. Right now I sit in Virginia, a stone's throw away from the Capitol building with its amazing story of change and hope, and the Mall which houses strange and wonderful items we learn about in grade school and only hope to set our eyes on.

Maybe I'll see the President. But likely, I may just brush by someone who, unbeknownst to me, is hard at work trying to change something that could influence my life dramatically. They might even sit in the seat behind me on my flight back and I might shove their laptop into their chest whilst they compose a proposed ammendment to the laws concerning equality and marriage in our country. Maybe.