Shaken, but Not Stirred

I was in the middle of one of my favorite afternoon delights, a martini made with Bluecoat American Dry Gin, when the great tremor sent shock waves through much of the original thirteen colonies. From Richmond, Virginia to Boston, Massachusetts the talk was only of the big quake, and how even the President of the United States may been thrown from his beach chair while enjoying the usually serene sands of Martha’s Vineyard. Meanwhile, our compadres on the West Coast were glued to their television sets–their eyes searching the eastern urban scapes for the gaping chasms, collapsed highways, bent bridges and smoldering rubble. But alas, that morbid aspect of human curiosity would have to be satisfied with tales of interrupted soap operas and rattling china. 

As for myself, once I digested the uniqueness of the occurrence so close to home, my thoughts quickly turned to the politics of the situation. I was relieved to know that we were not as of yet burdened with a balanced budget amendment. Because had New york and Philadelphia been reduced to a  collection of  fallen brick and twisted steel, I’m not sure the current Congress would approve of additional assistance from Washington, and Wall Street shows little interest in wanting  to help in the rebuilding of America. 

These little wakeup calls, that are thrown our way every once in a while, should serve as a reminder of just how vulnerable we really are, and how dependent we are on one another–and a government that is strong, functional and flexible. As usual, I’m sure our politicians were likely a bit shaken by the event–but probably not stirred!

Posted by: Chris Poh

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