Two columns

Last posted on February 13th, huh. Well. It's been more than a month. Several times I've sat here and tried to put into words what I want to say, but they just don't come. It's so hard sometimes to describe how things affect you, or what you need, or what you have observed, or what has been learned.

I've saved a couple of newspaper columns to comment on, and I've had some changes in my work situation. Life happens, and then you go on, and sometimes your observations remain unsaid and unnoticed. That's ok. I'm not the epitome of self-expression, and people certainly don't need my contribution to this blog in order to go on with their lives.

The two columns I was going to comment on were published weeks ago - one on February 1 and one on February 13. Both different topics, both by columnists I don't agree with all the time, but I remain a loyal reader to both Leonard Pitts, columnist from the Miami Herald, and Clarence Page, a columnist who writes for Tribune Media Services. Both of these columns just made my soul weary.

In the first, Leonard Pitts is commenting about the insane comments of the Lt Gov. of the great state of South Carolina, Andre Bauer. (You may recall that the governor, Mark Sanford, was involved in some sort of nasty business with a woman from South America, lying to the voters who elected him and the world regarding his disappearance for more than 4 days. Turns out he was with her, half a world away. His wife has since been granted a divorce.)

Anyway, Mr. Pitts took the honorable Lt. Gov. Bauer to task when he compared poor people to stray animals. He (Bauer) stated: "My grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Becaause they breed. You're facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply. They will reproduce, especially ones that don't think too much further than that. And so what you've got to do is you've got to curtail that type of behavior. They don't know any better."

Blink. Blink. It STILL takes me aback after more than a month.

Mr. Pitts asks, "Who speaks for the poor? Who raises a voice when they are scapegoated and marginalized?" Good questions. But what I'm noticing is, there was a little media flap, but not much. There was a little on the news, but not much. The comment came and went. Had he said it about any other group of people, he would have been on his knees apologizing. He would have said many mea culpas. He would have possibly been asked to resign. But the poor? There's no power in poverty. And he knew it. I agree with Mr. Pitts. Bauer needs to know - sometimes, stray animals bite.

The other columnist wrote an article about Sarah Palin's horror at the use of the slur, and it IS a slur, "retard", which was used by Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel - he called some liberal democrats this word for threatening to attack the more conservative party members over health care reform. He states, "Who can argue with Palin's call for "decency", particularly since it comes from her, a mother of a child with developmental disabilities..." All true. Palin's son Trig has Down Syndrome. The Chief of Staff apologized privately for using this word.

I was gratified to see Palin's response to this. Finally! I thought. Someone who is defending the defenseless. Someone who knows, who has walked in those shoes. Hurray for her. But my cheers were short-lived, when conservative talk-show mogul Rush Limbaugh used this exact term to describe liberal Democrats and she DEFENDED his use of the word. She stated, "Rush Limbaugh was using satire. I didn't hear him calling a group of people whom he did not agree with 'effing retards'." Really. Then she must have not heard his response to the backlash: "Our politically correct society is acting like some giant insult has taken place by calling abunch of people who are retards retards."

I'm weary. Is there anyone connected with the political process who remains true to their convictions and beliefs? Anyone? Anyone who stands on truth? Anyone who doesn't change colors with the wind? Anyone who finds the use of the word "retard" inappropriate no matter who says it? Anyone who serves the American people selflessly, and with integrity and honor? Anyone who tells the truth? All the time? Anyone who doesn't look to re-election as the goal of life? Anyone who doesn't distort facts or statistics? Anyone who truly and with their whole heart, honors and serves God with a heart like Jesus? Or is that asking too much?