Desiring Machine

The former first lady and wife of LBJ died yesterday at the age of 94. I don’t know much about her because she was really before my time. However, I am surprised that more is not being said. Many of the liberal blogs I frequent haven’t mentioned anything about her. I saw the news on CNN. I find this silence conspicuous in an odd way. Not sure if any significance is to be had.

I do know that Lady Bird Johnson was attached to numerous “beautification” projects. And this is and was a noble endeavor. If you drive down through the California Redwoods along the 101 near Orick there is tucked away a beautiful little grove called Ladybird Johnson Grove. It is important that we remember these seemingly little aesthetic achievements. Preserve a little piece of park here, a nice tree planted along a highway, a little corner of a neighborhood with a green space. These projects are not on the scale of massive healthcare budgets, war and peace, or tax reform in terms of popular and journalistic attention. But they are the things that make life a little more meaningful and a little more beautiful. If we had more Ladybird Johnsons in the world, it would be a better place.

And for the curious, here are some Quicktime VR shots of Lady Bird Johnson grove.