AS THE TWIG IS BENT

TV movies around Memorial Day featured war. We watched "PT 109" again, a story of the bravery of a rich man's son in the time of war. It was about his dedication to his men and his willingness to serve his country.

Contrast this with another rich man's son who donned the accoutrements of battle dress and played with airplanes between bouts of self aggrandizement and physical gratification. He used his daddy's influence to avoid being sent to any battle zone by joining the National Guard, where he distinguished himself by going AWOL, abusing drugs and alcohol.

What a difference between young Kennedy and Bush, but the seeds of their character as young men foretold what kind of a man and president each would become. This was also true also of a poor woman's son whose hero was President Kennedy.

This young man devoted his life to learning. He wanted to make a difference in the world; bring people together and remove the causes of hatred and war.

He neither joined nor served in the military. He was a Rhodes Scholar with a penchant for understanding the world and was gifted with the silver tongue of an orator. At no time was the world so positively impressed with the United States than during his presidency.

He left office with a booming economy and a huge surplus in the treasury. He came very near to establishing peace between Israel and Palestine. He worked to keep and add to the benefits for the poor and disadvantaged; he strived to reduce and eliminate discrimination in race, gender and sexual orientation. He supported a woman's right to choose.

He did all this while under attack by Republicans who harassed and impeded him, his administration and his family. The shear viciousness of their attack would have destroyed a lesser man, but Clinton not only withstood it, he proved them and their hatchet man, Ken Star, wrong.

The American people gave him high ratings even after he was impeached. After he finished his two terms in office, he traveled the world -- all this time his great talents went mostly unused as Bush's ego could not stand to put him in any position to help this country. What a tragic waste.

Hopefully this will be changed in the future when he can serve an administration dedicated to bringing America back into the world of responsibility and caring. Always, he has been an unofficial Ambassador-at-Large, now there is a good chance the title will become official.

As the twig is bent the tree inclines. -- Virgil

'Tis education forms the common mind; just as the twig is bent the tree's inclined. -- Alexander Pope.

gapperserve-at-peoplepc.com  
http://gendergappers.blogspot.com

2007-023

Copyright 2007 Renee T. Louise and Ruth M. Sprague, Ph.D. These articles may be republished for noncommercial use only, provided that they are copied intact, and that this copyright notice is attached. Address all queries to: gapperserve@peoplepc.com.

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