The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
I Was Ever Taught, Nor Were They Held By Lincoln"
Greetings to all in Western Illinois. As the last 20% or so of the 2008 crop is taken out, and the weather rather uncooperative, it is hoped everyone is careful to have a safe finish. Soon we are to have our Thanksgiving holiday.
Let's not scar it with memories of injuries or lost loved ones in the haste to complete harvest.
I read in the Des Moines Sunday Register, November 16, 2008, that the secret service uses code names for people it protects while whispering into those microphones in their sleeves. Lists of possible code names, for those who receive Secret Service protection, are drawn up by the White House Communications Agency, a branch of the military that serves the White House and Secret Service. The idea is to choose words that are easily pronounced and easily understood in radio transmissions. President-elect Obama, it was stated, chose "Renegade".
The problem is, the word's origins give it a pausing reflection. The article stated that "according to the online etymology dictionary, renegade's earliest meanings had to do with deserting one's religion, coming from the Spanish word "renegado" originally "Christian turned Muslin".
Many people will use that as one more excuse to dislike and find fault with our current President-elect. As for myself, I'm trying hard to take a different approach to Mr. Obama. It never seemed proper, some of the criticism that was leveled against President Bush, these last eight years by the press and political foes alike, not that Mr. Bush was without any faults, as can be said of anyone of us. Goodness sake, I've got more than my share to concentrate on before tryin' to zero in on anyone else's.
The fact is, in my line of thought, when you attack the President of the United States you are, in a way, attacking my beloved country.
Additionally, it seems, you are aiding and abetting our country's enemies and belittling the U.S. to the whole world. The office commands respect.
If'n that practice didn't seem right for Bush or any other past president, then in all fairness it's not right leveled against President-elect Obama. The respect I was taught in a little one room country school, the presidency does not allow for it. The respect I was taught in church and Sunday school does not allow for it by the teachings of Jesus Christ. And, the old time respect my parents and grandparents taught me does not allow for it. Our of respect for all of my conservative teachings I will continue to show proper respect for the President of the United States and Commander in Chief of its military, no matter what my personal feelings are.
Recently, comparisons have been made of President-elect Obama to past President Abraham Lincoln. I got out an old book of mine entitled, "The Prairie Years and the War Years of Abraham Lincoln" written by Carl Sandburg. The biography contains over 742 pages and I just finished re-reading it well past midnight, the night of this writing. I recommend its reading to everyone.
What I came away with, impressed in my mind, was not the likenesses or differences between Mr. Obama and Mr. Lincoln. What really stood out were the major qualities that Lincoln held. In particular he had the ability for forgiveness and was not vindictive in victory or loss.
Would not this be a quality we should all share for the betterment of our nation and future generations?
Hatred, anger, and bitterness are not attributes I was ever taught by any of my mentors. They are particularly not feelings I choose to pass on to observant children and grandchildren. It is better for all concerned to make the best of this situation both pro and con, and take comfort in the fact that more elections await us further on down the road. That is our democratic way, that is the Christian way, and that is the American way.
I was going to write on something else, but somehow late at night, munching on dried peas, this message got the best of me.
Catch ya later.
Barnyard Bruke