On the day when Speaker of the House, Rep. John Boehner, announces
his upcoming resignation from Congress later next month, the Pope addresses the
United Nations on issues moral and spiritual.
If Boehner wanted to find a way to avoid immediate close scrutiny for
his resignation- his decision to use the ‘take out the trash day’ {Friday]
combined with Papal presence on U.S. soil was probably good timing.
When we take a look at the several years of Mr. Boehner’s
leadership in the House of Representatives we see nothing resembling true
leadership and statesmanship. The most
tanned Speaker in history was given both a President of another party and a
Republican Caucus from another century – the 18th!
Worse than trying to shepherd a flock (gaggle? Pride? Phalanx?)
of cats – the unfortunate Mr. Boehner has been living in a hell somewhat of his
own making. While stirring up the far,
far, far right in order to bolster Republican majorities (starting back in
2010) – he has been trying to guide the Tea Party-types to actually govern. Instead they have usually rushed around skewering
everything un-reactionary with their pitch-forks and their
pitch-forked-tongues.
You have to sort of pity the guy. Which I do, but only a little. Instead of showing leadership and
statesmanship – which actually used to be found in the Republican party – he sought
to be the face of resistance to the Kenyan-born, Muslim, Socialist,
dark-skinned President down Pennsylvania Avenue. Often successful at throwing up roadblocks to
progress – he generally has been outmaneuvered by President Obama and been
knee-capped by his own Caucus.
With the loss of Rep. Boehner one would think that some
legislative progress might be possible.
But he’s one of the few adults in the Republican Caucus – with him gone
the lunatics will be in charge of the asylum.
Just expect things to get uglier, more vituperative and nasty, and slow
down worse than the snail’s pace they’ve set over the past several years.
If nothing else, Mr. Boehner can have the privilege of
overseeing the worst legislative seasons in the history of our nation. They make a ‘do-nothing’ Congress of the past
look manic by comparison.
While Boehner weeps and takes leave of the stage – ‘exit
stage right’! - we get treated to the
pronouncements of the ‘clown car caucus’ (aka ‘folks running for the Republican
nomination’) on the Pope and other immediate news stories.
Jeb! Bush, apparently a Catholic (having thrown aside the
Episcopalianism of his childhood) – pontificates (so to speak) that the Pope should
avoid speaking about climate change because he “is not a scientist.” Well, Jeb-boy isn’t lying – the Pope apparently
isn’t a scientist. But wait! He is.
Before becoming a priest he got a degree as a chemical technician and
worked as a chemist. Well – it’s not as
if Bush is really lying he is just uninformed about the Pope’s education – but not
lying doesn’t make his comments any less insipid and ridiculous.
Climate change is actually scientifically verifiable. The numerous studies – done by scientists –
is what people of intelligence and integrity rely upon to determine the truth
of something.
Bush, and his fellow clown car riders, all deny that climate
change is taking place. Of course, being
scientists, they know whereof they speak!
The idea that the issue of climate change and concern over
the health of our planet isn’t the concern of the spiritual leader of a billion
people is so absurd that I’m nearly rendered silent. Nearly.
The Pope’s Encyclical “Laudato Si” (Praise Be to You) is a
passionate, thoughtful, creative and moral call to take seriously the issues of
care for our planet. Ecology, respect
for our resources, climate change – indeed the whole of creation is to be
respected. Since he is both a leader and
has a moral center – not speaking about such an important subject would be …
well ‘anathema’!
Unfortunately when Biblical truths and economic concerns are
weighed in the Bush-ian scales – care for the world is found wanting. At this point he is one with his car full of ridiculous
cohorts.
Like those mirrors in the funny house at a carnival – any semblance
to what might be the shape and gravitas of important ideas gets distorted and
reflected in bizarre ways in order to appease the pitch-fork crowd.
Mr. Bush – you will have as much success with them as did
Mr. Boehner. Lacking a backbone and any
real sense of who you are and what you stand for … well it couldn’t happen to a
nicer scion of a American “dynasty”.
So long John! May you
be blessed with a long and healthy retirement. Despite my dislike of your policies, your
political posturing and what you have wrought these last few years – I do thank
you for doing your best to serve your country as well as you could.
That's all for today - next blog: Trump - The finest 18th Century mind in America today!
(p.s. - after nearly five years in dormancy it feels good to be back writing! Share if you dare!)
