The Old Man of the Mountain loses face
May 3, 2003 -- high up on the flank of Cannon Mountain in Franconia Notch, NH, the Old Man of the Mountain lost his face - literally -- the day after G.W. Bush pulled his public relations stunt on the aircraft carrier Abe Lincoln ("Mission Accomplished") off the coast of San Diego, CA.
I was struck by the sequence of events. Bush prances on Abe Lincoln deck, the noble Old Man loses face immediately thereafter on the far side of the continent. What's that all about?
Bush Prances Carrier Deck in Flight Suit - May 2, 2003
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2993415.stmOld Man story - May 3, 2003:
http://gonewengland.about.com/cs/nhhistory/l/bloldmanofmtn.htmFor NH -- and for all who had ever seen him -- the collapse of the granite face was a First Class tragedy -- for the Old Man was a symbol of honesty, dignity, and honor -- and he seemed eternal.
I always thought of the Old Man's profile as embodying the same qualities as Old "Honest Abe" Lincoln, whose profile is so familiar to us from the penny. So I was deeply saddened to see him "lose face," and could not help but note that it came right after Bush pulled his PR stunt on the deck of our nation's Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.
After presenting false reasons for war to America, to our soldiers and to the world, what right did Bush have to celebrate himself and "Declare Victory"? Hundreds of our soldiers have died and been wounded since that day, not to mention the ongoing misery for their families at home and the families in Iraq.
At the time I took this monumental "loss of face" in the Granite State as a sign that the appointed pResident was comporting himself without honor. After all, as we now know the Iraq war is based completely on fabrications, and Iraq had no connection to 9/11. This is a war -- a Crusade -- of aggression, torture, and conquest. That's why our young men and women are dying over there -- it has nothing to do with national defense or our true honor.
Now I see things in a different light. I see the loss of face of the Old Man of the Mountain as an Omen that G.W. Bush may well lose face before the voters of the US.
Will the truth emerge? Will Bush be unmasked for who he really is before or during the US election? We shall see.