Fables and Faith : Take the First Step
Posted on Monday, September 1, 2008
I confess - I loved the movie "Charlie Wilson's War " - I've seen it a couple of times already and would go back to see it again if I could. So, you can guess how much I laughed and hee-hawed when I read his adroit statement to a crowd at Denver's Hard Rock Cafe.
Now I've been to the Hard Rock Cafe in Denver, and it is a great place to mingle, the food is excellent, and I understand (from some of my friends ) that it also has a great bar. That statement alone might account for ole Charlie's witticism.
Perhaps you missed it, so I'll just try to stop laughing long enough to repeat the "In the news"brief on Page 1 A of Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: "Former Rep. Charlie Wilson, D-Texas, took aim at GOP Sen. John McCain during a convention event at Denver's Hard Rock Cafe, but misspoke, saying: ' We should be guided and led by Osama bin Laden, I mean by Osama and Biden, ' before quickly adding, ' We need sense and not nonsense, as that last statement was. ."
I thought his statement was more like a Yogi Bera quote.
Of course the newest word being used in that story is "misspoke," which evidently can mean a lot of things. I don't think he "misspoke. "I think he goofed and showed what Lyndon Johnson said would happen to your speech if you indulged in too much "bourbon and branch water. "
Anyway, I enjoyed the story. As we get further into this year's campaign, I suspect we will hear lots of "misspeak"and a ton of "misspoke. "What each of us should probably consider doing is making up our own minds through a bit of research and questioning.
I remember the quote from Will Rogers: "On account of being a democracy and run by the people, we are the only nation in the world that has to keep a government four years, no matter what it does. "He also said," This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session as when the baby gets hold of a hammer."
I suppose one of the most colorful quotations is the one Will said about men. He is quoted as saying," There are three kinds of men. Those who learn by reading, those who learn by following directions, and then the rest of us who have to pee on the electric fence to find out for ourselves."
On a more somber note: I thought it was very appropriate for Barack Obama to have us remember the anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream "speech as Obama addressed the crowded stadium Thursday evening. I remember a number of quotations from Dr. King in his many speeches. One that has guided me these past 45 years is when he talked about the importance of faith. He said," Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. "Shalom !
• • • Bob Haynes'column appears on Mondays.
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