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Versions of Victory
July 19, 2022
Albert The All-Star
“The American League beat the National League 3-2 in baseball’s All-Star game in Los Angeles tonight,” Albert Simmons tells a stranger at the gas station. “That’s nine straight wins for the AL in the mid-summer classic.”
“Oh,” the stranger nods politely. “Does that mean the planet is no longer burning? Does that mean politicians and every day people are going to fight the fossil fuel industry? Drive less? Go solar? Fly less? Consume less? Stop eating animals?”
“Does the American League victory,” the stranger continues, “mean that we’ll pass a national bill protecting voter rights? Reproductive rights? Does nine straight wins by the millionaire mercenaries in the American League portend sensible gun laws, peace in Ukraine, and zero-tolerance for racism and sexism? Does the result of the All-Star game mean a kinder, more tolerant world?”
The stranger cocks their head and looks deeply in Albert Simmons’ blazing blue eyes. “Huh? Does the result of that baseball game lead to any of those things?”
Albert takes a deep breath.
“Yes. I think it does.”
Albert and the stranger become good friends though they often quarrel. --TK
Tuesday, July 19, 2022