The Pope arrived in the United States and he was greeted at the White House with a 21 gun salute. I'm not opposed to 21 gun salutes. They are a wonderful time to honor veterans and often used at funerals. I find them to be an impressive tribute.
The thing is, the Pope represents the, ahem, Prince of Peace, and he has been sharply critical of President Bush about the President's almost gleeful usage of the death penalty, of the President's tolerance for torture, and the waging of, philosophically, an unjust war. A 21 gun salute from President Bush was not unlike Eliot Spitzer welcoming the Pope with "Girls Gone Wild" videos. You don't do war things with Popes. They should have asked me...
Speaking of Eliot Spitzer, rumor has it that the Pope has put aside 4 hours in New York to hear the confessions of New York's latest two governors...
I found Hillary Clinton's description of her love of guns and her father, etc., to be a bit of a stretch. Hillary grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois which is a first suburban town out of the city. This means, for those who are not from large cities, that Park Ridge borders Chicago and is the first town you hit when you leave the city. When you are a close suburb in to a very large city, I grew up outside New York, the world is very crowded and guns are not part of the culture. The only people I knew who had guns when I was growing up were the police, the army, and the local mobsters.
Of course, Barack Obama saying that she's trying to sound like Annie Oakley was one of the best lines of the campaign...
Yesterday it cost me $36.00 to fill up my car with gas. I drive a Toyota Corolla. Small car, small engine. It cost me $36.0o to fill up my car with gas. I keep hearing people telling me that the 'market' always takes care of things. I'd love to drink some of that Kool-Aid...
I read today that Martha Stewart's dog died. Made the front page of a major web site news organization. I thought I'd pass that on as I expect everyone is riveted by such news.
I'm wondering when the Pope is opening his campaign office in New Albany...
Okay, that's a wrap!
3 comments:
Great stuff, John.
You know, I, too, thought the 21-gun salute thing was somewhat odd. In addition, there is something else I thought was oxymoronic (if you know what I mean). According to an article posted by MSNBC, President Bush told the Pope in a public speech the following:
"In a world where some treat life as something to be debased and discarded, we need your message that all human life is sacred and that each of us is willed, each of us is loved, and each of us is necessary," the president said, drawing sustained applause.
Bush also Americans should see Benedict's U.S. tour as a reminder to "distinguish between simple right and wrong."
"We need your message to reject this dictatorship of relativism and embrace a culture of justice and truth," Bush said. "In a world where some see freedom as simply the right to do as they wish, we need your message that true liberty requires us to live our freedom not just for ourselves."
Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black?
:-) I love a wry sense of humor! The gubernatorial-papal confessional scenario could be interesting, but alas, unlikely. These days, politicians only fess up in media-saturated press conferences with the obligatory long-suffering yet supportive spouse at their side. No contrition here--just damage control!
As for Hillary's attempt to seem like "everyman," puh-lease! Though I don't know what Park Ridge is like today, as a Chicago native and Hillary's contemporary age-wise, I can confirm that when I was growing up, this burb was an enclave of the well-heeled and well-educated, where the menfolk's recreational slant was toward the golf course or perhaps an occasional fly-fishing trip out West. The amusingly-named "forest preserves" of suburban Chicago, though pretty, were really well-manicured parks mostly used for weekend picnics, certainly not deer-harvesting or shooting practice!
Which brings me to my question: why do so many political candidates think they have to be all things to (or be like) all people? Are they all just stupid or do they think WE are and will only vote for someone who is a mirror image of ourselves? What's wrong with just being yourself? Though it's not my only criteria, when it comes to choosing a national leader, I value self-confidence much more than likeability . . . after all, I'm voting for a President, not a BFF to hang out with after school!
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