Clinton's impeachment trial a time for reflection,
prayer for country
I was on an airplane the other evening, returning from a speaking
engagement in California, when we pulled into Phoenix to change
planes. I walked around a bit, found the gate for my next plane and
sat down to wait for boarding. When what should appear before
my wondering eyes but a bunch of cheerleaders and the Arizona
Cardinals football team, heading to the Twin Cities to beat up
on our beloved Vikings. I was reading a book, so I didn't notice most of the shenanigans
taking place around me. But then one fellow called out to a cheerleader
standing just across the aisle from me. He crouched into a lineman's
stance and came charging down the narrow aisle. The cheerleader
laughed and fended off his brutish advances. They were in high
spirits and waiting for the big game the next day in Minneapolis. Of course, the Vikings beat the Cardinals by 20 points, and
I'm sure the cheerleading entourage was much quieter as they headed
home without a victory. This was the first time the Cardinals
had earned a place in the NFL playoffs since 1947, and one can
understand how their spirits rose and hope for a championship
soared. This feeling isn't new to Minnesotans, however. The Vikings
have been to the playoffs several times, but usually we've lost
in the first game. For Arizona, the team has failed to recognize reality. I liken
it to starry-eyed fundamentalist Christians and others who have
battled so hard, so long to bring their brand of justice to the
world that they can't see anything but their ultimate success.
And if they aren't successful or hear other points of view that
threaten their beliefs, they build tight, little communities that
are insulated with solid walls and steel doorways. And then they
tell each other the story of how Jesus loves those with a clean
heart and a clear mind. Of course, they mean that Jesus loves
them -- not liberal-leaning, mush-minded believers who won't say
Jesus is the answer to every human problem. I've known a good many fundamentalists in my time, and they
are, for the most part, trusting and loving people. But they're
also people who feel they must find the ultimate, dead-right-on
answer to the human condition. For instance, take the Clinton-Lewinsky issue in Washington,
D.C. Fundamentalist Christians have made certain the American
public knows how much they revile the man and his morals. But
some say the impeachment issue has been engineered by the fundamentalists.
As far as I know, not one person has specifically accused the
big guns of fundamentalist Christianity -- such as Pat Robertson
and Jerry Falwell -- of conspiracy to bring the downfall of President
Clinton. So where's the reality check here? Others say the tobacco industry has a nicotine-stained hand
in Clinton's troubles, because he targeted cigarettes as one of
the evil influences affecting our society. Could they be behind
the effort to unseat the president? Could that be reality? Many people on both sides of this epic battle stand in the
background, silent until the doors slam tight and the curtains
shut out the light. Many have money and a good number have influence
beyond our wildest dreams. But if you think the only players in
this drama are the people on television, you are in need of a
huge dose of reality. So what is reality? Many forces play a part in this critical
issue at our nation's capital. Most of us feel we are without
power and are left a nation chewing its collective fingernails
while a few hundred lawmakers and their ilk determine our future.
Our only option is watch the drama unfold in newspapers and absorb
the headlines as they blip across the screen on television. This is not a time for cheerleading. It is a time for quiet.
Take a break and pray for the United States of America.
Clark D. Morphew
Posted For January 23, 1999