Ed M. at Captain’s Quarters uses the personal relationship between Larry Flynt and Jerry Falwell as a jumping off point for a brief note about seeing the humanity in your political enemies and behaving in a manner consistent with that practice.
A brief note: I added Captain’s Quarters to my RSS feeds just so I could take an occassional look at what the right wing bloggers were saying without relying entirely on Redstate.com, the more moderate local guys that I enjoy, or links from critical lefty sites. Without that feed, I wouldn’t have happened upon this post. Side Note: Oddly, today, even the daybyday cartoon currently featured at the top of his page is critical of the president and Tony Snow (who is portrayed as Pinnochio). It’s a criticism from the right – the only kind the right seems willing to dispense – but a criticism nontheless.
Let me say that I am pleasantly surprised by Ed’s post on this. He doesn’t take an easy opportunity to condemn Larry Flynt (someone for which I have no profound respect myself). He doesn’t pretend that Falwell was innocent of the de-humanization that he objects to – rather he points out specific instances of it. Instead, he holds up the relationship between Falwell & Flynt as a laudable example of understanding and even loving one’s enemies.
I’ve read lot’s of remarks from lefty bloggers – including Christian and/or Unitarian Universalist bloggers that hinted – or even pronounced – that Falwell was unworthy of dignity and respect because he denied it to others. It’s true that he denied it to others. As did those to whom Jesus referred when he said “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.” Or in more secularist, UU terms,
“They drew a circle which kept me out,
A heretic, a rebel, a thing to flout.
But love and I had the wit to win
We drew a circle which drew them in.”– Edwin Markham
Congratulations to CQ and Ed M. for seeing the truth in this. May I also become better able to live by it.
Recent Comments