In the news

A few items in the news engendered this morning’s post.

I don’t know if you saw President Obama’s speech yesterday afternoon. It was a major policy speech in which he talked about curtailing the U.S. targeted drone attacks against al Qaeda and closing the Guantanamo prison.

A woman a couple of times during the speech rudely interrupted the President. I thought he handled her public outrage with Presidential courtesy and politeness. Bravo to Mr. Obama.

The Boy Scouts of America voted for an historic policy change yesterday. As of January 1^st, they will allow openly gay scouts to join troops, but they will not allow gay scoutmasters. Wow! Welcome to the 21^st century.

I was a scout back in the early 1950’s and while I didn’t know of any scouts that were gay, I did observe some scout leaders who were different. I didn’t understand that difference then, but I do now. So be it.

I wonder how the two senators from Oklahoma now feel about federal disaster aid. The two of them voted against Federal aid for the hurricane Sandy victims. It seems to me you cannot tie the federal budget to the pain and pathos of American citizens suffering anywhere because of nature’s destructive force.

The problem is that we are a country of divergent cultures, and economies and even ethics. The Senators and Representatives in Congress don’t see our oneness. The representatives of one regional culture cannot muster the empathetic resonance with another because they see the other as takers from the national coffers. Tragedy is the national denominator of a Samaritan ethic. If a neighbor or citizen, distant or close, needs help, then you help. That is the American way.