Quoting the Dearly Departed......

WARNING! Political commentary/satire. You may read only if you have a dry sense of humor or thick skin.

Lately there have been several commentators and politicians "quoting" the dearly departed. (the dead)  The problem I have with their quotations is this: they are opinions on things that have happened after the poor folks went on to be with the Lord.


Our late, great president, Ronald Regan has been quoted on the Iraq war, Sarah Palin, Barak Obama and other issues. He has even been second guessed by his own sons on current issues. I have to ask, how do they know? I mean really, The Iraq war was a horse of a different color than the Vietnam war and from all accounts, he "understood" why we were in Vietnam. So would he be for or against it? This is a man who worked very hard for peace in ME and saw much turmoil there during his presidency, so who is to say he would be for or against? I was beginning to think that perhaps his son Ron had an upline to Heaven, but then realized he is an agnostic, so most likely not.

Then, today, our most Right Reverend Jesse Jackson, after quoting (legitimately) the late Reverend Martin Luther King, insists that he, MLK, would be against the war in Iraq as well. Now, having at least known and worked with the Reverend MLK, perhaps he has some insight, but really? Reverend M.L. King was a peace activist, he also died at the very young age of 39. Y'all, people change as they age. He may have, he may not have changed, but again does the Right Reverend Jackson have a personal Telephone to Glory that sits in MLK's mansion over yonder? I have to say, regardless of Jackson's religious title, he is a politician after all, so probably not.

I would like to say that this habit of giving the opinions of those who have "gone on" is limited to politicians and their like. However, having heard bald statements made just today of some poor old lady's thoughts of how her grandchildren were being raised, she had never met them before being called "up yonder", it sadly isn't so.  " Mama would not have liked that, Daddy would never have let that happen." I have heard pastor's,  who have "gone to be with the Lord", opinions on the new church carpet color. The same Pastor's apparently would never have like the new ushers coats or allowed that new kind of music. That Pastor is probably dancing on streets of gold right now and couldn't have cared a bit what color the church carpet was when he was alive, much less now!

So, my question is: Why do we feel the need to quote these lovely people? Is it because we are afraid our own opinions won't hold enough weight?  Perhaps we need their "verbal support" to bolster our weak and dying cause? Or is it, there simply are not enough righteous, respected men and women alive or within our sphere of influence to whom we can turn for encouragement and endorsement? Is it a lack of righteous, upstanding, influential people or is it a lack of moral integrity on our part? A lack of moral integrity would explain a lack of righteous, influential  people around us. 

So, the next time you want to say, Grandmother would have died if she would have seen/heard/ known.....think twice. Grandmother did die and it wasn't from seeing her Granddaughter's new hair style. Grandmother went to be with Jesus and she is too busy feasting at the table of the Lord to care a whit about Sissy's hair style, the state of the Union or Aunt Marge's hot pink convertible. Furthermore, I feel sure George Washington, Abe Lincoln, Ronald Regan and MLK are not in the least bit concerned about Global Warming, Iraq, Iran, Israel or Gun laws.

If the gentleman above knew they had lived their lives so loud, so well, so bravely only to be misquoted, misrepresented and their names misused, they would...do ....nothing. Well they might take another stroll over heaven or sing more songs around the throne....

Just think y'all, if you live strong enough, loud enough, big enough you might get to be misquoted, misrepresented and your name misused too!


I promise, this is my last political post for a while! As soon as the fast is over, Ill fill my head with prime time TV and become somewhat funny again.