Harry Reid is quoted in a new book as saying that Barrack Obama was a "light-skinned" African-American "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one." Republicans are saying that Reid should resign his post because of the remark. I agree with them. Several politicians have been called to task over the years for their insensitive remarks.
Although Reid's remark was not as inflammatory as some, it still does not reflect well upon him. Politics being politics, Democrats have come to Reid's defense, saying his remarks were not as bad as others before him. The President has closed the issue, saying he has accepted Reid's apology. I expect the President to do just that and rise above the turmoil and politics.
Reid should step down from his position, (not resign his seat) and admit that his remark was inappropriate. I think that Democrats should hold him to the same standard to which he would be held if he were of the other party. This is not the time for double standards. Republicans have long been guilty of protecting their own, unless the heat become unbearable for them. Democrats should rise above that kind of practice and ask Reid to step aside.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
The Latest Terrorism Threat
David Letterman has been having a ball with the latest suicide bomber and his "exploding underwear with the fuse hanging out his fly." I have to admit that I have not closely followed that story. I'm sure the accusations have flooded in, accusing the current administration of being "soft" on terrorism. The Republicans continue to hold up the nomination for the TSA chief, leaving that important position vacant. The intelligence agencies still maintain their turf wars and refuse to share information, regardless of the danger to the country. Full body scanning and profiling of passengers from the targeted Arab countries are touted as the latest weapons in the fight.
On the other side the terrorist groups have not faltered in their scheming to beat the various security measures. Apparently, the "exploding underwear" is their latest attempt. Fortunately, these guys are not the sharpest tacks in the box. Intelligence is not a good attribute for a suicide bomber. I'm sure the latest yokel's handlers are kicking themselves for choosing him. Yet, they will continue to work on various methods until they have conned a fanatic lunatic of reasonable intelligence and dexterity and an airplane is blown to bits.
Neither the Republicans nor Democrats want to see an act of terrorism succeed. Yet the accusations will continue to fly, bogging down the process and making the country more vulnerable. The bottom line is that over the course of the last 70 years Republicans and Democrats have equally contributed to a foreign policy that has created the hatred of this country among Middle Eastern and Eastern religious fanatics. They do not trust this country and will do whatever it takes to try to defeat us.
Guerrilla warfare on a world wide scale is very difficult to defeat with technology and weapons. We have made a very nasty bed for ourselves by continually meddling in the affairs of those countries. The bed was dirtied even more with the unprovoked invasion of Iraq. Now we have a threatened government in Pakistan that possesses nuclear weapons and an unstable leader in Iran that may be attempting to produce them. If terrorists get their hands on those materials, the world is in great danger.
We are in a war that is almost impossible to win unless we conquer the hearts and minds of the Arab world. The previous administration has given the current administration a very steep uphill battle in this war. Too many dirty tricks were directed toward the Arab world with the invasion, Guantanamo, torture, and rendition. Our country faltered in its world leadership role. Putting this derailed train back on the track will take more than words and it will take years. With the political climate here now, it is doubtful that the train will be repaired in the short term, and the election of another right-wing administration will muddy the waters once again. In short, like the "war" on drugs, look for the "war on terrorism" to continue for many, many years to come with little long term success.
On the other side the terrorist groups have not faltered in their scheming to beat the various security measures. Apparently, the "exploding underwear" is their latest attempt. Fortunately, these guys are not the sharpest tacks in the box. Intelligence is not a good attribute for a suicide bomber. I'm sure the latest yokel's handlers are kicking themselves for choosing him. Yet, they will continue to work on various methods until they have conned a fanatic lunatic of reasonable intelligence and dexterity and an airplane is blown to bits.
Neither the Republicans nor Democrats want to see an act of terrorism succeed. Yet the accusations will continue to fly, bogging down the process and making the country more vulnerable. The bottom line is that over the course of the last 70 years Republicans and Democrats have equally contributed to a foreign policy that has created the hatred of this country among Middle Eastern and Eastern religious fanatics. They do not trust this country and will do whatever it takes to try to defeat us.
Guerrilla warfare on a world wide scale is very difficult to defeat with technology and weapons. We have made a very nasty bed for ourselves by continually meddling in the affairs of those countries. The bed was dirtied even more with the unprovoked invasion of Iraq. Now we have a threatened government in Pakistan that possesses nuclear weapons and an unstable leader in Iran that may be attempting to produce them. If terrorists get their hands on those materials, the world is in great danger.
We are in a war that is almost impossible to win unless we conquer the hearts and minds of the Arab world. The previous administration has given the current administration a very steep uphill battle in this war. Too many dirty tricks were directed toward the Arab world with the invasion, Guantanamo, torture, and rendition. Our country faltered in its world leadership role. Putting this derailed train back on the track will take more than words and it will take years. With the political climate here now, it is doubtful that the train will be repaired in the short term, and the election of another right-wing administration will muddy the waters once again. In short, like the "war" on drugs, look for the "war on terrorism" to continue for many, many years to come with little long term success.
Monday, December 21, 2009
A Southern Funeral
I went to a funeral Saturday. It was my first cousin's husband. She passed away several years ago. He was 82 and the passing was not expected. He simply could not handle surgery for an abdominal aneurysm. There was one child, a son, who is a year older than me. There was not a lot of grief, but the service was worse than I anticipated.
I have been going to funerals since I was born, I suppose. My father took me to a relative's funeral when I was very small, but I still have vague memories of it. I have seen people almost get into caskets. One of my first cousins fainted while standing in front of my aunt's casket. I was about 7 or 8 at the time. I have been to tragic funerals, the worst of which was held in the church at the time that the deceased's wedding would have been held. She was the victim of a drunk driver...her fiancee. He lived to go to jail for it.
This past weekend re-awakened a memory of a tradition that I thought was long since forgotten. At the end of the service the attendees were given the option to parade in front of the open casket, stare at the deceased, and express condolences to the his family on the front row. We declined, as did another cousin. The body had lain in state prior to the service, and everyone who wanted to do so had spoken with the family. In addition a visitation had been held the night before.
The worst part of the service, however, was the "sermon." I have never seen the need to say more than a few comforting words and memories over the deceased by the preacher and/or a friend or family member. This funeral was way over the top. The "preacher" ranted and raved for well over a half hour railing against sin and admonishing those in attendance to "get right with God, now before its too late." He yelled and hollered words of fear about death and hell. About every three or four sentences were followed by a pause, punctuated by a loud, "ha!". He shed tears. He laughed. It was quite a performance. My grandmother would have referred to him as "an old holiness preacher." He was, incidentally, Southern Baptist. By the way, there was some "shouting" and many "amens" as well.
To make matters even worse, the deceased was a Mason and an Oddfellow. The weather was quite cold and snow was blowing, so the Masonic and Oddfellow lodges had to do their thing during the church service. The "ceremonies" these gentlemen performed took me back to my childhood and little boys forming clubs and making up secret rituals and hand signals. It is true that little boys never grow up.
Did I mention that there were two other preachers involved? Oh, yes. It would not be a good southern funeral unless there were a few others to prolong the agony and keep the sinners inflamed. Fortunately, the other two were much calmer. One was very good, speaking a few quiet words of encouragement. The other praised the "hollering" preacher for his fine "sermon" and talked more about himself than the deceased.
The highlights of the service was the music. It was provided by a rather good family quartet, which sang several songs in the southern gospel quartet style. The first song was "Jordan," also called "Cold Jordan" by the Grateful Dead, and written by a local song writer, Fred Rich. Emmy Lou Harris also recorded the song and the author had to take her and others to task because he was not given credit for a copywritten song. It made his later days much more "comfortable." I digress, however. Usually the music at funerals is sad and related to the, "sinner, 'fess up before it's too late. You see this dead person here. It could be you," line.
Had this person not been a relation, I would probably have feigned illness and gotten the heck out of there when the hollering started. I know my wife would have. How we would have explained both of us getting sick, I do not know, but I would not have sat through that mess. I have seen so many families put through the ringer at funerals by unfeeling preachers, who only want to recruit more souls for the flock, rather than comfort the grieving family. Why families allow themselves to be exploited is beyond me, but I suspect it is the fact that they are brainwashed to believe that this kind of service is necessary for the deceased to properly "enter the kingdom of heaven."
Funerals are, unfortunately, a part of life. I have always thought that African Americans have the right attitude about funerals. They are celebrations of life, not a sad vehicle for the saving of souls. There is lively music, clapping, and laughing. It is a joyous occasion, a "home-going." There are words from family, friends and co-workers. Often a proclamation from the church is read, proclaiming the day in honor of the deceased. Why the rest of the world can't get it, I do not know.
I have been going to funerals since I was born, I suppose. My father took me to a relative's funeral when I was very small, but I still have vague memories of it. I have seen people almost get into caskets. One of my first cousins fainted while standing in front of my aunt's casket. I was about 7 or 8 at the time. I have been to tragic funerals, the worst of which was held in the church at the time that the deceased's wedding would have been held. She was the victim of a drunk driver...her fiancee. He lived to go to jail for it.
This past weekend re-awakened a memory of a tradition that I thought was long since forgotten. At the end of the service the attendees were given the option to parade in front of the open casket, stare at the deceased, and express condolences to the his family on the front row. We declined, as did another cousin. The body had lain in state prior to the service, and everyone who wanted to do so had spoken with the family. In addition a visitation had been held the night before.
The worst part of the service, however, was the "sermon." I have never seen the need to say more than a few comforting words and memories over the deceased by the preacher and/or a friend or family member. This funeral was way over the top. The "preacher" ranted and raved for well over a half hour railing against sin and admonishing those in attendance to "get right with God, now before its too late." He yelled and hollered words of fear about death and hell. About every three or four sentences were followed by a pause, punctuated by a loud, "ha!". He shed tears. He laughed. It was quite a performance. My grandmother would have referred to him as "an old holiness preacher." He was, incidentally, Southern Baptist. By the way, there was some "shouting" and many "amens" as well.
To make matters even worse, the deceased was a Mason and an Oddfellow. The weather was quite cold and snow was blowing, so the Masonic and Oddfellow lodges had to do their thing during the church service. The "ceremonies" these gentlemen performed took me back to my childhood and little boys forming clubs and making up secret rituals and hand signals. It is true that little boys never grow up.
Did I mention that there were two other preachers involved? Oh, yes. It would not be a good southern funeral unless there were a few others to prolong the agony and keep the sinners inflamed. Fortunately, the other two were much calmer. One was very good, speaking a few quiet words of encouragement. The other praised the "hollering" preacher for his fine "sermon" and talked more about himself than the deceased.
The highlights of the service was the music. It was provided by a rather good family quartet, which sang several songs in the southern gospel quartet style. The first song was "Jordan," also called "Cold Jordan" by the Grateful Dead, and written by a local song writer, Fred Rich. Emmy Lou Harris also recorded the song and the author had to take her and others to task because he was not given credit for a copywritten song. It made his later days much more "comfortable." I digress, however. Usually the music at funerals is sad and related to the, "sinner, 'fess up before it's too late. You see this dead person here. It could be you," line.
Had this person not been a relation, I would probably have feigned illness and gotten the heck out of there when the hollering started. I know my wife would have. How we would have explained both of us getting sick, I do not know, but I would not have sat through that mess. I have seen so many families put through the ringer at funerals by unfeeling preachers, who only want to recruit more souls for the flock, rather than comfort the grieving family. Why families allow themselves to be exploited is beyond me, but I suspect it is the fact that they are brainwashed to believe that this kind of service is necessary for the deceased to properly "enter the kingdom of heaven."
Funerals are, unfortunately, a part of life. I have always thought that African Americans have the right attitude about funerals. They are celebrations of life, not a sad vehicle for the saving of souls. There is lively music, clapping, and laughing. It is a joyous occasion, a "home-going." There are words from family, friends and co-workers. Often a proclamation from the church is read, proclaiming the day in honor of the deceased. Why the rest of the world can't get it, I do not know.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
