PreMDpilot

There are many people who see God everywhere. They see God's action in all things, and in all of creation. But, I have trouble seeing God in all these things. When I look at life I zoom down to the smallest cell and wonder at it's intricacy, but never really believe that it was created. When I look at the stars I wonder at how far they are, but don't really see the need for a creator. When I go to church, I see people getting in touch with a spiritual need that we all feel, but I don't really see God.

The place I really see God is in the hospital. That nexus of humanity that swirls with grief, joy, rage, pity, and all other shades of human emotion. Weird things happen that don't seem to make any sense at first, but then a pattern emerges that just screams out for an explanation beyond coincidence. I'll give you an example.

I was getting off my shift in the ER and strolling lazily behind a bed being taken into the hospital. I don't know if it was idle curiosity or just boredom that made me ask where they were headed.

"6310," replied the tech who was pushing the bed. I turned down another corridor and started to walk away without saying anything else when the patient in the bed called out,

"Why, you gonna come and visit me?"

I turned around and smiled at the lean, black girl in the bed. Her hair was disheveled her teeth were a little crooked. Like most hospitalized patients she looked like she was having a rough day. But, she had an infectious smile and I couldn't help but grin too.

"No, I just had to find out," I said. I turned around and continued to walk away wondering why I had said that. Technically, it wasn't a lie, but I felt kind of awkward saying it because I really had no reason to find out what room she was going to. I kept walking and my mind shifted gears to something else.

I was just about to unlock my car in the student lot when another car pulled up and huge lady leaned out the window.

"Excuse me, do you know where we can find visitor parking around here?"

I had never had that question before but I felt like I should know where it is. I stood there in a mental fluster trying to think of where they could go for parking.

"My daughter was just admitted from the ER for a sickle cell attack and we can't seem to find parking anywhere," said the lady. The image of the grinning girl flashed into my head and before I even thought about it I blurted out,

"6310!!"

"Huh?" Said the huge lady in the car.

"6310, that's where they are taking your daughter. I just saw her. Pull right around here and check that big parking garage there and then go to room 6310 and you'll find her. She looked pretty good."

"Thanks," said the lady as she pulled away with a puzzled look on her face.

I don't know if they ever found visitor parking, but 6310 is now firmly engraved in my memory as my prescient number. Experience cries out for explanation.

This makes me mad.

Why Karl Rove should go to Jail

It should make you mad as well. I don't care if it is political posturing by the Democrats, under article 1, section 8, clause 18 of the Constitution of the United States of America:

"The Congress shall have Power - To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof."

Sounds like a bunch of legal mumbo-jumbo, but it basically grants congress the power to issue subpoenas and investigate anything it chooses. This has been established by legal precedent over and over again and the law is quite clear that if a person is issued a subpoena from the Congress of the United States then they are COMPELLED to show up....period, end of story, no excuses, no choice. Karl Rove is very clearly breaking well-established law.

What's the Bush response when they break a law? Let's change the law. Let's try to rewrite the Constitution so it says that Congress can't compell ANY member of the Executive Branch to appear before it because that would violate the separation of powers. Any honest reading of the Constitution leaves the reader with the knowledge that, yes, there is separation of powers, but the executive branch and the judicial branch are designed to be checks on Congress. Congress is the big kid on the block and gets to make all the decisions. They design the law and the president's job is to either veto it or carry it out faithfully. The court's job is to decide whether that law is constitutional. Notice there's nothing in the Constitution about the Supreme Court checking the president. The branches aren't designed to be entirely equal. They are designed so that Congress is the ultimate authority with the president and the courts checking that authority.

Bush doesn't see it this way. He sees himself fully as powerful as Congress. He thinks that when congress passes a law, he can use a signing statement to disregard whatever part of that law that he dislikes. He thinks he can declare war. He thinks he can violate the law (torture, habeas corpus, and subpoenas are just a few examples). He thinks he has the power to override a congressional subpoena.

Bush is way overreaching his authority here and I think (I hope) the average American is starting to notice and get angry.