I lost a good friend to smoking-related diseases early this year. She spent the better part of a year in the hospital. A week before she died, she did not look as bad as Mitch McConnell does now.
I hated McConnell before hating McConnell was cool. A long time ago -- roughly three decades ago -- he insulted a friend of mine while speaking in the Senate. The things he said were arguably libelous, but he was protected by Article I, Section 6, Clause 1 of the Constitution.
(I can't tell you who my friend was or what he said about her.)
There was a time when genuine campaign finance reform was this close to becoming a reality in the United States. I cared a great deal about that issue. McConnell was the greatest enemy of reform.
Long before the Merrick Garland outrage, long before the arrival of Trump on the scene, I despised Mitch McConnell.
So tell me how I should feel now.
Blue/purple lips and hands are symptoms of cyanosis, which usually indicates a problem with the heart or lungs. I've had two heart attacks and I have Reynaud's syndrome, which sometimes expresses itself as cyanosis, though it has not done so in my case.
I can't pretend to be above hatred. I can't pretend to uphold the Christian ideal of loving one's enemy. I can't pretend to disdain revenge or schadenfreude. I can't pretend to forgive the horrible ways in which that man has exercised the authority he has wielded.
On the other hand, I could end up looking like Mitch McConnell a decade from now, or a week from now. Maybe never.
So tell me how I should feel.
7 comments:
while I do not wish its McConnell well, his symptoms are not cardiopulmonary but rather dermatological. That is, he likely had a fall, injured his hands and had lots of bruising. When I worked in the emergency room, older folks always looked like that when they had a fall. Others have said it may have been due to him being on blood thinners, which combined with a fall would produce that kind of bleeding.
The Medical Industry decided to discredit Trump's ongoing desire to encourage early treatment protocols for anyone who was placed in 14 day home quarantine. The Medical Industry can now crow about increase number of dead from COVID-19, blame Trump, and still look like the heroes for saving lives of the very same patients who are allowed to go 14 days with not treatment protocol to see if COVID-19 would dominate them, or not.
Mitch McConnell is Mitch McConnell.
Joseph Cannon is Joseph Cannon.
In spite of all the pain and suffering he has caused, I wish McConnell no pain or suffering...but I will be delighted and relieved when he is gone, whatever the cause.
It will be a very good thing for America and the world.
Joseph Cannon, on the other hand, has worked tirelessly for years to try and bring the truth to light and to hold people like Mitch McConnell to account.
I hope and pray that the rest of your life will be healthy, happy, prosperous...and long!
I agree with djmorris and his sentiments except I do wish pain and suffering for people that cause pain and suffering for others. The only way we can justify any code of conduct is to have consequences for not following the code. Yet we are told to not wish any adverse consequences for bad behavior in others. I don't get that. BTW, wasn't Rush Limbaugh supposed to be at death's door? Why is he still alive and kicking?
People can live for several years with stage-4 lung cancer. My sister lived with it for nearly six years before passing away with it two days after Thanksgiving of last year. She was 79. Limbaugh is ten years younger and could hang in there for awhile. He isn't faking the disease. I don't think we should ever lower ourselves to their level, but many so-called people on the left are just as vile and vicious as those on the right.
I never thought Limbaugh was faking it and I do agree that vile and vicious people are not exclusive to one political party, religioun, region, race or income. I still wish all people to suffer the consequences of their actions.
Mr. Limbaugh recently announced that his cancer is terminal. I would feel sorry for him, except that he openly scoffed about smoking causing cancer, which encouraged others to doubt the science. That is one example of the misery he has helped cause. There are so many others.
Similarly, Senator McConnell has caused a fair amount of pain and suffering for others. That will continue for decades with his stacking of the courts.
I do not wish harm to these men. But I save my pity for others.
Best wishes for a long healthy life, Mr. Cannon!
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