It's possible or likely that Brian Williams, NBC news anchor, never tried to imagine the disgrace he set himself up for in lies and exaggerations about his war-journalist experiences.
He "deserves it!" sums up rationale for ridicule being heaped on him now. All he has done of good or right is pretty much over-laid by his lies, now admitted.
Having placed himself in fictional harm's way under RPG fire over a war zone (Iraq? Afghanistan? both?), he "asked for it!" Cliched phrases like "How the mighty have fallen" are figuratively post-it-noted onto the man's tall yet now-denuded pedestal.
Causes of public anger, resentment, and scorn against Brian Williams are part of the general sense of being conned, bamboozled, and flimflammed by a trusted public figure. It's not the first time for public shock and disgust, and again to be taken in raises the same feelings of being a chump, a mark, or a sucker--each a fast poison to any residual feelings of respect.
Some say that pride proved the downfall of Brian Williams; as Mark Twain said, "Human pride is not worthwhile; there is always something lying in wait to take the wind out of it."
But here's the rub, the obstacle in the way, the question that comes to mind about continual piling on: "How far can this go without destroying a person?" Maybe I take this too seriously; perhaps the butt of the joke learns to laugh at it, too, at himself. I just can't imagine that ever happening here.
The first reaction that the public wants from the offender, Williams in this case, is a combination of not only honesty and admission (key words here) but also of true remorse, repentance, and confession. Fake attempts are unacceptable, and people will carefully watch and listen for proof, as much as possible, of the real thing.
"At what point forgiveness?" For those who forgive doing so puts an end to ridicule or harsh humor; judgments no longer satisfy or entertain. To forgive does not always mean to forget. You might forgive the stalker, but you do not forget that he still tracks you with a loaded rifle, to give a strong example. I believe that to ignore important information about present dangers or realities would be foolish.
Forgiveness is an act of grace.
This time of high emotional reaction has an end; I hope for that. Yet, if that end can be or will be depends greatly on Brian Williams. The hope I see is an "If." If he exchanges the familiar mantle of authority for an average man's mantle of humility in the fog of his own war, then I see hope for restitution for him...of some kind if not a professional one.
For now, the public still sees Brian Williams caught in a danger zone; his colleagues and fans remain angry, disillusioned, and hurt by what he did. I hope that Brian Williams has true friends of strong character from whom he will seek frank, personal appraisal, disregarding public reputation for now.
Otherwise, I opine, obstacles to his and his profession's good will multiply long after these piling on days.
My News & Views
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Friday, February 06, 2015
Here's Why Nothing Unique from the President at National Prayer Breakfast
On the morning two days after the world learned of film showing a
Jordanian pilot being set on fire, alive, by ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq
and Syria), President Obama informed National
Prayer Breakfast attendees in Washington, DC: “Unless we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place..." (full quote here).
Let's look at the imagery of "on a high horse":
I try to imagine General George Washington--born in Virginia colony, subject of England's King George III and military leader of the colonies' revolt against the king--on one of his high horses (perhaps Nelson or Blueskin) announcing that royal over-reach was "not unique."
If the U.S. President, Barack Obama, had been president in 1939 or 1940, would German Christian pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer have been reminded that Hitler's regime was "not unique"?
If the president had been in office when Pearl Harbor was bombed by followers of the "sun god," would he have noted that surprise attacks were "not unique"?
The wrongs the president outlined (including slavery) have been bravely fought against to the point of shedding of blood and loss of life, ultimately winning abolition in the western world. (Meanwhile, anti-Jewish sentiment rises in Europe and on U. S. university campuses, as presented in this report.)
The president's "high horse" comments have already diverted attention (hence this post) from crises at hand, where a large portion of the world is increasingly threatened by ISIS/ISIL and others beyond Iraq and Syria. Yemen recently fell to ISIS, whose self-published goal is the destruction of all "infidels" (non-extremist Muslims included).
The president made a factual point: Savagery by any name is not unique among evils and sins in the world. Yet, he did not take call out the present savagery and state firm intent to rid the earth of its terrors for this and future generations. ISIS--and other terrorists shouting "'Allahu Akbar'...a jihadist war cry dating from its declaration by Islam’s prophet Muhammad when he made an aggressive proto-jihadist foray on the Jews of the Khaybar oasis"--does not hold back. Neither should the United States and other civilized nations with different power standards.
President Obama reportedly readies himself to approach another powerful high horse, the U. S. Congress, regarding new military actions.
This topic gets "curiouser and curiouser." And yet there is nothing unique about powerful leaders that rely upon delay, finding it extremely difficult to face the import of what is happening not only far away but at home. I would not want to be on the president's horse, yet it is the one he wanted. Similarly, congressional members fought for their high positions. The big choices are never easy for those in whom historic decision powers reside.
Let's look at the imagery of "on a high horse":
"The combination of ...
being high off the ground when mounted on a great war charger,
looking down one's nose at the common herd,
and also being a holder of high office
made it intuitive for the term 'on one's high horse'
to come to mean 'superior and untouchable'."
I try to imagine General George Washington--born in Virginia colony, subject of England's King George III and military leader of the colonies' revolt against the king--on one of his high horses (perhaps Nelson or Blueskin) announcing that royal over-reach was "not unique."
If the U.S. President, Barack Obama, had been president in 1939 or 1940, would German Christian pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer have been reminded that Hitler's regime was "not unique"?
If the president had been in office when Pearl Harbor was bombed by followers of the "sun god," would he have noted that surprise attacks were "not unique"?
The wrongs the president outlined (including slavery) have been bravely fought against to the point of shedding of blood and loss of life, ultimately winning abolition in the western world. (Meanwhile, anti-Jewish sentiment rises in Europe and on U. S. university campuses, as presented in this report.)
The president's "high horse" comments have already diverted attention (hence this post) from crises at hand, where a large portion of the world is increasingly threatened by ISIS/ISIL and others beyond Iraq and Syria. Yemen recently fell to ISIS, whose self-published goal is the destruction of all "infidels" (non-extremist Muslims included).
The president made a factual point: Savagery by any name is not unique among evils and sins in the world. Yet, he did not take call out the present savagery and state firm intent to rid the earth of its terrors for this and future generations. ISIS--and other terrorists shouting "'Allahu Akbar'...a jihadist war cry dating from its declaration by Islam’s prophet Muhammad when he made an aggressive proto-jihadist foray on the Jews of the Khaybar oasis"--does not hold back. Neither should the United States and other civilized nations with different power standards.
President Obama reportedly readies himself to approach another powerful high horse, the U. S. Congress, regarding new military actions.
This topic gets "curiouser and curiouser." And yet there is nothing unique about powerful leaders that rely upon delay, finding it extremely difficult to face the import of what is happening not only far away but at home. I would not want to be on the president's horse, yet it is the one he wanted. Similarly, congressional members fought for their high positions. The big choices are never easy for those in whom historic decision powers reside.
Sunday, January 25, 2015
The News Alarms and the Good Transcends
 |
| Window view, NW Washington, DC, (c)2014 Jean P. Purcell |
The Washington Post comes to our house every
day. We know it is likely to be full of sad news front to back.
Our TV brings in many news sources, all telling of
dissension and disaster, threats and fright. They do this 24/7.
News magazines in waiting rooms forecast the
future of nations, climate, governance, militia, families, and more, often with
dark predictions and falling hopes.
Life and death, good and evil happen in
human events. We are reminded of this every day. Some see
or live within it daily.
Christians today around the world realize that much of the world's news resembles in nature the Roman-ruled world of Jesus' years on earth. In earlier years, from Genesis to Malachi, it was much the same: the earth filled
with turmoil, relatively few years of peace anywhere in their experience.
“You took my sin and shame. Forever I will bless Your Holy
Name.” These words run through my mind, from a song I cannot find.
Good News is eternal, intended for all the world to know, all that Jesus taught by
words and deeds.
Those who put their trust in God through His Son have the good news, the gospel, that over-rides and eclipses the distressing news of the
day and the night. This good news brings hope to all nations: God made a way for
all to come to him through his Son, and they shall not perish.
God’s Word goes forth in power in every language. “God
spoke to me in my own language,” said a young man that had lain wounded from a
self-inflicted gunshot, a failed attempt at a revenge-killing against the one
who had killed his father.
Someone took a Bible to the young man in hospital. The Bible was printed in a language different from his own, yet a language
he knew. He read it, and then God spoke to him about his future.
“God spoke to me in my own language,” he said later. It was the language of his family, tribe,
and tradition, not in English, the Bible he had been given.
God told the young man that the effects of his wound
would heal—against the most-assured medical predictions. Sure enough, the young
man walked out on his own two feet from that hospital. He walked out a healed
man with a transformed heart. The desire for revenge left him, replaced by God.
I heard him speak of these things, “live” in his country, along with others
with whom he serves the Lord today in Ethiopia and, as years have passed,
possibly elsewhere, as well.
Isaiah wrote:
“The
Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me
to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the
opening of the prison to them that are bound;
To
proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of
our God; to
comfort all that mourn;
To
appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the
oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
And
they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations,
and they shall repair the waste
cities, the desolations of many generations” (Isaiah 61:1-4).
Jesus read those words soon after his 40
days in the desert. This is the record in Luke’s gospel:
“And
he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he
went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
And
there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had
opened the book, he found the place* where it was written, (*Esaias/Isaiah 61)
“The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel
to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance
to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them
that are bruised,
To
preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”
And
he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the
eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
And
he began to say unto them, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears”
(Luke 4:17-21).
Religions vary, “but the Word of the Lord stands forever”
(Isaiah 40:8); 1 Peter 1:25) with power to save. Every soul that
is in darkness, prison, sickness of the mind or body in which it dwells; every
soul that despairs, without hope in this world, God knows perfectly: “…the whole head is sick, and
the whole heart faint” (Isaiah 1: 5).
John the Apostle wrote:
And I beheld, and I
heard the voice of many angels round about the throne
and the beasts and
the elders:
and the number of
them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;saying
with a loud voice,
Worthy
is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and
strength,and
honour, and glory, and blessing.
And every creature
which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in
the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying,
Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever
(Revelation 5:11-13).
*****
Scripture source: King James Version (KJV) of the
Bible--public domain
Friday, January 16, 2015
Friday, January 09, 2015
I Was Afraid
Commentary
Jesus said, "Cast your fear upon the Lord." Yet, in human circumstances I have had faith-freeze. Facing the idea of death as a Christian with the living hope of eternal life is very different from facing imminent possibility of dire events.
Something happened this morning that ended up being far less serious than what others now face. It happened at my house early today and proved enlightening regarding me and raw fear.
The recent terrorist-caused tragedies across the Atlantic, in Paris, have been close to the heart; and I went to bed with them on my mind last night.
For the majority of French people and tourists, the wolf is at the door, even through the door--a far, far different thing than being at the viewing end of a camera as are television-watchers.
This morning I awoke around 7 a.m. to the sound of loud pounding on the front door of our home. The doorbell had not been rung. Just the pounding in three equally strong and loud hits came upon my awakening awareness.
I remained still and silent, eyes closed, in those ticking moments; I heard my husband get up and go down the hall. I heard the door open and his voice saying, "Oh, alright." I did not hear the front door close. I did not hear any more movement. I thought I heard a car or truck motor idling outside.
This kind of pounding on the door never has happened early in the morning. Therefore, I knew that no one had been locked out or unsuccessful with doorbell attempts and thereby driven to beat hard against the door.
We have a very strong front door that requires very hard hits to make such loud sounds.
My husband got up and did not return to bed soon. I lay still. Listening. I did not make a move to get up. I felt fear, physically, in my upper arms and chest, which retained a tingly cold feeling of fright.
It was fear due to the happening of the never-before - the kind of harsh, loud awaking that has never happened.
After maybe three minutes that felt like 15 or more, I ventured out of the bedroom at the far end of the house. I met my husband coming toward me down the hall.
"It was the police," he said. "The garage door was left open." I leaned toward my husband and he hugged me, saying, "It's scary, isn't it?" He continued: "I thought it might be bad news."
He had seen, through the front window, police car lights flashing. He has no fear of police, and he opened the door, still uneasy. I wish he had not had that moment of dread of terribly bad news.
I returned to bed free of any "big bad wolf" thoughts but with thoughts of how this episode reminded me that I am a different person when faced with imminent unknowns that just might include danger.
.
A friend of mine once said, "I never say that I will never deny the Lord. I pray that I will never do so." I think more than ever that she is wise toward the inability she has--and most of us have, I think--to completely know ourselves in light of tempting times the likes of which we have never faced.
The experience of this morning will impel me to pray more for those in fear at this hour in the world, including in and beyond Paris, those who know that terrorists are near. They have killed even more people since their deadly and wounding attack on the offices of a magazine in Paris and on a policeman that offered no threat outside.
Other terrorists have taken hostages and killed two, goes the report, at a kosher deli, in days of preparation for Shabbat, in Paris. As yet, no terrorists that have been at large have been captured or killed. France at this moment is under a prolonged active anti-terror operation.
Are we now ready to face up to the fears of more terrorists'* targeting and planning against our respective nations? On our respective shores now, living among us--as the Boston marathon bombing most recently in the U.S.--are radical Muslims making plans, waiting for opportunity for success each time.
Police and militia are trained to overcome their fears or to fight in spite of them. Most of us, however, would freeze in place if confronted.
I remember what I heard a local imam say, in effect, "We do not practice Sharia law here because this country does not allow it." Why did not one of us in the room think to ask, "Then why do you choose to remain in this country?"
I know that this imam's mosque five minutes away has converted former members of Christian churches. Do those converts realize the harsh punishments of Sharia* that their imam would enforce if ever allowed to do so?
Jesus said, "Be not afraid." We readjust ourselves, as needed and to the extent we are able, by renewing this trust: whatever happens and whatever the outcome for us, we are eternally living and safe in God's care.
In Corrie ten Boom's account of her fears of Nazi arrests in Holland, she wrote that her father assured her not to fear but to trust God. He reminded her that he, her father, always gave her her train tickets just before they boarded a train. So, too, would her heavenly Father give her the grace she would need when she most needed it.
Her survival story proved the truth of her earthly father's trust in God for her. Her fears were well-founded, for she and her sister were was put into a concentration camp, where her sister Betsy died, after having influenced hardened guards by her trust in God.
Evening and Morning - sung via YouTube.
*This article link "terrorists" is from an Internet link I cannot vouch for except that it appears to be genuine. There is much misinformation via Internet sources, so it seems right to post this disclaimer. In an effort of fairness toward the writer of the article, this disclaimer is not intended to say that it the article is not, on the other hand, a true account. One can only try to question everything, within reason, and compare accounts and their sources, especially in times of alarm or fear.
*Sharia law - many examples online. Various explanations and definitions online give various interpretations and some distortions.
Jesus said, "Cast your fear upon the Lord." Yet, in human circumstances I have had faith-freeze. Facing the idea of death as a Christian with the living hope of eternal life is very different from facing imminent possibility of dire events.
Something happened this morning that ended up being far less serious than what others now face. It happened at my house early today and proved enlightening regarding me and raw fear.
The recent terrorist-caused tragedies across the Atlantic, in Paris, have been close to the heart; and I went to bed with them on my mind last night.
For the majority of French people and tourists, the wolf is at the door, even through the door--a far, far different thing than being at the viewing end of a camera as are television-watchers.
This morning I awoke around 7 a.m. to the sound of loud pounding on the front door of our home. The doorbell had not been rung. Just the pounding in three equally strong and loud hits came upon my awakening awareness.
I remained still and silent, eyes closed, in those ticking moments; I heard my husband get up and go down the hall. I heard the door open and his voice saying, "Oh, alright." I did not hear the front door close. I did not hear any more movement. I thought I heard a car or truck motor idling outside.
This kind of pounding on the door never has happened early in the morning. Therefore, I knew that no one had been locked out or unsuccessful with doorbell attempts and thereby driven to beat hard against the door.
We have a very strong front door that requires very hard hits to make such loud sounds.
My husband got up and did not return to bed soon. I lay still. Listening. I did not make a move to get up. I felt fear, physically, in my upper arms and chest, which retained a tingly cold feeling of fright.
It was fear due to the happening of the never-before - the kind of harsh, loud awaking that has never happened.
After maybe three minutes that felt like 15 or more, I ventured out of the bedroom at the far end of the house. I met my husband coming toward me down the hall.
"It was the police," he said. "The garage door was left open." I leaned toward my husband and he hugged me, saying, "It's scary, isn't it?" He continued: "I thought it might be bad news."
He had seen, through the front window, police car lights flashing. He has no fear of police, and he opened the door, still uneasy. I wish he had not had that moment of dread of terribly bad news.
I returned to bed free of any "big bad wolf" thoughts but with thoughts of how this episode reminded me that I am a different person when faced with imminent unknowns that just might include danger.
.
A friend of mine once said, "I never say that I will never deny the Lord. I pray that I will never do so." I think more than ever that she is wise toward the inability she has--and most of us have, I think--to completely know ourselves in light of tempting times the likes of which we have never faced.
The experience of this morning will impel me to pray more for those in fear at this hour in the world, including in and beyond Paris, those who know that terrorists are near. They have killed even more people since their deadly and wounding attack on the offices of a magazine in Paris and on a policeman that offered no threat outside.
Other terrorists have taken hostages and killed two, goes the report, at a kosher deli, in days of preparation for Shabbat, in Paris. As yet, no terrorists that have been at large have been captured or killed. France at this moment is under a prolonged active anti-terror operation.
Are we now ready to face up to the fears of more terrorists'* targeting and planning against our respective nations? On our respective shores now, living among us--as the Boston marathon bombing most recently in the U.S.--are radical Muslims making plans, waiting for opportunity for success each time.
Police and militia are trained to overcome their fears or to fight in spite of them. Most of us, however, would freeze in place if confronted.
I remember what I heard a local imam say, in effect, "We do not practice Sharia law here because this country does not allow it." Why did not one of us in the room think to ask, "Then why do you choose to remain in this country?"
I know that this imam's mosque five minutes away has converted former members of Christian churches. Do those converts realize the harsh punishments of Sharia* that their imam would enforce if ever allowed to do so?
Jesus said, "Be not afraid." We readjust ourselves, as needed and to the extent we are able, by renewing this trust: whatever happens and whatever the outcome for us, we are eternally living and safe in God's care.
In Corrie ten Boom's account of her fears of Nazi arrests in Holland, she wrote that her father assured her not to fear but to trust God. He reminded her that he, her father, always gave her her train tickets just before they boarded a train. So, too, would her heavenly Father give her the grace she would need when she most needed it.
Her survival story proved the truth of her earthly father's trust in God for her. Her fears were well-founded, for she and her sister were was put into a concentration camp, where her sister Betsy died, after having influenced hardened guards by her trust in God.
Evening and Morning - sung via YouTube.
*This article link "terrorists" is from an Internet link I cannot vouch for except that it appears to be genuine. There is much misinformation via Internet sources, so it seems right to post this disclaimer. In an effort of fairness toward the writer of the article, this disclaimer is not intended to say that it the article is not, on the other hand, a true account. One can only try to question everything, within reason, and compare accounts and their sources, especially in times of alarm or fear.
*Sharia law - many examples online. Various explanations and definitions online give various interpretations and some distortions.
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