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Friday, May 6, 2011

Let's Roll

Todd Beamer
The father of Todd Beamer, one of the hijacked Americans that began the fight against al Queada by joining with his cabin mates and contesting control of their airplane, has grown weary of hearing the things the president has to say:
"I feel some chagrin now, though, about how the rest of it has been handled. And frankly it started May Day, 2011 when the president announced what had happened. The excessive use of the personal pronoun that he used in his remarks, I really felt that was the beginning of the Commander-in-Chief putting too much spotlight on himself, taking too much credit for what these remarkable Americans had done. And of course it's only now accelerated to a greater degree in the media. It's being hailed as one of the greatest war time decisions, bold and gutsy, and quite frankly, under the facts and circumstances, I think it was anything but that. I think this decision had an inexorable conclusion. As the information unfolded, they were straight forward and easy, and he really had no other choice."
Well said.

On the one hand is Todd Beamer, an average American, a regular guy who loved his family, his wife, his children, but they were all taken from him, essentially for no reason. Caught in that terrible situation, he did what was needed, what he felt was required of him. He did not aspire to be a hero, and yet he became one.

Gutsy national hero.

On the other hand is a politician from Chicago.

2 comments:

  1. Jim, this is wonderful.

    How awesome to hear such a measured response from someone who lost a loved one, on hearing the self-aggrandizing blather from the president.

    And I love the beautiful way you concluded, regarding that lost son:

    ...Todd Beamer, an average American, a regular guy who loved his family, his wife, his children, but they were all taken from him, essentially for no reason. Caught in that terrible situation, he did what was needed, what he felt was required of him. He did not aspire to be a hero, and yet he became one.

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  2. Thanks for your kind note, Cathy.

    And the president is still enjoying himself, I see.

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