The times call for statesmen, but we are at the mercy of political juveniles masquerading as statesman. The recent squabble in e Washington reminded me of children caught fighting and blaming each other. “It’s all her fault” says one. “No,” she says, “it’s his.” Ones innocence must be defended to the end, placing all the blame on the other. Both would rather suffer the loss of a meal at McDonald’s followed with a movie than admit that they both share in the blame.
It is like this in Washington. Democrats point fingers at Republicans and place all the blame on them. Outraged, Republicans shoot back claiming innocence while blaming Democrats for the mess. Not to be outdone, independent voters wish pocks on both parties as if they are innocent outsiders. And we, the gullible voters can’t laugh at their childishness or blush at their self-righteous blindness. Basically it is not a problem of politics but of the human spirit.
Some children grow up, but some never outgrow this childish and demonic need to be right. In forty years as a Presbyterian minister I met with countless couples on the verge of divorce. By the time they came to me both husband and wife had argued and fought for so long they were seething with anger and stone-walled behind inflexible positions. He had nursed his anger, and rehearsed his list of her failings for so long that the venom flowed like molten lava. And she’d done the same. Each wanted me to side with them.
“If the good Revered sides with me, I am clearly right and my spouse is the evil one.” Sometimes their self-righteous condemnation of the other was so volatile they chose to destroy their marriage and break the hearts of their children rather than accept whatever responsibility was theirs, and compromise a little. They would rather destroy their family in than sacrifice their demonic need to be in the right.
Will our juvenile politicians masquerading as statesmen chose to bring down our nation rather than have a little humility, affirm whatever goodness and truth their political opponents may have and work together?
-The Rev. Dr. William R. Klein, Roanoke
Well Rev Dr, I know there is a smidge of truth in your comments but like the good man you are, you appear to be overlooking the fundamental clash we have going on in the US today. We have the “take care of you” libs trying to borrow and spend as much of everyone elses money as they can AND they have been working hard to create poverty and DEpendency to strengthen the base of their power. On the other had we have simply fiscal conservatives who want to see opportunity and liberty restored along with a good dose of personal responsibility. There is nothing really totally new about the extreme ends of the spectrum except the conditions in the US (and world) today which are unlike ANY time in the past. I see it as a clash worth having. Are we going to run every aspect of your life from DC and break the US in the process OR will we return to the approaches and system that proved it successful for around 200 years? NO I say fight on. I also say the real failure is on the part of the voters who elect clowns because they promise to “fight” for them and not to do what’s right for the country. You should be grateful we have right wingers who have not given up yet. And you also should be concerned that one day they may just say to hell with it and allow the libs their way. I fear many are already there.