Salt of the earth.

Well! I've had some really interesting conversations about my entries from last week. I will share one with you. Just one. For now.

David in Detroit shared his thoughts on accountability and suggested that perhaps it's something that must come from within each of us. I love that! You are so right, David. One of these days, you will share your thoughts right here on my blog. That would be fantastic.

Now, if I may extend David's theory to the whole Turkey/Armenia situation, I question the U.S. resolution even further. Are we forcing accountability on an unwilling party? Our justice system does this all the time, of course, when we try people for crimes. And the world justice system does this, as well, as it did at Nuremberg.

(And I should make it clear that if the world had acted swiftly, following WWI, and empaneled a set of judges to hear a case against the Ottoman Empire, that would have been a very different thing. In my mind, anyway. Plus, what about Darfur? What about Rwanda? No, seriously, what about them? I don't know what the official policy is on those...actions.)

I guess I just think that lessons mean a whole lot more when they are closely linked to the actions they are intended to address.

One evening, when I was about 12 years old, I was snacking on celery in the kitchen. I mosied to the spice rack and noticed a jar of celery salt. "Cool," I thought. "Salt made specifically for celery!"

My dad came in as I was sprinkling the celery salt upon my stalk of celery. He has this look that touches his face when he's both puzzled and entertained. I guess the word is "wry," but on my dad it's extra-special. If you're fortunate enough to have met him, you know exactly what I mean. He gave me that look but said nothing. I smiled and saluted him with my celery, noting the look but completely unaware of its genesis.

Later that night, it hit me. It wasn't salt made for celerly. It was salt made from celery, specifically the seeds.

Now, he could have told me that, right there in the kitchen. But he knew I'd figure it out if he just gave me that look. And he also knew that it would mean so much more if I got there on my own.

Am I overly optimistic to think that if we keep giving Turkey that look, the nation's leadership will someday give voice to an enormous mea culpa? Probably. I think I wish that Turkey and Armenia would work out the entire issue on their own; without the U.S. getting involved. (Yeah, I know. And one day, gumdrops will fall from the sky.)

And I certainly mean no disrespect with my celery salt story. I've told you before that I enjoy reducing extremely complex issues to the simplest, possible form. It's that relevance issue again.