Where’s the Outrage?

Jerry Falwell died today. I’m sorry when any person dies. Not long after Rev. Falwell’s death, I heard some disparaging comments making light of his departure. I’m not comfortable with that sort of thing. As tempting as it can be at times, you can’t fight hate with hate.

The comments I heard today about Rev. Falwell’s death reminded me, in a way, of what Malcolm X said after the shooting of President Kennedy. Malcolm said “the chickens had come home to roost.”

While quite controversial at the time, these comments were not personal in regards to President Kennedy. Here is a take on what Malcolm said from Martin Luther King biographer Taylor Branch as written in the book Pillar Of Fire: America In The King Years 1963-1965—-

“Malcolm argued from history that the “climate of hatred” so widely blamed for the assassination was anything but marginal to American society. This was the gauntlet of an aspiring prophet—telling a nation that a revered leader had been struck down by a righteous punishment…..”

Rev. Falwell died from natural causes. No lesson can be drawn from his death. The best thing in regards to Rev. Falwell is to just move forward and hope that he has found some peace from all that sad anger.  

Tags: Books, Domestic Issues, Religion by Texas Liberal
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This is a very interesting interview.  Chuck Hagel is a very interesting man.  He dodges the “are you running for president” question. Otherwise, he is very straightforward.

 

 Chuck Hagel on FTN [10:46m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Iraq, Sunday Morning Shows by ecthompson
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Well, I was at a hotel last night that really didn’t understand high speed internet.  When you can’t play a video because your internet connection is too slow then you don’t have high speed.  This week will be difficult to say the least.

Tags: Blogging issues, Domestic Issues by ecthompson
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In college I recall being turned-off when studying Henry David Thoreau. While I, like all people, have many conflicting impulses, maybe my strongest impulse is against someone separating himself from the whole.

I feel this way despite a strong wariness of the will of the political majority, however it may be defined at any given moment, and despite the atomistic bent of my solid 1980’s Midwestern hardcore punk rock credentials. 

Last week I watched an episode of Hawaii Five-O for the first time in many years. In this episode, top cop Steve McGarrett was asked to test some sort of telephone snooping device. McGarrett said into the phone, “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.”

This spoke to me. I’d heard it before—But for whatever reason it resonated with me very much on this one particular afternoon. I knew the quote was from Thoreau’s Walden.

So today I bought a copy of Thoreau. We’ll see if he reaches me or if my Andrew Jackson “of the people” impulses exert too strong a pull. 

Tags: Books, Television by Texas Liberal
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