Tonight, as I try to fall asleep, I’m reminded of an episode of “The West Wing”, (from Season One, Ep 14, “Take this sabbath day.”)
President Bartlett had to decide whether to “stay” an execution that was scheduled to happen in less than 48 hours, and he consults wth a variety of people (his staff, the Pope, a Rabbi, a Quaker, and finally a Priest), and agonizes over the decision.
Finally, a few minutes before the execution (and, by the default of not making a decision, he makes his decision), Bartlett’s priest (Karl Malden) from his childhood comes to the Whitehouse to talk with him.
The priest tells President Bartlett the story of the old man who hears his town is going to flood, but he stays in his house because he believes that God will come to rescue him.
The man hears the numerous warnings on the radio/tv, but ignores them (“God will save me”). A state trooper drives by, using his PA speakers to warn the residents to evacuate, and the man ignores the trooper, saying “God will rescue me.”
The flood comes, and the man makes his way upstairs to the upstairs floor, and he sees a guy in a fishing boat row past his window, telling the old man to climb in, because soon the water will rise above the second story. The old man says: “God will help me.”
The water flood level raises even higher, and the old man goes through the attic to get onto his roof. And, a helicopter whizzes over, trailing a rope ladder. The pilot uses his loud speakers to tell the old man to climb onto the rope ladder, in order to be rescued. The old man says, “God will save me.”
Finally, the water rises to a level such that the old man cannot retreat any longer. He succumbs and drowns.
He goes into heaven and meets God, asking him, “God, why didn’t you rescue me? I kept waiting for you, Lord, to save me!”
God replied, “Sir, I sent you warnings on the radio, a state trooper in his car, a man in a fishing boat, a pilot in a helicopter, and you ignored them all. What else could I have done to have rescued you??”
~63,000,000 voters voting for the republican candidate.
~8,000,000 voters voting for a third party candidate.
~300-310 electoral college electors voting for their republican candidate.
~30-40 electoral college electors needed to vote for someone other than their party’s elected candidate.
Our country has had plenty of chances to be rescued, during these last 15-18 months of the presidential campaign, during these last four months after the conventions, during these last two months after watching the three presidential debates.
All ~71,000,350 people decided to ignore God’s warnings – the too numerous to count news articles and editorials, the videos, the audio tapes, and his own speeches at his rallies, regarding this man who is now the President-Elect and who will become the President of these United States of America on January 20th, 2017.
We ignored God’s warnings about this person’s lack of intelligence, their lack of patience, the inability to speak coherently, their inability to answer direct questions, their sexual harassment of women, their mocking of a person with a disability, their temperament of a young child, and we also ignored their tweets – both the older tweets as well as the recent tweets, seemingly not being able to focus on the important and critical decisions, but, instead, focusing the majority of his attention on those who make fun of him, and we also ignored their recent choices regarding their cabinet. We ignored their not understanding the value and purpose of diplomacy, their ignorance of foreign policy, along with national security, their distrust of our intelligence agencies. We ignored their racism.
I wanted so much to tell those who voted for this candidate that they are all stupid or idiots, but I know they also think that I am the stupid one, or that I’m the idiot, because I voted for someone other than their candidate.
Truth is, none of us are stupid nor idiots, we just happen to think differently, and have different sets of moral and ethical standards. Our values are both different and the same, at the same time.
I am sincerely hoping that I’m the idiot, that I’m the stupid one, and that no harm will come to our great nation from this person that we’ve now elected as our next president.
[Copyright Brian S. Williams/2016.]
