| This week, the government was larged
cleared of any wrongdoing with regard to the standoff with David Koresh
in Waco, Texas, according to the findings announced this week by the independent
counsel who investigated the matter.
If you are like me, your initial reaction may have
been something like, "Yeah, right." At least, that was my reaction until
I read that the independent counsel in question was John Danforth, former
Senator from Missouri. John Danforth, you see, is a man of unquestioned
integrity. When he speaks, I don't find myself wondering if he is telling
me the truth.
This is an example of whay people said that it was
important whether or not Presidnet Clinton lied about his affair with Monica
Lewinsky. The President's supporters told us, repeatedly, that it didn't
matter because it was his personal life he was talking about instead of
matter related to his administration or its policies.
In doing so, they asked us to believe that character
can be compartmentalized. They asked us to believe that a person can be
dishonest in one part of their life and still be completely trustworthy
in others.
Character doesn't work that way, though. Either a
person is honest or they are not honest. If they are honest, we can believe
them when they speak. If not, we must ask, with each word they utter, whether
or not this is a situation where they are likely to be motivated to lie
or to tell the truth. This is the reason why I was not troubled by the
people who believed the President nearly as much as I was by those who
said it didn't really matter whether he told the truth.
The fiery outcome to the standoff with the Branch
Davidians at Waco was tragic, no matter what you think of the government's
actions. In the aftermath, however, it has been fuel for those who see
government conspiracies all around them. Not only did the rumors and questions
need to be resolved, but we needed to hear the answers from someone who
could be trusted to speak the truth. Fortunately, we had that in Senator
Danforth. Perhaps we ought to work for the day when, in both parties, such
character ceases to be the exception and becomes the rule.
Others Worth Watching
For this initial offering,
I'd like to recommend a piece called, "Smile!
God Hates You!" It's a sobering look at the skewed world of Rev. Fred
Phelps and his followers. I have long felt that, if the church is vocal
in its opposition to the "gay right" agenda, but remains comparatively
quiet when Rev. Phelps pickets funerals and says that, "God hates fags",
then we shouldn't be surprised when we get lumped together with him This
piece, by Greg Hartman (the About.com guide to Christian Humor and Apologetics),
is just the sort of thing there ought to be more of. |
