A Life Well Lived

Today, America lost one of its great politicians ... and more importantly a decent man.

Senator George McGovern passed away this morning at the age of 90.

In his 50+ years as a public servant, McGovern made major contributions to the anti-war and civil rights movements. In his later years, he immersed himself in the fight to end world hunger. His 1972 Presidential run helped launch the political careers of Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham.

I'd like to think that we will see future politicians cut from his cloth, but I highly doubt it.

Forgiveness

When John Edwards finally admitted on August 8th to having had an extramarital affair, while his wife was battling cancer, there was not one person more disappointed than I was.





I had strongly supported John Edwards as a possible Vice-Presidential candidate choice in 2008. Before that, I had even hoped that he would be the Democratic Party’s nominee for President.





I truly felt that his message of “Two Americas” was exactly what the American people needed to hear.

This message of economic inequality was made even more forceful coming directly from him, a wildly successful and wealthy individual. After all, he was personally benefiting from the Bush’s tax cuts, and at the same time condemning them as unneeded and unfair to working class Americans.

Shortly after his public admission of infidelity, he released this statement:

“If you want to beat me up feel free. You cannot beat me up more than I have already beaten up myself. I have been stripped bare and will now work with everything I have to help my family and others who need my help.”

Now, I don’t condone what he did to his wife and his family. However, I really feel this statement is sincere, and that he and his family should be left alone to heal ... if that is possible.




These days, so many people spend way too much of their life judging others. The average person spends so much of their time delighting in the misfortune of others, that they hardly have time for a life of their own.

Who is getting divorced?
Who is cheating on whom?
Who is sick?
Who is dying?

Can everyone get a fucking life already?

Just look at what magazine broke the Edwards story.

The public has such a voracious appetite for other people’s misery, because they have no real excitement in their own lives. The only thing that soothes their own feelings of inadequacy is to hear that someone more powerful, or wealthy, has been taken down.

I strongly believe in many of the central messages contained in the Bible. What really kills me, is that so many people who proudly declare themselves as "true" Christians, have not bothered to read the book they are thumping.

MATTHEW 7:1-5

"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

JOHN 8:7

"He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."

Unfortunately, It was this rampant pattern of judgment that put me off the thought of attending church when I was a child. I would sit through service after service hearing messages of love and forgiveness, only to then attend a coffee hour full of gossip and rumors.




“Did you hear that ... ?"

“Can you believe that ...?"

John 8:7 is a powerful passage from the Bible. It has grown in meaning for me, as I have grown.

We all sin against each other in some way or another. We are all imperfect, and we all need to spend more time concerned with our own shortcomings and less about those of others.

Just like John correctly stated … Nothing you can do or say will punish someone more than they will punish themselves. Even if that person lacks a sense of guilt or responsibility, karma will exact revenge in a way that you could never imagine.

Holding on to anger only damages the possessor. In the wise words of The Eagles, “It will eat you up inside, baby”.

The Bible teaches forgiveness. A central message that can easily be found in The Lords Prayer.

Once you let go of the anger, a peace creeps in, and ... with time ... the pain fades away.

Cold Cash

After railing for months against Congressional corruption under Republican rule, Democrats on Capitol Hill are divided on how far their proposed ethics overhaul should go.

Those for the new ethics rules:

Representative Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic leader, promised “the most honest, most open and most ethical Congress in history.”

Senator Barack Obama, the Illinois Democrat, said he was pushing for changes with more teeth.

Those against them:

Representative John P. Murtha, Democrat of Pennsylvania, was embarrassed by disclosures last week that he had dismissed the leadership proposals with a vulgarity at a private meeting.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, the California Democrat who will oversee any proposal as the incoming chairwoman of the Rules Committee, said she was opposed to an independent Congressional ethics watchdog.

I have a strong feeling that I can accurately guess what House Democrat William J. Jefferson (Rep Louisiana’s 2nd congressional district) thinks of these new proposals.