Sometimes, it's better to let yourself get out of the way and let others say what you might be able to, but not nearly as well.
That's what Brian Williams, former host of the MSNBC news show "The 11th Hour with Brian Williams" was very good at. It's what made the show one of the best of its kind, if not the best, on regular or cable TV, while ironically showing at a time many people go to bed.
Williams retired last night, but not before pulling over to the side of the road and, at long last (though you knew by the kinds of guests he had and the details he featured), telling us how he felt about the general state of things. I'm printing the cogent bulk of his comments here, so I and anyone else can look back and refer to them:
My biggest worry is for my country. I'm not a liberal or conservative. I'm an institutionalist. I believe in this place. And in my love for my country I yield to no one. But the darkness on the edge of town has spread to roads and highways and neighborhoods. It's now at the local bar and the bowling alley and the school board and in the grocery store.
Grown men and women, who swore an oath to our Constitution, elected by our constituents, possessing the kinds of college degrees I can only dream of, have decided to join the mob and become something they are not, hoping we somehow forget who they were. They've decided to burn it all down with us inside. That should scare you to no end as much as it scares an aging volunteer fireman.
I will wake up tomorrow in the America of the year 2021, a nation unrecognizable to those who came before us and fought to protect it--which is what you must do now.
I sit here writing a blog, mostly on politics, with a very small following. It isn't enough, I know, but it's a contribution. I would do something else if I knew what to do. I'm too old to run for office. I avoid the members of the 'mob' to which he refers, mostly because they infuriate me with their thuggish stupidity and bullying and their intentional ignorance of the truth that stares them in the face. Outside of confronting them and absorbing their insults, I'm not sure what else I can do.
Maybe I can work internally, convincing those of my general political positioning that first, being nice gets people nowhere; and second, speaking out is risky but has become far more necessary than ever. We dangle nearer the cliff of fascism than ever, and our combined voices are all we have. I think that''s what Brian Williams meant. If not, it's close enough.
In the meantime, I'll be here at my post, for as long as the First Amendment allows (not a sure thing anymore, especially if ex- returns to haunt). I will miss Brian Williams immensely at 10 p.m., and I hope he re-emerges somewhere else accessible. All the best to him.
Be well. Be careful. Get a booster. With some luck, I'll see you down the road.
Mister Mark
'Too old' is all in your mind and has been for too long. Age and experience beats youth and treachery hands down. As long as these thugs can threaten elected officials they will continue to do so. Run for the school board, you are eminently qualified. It's a start.
ReplyDelete