Somewhere in Hades, the Devil must be clapping his hands in glee: he has the unsolicited help of an atheist (an emergency medical man at that who also happens to be a lawyer -- aren't lawyers said to be the only living heart donors?) in gradually obliterating "any links between the Great United States and God."
There have been other attempts before, in these veiled efforts to "separate Church and State." First it was the banning of prayers in the classrooms, then the declaration that posting the 10 Commandments in schools and government edifices was illegal. And now, a Court of Appeals decision that has upheld a man's claim that his child should not be forced to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
That some people can be so vehemently against "God's involvement in the State's affairs" is not as unacceptable to me as to have taxpayers' money fund and finance these inane exercises in proving how much against God some citizens can be. Perhaps somewhere in History Heaven, good ol' George, Ben, Abe and others who, at one time or another some 200 years ago sought inspiration in God and the Bible as they helped steer the colonies into united statehood, must be feeling mighty uncomfortable and irritated.
I am not a religious man...far from it. But I find nothing wrong in having faith in a Supreme Being, either. Because Faith just might see us through. Especially after September 11, 2001, when we realized that America is being confronted by religious zealots who think nothing of killing themselves in the name of their faith and the belief that they are guaranteed martydom heaven, their wanton disregard for other people's lives notwithstanding.
And THEN, during those times when you do have the camera, how many hours have you walked like a zombie with that "third eye with zoom" held at ready like a hunting rifle, scanned your surroundings till your neck stiffened and creaked, deluding yourself into believing that any moment now that "missed shot" that taunts your waking and sleeping hours will present itself again? And how many times did you dejectedly tuck your camera into its bag because people around you were beginning to stare and regard you with suspicion?
If inspiration is a fickle mistress, and the creative yearning is a vicious vice, then the thought of never having that one chance in a lifetime again to photograph something that others seem to document at leisure (why else would magazine covers have them all the time?) is a very unforgiving guilty conscience.
