Parakalein

That probably says I am a "grumpy old man" but seriously why is the president of the USA going to ground zero today, four days after the death of Osama Bin Laden.

It may sound like I am not a supporter of the president or of those whose lives were lost in 9/11.  On the contrary, I have supported Barak Obama for President since I first hear him speak at the Synod of UCC in Hartford, CT.  He was a man with the audacity to be himself, trust his instincts and live his Faith and Hope out for his fellow citizens.  It seems he is regressing to listen to the pressure of his peers and the political aspirations of his heart rather than the aspiration of his hope and the beat of his heart.

When I have a really good day, when something I have been working on for  along time comes down and gores out with success written all over it, I say boy that was a good day.  I do not whirl around with the success or wallow in failures.  I go to my job the next day and tackle another problem on my plate.  I do not cancel everything and throw a party even if it seems on the one hand to be appropriate part of my job to celebrate.  I also do not celebrate in a way that triggers the PTSD of a horrible day like 9/11.  I believe if the president just went about doing his job fewer people would be jubilant in the streets and more people would stay focused on changing whatever in them, needs to change, to change the world around me.

Victims of 9/11 would respect that choice as they respected his choice to end the tyranny of Osama bin Laden's life.  All American's would be comforted by the president's focus of working on the economy and injustices at home, and  peace and justice in our world.

We do not want to just sing God Bless America, we also want to work for God to bless our World.

We do not celebrate death, we embrace life.  That is the difference between a civilized society and society living in fear and vengeance.