and it is, as usual, thoughtful and thought-provoking. See here for a wonderful example of gracious in defeat. Skip that, simply gracious. It is good to have such people as JCecil3 in our community, civil, polite, and willing always to look for God's grace in whatever may occur.
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Steven,
Thanks for the link. As you say, his comments are very well put. I hope the new Congress reads it, too. And Mr. Bush could use it to think about also.
I also enjoyed his reflections about how difficult it was as Catholics to vote for Kerry or Bush as both have objectionable stances in certain areas.
I wonder if we were reading the same JCecil? Throughout the campaign he insisted that the President was either stupid or evil, and he even announced that he would leave the country if a second administration came to pass because he didn't want his new born growing up in such a country during her formative years!
Now he's back peddlng so fast he's creating a wake... it's thought provoking alright.
Dear Ell,
We see the same person from opposite sides of the adversarial fence. (Which is curious since my own beliefs more often approximate what you articulate than what JCecil3 states.) Yes, we often overstate our cases when in the heat of discussion. Yes, JCecil3 may have articulated what many of us think in some milder form. (For example, I don't think Bush is evil, but I think he has DONE evil.)
That a person is willing to rethink their position in light of new circumstances is commendable. Absolute adherence to ideology is not a commendable trait. I often wish politicians would simply say, "Yes, I used to be pro-choice but I have rethought my position." The only one I can think of is Zell Miller. I also wish those on the opposite side would say the same. But when one does that they are accused of flip-flopping or equivocating. The reality is that we are stuck with the cards we are dealt. If JCecil3 is making the best of that, it is commendable. If that means moving away from former positions to make a position tenable now, that too is commendable. It isn't backpedaling to say that the unthinkable has occurred (from the point of view of one for whom the election of Bush was unthinkable), now what do I do?
I should hope that over time ideas that any given person holds mature and take shape. That time span can be short if necessity dictates. And so some degree of backpedaling might be required. At least I hear in JCecil3 a strain of hope that I have been unable to feel after this election. And I find that refreshing. Neither triumphalistic nor defeatist, simply living with what has happened.
shalom,
Steven
That a person is willing to rethink their position in light of new circumstances is commendable.
But he hasn't rethought it! He's just trying to repackage it to make it easier to swallow, particularly the political/separation and legislation/ abortion thing. And his regular readers are seeing right through it!
The "oh, well we can all be friends now" would go over a lot better if it was preceded by an "I'm sorry for all the pre-election vitriole" first.
Dear Ell,
A lot of people tend to see elections in apocalyptic terms. "If so and so is elected the world will stop spinning on its axis." I tend not to worry too much about the vitriol, it's just part of that venting of anxiety. Once the election is over, for some reason, some contact with reality reensues and we realize that we haven't fallen off the face of the Earth.
I guess I view vitriol on either side as simply an amplification of the obvious flaws of the candidates that sets in when we allow the political to dominate in our thought. I went through a great deal of angst and realized that whoever was elected, it would be business as usual in DC with very little noticeable change down the line. Yes, some of the executive orders on one side would be thoroughly deplorable. But given that we don't know what they are until after the administration is over, it's likely that there are some pretty deplorable ones right now.
So, I just chalk it all up to the sort of fever that overtakes some portions of the electorate leading up to the election. Now that it is over everyone realizes that they have to live with the results. I doubt Alec Baldwin will move (so much the worse) or that Michael Moore will jump off a building, or whatever idiotic thing he threatened to do. This transmorgrification is simply part and parcel of what happens in the election game and I think it is well said and well done.
We will disagree on this, but it is always very nice to hear from you. Thank you for writing.
shalom,
Steven