Letting go...

I have an odd sense of pride about the number of friends I have left of the political center. Especially when one considers how far right I am on fiscal issues. I guess its as close as I'll ever come to being considered open-minded.

As I've tooled up and down my Facebook feed the past couple of days, my Democratic friends have been conspicuous in their silence. Oh, there are a few posts about "binders" "big birds" and the latest idiot GOP candidate to open his mouth on abortion. You know, the "important" stuff. They've had nothing to say about the mounting evidence that the Benghazi controversy is more than just a Presidential miscalculation.

As a sports fan since my childhood, I know a little bit about heroes. Mine growing up were the likes of Pete Maravich, David Thompson, Rod Carew, Hank Aaron, and Kenny Stabler...just to name a few. I worshiped them as only a child could...convinced they were incapable of error, and ready to pounce on anyone who suggested otherwise.

As I grew older I realized this was not the case. It slowly dawned upon me that---yes indeed---Pistol Pete and Skywalker could miss a shot. Hammerin' Hank and Sweet Rod could strike out. The Snake could throw an interception. It was a hard epiphany for a little boy, but I accepted it and moved on. I learned that those I admired on the field of play were like all men...both good and bad, sinner and saint, success and failure. That is as it should be.

I'm worried that some otherwise well-adjusted adults seem to have trouble coming to grips with the notion that their political and social hero is also a flawed man. Barack Obama was presented to the American public as a Demigod four years ago...a man capable of ending racism, cancer, global warming, and canker sores. Many took the bait and have yet to let go, despite an avalanche of evidence to the contrary. In fact, the latest evidence suggests very pronounced "flaws" in judgement.

I say this because I want to help. I know its hard to watch heroes fall. It's hard to see someone in whom you're so emotionally invested prove that he's mortal. Its a hell of a thing to have cold reality flung in your face. "If he could just get four more years, he'll show you!!" Much like I used to say, "If Stabler had two minutes he'd win the game!!"

What I'm saying is: its OK to let go. Its alright to admit that things didn't quite work out. No one will blame you if you look at the relationship four years in and decide that you're not where you want to be.

If I could accept my hero's flaws at age ten, you can sure as hell do it as an adult.

A nation of Katrina victims

The Sunday night before Hurricane Katrina hit in 2004, I spent most of the evening gathering as much information as I could on the storm.  Even though I didn't live in the line of fire, I knew that it would be a critical story for our FM station's news the next morning.  The warning bulletins from the usually-reserved National Weather Service were scary.  "Human suffering catastrophic by modern standards" was one that stood out.  It was clear we were dealing with a monster.

We all know what happened.  The storm hit.  The flood waters rose. People died.  Looting began.  Help arrived far too late for most people's taste.

When I saw the news coverage of the mass of humanity inside and outside the Superdome, I didn't see poor, helpless black people.  I saw a group of people that had been sold a bill of goods.  I saw people who had been trained like animals to rely on the state for their most basic needs.  I saw folks who had lived their entire lives under the auspices of bureaucrats---folks who were utterly incapable of helping themselves when the government they had relied on was suddenly not there.

People feel uncomfortable talking about things like this because the overwhelming majority of the victims were black.  We MUST get past this "soft racism."  Fear of making people angry or uncomfortable might be our biggest obstacle to coming up with real solutions to our most vexing social problems.

I find it curious that some on the extreme left claim GOP policy proposals would put blacks back in "slavery."  What is blind and complete dependence on the state, if not slavery?  Is it slavery when you are incapable of providing yourself with the necessities of life without The State stepping in?  Is it charity to assist a group of people to such a degree that they have to make virtually "no" decisions about their day-to-day lives?

At the risk of sounding alarmist and melodramatic, I fear this could be what's in store for the nation at large if we're not careful.  Under the worst case scenario, I see a nation populated by people whose lives are so closely intertwined with the Government that it is impossible to determine where one ends and the other begins.  I see a once-great country with people living in the equivalent of FEMA trailers, waiting for the next check to arrive in the mail.  That nightmare also includes a populace that throws up its hands and wails when disaster strikes---and the entity on which they've relied completely is suddenly unavailable.

A blank check from a nameless and faceless entity is NOT the answer!  Engagement is the answer.  We as Americans and Christians had better get off our collective asses and work directly with those in need.  Sitting back and letting The State handle it is cowardly, counter-productive, and will end up costing us more than we could ever imagine in terms of our liberty and individual freedom.