Thoughts on the last Sunday of August (while sipping on a Harpoon UFO...)
That is some monster of a storm which appears headed toward New Orleans tomorrow; thoughts and prayers go out to all of the people in that storm's track. How a major city ever developed in an area like that, below sea-level in a hurricane-prone region, is curious, an oddity of history I suppose. But this storm could utterly devastate that area; it is not going to be pretty. (New Orleans is one of those places I've always wanted to visit- not during hurricane season, but...)
Cindy Sheehan. I'm willing, and it would behoove most folks to be willing, to cut her considerable slack. No one should doubt that her anger and her grief over the death of her son Casey while serving our country are genuine and heartfelt. As for her more, um, eccentric comments it would probably be best to chalk those up to a woman unhinged over the loss of a loved one. But...first- Casey volunteered to serve. Our military is an all-volunteer force. It is heartbreaking that any life, particularly one just starting on the road to adulthood, is cut down, but it was a decision he made, to serve his country. Second- President Bush did already meet with Cindy Sheehan. No offense to Cindy, but how many meetings with our President does she believe she is entitled to, vis a vis other parents of service men and women lost in Iraq and Afghanistan? Third- and most noxious of all, it is cruel to see the manner in which Cindy's heartfelt- and legitimate- grief, and anger, are being exploited and manipulated by the worst elements of the rabid anti-Bush Left. While there exist some principled groups and individuals opposed to our actions in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and indeed, to the use of military force period, many of the alleged "pro-Cindy" element are people and orgs who have an animus toward anything this administration does, Cindy Sheehan's crusade being but a vehicle of opportunity for them. One hopes Cindy can begin to find some peace, some solace, over the loss of her son Casey, perhaps she can channel her considerable energies into more productive, more mainstream political activites, and see that both the noble sacrifice of her son as well as her sincere feelings are not sullied nor manipulated by the most craven of political extremists.
Pat Robertson. To be charitable, perhaps he is beginning to suffer from Alzheimer's or some such infirmity. If so, his comments should be viewed within that context. But...and yes, his right to speak freely should be defended and protected as much as anyone else's, provided that speech is lawful. Calling for and/or advocating the assassination of a foreign leader is, at best, of dubious legality. And coming from a minister, well...suffice to say, Robertson is deserving of the approbation he, and his comments, have received, from all sides. Personally, I've never had much use for Robertson, or most of his peers. Their expression of their faith is markedly different from my Catholicism; again, I don't doubt their sincerity, but it is expressed in a manner- what?- alien to mine. And it often seems that he, and many of his peers, focus more on the "shall nots" than the redemptive qualities of our shared faith (the notable exception, and the one evangelist I've always had respect for, is the Rev. Billy Graham.) Sadly, Pat Robertson, and Jerry Falwell, and many others of their stripe, are often but the flip side of the same loathsome coin as Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and others of their stripe; extremists who attempt to cloak their divisive agendas under the guise of respectable religion and politics. All should be rightly and roundly condemned when they step out of line.
Anyway...summer is beginning to wind down a bit. It's been a nice summer here, especially after the cold- and long- spring we had. I've had a bit more free time to indulge myself than I have the past few summers (never enough, but hey! :) I am planning to do a bit more this fall, do a few things to begin to take all of "this" a step or two further. Nothing major (yet!) but just moving things forward a lil more...
"Everybody wants me to be what they want me to be..."
